Harsh reverse engagements

[joegr]

Thanks - will go out now and see where those levers are (assume it's on the side where the mechanism is).

Right there with each door handle.

 

[joegr]

Bottom lever is the door handle, top lever is the lock. Are you sure you've ever used this car?

 

[lsintoronto]

Bottom lever is the door handle, top lever is the lock. Are you sure you've ever used this car?


View attachment 828472794

LOL! When I went outside and looked (before you posted that picture) I had a "doh" moment. No explanation for my brain fart - wasn't even drinking yesterday......

Can't wait for my vacation next weekend.

 

[lsintoronto]

So, sent out my PCM to SIA a couple weeks ago before I headed off to Key West and Miami, and it arrived back on Tuesday. They said they replaced a couple chips that control the trans pressure sensors (think that was it, paperwork is at home). Managed to get the PCM bolted back in and wires re-installed last night and then ran out of time/light, and will continue the reinstall in the engine bay tonight if it's not raining (cabin filter shield/housing, strut brace, etc)...probably take a couple more days to finish it up depending on time/light....fingers crossed for success!

 

[Telco]

So, sent out my PCM to SIA a couple weeks ago before I headed off to Key West and Miami, and it arrived back on Tuesday. They said they replaced a couple chips that control the trans pressure sensors (think that was it, paperwork is at home). Managed to get the PCM bolted back in and wires re-installed last night and then ran out of time/light, and will continue the reinstall in the engine bay tonight if it's not raining (cabin filter shield/housing, strut brace, etc)...probably take a couple more days to finish it up depending on time/light....fingers crossed for success!

Good deal. I'd suggest replacing all the COPs and spark plugs before you start it, since it's suspected that a marginal coil is sending RF energy to the PCM causing the damage. You don't want to risk still having a marginal COP in there, which would blow the PCM again.

 

[lsintoronto]

Thanks - I'll have to risk it as I didn't think ahead and get new COPs (plugs were done last summer and a couple COPs replaced at the time) and picking those up will keep the car off the road for too much longer.

 

[Telco]

Your car, up to you. Good luck. Hope it works OK but if the trans starts acting up again you'll know what to do next time.

 

[lsintoronto]

Well, the LS is back on the road and all the transmission issues have been resolved (no more harsh reverse engagement or harsh shift from 3rd to 4th gear) - chalk one up for the PCM repair. I wonder how many people listen to dealers/trans shops and just go ahead with a rebuild which is their recommendation for these symptoms if the solenoid swap doesn't work.

I'll pick up new coils in the US over the next little while when I travel because they are 2X the price in Canada and would run $1K with tax here (that's 5x SIA PCM repairs!). Hopefully the ones I have in there now are all ok (replaced 2 last summer after the issues started).

Thanks for the advice/assistance and hopefully anyone else with similar issues will see these threads for their repairs.

 

[RigsLS]

Interesting ... JJ, Telco and now you, lsintoronto have all manage to fix trans issues by means of sending out the PCM and having it checked and fixed as apposed to any real work on the trans itself.

Interesting, as mine has begun a harder then normal bang into overdrive and actually slips into 5th too lazy and early when not on it. Also finding putting it into gear from Park to Drive or other is getting a bit harsh with a kick.

Now this sending out of the PCM is on my mind.

 

[lsintoronto]

For about $180 with shipping it's a real option to investigate before spending bigger bucks. I'll post the info from the invoice tonight.

 

[RigsLS]

No big issue with getting it back and forth the border with respect to customs paperwork either by the looks? (I'm 4hrs east of you near the Capital)

Not sure just yet if this is what I want to do, I've seen plenty of others TLC their trans with a filter/fluid and solonoid change. (not knocking this PCM repair at all, it's obviously also proven)

 

[joegr]

... mine has begun a harder then normal bang into overdrive and actually slips into 5th too lazy and early when not on it. ...

That's a little unclear as 5th is overdrive. By the way, it should go very gently into 5th (overdrive) at less then 30 MPH.
So, is it that it bangs in under heavy acceleration and doesn't under very light acceleration?

 

[RigsLS]

Yeah I was referring to OD and 5th as the same thing.

