SURPRISE - no warning, just lost reverse

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alsherlock

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01 LS v8 - SURPRISE - no warning, just lost reverse at 85000 miles after a nice 3 hour drive about NYC. At least it happened when arriving home! it's sitting in driveway while i figure out what to do. just did brakes and 6 more coils, also needs DCCV before spring comes around - not looking to drop a lot more $$$ into it...:runaway:
Anyone with some insight to 5R55N trans? no apparent leaks - no symptons whatsoever / dealer serviced since new....
 
Have you checked the fluid level? How much time did you give it to get into reverse? If the fluid is low, after the transmission warms up it can take a little while for the shift into reverse to happen, and even then it may need to you goose the throttle.
 
thanks so much for the reply Josh

it's interesting - i drove to city, played Santa 12/21 in a Harlem school, drove back to midtown, then drove to LI. When i got there, I passed my MKZ and attempted to back in in front of the Z. So the car was running for hours - it's not the temp. tried for up to 45 seconds or so, accellerated engine too w/o it dropping into reverse. Tried several times since then (cold) w/o success.

new concrete driveway shows no stains. I don't beieve there's a dipstick - it requires pulling that pan van view plug to check fluid level????
 
alsherlock said:
thanks so much for the reply Josh

it's interesting - i drove to city, played Santa 12/21 in a Harlem school, drove back to midtown, then drove to LI. When i got there, I passed my MKZ and attempted to back in in front of the Z. So the car was running for hours - it's not the temp. tried for up to 45 seconds or so, accellerated engine too w/o it dropping into reverse. Tried several times since then (cold) w/o success.

new concrete driveway shows no stains. I don't beieve there's a dipstick - it requires pulling that pan van view plug to check fluid level????
Click to expand...

There is a plug within the drain plug. It takes a T30 bit, or I have been told an allen wrench on your transmission type. You can pull that, and if fluid flows, it is not the fluid. Also check the shifter linkage. There are no indicators of an issue on the instrument panel?
 
total surprise - no hesitation, stuttering, chattering, and no e-warnings.

will be talking to a T-shop in the am - will proceed cautiously!
 
- bump -

2003 LS V8 sudden lose of reverse on start up.
apparently was driven home last evening without issue.

Was about to take the little lady's LS to get an exhaust leak fixed up, she took my 04 LSE to work.

Go to get in, start it up, put it in R, slight hop backwards then nothing. Increase RPM, just sits there and goes nowhere. Bumped it from P to R a few times to get it backed out the driveway onto the roadway.

Forward drive gears started out ok but a quick slow spin around the block revealed several hard engagements and even some drop downs.

As it got warmed up it continued to bang about in several forward gears when getting on it a little.

Slow driving shifts ok but soon as peddle depressed, kicks down and back up violently.

Warmed up, returning to the driveway, was able to properly reverse it in. Didn't seem to slip.


So ... loss of fluid? Don't see anything underneath, no stains in the driveway.

No reverse, bangs in and out of 3-4 it seems.

Thoughts and inputs ?

Shift solenoid, valve body, fluids ?

~ searching ~
.
 
Hopefully when the pan comes off it won't look like our 2003 did. (below) We put in a ETE Reman re-manufactured transmission last November, supposed to be better than new. 3 year unlimited miles warranty. So far so good. Works well. I just contacted them via chat and asked if they ship to Canada, they don't, but anyone in Canada can order via rockauto.com he said. Hopefully you don't need this RigsLS, just thought I'd put it up in case someone reading this in the future does.

Their website has a lot of information: ETE Reman | Remanufactured, Rebuilt & Used Auto Transmissions & Repair

Pan.jpg



RigsLS said:
- bump -

2003 LS V8 sudden lose of reverse on start up.
apparently was driven home last evening without issue.

Was about to take the little lady's LS to get an exhaust leak fixed up, she took my 04 LSE to work.

Go to get in, start it up, put it in R, slight hop backwards then nothing. Increase RPM, just sits there and goes nowhere. Bumped it from P to R a few times to get it backed out the driveway onto the roadway.

Forward drive gears started out ok but a quick slow spin around the block revealed several hard engagements and even some drop downs.

As it got warmed up it continued to bang about in several forward gears when getting on it a little.

Slow driving shifts ok but soon as peddle depressed, kicks down and back up violently.

Warmed up, returning to the driveway, was able to properly reverse it in. Didn't seem to slip.


So ... loss of fluid? Don't see anything underneath, no stains in the driveway.

No reverse, bangs in and out of 3-4 it seems.

Thoughts and inputs ?

Shift solenoid, valve body, fluids ?

~ searching ~
.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks, have to figure out what we are doing with that LS, might source a low milage used trans but won't know until it gets opened first.
 
