5R44E Clutch Module 1997-2011, new and ready to install. Fits the 5R44E. Ships fast from the USA.
Searching for 5R44E clutches usually means a 2.3L or 3.0L Ranger, or its Mazda B2300 or B3000 twin, that has started to slip once it warms up, lost engine braking in third, or left a magnet coated in black paste. The clutch packs are the wear item most people go looking for, but by the time frictions are burnt the bands and seals beside them are tired too. This listing is titled clutch module, yet what ships is more than a single friction pack: it is the complete super master kit for the 4R44E, 5R44E and 5R55E family, so you get every clutch plate and the rest of the soft parts a teardown calls for.
Not included: the low/reverse band and a torque converter. Check the reverse band when the case is open and order one separately if its lining is glazed.
Ford built the 5R44E off the four-speed 4R44E, a design rated around 440 lb-ft after torque converter multiplication, and slipped an extra ratio in near the bottom. The Ranger Station gear chart lists the five-speed at 2.47, 1.86, 1.47, 1.00 and 0.75 with a 2.10 reverse. Each upshift is a handoff between a clutch pack or band coming off and another coming on. The coast clutch gives engine braking in the lower gears, the direct clutch carries load in the upper gears and reverse, and the forward clutch carries the truck every time it moves ahead. When a friction loses its lining the pack can no longer hold torque through the overlap, so the engine flares, heat builds, and the damage spreads to the next pack in line.
Burnt clutches are often the result of a valve body problem rather than the cause. Sonnax's vacuum test guide for this family links a worn reverse modulator valve to a burnt direct clutch, a burnt reverse band and delayed reverse, and ties a sticking coast clutch valve to no engine braking and no coast clutch apply. If you rebuild the clutches without fixing that valve, the new frictions burn up again. Pull the pan and look at the magnet first, test the solenoids, then work through our 5R55 harsh or delayed shifts diagnostic walkthrough. A slipping unit with clean fluid and an out-of-range solenoid may only need the 5R44E solenoid kit.
The listing covers 1997-2011 and the kit is built for the 4R44E, 5R44E and 5R55E. Ranger Station puts the 5R44E in the 2001-2009 Ranger with the 2.3L and 3.0L, and the four-speed 4R44E in 1995-2000 Rangers. The filter and extension housing bushing in this kit are the 2WD versions, so it is meant for two-wheel-drive trucks. A 4x4 uses a different filter and tail housing. It does not fit the 5R55W or 5R55S used in the 2002-up Explorer, Mountaineer and Mustang. Sonnax notes those units only share the name with the E. Read the ID tag on the case, or send us your year and VIN and we will confirm before it ships. Every part we carry for this family is in the 5R55 collection.
| Fits | 5R44E 1997-2011 |
| Part type | Clutch Module |
| Condition | New |
| Brand | OEM |
| Ships | From the USA |
| Warranty | 1-year |
Doing this repair right usually means replacing these at the same time. Same transmission, ships together.
No. The listing is named clutch module, but it ships as the complete super master kit: friction and steel plates, the overhaul gasket and seal set, overdrive and intermediate bands, a 2WD filter and two bushings. The reverse band and torque converter are not included.
The kit comes with the 2WD filter and 2WD extension housing bushing. A 4x4 truck uses a different filter and tail housing, so send us your year and VIN before ordering for a four-wheel-drive Ranger or B-Series.
No. The 5R55W and 5R55S are a different design that only shares the 5R55 name with the 5R55E and 5R44E. Clutches, bands and seals do not cross over.
In this family a worn reverse modulator or coast clutch valve in the valve body can starve a clutch of apply pressure. Sonnax links the reverse modulator valve to burnt direct clutches and reverse bands. Fix the valve body or install a shift kit during the rebuild so the new packs do not suffer the same fate.
Mercon V automatic transmission fluid. Soak the new frictions in it before assembly and check the level with the fluid at operating temperature.
