mikeyswood
Active LVC Member
For anyone unlucky enough to have bought one of these... 
There are a few solutions to make this transmission work as it should:
1) Fluid - get rid of the crappy "Mercon V" and put in actual Mercon V
Symptoms - You won't really notice anything except the failing solenoid
2) Solenoid - the factory "Mercon V" ruined your solenoid
Symptoms - delayed engagement from P to R/D and from R to D
3) Servos - the battle of aluminum vs. steel will always be won by steel. Always.
Symptoms - 5th gear fails; if you hold steady speed at ~60ish you'll feel a hard shift from 5th to 4th and back to 5th quickly and violently; and crappy shifting into 2nd
4) Spring - the 3-4 spring has a very good chance of breaking on you.
Symptoms - You'll lose 4th gear (and 5th is made from 4th)
I pulled my tranny thinking that I would just replace it. Unbeknownst to me - I would be rebuilding it.
I yanked my tranny to do this. It could be done in the car but the cursing budget would be at least double.
First thing - the drain plug. Toss it. The 3/16 allen will strip on you. New ones are Torx and don't strip.
Next is to pull the pan.
If your pan looks like this:
then you're good. Wipe it clean and you'll be good to go:
If your pan looks like this:
You're screwed. Get another tranny.
Drop the filter:
Then the reverse pressure switch (V8 only):
Then the bottom plate:
Then the reverse pump:
Next is the spent solenoid:
You want to make sure that the bore is perfectly clean for the electrical connector:
While you're in here go ahead and plan to replace the 3-4 spring.
Start by taking of the gear indexer:
And then a bunch more bolts to get the valve body off. Be sure to remove it slowly as there is a spring and ball that would love to find a corner of your garage without you knowing:
There are three bolts holding on the gasket plate. Once you take them off DO NOT tip the valve body as there are three tiny balls that will disappear:
Getting the spring out kinda sucks.
Make sure you're going after the right one:
Then you have to remove the retaining clip:
The cap is a little trickier, but it is threaded:
Then pull out the old one:
The replacement is well worth the ~$5:
They look nearly identical, but only one will fail on you:
Reverse the steps and you're going in the right direction!
I bought my valve body gasket, gasket plate, and solenoid from Maxx because one email got it done. He is the best Ford parts source and now my first call for my trucks, Mustang, and LS. I cannot say enough good things about him. He keeps his attention focused on your success and there aren't enough Ford guys out there like that.
The next task is the servos. These can be difficult! The snap rings suck and the covers don't like to come out.
First grab a couple tiny srew drivers. (Never abuse a tool unless it says Snap-on):
Hit one with a hammer to open a gap:
Then work your way around:
The cover can be much more difficult. The intermediate is nearly always a PITA. The OD is usually a bit easier. Grab a couple standard screw drivers:
And work them as a pair to pry as levers:
You will want to quit many times before these give up. You may only get .001" per pry but keep going; they'll give up. Eventually.
You'll want a spray can lid to catch the wee bit of fluid:
I bought servos from Andy at http://www.fordservoboretransmissionfixsolution.com/
They're $230 well spent!
He uses actual Ford parts and then machines a groove for an O-ring. The mechanical engineer side of me says "Brilliant!" And he uses viton o-rings. The chemist side of me says "Perfect!"
The other option is to completely disassemble, drill, and sleeve the case because of this piss-poor factory engineering. Uncool.
These are a great long-term fix.
But there's a bit more work to do. The O-ring needs a bit more of a camfer to fall in than the factory machines. Grab a drill and go SLOWLY:
And be sure to remove all metal bits:
I use a brass bar and tiny taps from a three pound sledge to set these and put the caps back on. BE SURE TO PUT THE SPRINGS BACK ON.
You should then be back to a complete tranny:
The top line is the cooler return line and I keep it off until clear red fluid runs from it to assure complete removal of all old fluid.
If you are attempting this (or planning to) and have question you can pm me here or email me at mike@mikeyswood.com prior to starting. Overall it should cost ~$450 from Maxx, ~$230 from Andy, ~$50 for a filter, spring, and sensor from http://www.transmissionpartsusa.com, and ~$100 from an AutoZone or similar for Mercon V. Under $1000 and a day's work to make this shift as smooth as an eighteen year old t*t. Not bad at all!
