transmission issue going forward

[Really This Guy]

I have a 98 2WD XLT w/ 5.4 in it not sure what transmission it has though. I’m having an issue with the trans and after going through 25 pages in the transmission and drive train section I did not come across anyone having the same issue as me. The truck has 191,000 miles on it and I would assume the fluid in the transmission has been changed but I don’t know for certain. I bough it 3 years ago w/ 182,000 miles on it and the fluid was bright red.

The issue is it goes on to reverse fine but when I put in in drive or any forward gear I have to rev it up some to get it to go in to gear. Once it is in gear it is fine and you can drive it all day as long as you don’t take it out of gear. Some times it is easier to get it in to gear then others. I will try to change the fluid and filter in it but not sure if it will help or not. Have any of you come across this and fixed it with out a rebuild?

 

[stamp11127]

The trans is one large hydraulic work of art. There are two ideas that come to mind, one is lazy solenoids the other is low line (pump) pressure.
I blew a planetary gear set doing the same thing as you by revving the engine. That added a couple hundred big ones to the bill years ago. I recommend not doing that.
If you change the trans fluid make sure to change the internal filter. Check the magnet in the bottom of the pan for a silver gray goop and shinny metal flakes. Only use the correct trans fluid when refilling.

 

[Really This Guy]

Thanks stamp. I'm thinking it's a solenoid issue also. I don't rev it high and it doesn't slam into gear. I was going to service it and try some trans-X in it to see if it helps.