Can a Bad Shift Solenoid Cause No Reverse with OK Upshifts? - Transmission Digest

Can a Bad Shift Solenoid Cause No Reverse with OK Upshifts?

Body of Evidence

  • Subject: No reverse
  • Unit: FNR5
  • Vehicle Application: Ford Fusion
  • Essential Reading: Rebuilder, Diagnostician
  • Author: Joe Cangelosi

It is not too often that you see a no-reverse concern caused by a bad solenoid or by a valve-body problem that does not affect any forward upshifts. Generally you’ll see this only on valve bodies that have a reverse-inhibit function, such as the 5L40 or JF506. There are always exceptions, though. We recently had an FNR5 do exactly that. In this instance it was a bad shift solenoid, but not one obviously connected to reverse.

The FNR5 uses six shift solenoids to control upshifts and downshifts and TCC apply. Shift solenoids A, B and C are normally open (pressure flows through when they’re de-energized) duty-cycle-type solenoids. Shift solenoids D, E and F are normally closed (do not allow pressure to flow when de-energized) on/off-type solenoids.

Looking for more technical transmission info like this? Be sure to sign up for the Transmission Digest newsletter to have it delivered to your inbox once a week.

If you look at the solenoid application chart in Figure 1, you’ll find that only shift solenoid F (SSF) is on in the reverse position. SSF is on the secondary valve body and controls the position of the 4-5 shift valve. The 4-5 shift valve in turn routes line pressure to either the reduction brake in reverse and 1st through 4th gears or the direct clutch in 5th. At first glance it seems like a no-brainer. If SSF is stuck closed the 4-5 shift valve would not move, the reduction brake would not come on and there would be no reverse. First through 4th gears would work fine because the No. 2 one-way clutch would hold the secondary sun gear instead of the reduction brake. In the forward ranges, the reduction brake is what gives you engine braking. There is one problem with this theory, though. There is a case passage that feeds reverse-clutch pressure to the secondary valve body to move the 4-5 shift valve. This allows the reduction brake to apply even if SSF is not working.

Next, if we look at an oil-circuit diagram for reverse (Figure 2), we see that shift solenoid B (SSB) is sending solenoid pressure to the low/reverse clutch. So let’s take a look at what happens if SSB is stuck closed. Obviously, the low/reverse clutch would not apply and we would have no reverse. One problem with this is that in the forward ranges SSB applies the 2-4 servo. The low/reverse shift valve is what allows the solenoid to perform double duty. If the solenoid is stuck closed then the unit would not have 2nd and 4th gears. Remember, we said earlier that the problem did not affect any of the forward upshifts.

It is time to revisit the oil-circuit diagram. One of the first things we see is that line pressure from the manual valve flows through the clutch control valve to shift the low/reverse shift valve to the reverse position. This allows line pressure to flow to the reverse clutch and SSB pressure to the low/reverse clutch. So let’s see what happens if shift solenoid D (SSD) is stuck open (Figure 3). SSD pressure will stroke the clutch control valve, thus cutting off line pressure to the low/reverse shift valve.

With the low/reverse shift valve in the forward position, no pressure will reach either the low/reverse or the reverse clutch and we have no reverse. So far so good, but SSD is on in Park, Neutral, 4th and 5th gears, and we said earlier that the unit had all the upshifts. If SSD is the problem the question becomes how we can have all the upshifts with SSD on when it is supposed to be off.

For first and second gears it is easy. There is no line or solenoid pressure to the clutch control valve so its position doesn’t matter.

If you look at the oil circuit for 3rd gear (Figure 4) you can get an idea of what happens in 3rd and 4th gears. In 3rd gear, shift solenoid C (SSC) is turned off, sending solenoid pressure to the solenoid shift valve, 2-4 servo release and the 3-4 clutch. When the solenoid shift valve strokes, it routes pressure from the stuck-open SSD to the 3-4 shift valve instead of the low/reverse and clutch control valves; this, in turn, allows the 2-4 servo apply and 3-4 clutch pressure to flow normally. When SSD pressure strokes the 3-4 shift valve, shift solenoid A (SSA) pressure (forward clutch) will flow to the release side of the servo and the unit will shift to third. Finally, SSA turns on, cutting off forward-clutch and servo-release pressure and the unit shifts to fourth. The primary valve body has done its job and has no effect on the 4-5 upshift. This is all done in the secondary valve body.

