5R55S slipping issue
01-04-2015, 10:49 PM
#41
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Maui
Posts: 4,752
So I finally got all the parts and dove in. I dropped the pan, replaced the filter, valve body and solenoid pack. I also installed a Superior Transmission shift kit (5r55S/W/N) in the valve body to get improved shifting and cooler temps.
I picked up the Remaned Valve body (VBX brand) and the shift kit from Cascade Transmission Parts and the New Solenoid pack from Oregon Performance Transmission. The filter I picked up from a ford dealer on Ebay.
Why Remaned on the valve body? Because they are better than new or simply rebuilt. Remaned (at least the VBX brand) have some Sonnax brand upgrades to address the line pressure issues with our valve bodies. Other brands and new ones will typically still have the same issues.
The solenoid pack I bought new because there's nothing to rebuild on them and a new one is only a few bucks more. Rebuilt ones may still have issues. Why risk it?
The shift kit I added because even though the VBX valve body has some upgrades, I wanted the better lubrication/lower trans temps, and firmer shifting the kit offered. Plus, I'd never done one and wanted to challenge myself a bit.
After doing everything ...W O W!! Whole new car. The delayed entry and thunking into Reverse and Drive are gone. The 2-3, 3-2 shift delays when cornering are gone. The car now shifts with authority without being harsh or slamming into gear. With light to moderate throttle the shifting is almost imperceptible, on WOT it will kick you in the pants but not slam into gear. It's in the right gear all the time now, not a press the gas and hope it downshifts or upshifts when it's supposed to or it feels like doing so.
This is not a comprehensive How-to, it's a summary of my observations of the job and to help other MFers who are on the fence about this for fear of the unknown. It's harder than a brake job but easier than installing cams.
Before you get started tearing everything apart, make sure you can remove the 10mm bolt that secures the solenoid harness to the outside of the tranny. If you can't get this out, the most you'll be able to do is drop the pan and replace the filter. The bolt is in a tight place and you'll need a 10 mm ratcheting box end with flex head. Don't be surprised if you have to remove two 13mm bolts holding the trans position cable, and the O2 sensor in the area as well as loosen the heat shield so you don't shred your gloved hand. It took me an hour (one click at a time) on the wrench to get it out. Only 15 minutes to put it back. The first issue was figuring out it was a 10 mm and not an 8mm
The rest is cake walk with regular hand tools.
Tools:
- small flat blade screwdriver (O2 connectors and harness that connects to pan)
- 1/4"drive in/lbs torque wrench, Not ft lbs
- 1/4" drive ratchet
8 and 10 mm sockets
4-6" extension
10 mm ratcheting box end wrench with flex head preferred.
13 mm socket or box end wrench (ratcheting optional)
6 mm allen bit with drive adapter (for fill plug)
20 torx bit (iirc the size) with drive adapter (for solenoid pack)
- 7/8" socket or box end wrench (for drain plug)
- adjustable wrench or crow foot style O2 sensor socket
- 8 qts of Mercon V tranny fluid (not Mercon but Mercon V) 4-5 qts for the pan/filter. Another 2-3 for when you remove the other parts.
- Fluid transfer pump or oil suction gun
- OTC 6604 5r55S fill tool or make your own with a 1/8" MPT fitting and appropriate sized nipple. I only finger tightened my adaptor to avoid loosening the drain plug as I screwed and unscrewed the adapter. It didn't leak around the threads and it worked great!
Optional if you opt to install a shift kit into the Valve body:
- Needle nose pliers
- Pick set
- (1) 2" 4mm bolt
- Drill
- Hammer
- Punch tool
When you first drop the pan, carefully inspect for brass or metal chunks or shards in the pan, on the magnet, and in the filter media.. Gray material/sludge is regular wear-and-tear friction material and is fine (like brake dust). Any brass colored sand, metal chunks or shards are reflective of a hard part failure inside tranny.
If you have any brass sand, metal shards or chunks, I wouldn't bother replacing the valve body or solenoid pack because you are in need of a tranny rebuild. Those chunks will just tear apart the replacement parts and you'll have the same issues in a short time. Just put a new filter in, put it back together and start saving.
IIRC there are (15) 8mm bolts on the pan (gasket is reusable)
(4) 8 mm bolts on the reverse servo
(8-10) 20 Torx bolts on the solenoid pack (plus the 10 mm bolt holding the electrical connector)
(20) 8 mm and (1) 10mm bolts on the valve body
I won't go into detail about refilling, plenty of videos on y o u tube. If you want a video on replacing a 5r55s valve body, they are there too. Most are for explorers but it's pretty much the exact same process. Just be warned that the 10 mm solenoid harness nut is not as easy to get to on the stang.
Based on a lot of people's attitudes on here about certain things, I feel I should point this out specifically...
