Ok so will this info and picture help me when i tear into my transmission. Some other number i found on the side was PKF-CR So dose this mean my trany is a 4R70W

 

Yes, Mine is the 4R70W.

 

Kinda hard to keep all the different trucks sorted out when everyone and his uncle jumps into this thread. I was referring to the transmission in the ORIGINAL POSTER'S post.

 

Yes it is. However I don't think the 4R70W is that much different and sufferers from the same problem occasionally.

 

Had the same issue in WV coming home to Ontario from FL.
The smaller clip broke on me, but I replaced the large one as well.
I did make a tool to hold the servo while re/re the large clip.

here is my culprit;


went in this hole (black arrow)


here is the tool in place;

 

Thats clever. Ford actually sells a tool made for that but it runs like $150 I think.

 

Thats where my idea came from. There is a pic in the service manual. OTC also sells one, but the closest I found was in CA for $45.
Spare metal + bolts + a few holes= FREE!!!

 

This fix works for an 05 to, or they have different trans???

My truck did this just a few hours ago, i'm researching before doing anything.

 

Yes 100% works.
Mine is a 2005, and everything in this thread helped.
The only major expense (other than my time) was fluid.
I also replaced the filter, but you dont have to.
The most common issue is for the big snap ring to fail, but mine was OK, just the small one came apart.
I did replace big one as well.
Just be sure to get ALL the pieces from the valve body, and dont turn it upside down.

 

Bad news for me, my problem is not the ring, ring is intact, looks like i'll have to take down the trans.

 

Just had the same problem, truck sits at 110,800 miles.
I actually broke both clips. Installed a new complete servo, retainer clip and fluid. Went faster than I thought, only took a couple of hours to complete. The bottle jack trick made life easy. Only thing was I did'nt have a torque wrench that did 89 in/lb for the valve body bolts. Hand tight with another short twist is close enough, lol.

Pic after taking valve body off. Problem clearly exsposed.


Pic of broken clips. Last small piece I accidently dropped in the old fluid and did'nt dig out.


Thanks for posting up the fix guys!!

 

Guys, this just happened to me on my 2004 F150 Supercrew 4x4 with ~135,000 miles. Same exact symptoms. Drives fine with OD off, but if OD on it acts like it is in neutral when shifting into OD only.

I haven't pulled it apart yet, but I need to repair this all in one day.

Since my truck has 135,000 miles, are there any parts that I should replace for preventative maintainence reasons? Should I replace the OD servo itself? I plan on keeping the truck for a long time.

What else should I purchase beforehand?

Here is what I am already planning on:
7 quarts of Motorcraft Mercon V
The C-clip OD servo retainer that is more than likely broken (part number in earlier post from OP)
new motorcraft transmission filter.

what else do I need?
gasket?
sealant? what type?
that e-clip that others are finding broken as well? does someone have a part number?
Preventative maintainence items, the OD servo itself or other items I can replace since the valve body is off?

Thanks for any input and have a great day!

 

Well, I went and got parts and took mine apart today. My overdrive servo retaining c-clip is in about 10 pieces. It was so bad that it ground a hole into and through the "reinforcement" backing plate on the valve body itself. That is not good. I will have to order that piece.

Here are all of the parts laid out before I took everything apart:



Here are the part numbers: (I have a 2004 F150 new body style)
Piston & rod (overdrive servo assembly) F75Z-7H188-AA ($24.67)
Overdrive servo retaining clip (big C-Clip) F2VY-7384-B ($2.44)
Transmission Filter F6AZ-7A098-A ($19.32)
Motorcraft Mercon V transmission fluid ($5 a quart) I got 7 quarts.
I am a Ford employee, so they gave me a slight discount.

More part pics:







Here is what it looked like when I pulled it apart. Notice that the C-Clip is in a bunch of pieces. Also notice the hole ground into the circular reinforcement plate held on by 4 bolts. The underside of that plate has passageways for fluid circuits. one circuit is now open to to the case itself. It will have to be replaced.



Hopefully I can find a dealer that has that reinforcement plate in stock.

Another thought is that I belive that I have had a partial failure for a long time. My truck has 135K miles on her and sometimes (very infrequently) I would get an OD slip in certain circumstances, like going around a corner. It would slip and them violently lock up, sounding like someone hit the transmission with a sledgehammer. I would also get vibration from the transmission here and there during OD lock up. Hopefully this was the issue.

EDIT: UGH! I dont think Ford sells the reinforcement plate separately from the valve body. I might have to buy an entire valve body off of ebay. :-(

EDIT: I called a few local transmission shops and someone had the plate they were willing to sell. $20 later and I am good to go with the new reinforcement plate. Am out of town, but will try to put everything back together tomorrow when I get home.

EDIT: Got home and got everything back together. It now shifts better than it ever has. I have had issues for awhile and just thought they were normal. I used a impact socket plus a 1/2 inch extension on top of a jack to push the OD servo piston into the bore so I could install the retainer c-clip. This was my first time taking apart a valve body. I did not realize how the shift mechanism pushes/pulls the shift "valve" and when I reinstalled it, I did not line them up properly. That meant I had to take it all apart (of course after I already filled up the transmission with mercon V). I used 10 quarts of Mercon V, but I did totally drain the valve body to dig out all metal particles I could find.

Thanks for this thread!

 

My 2004 F-150 FX4 exhibited the same OD problems as described by so many of you, I decided to open it up and sure enough broken C-clip on the OD piston. I replaced c-clip, I also found all the broken pieces of the c-clip in the valve body. I put it back together and, BAM! I had drive in all positions, there was no neutral and no reverse (good thing I backed it in the garage). Just to clarify it wanted to roll forward in neutral and reverse. Can anyone help me trouble shoot where I went wrong. Oh, and the plastic filter that can be tossed, its kinda like a cone right (1inch tall 3/4 inch wide)? Thanks much!

 

The little plastic filter can be tossed.

Three things come to mind on your issue:
1. did you put enough fluid back in? You need to fill until it registers correctly on the dipstick, then start the engine and let it sit for a minute or two in each gearshift position. Then go back and check the fluid level, add more, then let sit in each gear with engine running, then keep repeating until correct level on dipstick. I used about 10 quarts.

2. did you take off the two circular reinforcement plates, then the big plate and gasket on the valve body to inspect the inside of the valve body? Did you make sure that all of the valves moved freely and that there was not metal c-clip pieces holding them up/making them sticky? They should move freely and precisely with a screwdriver. If you took out the check *****, did you put all 8 exactly where they were supposed to go?

3. Did you make sure to line up the shift linkage with the shift valve on the valve body when you put it back together? I didn't and had to take it back apart (that sucked)