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The 5R110W went into 2003-2010 F-250 and F-350 Super Duty trucks behind the 6.0L and 6.4L Power Stroke diesels and the 5.4L and 6.8L gas engines, the 2003-2005 Excursion, and a long list of van, cab-chassis and motorhome applications after that. It is a stout unit with a lot of clutch area, but it lives a hard life: heavy trucks, towing, and diesels that make a lot of heat.
When a 5R110W needs a rebuild, the kit is the easy part of the bill. The expensive mistakes are buying a kit for the wrong year range, reusing a heat-damaged part, and putting a fresh unit back into a truck with a clogged cooler and a tired solenoid body.
2003-2004 vs 2005-Up — Get This Right First
Ford revised the 5R110W internally after the first two model years, and rebuild kits are split around it. A kit for a 2003-2004 unit is not the same as one for a 2005-up unit, and within the later years some kits split again around 2008. That is why you will see listings like Master Rebuild Kit 2003-2004, Master Rebuild Kit 2005-2007 and Master Rebuild Kit 2008.
Check the transmission identification tag and the vehicle build date on the driver door sticker before ordering. Trucks built late in a model year sometimes carry the next year's transmission, so the build date and tag beat the model year on the title.
Kit Levels
| Kit | What's In It | Buy It When |
|---|---|---|
| Overhaul kit | Gaskets, seals, sealing rings, O-rings | Resealing a healthy unit or fixing a leak |
| Friction / clutch kit | Friction and steel plates only | You already have a good overhaul kit, or pairing brands |
| Banner kit | Overhaul kit plus frictions | Light slip, steels flat and clean |
| Master kit | Overhaul kit, frictions and steels, often filter and more | Burnt fluid, towing trucks, high mileage |
For a truck that tows, buy the master kit. These units cook steels, and a slipping clutch pack with new frictions on warped steels is the most common reason a fresh 5R110W comes back.
Shop the kits: 5R110W Master Rebuild Kit · TorqShift Master Kit 2003-2004 · 5R110W Banner Kit · 5R110W Overhaul Kit · Friction and Steel Kit 2003-2004
What Actually Fails on a 5R110W
Heat
Almost every 5R110W failure has heat somewhere in the story. Towing heavy in fourth or fifth with the converter unlocked, a restricted cooler, or an engine cooling problem on a 6.0L all push fluid temperatures up. Varnished valves, glazed frictions and hardened seals follow. Watch transmission temperature on a gauge or scan tool, and flush or replace the cooler during the rebuild — do not reuse a cooler that has been through a clutch failure.
Solenoid Body
The shift and pressure control solenoids are a known trouble spot. Harsh or erratic shifts, a flare between gears, torque converter clutch codes, or a truck that drops into limp mode can all come from the solenoid body rather than worn clutches. Rebuilding the hard parts and bolting the old solenoids back on is a common way to end up with a new transmission that still shifts badly.
7-Piece Shift Solenoid Set · 5R110W Solenoid Kit · Internal Wiring Harness
Valve Body Bore Wear
Like other Ford heavy-duty automatics of this era, the 5R110W valve body wears at the bores of high-cycling valves. The symptom is a converter clutch that slips or a shift that flares once the fluid is hot, even after new solenoids. Options are a reamed and repaired valve body, or a replacement unit. Shops that do these regularly use a reaming fixture to install oversize valves.
5R110W Valve Body · 5R110W Valve Body 2003-2016 · Valve Body Reaming Fixture · 5R110W Shift Kit
Pump, Drums and Planetaries
Scored pump gears and a worn stator support leak pressure to everything downstream. Clutch drums can crack or wear at the sealing ring lands, and planetary pinions get noisy after a heat event. None of these are in a rebuild kit. Inspect every one, measure sealing ring lands, and budget for at least one hard part.
5R110W Pump · 5R110W Clutch Drum · 5R110W Planetary · 5R110W Sun Shell
Finish the Job Right
- Filter: always a new filter with a rebuild. 5R110W Filter Kit
- Cooler: flush both directions or replace. Consider added cooling if the truck tows. 5R110W Transmission Cooler
- Converter: do not reinstall a converter that has been through a clutch failure. It holds debris that will contaminate the new unit.
- Fluid: Motorcraft Mercon LV is Ford's current specification for the 5R110W. Do not mix in old-type fluids.
- Adaptive reset: clear the transmission adaptive tables with a capable scan tool after the rebuild, then drive it through all gears so the PCM relearns shift pressures.
5R110W Kits and Hard Parts
Master kits split by year, solenoid sets, valve bodies, pumps, drums and filter kits for the TorqShift five-speed. Additional heavy-duty transmission parts at CoreTransmissionParts.com.
Shop 5R110W Rebuild Kits →FAQ
Does a 2003 5R110W rebuild kit fit a 2006 truck?
Usually not. Ford revised the transmission after 2004 and kits are split into 2003-2004 and 2005-up ranges, with some kits splitting again around 2008. Match the kit to the transmission tag and build date.
Is the 5R110W the same as the 6R140?
No. The 5R110W is the five-speed TorqShift used through 2010 Super Duty trucks. The 6R140 is the six-speed that replaced it in 2011. Rebuild kits and hard parts do not interchange.
Should I replace the solenoids when rebuilding a 5R110W?
On a high-mileage or heat-damaged unit, yes. Worn solenoids cause harsh shifts, flares and converter clutch codes that a clutch rebuild will not fix.
What fluid should a rebuilt 5R110W use?
Ford's current specification for the 5R110W is Motorcraft Mercon LV. Fill to the level on the dipstick with the fluid at operating temperature.
Overhaul kit or master kit for a 5R110W that tows?
A master kit. Towing trucks generate enough heat to warp steels, and a master kit replaces steels along with frictions and seals.