It is CRITICAL/VITAL to torque the Valve body, solenoid pack, reverse servo and tranny pan down to spec and in sequence! All of the parts are aluminum, or plastic, or thin steel (pan, pan gasket) so any over torqueing or out of sequence could/will warp it and create problems or leaks. By problems I mean grenading your tranny. This is not a job I would recommend using your 'calibrated' hands or good-n-tight mentality. 89 in/lbs is not that much and even feels like it's not enough when you actually torque to it but, it's the spec!
After I got it all back together and got the fluid level correct, I took it out for a couple of miles. I babied it for the first mile manually shifting at low revs to get the fluid pushed through everything, then I put it in drive and whomped on it
It's been nearly two weeks now and I cannot be any happier
I picked up the Remaned Valve body (VBX brand) and the shift kit from Cascade Transmission Parts and the New Solenoid pack from Oregon Performance Transmission. The filter I picked up from a ford dealer on Ebay.
Why Remaned on the valve body? Because they are better than new or simply rebuilt. Remaned (at least the VBX brand) have some Sonnax brand upgrades to address the line pressure issues with our valve bodies. Other brands and new ones will typically still have the same issues.
The solenoid pack I bought new because there's nothing to rebuild on them and a new one is only a few bucks more. Rebuilt ones may still have issues. Why risk it?
The shift kit I added because even though the VBX valve body has some upgrades, I wanted the better lubrication/lower trans temps, and firmer shifting the kit offered. Plus, I'd never done one and wanted to challenge myself a bit.
After doing everything ...W O W!! Whole new car. The delayed entry and thunking into Reverse and Drive are gone. The 2-3, 3-2 shift delays when cornering are gone. The car now shifts with authority without being harsh or slamming into gear. With light to moderate throttle the shifting is almost imperceptible, on WOT it will kick you in the pants but not slam into gear. It's in the right gear all the time now, not a press the gas and hope it downshifts or upshifts when it's supposed to or it feels like doing so.
This is not a comprehensive How-to, it's a summary of my observations of the job and to help other MFers who are on the fence about this for fear of the unknown. It's harder than a brake job but easier than installing cams.
Before you get started tearing everything apart, make sure you can remove the 10mm bolt that secures the solenoid harness to the outside of the tranny. If you can't get this out, the most you'll be able to do is drop the pan and replace the filter. The bolt is in a tight place and you'll need a 10 mm ratcheting box end with flex head. Don't be surprised if you have to remove two 13mm bolts holding the trans position cable, and the O2 sensor in the area as well as loosen the heat shield so you don't shred your gloved hand. It took me an hour (one click at a time) on the wrench to get it out. Only 15 minutes to put it back. The first issue was figuring out it was a 10 mm and not an 8mm
The rest is cake walk with regular hand tools.
Tools:
- small flat blade screwdriver (O2 connectors and harness that connects to pan)
- 1/4"drive in/lbs torque wrench, Not ft lbs
- 1/4" drive ratchet
8 and 10 mm sockets
4-6" extension
10 mm ratcheting box end wrench with flex head preferred.
13 mm socket or box end wrench (ratcheting optional)
6 mm allen bit with drive adapter (for fill plug)
20 torx bit (iirc the size) with drive adapter (for solenoid pack)
- 7/8" socket or box end wrench (for drain plug)
- adjustable wrench or crow foot style O2 sensor socket
- 8 qts of Mercon V tranny fluid (not Mercon but Mercon V) 4-5 qts for the pan/filter. Another 2-3 for when you remove the other parts.
- Fluid transfer pump or oil suction gun
- OTC 6604 5r55S fill tool or make your own with a 1/8" MPT fitting and appropriate sized nipple. I only finger tightened my adaptor to avoid loosening the drain plug as I screwed and unscrewed the adapter. It didn't leak around the threads and it worked great!
Optional if you opt to install a shift kit into the Valve body:
- Needle nose pliers
- Pick set
- (1) 2" 4mm bolt
- Drill
- Hammer
- Punch tool
When you first drop the pan, carefully inspect for brass or metal chunks or shards in the pan, on the magnet, and in the filter media.. Gray material/sludge is regular wear-and-tear friction material and is fine (like brake dust). Any brass colored sand, metal chunks or shards are reflective of a hard part failure inside tranny.
If you have any brass sand, metal shards or chunks, I wouldn't bother replacing the valve body or solenoid pack because you are in need of a tranny rebuild. Those chunks will just tear apart the replacement parts and you'll have the same issues in a short time. Just put a new filter in, put it back together and start saving.
IIRC there are (15) 8mm bolts on the pan (gasket is reusable)
(4) 8 mm bolts on the reverse servo
(8-10) 20 Torx bolts on the solenoid pack (plus the 10 mm bolt holding the electrical connector)
(20) 8 mm and (1) 10mm bolts on the valve body
I won't go into detail about refilling, plenty of videos on y o u tube. If you want a video on replacing a 5r55s valve body, they are there too. Most are for explorers but it's pretty much the exact same process. Just be warned that the 10 mm solenoid harness nut is not as easy to get to on the stang.
Based on a lot of people's attitudes on here about certain things, I feel I should point this out specifically...
