Transmission Help

K

Kape

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Hey guys, I am in serious need of advice and input. I have a 2003 Lincoln Ls V8 that currently has 85,xxx miles on it. A couple days ago the "Check Transmission" sign came up while driving on the high way. I was hoping this was just a glitch because it drove smooth the whole way back home and till the day I was able to get it checked. Yesterday I was finally able to get it checked at a Lincoln dealership. They told me my brushings and arms were bad but my main thought is about them saying the transmission is bad. They said I should get another one which would include warranty.

Like I stated earlier, It has not been giving me any problems or symptoms of a tranny going bad. So today I had someone take it to Aamco to have a second look at it. The guy at Aamco allowed him to record what he was saying so he could relay it to me. I have been trying to upload it here but it will not let the video play. Basically, he said there can be various amount of problems but it would cost $250 to drop the tranny and check whats going on.

I know the longer I wait the worse it will get so I am just looking for advise on what may be happening or if anyone has had this problem as well. I am thinking about going to Aamco tomorrow morning to let them crack it open. I want to get this situation settled before moving to the arms.

Thanks guys!
 
So all the dealership said is "it's bad get a new one"? Did they read the codes? Any explanation at all, or were they just worried about making easy money by replacing your control arms?

1. I'd never step foot in an AAMCO.
2. Could be anything wrong with your transmission. Without dtcs or symptoms I'm not sure anyone on here can give you a straight answer. Well maybe Joegr.
3. Goodluck
 
Pull the battery cables off, leave disconnected for 10-15 minutes, reconnect cables back onto battery terminals.

Jack up the car and crawl under and visually look for a leak anywhere. Unscrew the plastic directly under the front bumper
and see if theres any leaks of the trans cooler, the one at the radiator. Look for leaks underneath everywhere.

Drive it again and see how it behaves. @ 85,xxx miles may want to think about some fresh fluids & filter in there.
 
I felt like the dealership did just wants to make quick money. That's the reason I went for a second opinion. I wasn't sure who other but Aamco works with transmissions. My only other choice is pep boys but I don't think they do that type of work.

Can I got anywhere to get them to read the codes for me or would I have to go directly to the dealership? Also, should I wait to get the codes first before I unplug my battery? I don't want to end up erasing something that was important.
 
Kape said:
I felt like the dealership did just wants to make quick money. That's the reason I went for a second opinion. I wasn't sure who other but Aamco works with transmissions. My only other choice is pep boys but I don't think they do that type of work.

Can I got anywhere to get them to read the codes for me or would I have to go directly to the dealership? Also, should I wait to get the codes first before I unplug my battery? I don't want to end up erasing something that was important.
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Yes, and I believe you will require a Ford-specific scan tool to pull the transmission codes.
 
Ok so this is the paper work I got from the dealership. The code that popped up is P1744. Did some searching on this site and found that it can mean something as small as a solenoid block to some people saying they reman the tranny. I wrote the letters on the side because the hand writing may be hard to read to some. The prices do scare me but I am no way ready to give up my car. The top thing on my mind is to get the tranny issue situated before moving on to anything else. Please provide input and advise.


scan0001.jpg

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Holy
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!!!
You need to buy some tools and roll up some sleeves Son!

Half that stuff you can do for a 1/3 of the cost in your driveway. Parts are over charged as is normal by Service repair facilities.
For instance, the Rear sway bar links 29$ per side from Rock Auto for the MOOG brand as opposed to the 92 Suggested.
Front Pads and rotors, for that price you could do all way around ... it's not that hard to do, just need to read/learn and do.

On the tranny, I still say re&re the battery cables and book a flush with a new filter, see if it clears it up.
I mean if you have no symptoms of shift behaviour ... why put an OH kit into it already? after fluid change see if it behaves.

70$ bushings ? what does the OH kit consists of then, no bushings included ? Con men everywhere.
 
@BigRig that's exactly what I had in my mind. Especially when they priced me for the rotors and arms. I man still confused what the "OH" stands for in "OH Kit" but no way was I going to roll over for them. If you can tell me the part name I am positive I can get it handled for less of a price. I will definitely book a flush and order a solenoid pack off ebay, just need to know if it is a 5R55S or 5R55N. Now that I have the code, I will unhook the battery.
 
The biggest questions I have on the list is not recognizing some of the items. I have understanding on car parts but not in a full scale. Can anyone help explain letters A,E, and the K set to me? I just want to get this situated get my baby back to top notch preformance
 
E is transmission fluid I'm assuming. K is valve cover gaskets. Those are gaskets. I don't know how to better explain that one lol. Wikipedia helps: fills the space between two or more mating surfaces, generally to prevent leakage from or into the joined objects while under compression.
 
I personally think a flush is too late. You already have a problem. I've read about 03s having valve body problems. Solenoid pack as well. You'll probably have servo bore problems pretty soon anyway. So mine as well overhaul it. Paying someone to flush and drop the pan would just be a waste.
 
Kape said:
Ok so this is the paper work I got from the dealership. The code that popped up is P1744. Did some searching on this site and found that it can mean something as small as a solenoid block to some people saying they reman the tranny. I wrote the letters on the side because the hand writing may be hard to read to some. The prices do scare me but I am no way ready to give up my car. The top thing on my mind is to get the tranny issue situated before moving on to anything else. Please provide input and advise.


