Should I be worried about a rebuild of the transmission soon?

DaleGrib

DaleGrib

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I have a 2003 LS V8 with 46,000 Miles and has major shifting issues that started out of nowhere about a week or so after I purchased the car. So I figured maybe a shift solenoid as I know the history of these cars. So I purchased everything and am having the fluid changed, filter, and the shift solenoid pack changed as I type this message. Once they dropped the pan they sent me picture messages of how bad the fluid and such looked. They said this looked very bad for a car with such low mileage. I asked them should I be worried about needing a rebuild and they said I will be lucky if not needing it in the next 6 months.
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They said I should repeat the transmission fluid change in 90 days and change the filter again and that will give me a better idea if I am going to need a rebuild. The question is should I really be worried as they said or should I find a better transmission shop for my next fluid change. Thanks in advance to all!
 
Well, I'm no expert, but I feel like your clutches may be shot.
You've already paid for this change and work. If it drives much better now, then it another change might be reasonable. I would have a full fluid exchange (also often called a flush) done.
However, if it's still pretty bad when you get it back today/tomorrow, I wouldn't waste money on more fluid. I think it would be rebuild time.
 
joegr said:
Well, I'm no expert, but I feel like your clutches may be shot.
You've already paid for this change and work. If it drives much better now, then it another change might be reasonable. I would have a full fluid exchange (also often called a flush) done.
However, if it's still pretty bad when you get it back today/tomorrow, I wouldn't waste money on more fluid. I think it would be rebuild time.
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I just got it back and I am going to have to rebuild it or find a good used one. The Shifting feels much better but I feel the same gears hanging up and even reverse is still rough. Thanks @joegr you were correct as always. But just in case and I dunno if it will help but I am going to try and reset the computer so it will relearn driving conditions again to see if that can make any difference but I suspect it won't but figured it can't hurt to try.
 
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I thought it was usually the servo bores that wore out on the 5R55 transmissions, which meant a rebuild or replacement of some kind. Are you gonna be doing any of the removal stuff yourself, or getting a shop to do it?
 
Yes, solenoids, servo bores, and valve body springs. However, driving too much with any of those problems can destroy the clutches and other things.
 
HRLNKN said:
I thought it was usually the servo bores that wore out on the 5R55 transmissions, which meant a rebuild or replacement of some kind. Are you gonna be doing any of the removal stuff yourself, or getting a shop to do it?
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If someone here could do it I would be willing to pay as I know some of you here are experts in this field. Otherwise, I am looking for a shop to do it. Or if anyone knows of a good place to order one from I might look at going that route since the car has low miles on it and everything else seems to be in great shape. I even can tell by the carfax all the parts to worry about on the coolant system have also been replaced in the last 2-3 years. Also I got lucky and some suspension parts got replaced as well. Just a pity that they never got the transmission serviced as this could have been prevented to some extent if that solenoid or valve body had been changed earlier on.
 
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Ford got a bad batch of transmission fluid back in the day that affected mostly 2003 and 2004 LS's... depending on the build date. There was a Technical Service Bulletin about it back then... that if the LS was taken to the dealer, they would add a "friction modifier" to the transmission... that was missing from the original factory installed fluid.

Problem with TSB's ... is that they are not recalls. Recalls are only for safety issues. TSB's are not mentioned by the dealers... unless a customer comes in with issues.

There are at least 2 past members on here... that suffered the same issues you are having... at around the same miles.

If you go to the dealer and ask for an Oasis Report... that will give you any dealer history about the vehicle... along with any TSB's that may or may not been taken care of.

Sadly... it might be too late anyway.
 
For tansmission shops in your area... I would go on the internet and check the feedback ratings of all the local shops. Pick the one that has the most and highest feedback.

Last I knew... there were still new or factory rebuilt transmissions available on the Ford site. They're not cheap... but IIRC they come with a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty. There will be a core charge for the old one, but you get that back.

If you plan on keeping the vehicle for a long time, that might be the best way to go. If the transmission in the LS is bad enough that it has "case wear" (housing wear), rebuilding it may not be enough. Most good transmission shops will check for case wear, because "comebacks" cost them money.
 
HRLNKN said:
I thought it was usually the servo bores that wore out on the 5R55 transmissions, which meant a rebuild or replacement of some kind. Are you gonna be doing any of the removal stuff yourself, or getting a shop to do it?
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The servo bores can be sleeved during a rebuild.
 
04_Sport_LS said:
Ford got a bad batch of transmission fluid back in the day that affected mostly 2003 and 2004 LS's... depending on the build date. There was a Technical Service Bulletin about it back then... that if the LS was taken to the dealer, they would add a "friction modifier" to the transmission... that was missing from the original factory installed fluid.

Problem with TSB's ... is that they are not recalls. Recalls are only for safety issues. TSB's are not mentioned by the dealers... unless a customer comes in with issues.

There are at least 2 past members on here... that suffered the same issues you are having... at around the same miles.

