I have a friend that has a 1999 Xlt with the 5.4 and a/t 2wd. his reverse has been making noise for the last week or so. it grinds kind of. it does not seem to engage. the dealer told him this was a very common issue and they might have to open the tranny up and his expense. he has 60000 miles and is out warranty. is this true? common problem? i need some advise.

 

I have a 98 F-150 XLT Supercab 5.4 with the E4OD Tranny 80k/mi. A couple of weeks ago mine started doing the same thing. Making small clunking noises in reverse and sometimes taking a few seconds to engage and its almost like if it were a straight shift with the clutch slipping. I have parked it and not had it looked at yet. I would love to know if you find out anything in the next few days or if anyone else has any information they could share.

 

Before you look at the transmission, check the rear differential. I had a similar problem: everytime I backed out of the driveway and shifted into drive (auto tranny), it seemed like it would hesitate and grind. Took it to the dealer and they stated that the extension housing seal and the axle drive pinion seal had to be replaced. No problems since. Good luck.