It is CRITICAL/VITAL to torque the Valve body, solenoid pack, reverse servo and tranny pan down to spec and in sequence! All of the parts are aluminum, or plastic, or thin steel (pan, pan gasket) so any over torqueing or out of sequence could/will warp it and create problems or leaks. By problems I mean grenading your tranny. This is not a job I would recommend using your 'calibrated' hands or good-n-tight mentality. 89 in/lbs is not that much and even feels like it's not enough when you actually torque to it but, it's the spec!
After I got it all back together and got the fluid level correct, I took it out for a couple of miles. I babied it for the first mile manually shifting at low revs to get the fluid pushed through everything, then I put it in drive and whomped on it
It's been nearly two weeks now and I cannot be any happier Good info there.
01-06-2015, 09:49 AM
#42
Gentleman's Relish
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: AZ
Posts: 13,090
Just for general info - now that its cold outside, I noticed that every morning my converter would not lock up until I got to a certain spot a couple miles away from the house. I checked in my SCT pro racer tuning package and saw a transmission setting buried in there, among about a hundred others, that referenced "TOT" for locking up the converter - it said 100. I monitored my aeroforce gauge and lo and behold, I found that at that certain spot where she locked up, after a dead cold start, the transmission was hitting 100* for temperature - every single time.
01-07-2015, 07:47 AM
#43
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: RI
Posts: 690
What I was talking about in the quote was a tune setting that can be changed - the PCM will not engage the TCC solenoid until 100* trans temp is reached. I dont know why anybody would want to change that setting though.
01-07-2015, 05:00 PM
#44
Gentleman's Relish
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: AZ
Posts: 13,090
Level Ten says the stock valve opens at 180*. So, yeah, if the valve is stuck shut, then the fluid never makes its way to the cooler, and won't last very long. Thats one of the reasons I use only synthetic fluid (Amsoil) and I do monitor the trans temp once in awhile on the Aeroforce. With the cold temps up here, chances are if I locked the valve open, the trans would never get up to a decent operating temp. If it was strictly a drag car, I would definitely lock it open though.
What I was talking about in the quote was a tune setting that can be changed - the PCM will not engage the TCC solenoid until 100* trans temp is reached. I dont know why anybody would want to change that setting though.
What I was talking about in the quote was a tune setting that can be changed - the PCM will not engage the TCC solenoid until 100* trans temp is reached. I dont know why anybody would want to change that setting though.
As for the TCC solenoid not engaging until 100(F or C?), I don't know enough about it. From what I've read, the trans temp is used to determine how much line pressure to apply and how/when the TCC solenoid engages. Here's what I found:
Transmission Fluid Temperature (TFT) Sensor
The Transmission Fluid Temperature (TFT) sensor is located on the solenoid body assembly in the transmission sump. It is a temperature-sensitive device called a thermistor. The resistance value of the transmission liquid temperature sensor will vary with temperatures change.
The powertrain control module monitors voltage across the transmission fluid temperature sensor to determine the temperature of the transmission fluid.
The powertrain control module uses this signal to determine whether a cold start shift schedule is necessary. The cold start shift schedule lowers shift speeds to allow for better cold engine operation. The powertrain control module also uses the transmission fluid temperature sensor input to adjust electronic pressure control pressure for temperature effects and to inhibit torque converter clutch operation during the warm-up period.
http://autorepair.about.com/library/a/1g/bl024g.htm
The only reason I can think to lower it is to increase firmness of shifting (higher line pressure) at the risk of damaging stock components. I image a built tranny could handle a lower temp setting without ill effects.
01-08-2015, 02:12 PM
#45
Just figured I'd update, but I had the fluid level checked when I had 4.10's installed and it was full, exactly where it should be. I have noticed it doesn't seem to do it as much with the 4.10's, but still does it on occasion.
01-08-2015, 02:21 PM
#46
Gentleman's Relish
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: AZ
Posts: 13,090
Thanks for the update. How many miles are on your car?
The Servo bore issue seems to be common between 60-90K. The Solenoid pack issue is kind of random. The Valvebody wear depends on a bunch of stuff like driving habits, tranny maintenance, weather, mods on the car etc.
The Servo bore issue seems to be common between 60-90K. The Solenoid pack issue is kind of random. The Valvebody wear depends on a bunch of stuff like driving habits, tranny maintenance, weather, mods on the car etc.
01-09-2015, 05:22 PM
#47
little over 60k, has the typical delay from reverse to drive, which it's always had, and like I started the thread saying it will slip/fall out of gear sometimes, but rarely. When taking a hard turn at low speeds or slamming on the brakes has caused it, usually after not driving for long, otherwise drives and shifts great
01-16-2015, 01:34 PM
#49
Gentleman's Relish
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: AZ
Posts: 13,090
little over 60k, has the typical delay from reverse to drive, which it's always had, and like I started the thread saying it will slip/fall out of gear sometimes, but rarely. When taking a hard turn at low speeds or slamming on the brakes has caused it, usually after not driving for long, otherwise drives and shifts great
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