Transmission noise help

[Soda-Bread]

Hello, I’ve got a problem and I was hoping for some guidance. I have a 1995 ranger with the 4.0 engine and a 4r55e automatic transmission. I noticed about a month ago that when accelerating from stop lights, I’d sometimes hear what sounded like a creak, which I assumed was a suspension issue of some kind. However more recently, it’s gotten worse and will now occasionally sustain the noise for several seconds. It will also make the growling noise when accelerating hard while in motion, sometimes. I thought that it might be the driveshaft u joints, so I did an experiment and put the car in drive and held the brake while I gave it some gas, and the noise appeared, so I think I can rule out the driveshaft. It only makes the noise in drive, manual 1st and manual 2nd, not in park, neutral or reverse, so I think I can rule out both the engine and the torque converter. So I believe it to be a transmission issue. The thing is it only happens when the transmission is under torque. If I gently roll away from a stoplight or have my foot on the brake idling, it’s fine. The noise doesn’t happen until I give it some gas. My understanding is that if the clutches were worn out it would be present when idling and go away when you give it gas, and that slipping transmissions sound more like a sandpapery whirring than a growl. I can’t find anything online describing what I’m experiencing. So basically I’m hoping someone here might have experienced a similar issue and can give me some guidance on how to go about troubleshooting this.

a link to a recording I made is here. This was taken in my driveway with thecar in gear, foot on the brake.

Noise, sounds like it’s coming from the transmission area. Present when in drive, 1, 2 only.

youtube.com

Thanks!

I will add that I’m working on tracking down an engine lean code, my fuel trims are consistently way too high, but I don’t think it’s related. But maybe worth throwing out there. I found a manual that talked about the TPS sensor and MAF sensors having an effect on transmission operation.

Edit the next day, I just did a pressure test. Idle pressures seem ok, but when doing the WOT test in drive they would jump up and then immediately drop to 120 PSI. Spec is 207 to 241. For giggles I did a WOT pressure test in reverse, and the pressure was good although I was not able to reach a stall speed, RPMs went way high before I aborted the test. According to my manual (link below) a low pressure in all forward gears indicates a worn forward clutch, “main control,” or O/D servo. Will be examining the Transmission fluid and dropping the pan next.

Pan was clean, fluid a little dark.

manual link:https://atoc.ru/uploads/manual/5fb798885b58e.pdf

 

[Josh B]

Hello Soda and welcome to TRS,
You won;t find a lot of people out tonight who have the experience you will need on that, but I am certain tomorrow you will get someone able to help you along with it,
My last experience with a 4R found me going down a highway spewing a smoke screen that resembled a WW2 PT boat

 

[Bear in the woods]

Couple days before my transmission went out. when I would leave a stop as I accelerated it would have a whine. Kinda like the sound of a turbo. Trans brake didn’t seam to always work during this either. Then while it shifted to final gear. A LOUD THUD. THEN NO GEARS AT ALL. NOW WHEN IN ANY GEAR IT JUST WHINES A LITTLE. so… find it and fix it. They are expensive to replace ..Still don’t know what happened to mine

 

[Josh B]

Man, if you've got a wrecking yard nearby, or can find one on fakebook markets or something grab it,
Well, that's easy for me to say, I'm 12 miles from the nearest town and nobody can see my backyard anyway, but the ones I let go hunting for free, and an occasional steak dinner, I mean like spares
The spare tire was a great idea, maybe a necessity, as is anything else you can pack in the closet

 

[Soda-Bread]

Man, if you've got a wrecking yard nearby, or can find one on fakebook markets or something grab it,
Well, that's easy for me to say, I'm 12 miles from the nearest town and nobody can see my backyard anyway, but the ones I let go hunting for free, and an occasional steak dinner, I mean like spares
The spare tire was a great idea, maybe a necessity, as is anything else you can pack in the closet

Yea, this is actually a junkyard tranny. Problem is the 4r55e’s were an intermediate transmission that they only used in 95 and 96, and only with the 4.0 engines. The original transmission went out about a year and a half ago and I had to drive 5 hours to find a junkyard one. But as luck would have it I just saw someone post a pickup with the exact transmission on marketplace for 500 bucks. Maybe I’d better pounce on that.

 

[Josh B]

Good luck with that man, I don't even know how to tell how to check one out
That would likely be a decent place to start
I think you pull the stick and smell of the oil on it to see if it smells burned

 

[Josh B]

man 500 bucks probly wouldn't buy any major part on it

 

[Bear in the woods]

If the trans computer from 98-2001 can be put on yours. You could use 95-2011. I do believe

 

[sgtsandman]

If you find a replacement. It might be a good idea to rebuild the other one and store it as a spare since they are hard to find. It might be a good learning opportunity for you, especially if you can have someone who knows how to rebuild transmissions help you while doing it.