Joe, it seems to do a slight bang into OD as apposed to a smooth "sliding into" like it always used to,
I found last night, (and I'll have to take it out some more and focus on it) it does this when casually driving it.
I tried a couple of times on the way home last night, to get on it a bit more, where it then does not seem to slip into OD with any noise.

I find it's begun to slip into OD more "Earlier" & "Lazier" then it used to. This is mostly when just driving it casually.

I would say "under very light acceleration" ... like I said, I'll have to take it out some more by myself and focus on it.

The bang is also not super loud or terrible, just ever so lightly I can feel it while it goes into OD. Used to be smooth.

 

[lsintoronto]

No big issue with getting it back and forth the border with respect to customs paperwork either by the looks? (I'm 4hrs east of you near the Capital)

Not sure just yet if this is what I want to do, I've seen plenty of others TLC their trans with a filter/fluid and solonoid change. (not knocking this PCM repair at all, it's obviously also proven)

Did all that last year and nothing worked which is why the trans shop and dealer said next step is a rebuild.

No issue with border and didn't require any additional paperwork other than the shipping form at Canada Post, but if you're in Canada the the cost is higher due to shipping ($161 for the repair + shipping both ways). If you know someone in the US or have a box across the border you can do that option as they include return CONUS shipping in the price (I believe) - I was traveling and didn't have the time to do this so just did the door to door shipping. Shipping time was about 1 week each way (shipped out to SIA on Sunday and they had it by Friday, 1.5 day to repair, then they shipped it out on Tuesday afternoon and it was delivered the next Tuesday).

 

[RigsLS]

Sounds like top notch service, still a bit on the fence as what I'm going to do though.

I got AC compressor, CATS, exhaust redo, sunroof and multiple interior work do deal with this summer, needs new speakers also ... Ugh! Fun never stops with this thing. With all the work I've already done to this thing, I'm already close to 50% rebuild. Ha! ... Would like a new fresh windshield also.

 

[don-ohio]

Well,I'm the original poster and i still haven't gotten the solenoid pack installed yet.Been so busy. Here's a QUIRK to throw in for diagnosis........the trans has less harsh engagement into 4th when we start out in D4 and then shift manually into D5 at say,35 mph.
Now WHY would it bang less into 4th gear? I'm still gonna get that solenoid in there pretty soon,I hope,and then if that's not the problem,get the PCM rebuilt. Thanks! don-ohio ^)

No big issue with getting it back and forth the border with respect to customs paperwork either by the looks? (I'm 4hrs east of you near the Capital)

Not sure just yet if this is what I want to do, I've seen plenty of others TLC their trans with a filter/fluid and solonoid change. (not knocking this PCM repair at all, it's obviously also proven)

 

[RigsLS]

I forgot to mention that when I control it using SST it does not seem to bang lightly into OD. Aggressive nor Casual driving style.

 

[Telco]

As one who has done both the solenoid swap and the PCM repair, I would do the PCM before the solenoid. It's tons easier to do. Swapping that solenoid was a major pain.

Bigrig, my symptoms got worse over time, and added new from time to time so it's a progressive disease, so to speak. Initially I only had a harsh swap when going between reverse and drive which required putting it to neutral, then letting it sit for a bit before moving on. The shifting was also a little harder than you'd expect from a luxury car, sorta like it had a mild shift kit. Towards the end the shifting got harsh enough that I was able to get rubber on a 1-2 shift if I nailed it from a dead stop. It also changed shift pattern to 1-2-3-2BANG-3BANG-4-5 whether you were into it hard or not. Shifting manually was easier on it because I was able to manipulate the throttle and shifter to ease the shift.

 

[lsintoronto]

As one who has done both the solenoid swap and the PCM repair, I would do the PCM before the solenoid. It's tons easier to do. Swapping that solenoid was a major pain.

Bigrig, my symptoms got worse over time, and added new from time to time so it's a progressive disease, so to speak. Initially I only had a harsh swap when going between reverse and drive which required putting it to neutral, then letting it sit for a bit before moving on. The shifting was also a little harder than you'd expect from a luxury car, sorta like it had a mild shift kit. Towards the end the shifting got harsh enough that I was able to get rubber on a 1-2 shift if I nailed it from a dead stop. It also changed shift pattern to 1-2-3-2BANG-3BANG-4-5 whether you were into it hard or not. Shifting manually was easier on it because I was able to manipulate the throttle and shifter to ease the shift.