View attachment 828460651
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I don't see a P1744 code listed on Alldata....... They're not replacing the trans, they are only replacing the valve body. They're charging $2662.67 to remove YOUR trans and replace the valve body; to the tune of another $607.01! $391 an hour for labor seems quite high to me!!

In the notes he mentions a stuck valve in the valve body. This was an issue with earlier '03s. When was yours built (look on the sticker on the driver's "A" pillar)? The cure was to replace the valve body. Kathy something (I don't remember her last name) who was head of the transmission department at the time showed us the offending valve and said it shouldn't cause any damage if delaying the repair. Do you have any driveability problems or just the message?

Ditto, I wouldn't let AAMCO, Pep Boys or anyone but a trusted mechanic work on my LS! Replacing the valve body shouldn't be that difficult for a competent mechanic; which AMMCO certainly has only a few.
 
@jj thanks for the input, the 10x makes since when it reads as fluid. I was getting the valve and head gaskets confused. I was going to say my car hasn't been over heating at all but wanted to get clarity before going off on a rant.

@stugots your input is well respected by me but I have to do what I can now. Don't really see anyone buying my car off me with the tranny light going off and I am in need of transport to get to work. It may cost heavy but I have to do what I can.

Also, is there a difference between the valve body and solenoid pack? That may have been a dumb question but I don't want to order the same part twice. I checked on ebay and they both look the same to me.

A.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/5R55S-5R55W...Parts_Accessories&hash=item4175166a5a&vxp=mtr


B.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/5R55S-5R55W...:Lincoln|Model:LS&hash=item1e6b5e9dda&vxp=mtr

C.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRAND-NEW-F...:Lincoln|Model:LS&hash=item35b662e53c&vxp=mtr
 
Yes, the valve body and the solenoid assembly are two different things.
You don't want to buy either on e-bay.
 
P1744 = Torque Converter Clutch Solenoid Circuit Performance
They are saying they think the torque converter has been damaged by this, and they may be right. If it has, it may have sent bits of metal through the rest of the transmission, doing a lot of damage. I've heard of people getting a new transmission put in for about $3500.
 
LS4me said:
In the notes he mentions a stuck valve in the valve body. This was an issue with earlier '03s. When was yours built (look on the sticker on the driver's "A" pillar)? The cure was to replace the valve body. Kathy something (I don't remember her last name) who was head of the transmission department at the time showed us the offending valve and said it shouldn't cause any damage if delaying the repair. Do you have any driveability problems or just the message?
Click to expand...

You wouldn't happen to know the date of the fix? Pretty sure mine was March 03, I guess that isn't too early. They start making the next model year in July or August don't they?
 
@LS4me my car has plenty of drivability in it. It is just the message and a rare mild idling when I drive on the high way. I just took a look at the pillar it reads "Date: 11/02"
 
Do any recommend any reliable shop to get my transmission dropped to see how much damage has been done? Im now hesitant on the flush just incase metal shavings are in there and that may cause the to just spread and tear. Also any places to buy the valve body and solenoid pack
 
Kape said:
@LS4me my car has plenty of drivability in it. It is just the message and a rare mild idling when I drive on the high way. I just took a look at the pillar it reads "Date: 11/02"
Click to expand...

That would be an early build. The offending valve is just a needle valve that had a burr on one end that wasn't totally removed. Let me go back and see what I can find.....

From our trip to the factory and a discussion with the engineers.....

Q. What is going on with 2003 transmission failures? Mine failed and I've seen lots of complaints on the LLSOC forum.
A. There are NO design problems with the 5R55S transmission. Early on there was a valve body problem which was traced to the supplier, a quality issue, but this has been fixed a long time ago. The check transmission light would come on and you would not get torque converter lock, but this is not a fatal condition, that is the car is still drive-able without causing damage. All indications are that this problem has been fully resolved, March 13 is the 100% clean date.
Click to expand...

Help????
 
so since my date is 11/02 that would mean im not out of the ball park yet?
 
Kape, For what it is worth, my 01 3.9L threw a check transmission message and E on display. Car had no performance problems, just the message. Lincoln dealer read codes and said torque conv wasn't locking up and probably had ruined the converter and put filings into the transmission. A little research let me to believe it could be the solenoid pack. Dropped pan and ohmed out solenoids. Sol. for torque conv. lockup was bad. Replaced sol. pack and filter. Problem solved. Read one way to test lockup was to hold a steady 50 MPH with foot, tap brake with left foot and watch tach. RPMs should increase momentarily when conv unlocks if working properly. Mine wasn't locking converter but it ran fine.
Ben
 
Kape said:
so since my date is 11/02 that would mean im not out of the ball park yet?
Click to expand...

I would say you have the bad valve body. From various 2003 LLSOC posts (I could get in trouble for this!!!):

Error code was P1744. Part replaced was converter clutch control valve (3W4Z-7A100-CB).
Got car back yesterday. They report Diag. code P1744. Replaced main control valve P/N 3W4Z-7A100-CB.
I have a JOB1 build date 1-13-03.
Click to expand...
 
You could DIY the valve body. Might as well swap the solneoid and filter while you're there, and perhaps install the TransGO shift kit.

Edit: Just checked my car, 05/03.. whew!
 
Thank you guys for all the input and advice. So far my plan of action is to get my flush done for the time being and place a order for a solenoid pack, valve body, and mercon transmission fluid sinci i will have to do it over again
 
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