Does "learning" transmission affect SST? Sloppy shifts

[theophile]

'02 V8 sport. I had a battery failure a few weeks ago. It spent the night w/ no battery and got a fresh one the next day. I didn't do the "relearn" procedure at all because I didn't know about it. Anyway, I've been noticing some shifting issues. Nothing catastrophic but just a general feeling of not-quite-rightness (slight hesitation when accelerating out of a turn, etc). In reading the threads, I have come to understand the importance of doing the transmission relearn procedure correctly when reconnecting the battery, so I will certainly do that.

But in the meantime, I spent a couple days driving in only SST mode, not just because it's fun, but also to get a better sense of what's going on. And I found that I have a consistent and reproduceable issue that is felt most strongly in 3rd gear, and to a lesser extent, 4th. When accelerating gradually and shifting up through the gears, when I shift into 3rd, it unmistakably does the shift in two parts. I can feel the transmission make a mechanical adjustment immediately, but the car continues to behave like it's in the gear I just shifted out of (RPMs continue to climb, engine pitch remains the same), and then a moment later, the "rest" of the shift happens. The RPMs and pitch drop, and the car "bounces" into gear. I say "bounces" because that's what it feels like; it bounces forward, though not harshly. And if I let off the gas, slow down just a bit, and start to accelerate again (all without changing the gear), the car will do that "bounce" into gear thing again. It's almost as if there's a half gear between 3rd and 4th that the transmission is automatically shifting between, all while in 3rd.

So the reason for that lengthy explanation is to set up this question: Does the transmission relearn procedure affect SST mode at all? I know I can just go out and do the procedure and find out if that fixes the SST issue, but I want to know if I should expect it to.

 

[joegr]

Despite what has been posted, there really isn't a "relearn" procedure that you need to do. Just drive normally for a while, and it will relearn all it's parameters. The whole point of the "relearn" driving pattern is so that a mechanic can more quickly verify a repair.
I think that you are describing a "flare" when shifting from 2nd to 3rd. From what I have read, this is often a solenoid assembly issue. Also note, that from 2nd to 3rd is two shifts that happen at once. (two solenoids change, overdrive and gear selection) [I'm not an expert on this, you may wish to verify.]
I don't know how much relearn alters SST.

Some info on the 5r55n : http://downloads.bustedfingermotorsports.com/Ford Transmission Manuals/5R55N.pdf

 

[Blueberryyum02]

I get that same bounce feeling when I shift in sst from second to third. The only time it does not happen is at wide open throttle when it downshifts to one then I shift all gears no problem and even hold the lower gears longer. Without the bounce.


The bounce feels like the gear is slow to engage and when it do it rocks the transmission on it mounts. But in the time frame it's doing all of this it feels as if the gear switch between second and third is dragging, cause the car actually bogs down even though the engine and rpm is climbing, the shift feels slow weighted down and sluggish.

 

[theophile]

Yes, that's it exactly. I had seen another thread where someone described a similar phenomenon but said it only happened with the A/C on. Someone else commented that the behavior could be a symptom of marginal COPs misfiring being mistaken for a transmission problem, and that by turning off the A/C and thereby reducing the engine load, it could make the problem less noticeable. I tried driving today with the A/C off but didn't notice a difference.

I'm thinking next step is fluid check/flush.

 

[Blueberryyum02]

That's what I was looking towards to. A fluid change.

 

[theophile]

Is it true that the only way to check the transmission fluid is to pull a plug underneath the car and see how much fluid dribbles out?

Also, is there a way to check which version of the transmission firmware is currently flashed? I'm wondering if I'm due for an update.

 

[Blueberryyum02]

Is it true that the only way to check the transmission fluid is to pull a plug underneath the car and see how much fluid dribbles out?

Also, is there a way to check which version of the transmission firmware is currently flashed? I'm wondering if I'm due for an update.

Yes that is the only way to check it as far as I know.

The software part some one with more experience will have to answer that question or take it to the dealer.

 

[theophile]

Today i was driving in auto mode and decided to bump over to SST mode just for a moment to see what gear the computer had selected. I found that it most cases, the car was in a much higher gear than I would have expected. For instance, while in stop and go traffic, I was going up a slight incline at about 25 MPH, and when I bumped over to SST to check the gear, I found it was in 5th. I also experienced a 2-3 flare the other day.

I've read that COP issues can seem like transmission problems. I've got a Bluetooth OBD module and I wonder if I can test for misfires with an app.

 

[joegr]

... I've got a Bluetooth OBD module and I wonder if I can test for misfires with an app.

Yes, the transmission stays in as a high of a gear as it can even if it means the PCM has to go to nearly WOT for just a small gas pedal input. This is, of course, for better gas mileage. If your app can initiate the KOER self test and then read the pending misfire counts, you might catch something. However, it often take running a stress test and using a scope to find them.
Really, if your COPs are old enough to be suspect, just replace them all (as well as the spark plugs).

 

[theophile]

I'm not sure how old my COPs are as I've only owned the car since June. I've read that "Mode 6" on Fords can give a per-cylinder misfire count. Going to give that a shot.