If I knew last summer what I know now, I would do the PCM first as well. It means I swapped out a good solenoid (or paid a shop to do it).

 

[don-ohio]

Thanks,guys! Well,since I already HAVE the new Solenoid pack,I'll go ahead with that first. 133,000 miles so i don't care to put a little money in it. don-ohio ^)

 

[Telco]

Thanks,guys! Well,since I already HAVE the new Solenoid pack,I'll go ahead with that first. 133,000 miles so i don't care to put a little money in it. don-ohio ^)

The hardest parts of the solenoid replacement was getting the 10mm bolt out of the solenoid wiring harness, and getting the pan to drop. On the pan there's a lip that hangs on the crossmember so it has to come down. The problem on the wiring harness is the bolt screws in from the top and goes straight down. There's a special tool you can get for it, but what I did was use a 1 inch hole saw to drill a hole through the floor panel large enough to get at the bolt with a regular wrench. Two holes side by side, then nipped the bit in the middle to make a slot to work through. To seal I used a stainless steel plate I picked up from Ace Hardware with steel rivets to hold it in place. I also used body sealer (comes in a tube, need a caulking gun) to make a waterproof seal. This was after spending a lot of time on my back trying to get a wrench on it from underneath including slicing a wrench down to try and get it in there. Problem is the trans was really designed for the larger trans tunnel of the Explorer, and the LS tunnel wraps a lot closer around it so there just isn't any room to get up in there without the special tool. Once the wiring harness is disconnected, the pan is dropped and the filter is removed, nothing else has to come off to replace the solenoid pack. Slides out, slides back in. I don't recall but there may be a couple of bolts holding it in.

When you get the pan off you'll see why it works to start the car, let it warm up, then open the drain plug and let it drain fluid till it stops coming out the drain plug. There is a 2-3 inch long tube on top of the drain plug and when the fluid level is correct, the fluid level is at the top of that tube. There is also a plug on the passenger side of the trans, facing the back of the car, to the passenger side of the driveshaft where you can put fluid in. If you don't have a pump you can do what I did, which was to use tubing and the pointy top of a Lucas fuel additive bottle to push the fluid in. The top of the Lucas bottle almost screws onto the top of a trans fluid bottle, then you can squeeze it in.

 

[joegr]

... There's a special tool you can get for it, ...

Or, you can cut down a cheap ratchet to fit. This, IMHO, is easier that cutting a hole in your car.

 

[Telco]

Or, you can cut down a cheap ratchet to fit. This, IMHO, is easier that cutting a hole in your car.

You know, I couldn't see how to get a ratchet in there. Even a cheap ratchet is larger than the wrench I'd cut down. I tried a 1/4 inch breaker bar. I even tried putting some money into one of these.

Perhaps you could post a pic showing what you used then. Won't help me since I won't be doing it again but perhaps the OP could copy it if it'll save cutting the hole.

 

[LS4me]

You know, I couldn't see how to get a ratchet in there. Even a cheap ratchet is larger than the wrench I'd cut down. I tried a 1/4 inch breaker bar. I even tried putting some money into one of these.

Perhaps you could post a pic showing what you used then. Won't help me since I won't be doing it again but perhaps the OP could copy it if it'll save cutting the hole.

I did it years and years ago from underneath with a shorty-wrench. I believe this would work.......

 

[RigsLS]

I'm terribly sorry Telco (I know I've teased you enough for this month BUT ...)

can't get to hardware, cuts hole through floor to get to it.

Should have fitted a dipstick in another floor board hole, GENIUS!!!



Trust me I'm paying attention here for when my number is up. of course I have to think the most expensive route with a reman. w/ Transgo w/ warranty.

Specialty shop around here that local dealer parts guy referred me to, everyone I've talked to about this shop has high regards, Builds Trans for major racing outlets. Even my neighbor that runs a Classic car restoration shop with mostly first-generation Camaros coming out of there, uses that trans shop for strong transmissions. Money talks.