I know this one, experienced it before on the 5r55 tranny! Your valve body gasket blew out right by the reverse solenoid. It's a simple fix if you are even remotely handy.
You will have to drop the pan pull the solenoid body out, and remove the valve body. before you remove the valve body look up at the round section on either side thats where they blow out, you might be able to see a piece of gasket hanging out. There are tons of videos on You Tube about this very problem, Just look up 5r55 no reverse on you tube.
 
P.S when this gasket gives out you lose reverse and have hard upshifts sometimes, not always, but you always lose reverse. Some times if the gasket isn't totally blown out you might still get reverse while the fluid is cold.
 
Thanks guys, give me some hope. Don't want to spend a fortune on this LS.
It's going to have to sit for the week while I head out to work, she's going to take my 04 LSE to work and back, better not break that one either. I've got a local speed/trans shop near me whom recently removed a tow servo and replace it with a corvette servo in my 09 Silverado to reduce the shift banging I grew tired of. He seems like a stand up fellow and pricing was fair. I'm in discussions with him to have the 03 LS there next week. Said he wants to look at codes first before we go any further.

On my gentle spin around the block it did sport an E and Check Transmission message, so I'm hopeful some code got stored that would give us something to go on. If it's something simple and can get repaired we'll go that route if not a used trans, if not that, then that LS get's scrapped. (after I pull a bunch of parts off it)

Appreciate the info on the Valve body gasket.

These 5R55S trans are identical to what they put in the Explorers and Rangers ?
Wiring harness and pins are same ? Would bolt up directly, plug n play?
 
I agree with T wrench. Like on my 2001, drop the pan and if there is no major issues with chunks of stuff sitting in it, it's a low cost valve body rebuild. Way cheaper and safer than a whole replace.
 
RigsLS said:
...These 5R55S trans are identical to what they put in the Explorers and Rangers ?
Wiring harness and pins are same ? Would bolt up directly, plug n play?
Click to expand...

Now you're being funny.
 
Hey guys Im new to LVC but have been reading a lot of good info threads. Just curious if any one here is in the Seattle Wa area?
 
No the e, s, n, and w don't all have the same hook ups, the internals are even slightly different between variations, but this is a known issue with the 5r55 tranny in all the varieties, and the process to fix it is the same.
 
TwistedWrench,
Might you have a link to a reputable source for just this valve body gasket?
 
The gasket for the 5r55s and 5r55w are the same, I buy most of my parts off of Ebay, at least the more expensive stuff. But the gasket is like $15-20 it's pretty cheap, you will probably pay more for new fluid than the gasket. I would check a local tranny shop, they can probably get you upper and lower valve body gaskets from transtar, or phenoix transmission, for about $20
 
So I asked a silly Fn question, pardon me, like we're all Transmission Specialist here on LVC. Didn't expect anything less really.

TwistedWrench, many thanks for your help ... I gathered from your post you went through this before with this 5r55s trans? And it resolved the issue? I'm debating attempting this myself.

Checking on 5r55 No Reverse youTube vid now.
 
Yeah been through it with the 5r55w 2 times, been lucky with the s so far, but if it happens I know where to look thanks to all the no reverse exploders. The S and W are almost identical the only difference is the select shift option. The way you said you just lost reverse I'd take a bet that gasket blew out.
 
Looking like we might be scrapping her 03 LS. After I tear a boatload of new parts off it. Too rusted.

Black interior. Has solid all red 2nd GEN tails on it as well. New(er) plastic cooling system parts. Rotor & pads, Magnaflow mufflers and tips, 2 sets of wheels. New front glass and AC compressor. Upper control arms, end links ...


She's test driving a black GMC Certified 2014 Terrain SLE AWD this evening. (not going to stop her)
 
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twistedwrench said:
I know this one, experienced it before on the 5r55 tranny! Your valve body gasket blew out right by the reverse solenoid. It's a simple fix if you are even remotely handy.
You will have to drop the pan pull the solenoid body out, and remove the valve body. before you remove the valve body look up at the round section on either side thats where they blow out, you might be able to see a piece of gasket hanging out. There are tons of videos on You Tube about this very problem, Just look up 5r55 no reverse on you tube.
Click to expand...

I am gonna give this a shot! Gonna try to order a valve body and solenoid that are rebuilt change the upper and lower valve body gaskets, change the pan gasket and change out the transmission filter and filler her back up and hope for the best. I just can't find any honest shops around here. One told me a cheap OBII reader would pick up all the transmission codes and would tell all I needed to know.... needless to say they won't ever touch my car. Another honest mechanic said that transmission is famous for the reverse valve being stuck. So hopefully I can get lucky! I had another LS V8 in my driveway 2002 V8 (Bad Motor) but I am actually selling it so I can buy the replacement parts rebuilt since they will have a warranty at least! It's been sitting a while anyway and I remember it having a bit of a hard shift so figured it would be a waste to try that one.
 
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