If you run into this problem on an FNR5 it is easy enough to check. You can swap SSD and SSE around and see whether you get reverse or blow air through the snout of SSD. If you can blow past the checkball you have found the culprit. The same thing can happen on the four-speed version of this transmission. Just remember that if you run into this on a 4F27E, Ford labels the solenoids differently (Figure 5).

Seems a little bizarre but there you have it, a reverse concern caused by a solenoid that at first glance doesn’t have much to do with it.

Joe Cangelosi provides product support to retail rebuilders via the VBX support line.

You May Also Like

How the Ford engine stop/start system affects transmissions

2018 and later Ford Escape vehicles equipped with a 1.5 L Eco-Boost, 2.0-liter turbocharged engine or the 2L VCTi engines, and the 6F35 transmission, have an engine stop/start system. The stop/start feature can be disabled by the driver and will remain disabled after each key cycle until reactivated by the driver. Some Ford Fusion and

Tech-Talk-May-Figure-1

2018 and later Ford Escape vehicles equipped with a 1.5 L Eco-Boost, 2.0-liter turbocharged engine or the 2L VCTi engines, and the 6F35 transmission, have an engine stop/start system. The stop/start feature can be disabled by the driver and will remain disabled after each key cycle until reactivated by the driver. Some Ford Fusion and Edge models will also have the engine stop/start feature. The reason for this was to improve fuel economy and lower tailpipe emissions.

Chrysler ZF8 generations 1 and 2 identification guide

In 2019, some Chrysler/Ram/Jeep applications that utilize the ZF8HP transmission moved to a second-generation unit with a new designation and numerous changes for better performance and durability. Gen. 1 units are classified as 8HP45, 8HP70 and 8HP90; while Gen. 2 are classified as 8HP50, 8HP75 and 8HP95. Internally, the Gen. 2 transmission had numerous hard

Tasc-Tip-April-Figure-1-Gen.-1-'B'-Brake-Components-1400
When a transmission problem isn’t a transmission problem

Let’s take a look at three examples of times when a car’s issue seems to be a transmission problem, but a closer look reveals another culprit. Related Articles – A part for every need: Hard parts supplier listing 2023 – Breaking parts: Pressure regulator valve and bore blues – Transmission fluid hydraulics Case study 1:

Shift-Pointers-April-Figure-3-1400
Breaking parts: Pressure regulator valve and bore blues

One of our ATSG members, Bob at Trans Tek, recently shared with us an experience he encountered with a 2011 GMC 3500 Mini School Bus with a Duramax diesel engine in front of a 6L90 transmission. It came in to the shop slipping, along with having no second or sixth gear. After the transmission was

Tech-Speak-April-Figure-1-1400
Transmission fluid hydraulics

To understand why using the correct transmission fluid is necessary, you first have to know how the transmission fluid flows inside an automatic transmission. Related Articles – 2023 State of the Powertrain Industry – Powertrain industry directory and buyer’s guide 2023 – Shift Pointers: No ball, no reverse Fluid paths The journey starts in the

Transmission-Fluid-Hydraulics-and-Shifting

Other Posts

The multi-functional Clutch 1 in Nissan’s CVT, part 1

Nissan’s Hybrid RE0F02/3H CVT transmission by Jatco (JF019E) can be found in vehicles such as the Nissan Rogue and Pathfinder as well as the Infiniti QX60. It has its traction motor located where the torque converter would normally be (as you can see in Figures 1, at the top of the page, and 2, below).

Tech-Speak-March-Figure-1-FEATURE-1400
Critical wear areas and vacuum test locations: GM 10L and Ford 10R series

Sonnax has provided the following guide on critical wear areas and vacuum test locations for the GM 10L series and the Ford 10R series. Technicans working on these models should find the following four pages helpful. Related Articles – Announcing the winners of the Top 20 Products and Tools contest – Shift pointers: A 4T65-E

02feb23_TASC-feature-1400
Scope testing the Ford 10R80

Recently, we at Certified Transmission had a chance to do some work with the Ford 10R80. We have easy access to test vehicles since our owner also owns a used car dealership. For our R&D testing we used a 2019 F-150 equipped with a 5.0L engine and the 10R80 transmission. I got to play around

RRfeature1400
Shift pointers: A 4T65-E that wants to move in Park and Neutral

When conducting ATSG seminars, as we are usually covering a specific piece of tech, we’ll often tell attendees that if they put this together wrong, they should let us know what happens. Just recently, Ricky Hodgkinson from AACTION Transmission did just that. He was kind enough to share an incident he recently had with a

ebulletin-feb-feature-1400