4R55E Master Rebuild Kit 1997, new and ready to install. Fits the 4R55E. Ships fast from the USA.
A 1997 Ford Ranger or Mazda B4000 with the 4.0L V6 and a four-speed automatic is running the 4R55E, the heavy-duty version of Ford's small truck transmission. That extra torque, often with a trailer or oversized tires behind it, is hard on bands and clutches. When it starts flaring between gears, slides into gear late, or drops fourth, and the pan shows burnt fluid and lining, this new master rebuild kit gives you everything that wears for a complete two-wheel-drive overhaul.
Sonnax explains that Ford took the 1995 4R44E and strengthened the drive components for the 4.0L, creating the 4R55E. The Ranger Station puts its rating at 550 lb-ft after converter multiplication, against 440 for the 4R44E, with the same 2.47, 1.47, 1.00 and 0.75 ratios. Outwardly the two look alike; the difference is the durability of the parts inside. For 1997 Ford began turning the design into the five-speed 5R55E by also using the front servo to create an extra ratio, and the four-speed 4R55E was phased out. Its bands, applied by servos under EPC-controlled line pressure, carry a large share of the load in every gear, so lining wear and seal hardening at high mileage tend to show up together. A full kit resets all of it at once.
Sonnax ties many of these complaints to the valve body rather than worn hard parts. EPC circuit leakage causes delayed reverse and 1-2 or 2-3 flares on the four-speed units, and can break bands and blow servo seals. Coast clutch valve leakage costs fourth or engine braking, and worn TCC valves set code P0741. If the fluid is clean and the magnet is bare, chase pressure first; our line pressure testing guide and the 5R55-family harsh shift walkthrough show how. Lining on the magnet means the bands are gone and a rebuild is the fix.
This listing covers the 1997 4R55E, and the kit is cataloged for 1997-up 4R44E, 4R55E and 5R55E transmissions in two-wheel-drive trucks. The Ranger Station shows the 4R55E in 4.0L Rangers through 1997, with the 5R55E taking over from 1998. A 4x4 truck uses a different filter and rear bushing, so this kit is for 2WD only. An earlier 1995-1996 4R55E should use our 1995-1996 4R55E kit instead. Check the transmission code on the door label and the case tag, and send your year, drivetrain and VIN if you want a second check. Parts for the whole family are on the 5R55 transmission parts page.
| Fits | 4R55E 1997 |
| Part type | Master Rebuild Kit |
| Condition | New |
| Brand | OEM |
| Ships | From the USA |
| Warranty | 1-year |
If the truck is two-wheel drive with the four-speed 4R55E, yes. Confirm the transmission code on the door label, since 1998-up 4.0L Rangers use the five-speed 5R55E.
The kit contents are the same for both, cataloged for 1997-up 2WD units. The 4R55E is the heavier-duty 4.0L version with stronger internal drive parts, not a different set of soft parts.
Yes. You get Borg-Warner frictions, steel plates, the intermediate, overdrive and reverse bands, a gasket and seal set, a filter, the pump bushing and the extension housing bushing.
No. This is the 2x4 version. Four-wheel-drive trucks need a different filter and extension housing bushing, so send your VIN and we will point you to the correct kit.
If the old unit failed with lining and debris in the fluid, yes. The converter is not part of this kit, and a contaminated one will damage new clutches quickly.
Often the valve body. Sonnax links delayed or lost reverse to EPC circuit leakage and worn reverse modulator valves, which a soft parts kit does not repair.
