Hard shift into 3rd or 4th gear

[DaBuckBoys]

Hello all. Just checked in for the first time in a while..Thanks for the tip on shutting off the seat belt chime...

Here's what I got '04 5.4 w/4wd...been a dream so far, its got about 32,000 miles...probably 500-700 miles ago it started shifting real hard, basically at the point you take it from 25-30 mph to higher speeds...wife drives it 1.5 miles to work and home everyday, then its pretty much the full time family hauler on the weekends. I know I need to get it checked out. Just thought y'all might have some advice on what to ask about/what to expect...I can handle maintenance, but I'm not a mechanic and most people I know don't know how to lift a hood...
Thanks guys...I'll probably be around more often...as I consider future upgrades now that its out of warranty and all...

 

[Grasshopper]

I'm not a mechanic either, but one possibility is a broken accumulator spring. These, among other things, help determine the firmness of a shift. If a spring breaks then it could affect your shift like you are describing.

It's a medium difficulty fix, messy and moderately difficulty to get the snapring in the right way with the spring pushing on it. I'd find someone trustworthy to do it. A tranny shop'll rape you for this fix.

 

[JUST4FUN]

have you had the trany flush done? these tranys need to be flushed every 30000 miles more if you tow.

 

[dan1a1984]

just had my tranny rebuilt, it is a 04 exp 2wd with 50k miles. the tranny was slipping in higher gears. I bought it used, the ford dealership were i got it repaired sayed it was from driving with a heavy foot. You do not want to wait too long before having it looked at, the longer you wait the more costly?? trust me..