If you go to the dealer and ask for an Oasis Report... that will give you any dealer history about the vehicle... along with any TSB's that may or may not been taken care of.

Sadly... it might be too late anyway.
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Could this help me out at all if let's say the car was taken to ford multiple times and the TSB was never done?
Edit:
I called a Rousch service adviser that is trusted by one of my good friends and he said he sees nothing on the history report that shows it has that TSB issued nor did he see that it ever got done at all. Lots of history of everything that was done at ford but not a thing on the transmission sadly. I can tell the person took even better care of this car than I had previously thought but it appears ford really dropped the ball on the this car.
 
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I will add that when I bought my '04... I found out shortly afterwards... about the missing friction modifier and had the dealer do an Oasis report. The report showned that my LS was outside, (beyond), the date range of the missing friction modifier.

Still had to deal with a quirky solenoid pack at 130k miles... that the 2004's were known for.

Do you know the build date of your '03 Dale? If it's early enough... it might have "fallen through the cracks" and been missed completely in the VIN range.

Doesn't matter much now because the damage is done... and Ford probably removed that TSB from their records at some point. Especially since the LS has been out of production for 14 years.
 
04_Sport_LS said:
I will add that when I bought my '04... I found out shortly afterwards... about the missing friction modifier and had the dealer do an Oasis report. The report showned that my LS was outside, (beyond), the date range of the missing friction modifier.

Still had to deal with a quirky solenoid pack at 130k miles... that the 2004's were known for.

Do you know the build date of your '03 Dale? If it's early enough... it might have "fallen through the cracks" and been missed completely in the VIN range.

Doesn't matter much now because the damage is done... and Ford probably removed that TSB from their records at some point. Especially since the LS has been out of production for 14 years.
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The build date was 01/2003.
 
I found another thread on here from 2017... but lost it. A member on here had bought a 2003 from an old couple... and it had about the same milage as yours. He had pulled the pan and took pics of it. It looked as bad as yours.
 
I got a remanufactured 5R55 about half a dozen years ago from Home - The Transmission Authority through RockAuto. They don't just rebuild the transmission with the same weaknesses, they address them all so that it is stronger and more reliable than stock. It was by far the most cost effective route, although I did install it myself. Even so, paying the labor to have that transmission installed should still come out ahead of paying for a local shop to rebuild what you have, with a better end result.
 
JoshMcMadMac said:
I got a remanufactured 5R55 about half a dozen years ago from Home - The Transmission Authority through RockAuto. They don't just rebuild the transmission with the same weaknesses, they address them all so that it is stronger and more reliable than stock. It was by far the most cost effective route, although I did install it myself. Even so, paying the labor to have that transmission installed should still come out ahead of paying for a local shop to rebuild what you have, with a better end result.
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Thanks, I checked rockauto just now and it does not show in-stock so I assume they might not be doing them anymore or maybe they come back in-stock down the road. But either way, I can't wait that long as I need my car working soon as can be. The shop that is doing the rebuild has answered a lot of the questions that won my trust in a rebuild by them. Also, a friend I grew up with works for a dealership that uses the same shop for any transmission rebuilds they need and they trust them. Even asked them what would happen if possible case wear and he said that is rare but it does happen and would not be but like $250 at the most extra in the cost of the rebuild to get another case. They are using all the upgraded parts as well and including in the valve body so I think they are a good fit for the rebuild.
 
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My '03 v8 trans lasted to 100K miles before the servos destroyed the case. Paid a lot of money for a remanufactured trans but 60K miles later still going strong, no issues. And the shop assured me this one was bushed (in the good sense).
 
I had the same 5R55S trans failure at 86k. It was a design flaw from the factory. #1
$3k. The last trans #3 from AAMCO in Anniston Alabama ran $4k. Lifetime warranty with free fluid and filter changes at 20k mile intervals. At 90k with this one has been trouble free especially with the Select-Shift feature with free spirited driving fun driving. I would trailer it to them and be done. (491K miles)
 
Since this thread is full of horror stories (rightly so), I would like to point out for anyone else browsing this thread, they don't all fail so soon. My 2004 was still going strong at 221K miles when I traded it in. It had the solenoid assembly changed out early (60K?) in its life, and no transmission issues after that.
 
With a lifetime warranty with annual maintenance. I disagree. Finding the right people that speak truth and back it up. Those are the ones I do business with. Call AAMCO ( 256-238-1148 ) in Anniston just grins and you will know what I know.
 
Tommy B said:
Spending $3500 for a reman trans, installed, was pretty horrible.
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Honestly, if I had to pay $3,500 for a transmission in this car I think it would be time to part ways with her. Almost $2,000 is a stretch being I just got the car as it is! $3,500 sounds more like a Front Wheel drive transmission rebuild cost in this day and time. And in fact I asked the shop how much they charge to do a 13 MKZ transmission just so I could have an idea if my wife's MKZ ever has a failed transmission and the price was $3,500.
 
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