There are a few solutions to make this transmission work as it should:
1) Fluid - get rid of the crappy "Mercon V" and put in actual Mercon V
Symptoms - You won't really notice anything except the failing solenoid
2) Solenoid - the factory "Mercon V" ruined your solenoid
Symptoms - delayed engagement from P to R/D and from R to D
3) Servos - the battle of aluminum vs. steel will always be won by steel. Always.
Symptoms - 5th gear fails; if you hold steady speed at ~60ish you'll feel a hard shift from 5th to 4th and back to 5th quickly and violently; and crappy shifting into 2nd
4) Spring - the 3-4 spring has a very good chance of breaking on you.
Symptoms - You'll lose 4th gear (and 5th is made from 4th)
I pulled my tranny thinking that I would just replace it. Unbeknownst to me - I would be rebuilding it.
I yanked my tranny
to do this. It could be done in the car but the cursing budget would be at least double.First thing - the drain plug. Toss it. The 3/16 allen will strip on you. New ones are Torx and don't strip.
Next is to pull the pan.
If your pan looks like this:
then you're good. Wipe it clean and you'll be good to go:
If your pan looks like this:
You're screwed. Get another tranny.
Drop the filter:
Then the reverse pressure switch (V8 only):
Then the bottom plate:
Then the reverse pump:
Next is the spent solenoid:
You want to make sure that the bore is perfectly clean for the electrical connector:
While you're in here go ahead and plan to replace the 3-4 spring.
Start by taking of the gear indexer:
And then a bunch more bolts to get the valve body off. Be sure to remove it slowly as there is a spring and ball that would love to find a corner of your garage without you knowing:
There are three bolts holding on the gasket plate. Once you take them off DO NOT tip the valve body as there are three tiny balls that will disappear:
Getting the spring out kinda sucks.
Make sure you're going after the right one:
Then you have to remove the retaining clip:
The cap is a little trickier, but it is threaded:
Then pull out the old one:
The replacement is well worth the ~$5:
They look nearly identical, but only one will fail on you:
Reverse the steps and you're going in the right direction!
I bought my valve body gasket, gasket plate, and solenoid from Maxx because one email got it done. He is the best Ford parts source and now my first call for my trucks, Mustang, and LS. I cannot say enough good things about him. He keeps his attention focused on your success and there aren't enough Ford guys out there like that.
The next task is the servos. These can be difficult! The snap rings suck and the covers don't like to come out.
First grab a couple tiny srew drivers. (Never abuse a tool unless it says Snap-on):
Hit one with a hammer to open a gap:
Then work your way around:
The cover can be much more difficult. The intermediate is nearly always a PITA. The OD is usually a bit easier. Grab a couple standard screw drivers:
And work them as a pair to pry as levers:
You will want to quit many times before these give up. You may only get .001" per pry but keep going; they'll give up. Eventually.
You'll want a spray can lid to catch the wee bit of fluid:
I bought servos from Andy at http://www.fordservoboretransmissionfixsolution.com/
They're $230 well spent!
He uses actual Ford parts and then machines a groove for an O-ring. The mechanical engineer side of me says "Brilliant!" And he uses viton o-rings. The chemist side of me says "Perfect!"
The other option is to completely disassemble, drill, and sleeve the case because of this piss-poor factory engineering. Uncool.
These are a great long-term fix.
But there's a bit more work to do. The O-ring needs a bit more of a camfer to fall in than the factory machines. Grab a drill and go SLOWLY:
And be sure to remove all metal bits:
I use a brass bar and tiny taps from a three pound sledge to set these and put the caps back on. BE SURE TO PUT THE SPRINGS BACK ON.
You should then be back to a complete tranny:
The top line is the cooler return line and I keep it off until clear red fluid runs from it to assure complete removal of all old fluid.
If you are attempting this (or planning to) and have question you can pm me here or email me at mike@mikeyswood.com prior to starting. Overall it should cost ~$450 from Maxx, ~$230 from Andy, ~$50 for a filter, spring, and sensor from http://www.transmissionpartsusa.com, and ~$100 from an AutoZone or similar for Mercon V. Under $1000 and a day's work to make this shift as smooth as an eighteen year old t*t. Not bad at all!
