Transmission. Q and A

04charcoal

04charcoal

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Hamilton, Ontario
So my car is a '04 V6 with about 180,000 km (112000 miles) I recently started having shifting issues (hard shift into 2nd and slipping into 3rd). So I took it to local Mr.Transmission referred by my mechanic and they said it needed to be rebuilt. Before I spend the $3k to rebuild it i just wanted to know if there was anything I should do while the transmission is out, like cooling lines or anything else. Any knowledge or insight would be greatly appreciated.
 
I have never heard of anyone who went to Mr Transmission, AAMCO, ..., that didn't get a diagnosis of "needs full rebuild" no matter what the problem was.

It could be that you need your servo bores sleeved, which would call for a rebuild if enough damage was done. Will they be putting sleeves in the servo bores? I would want that done if the transmission was being taken out and apart.
It could also be that you only need a servo assembly (which a rebuild should fix, but it could be fixed a lot cheaper by just replacing the assembly). It could also be that your PCM is failing. (A transmission rebuild won't fix or change that at all.)


Personally, I would want a much better description of the problem and to know what they did to diagnose it. I'd want a lot more than "it needs to be rebuilt." I'd want details like "The line pressure is this, but should be this. Your band(s) are worn to the metal, ..." I'd want to know what failed that makes it where the whole transmission needs to be rebuilt.

You might try to find a local (not national chain) shop that works on Mustangs and/or explorers.
 
There's a couple of servo bore fixes for the 5R55S that should be done if you intend to keep the car for another 5 years. Also some updates to various pieces like the thermal bypass valve and some of the check valves.

I think its the reverse band likes to break on these transmissions. It's a pretty strong opinion that this band should only be replaced by the Ford OEM unit as the aftermarket ones are thinner and considered substandard garbage.

Maybe go ahead and get a rebuilt torque converter while you are at it. The lock-up clutches in them do go bad eventually and now would be the time to replace it since you have the trans being redone. No clue if the torque converter is special or not on the LS. At a minimum have it drained out and inspected. We have a couple torque converter shops here that will rebuild your actual unit for you. It's nice cause you never have to guess if the rebuild one is correct. They usually do a standard rebuild for less then $200 unless you want special stuff done.

Also look at having a shift kit put into the servo/valve body. It can usually help with some shifting and other issues like flaring and harsh engagements. These kits will change some of the engagement behaviors of the transmission which might have exacerbated or out right caused your failure to begin with.

At a minimum the shop SHOULD replace anything worn our or broken. When done the transmission should be back to within spec regardless of whether the part was replaced or not. Although they probably wont, I would ask them if they are going to be replacing the frictions/steels and bands. Usually at that level it would be considered "remanufactured" as opposed to "rebuilt". Usually you just update and replace broke or out of date stuff during a rebuild. For $3K I would expect new bands and frictions, or damn sure want it.

You should also get a warranty from them that's more then 10 minutes or 10 miles, whichever comes first.
 
Sorry I should've gave more info into what the tech said. Apparently they had to completely disassemble the transmission to find out what was the problem was, which I wanted. I was at work on my cell when I got the call and didn't really get all that he was saying, but he did mention about the servo bores, clutch disks and other things. That they could do it for cheaper but that wouldn't come with a warranty and doing it the right way would have a 4yr warranty. I'm going to call back when I get off work so I can fully understand what they found and what they have to do to fix it. But I wanted to get some insight on the issue so I ask the right questions and make sure that everything is done right and I'm not taken for a ride. Thanks guys for the help. I'll keep you posted on what the findings are and the out come of the whole thing.
 
The solenoid pack should definitely be replaced as part of the rebuild on these things. They are pretty much what seems to fail first and the most often.

So things I would ask:
1) Are you replacing the solenoid pack
2) Are you replacing the frictions, steels, and bands (my preference anyways)
3) Are you going to install the servo bore updates (it's a sleeve that gets installed in the bore itself, and a new servo if it's worn out)
4) Are you doing any other fixes or updates to the transmission
5) Can they install a fill/drain plug in case you want to work on it later

This assumes they are doing what is normally needed for a rebuild. I would get that warranty in writing and read some reviews of theirs if possible.


Here's a link to the most common 5R55S problems:
http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/members.atra.com/resource/resmgr/webinars/5r55-product-issues.pdf
 
You can get a quality remanufactured transmission ready to bolt up and install for ~$1600. Is it worth twice that amount to have a shop do it questionably?
 
joegr said:
???????????
It already has fill and drain plugs.
Click to expand...

Sorry, long late night. I mean't dipstick. But again, that's just me. I'd probably want to buy one of those flexible dipsticks and then just bolt it to the firewall. That way you could drain it, drop the pan, replace the filter, then fill it through the dipstick without having to get creative with fluid pumps and everything else.
 
joegr said:
I have never heard of anyone who went to Mr Transmission, AAMCO, ..., that didn't get a diagnosis of "needs full rebuild" no matter what the problem was.
Click to expand...

It's worse than that. I know of several AAMCOs (knew a guy that worked at one) in a town I used to live in that was buying every junkyard transmission in town in a town I used to live in. If you came in for a rebuild, you got a salvage trans. If the salvage trans was bad and you brought it back with "rebuild problems" you got the next rebuilt in the line.

I would go visit the Mustang world and find out who does the best rebuilds on the trans in the car, if it actually does need a hard rebuild. If it were a Chevy I'd very heartily recommend FLT Transmissions but they don't do Ford transmissions. The one they did for my truck is AMAZING, and a comparable rebuilder that does Ford transmissions would be very, very, very well worth the money.

Except we're talking about an LS so AAMCO's good enough.
 
AAMCO = All Automatics Must Come Out. They wanted to rebuild my transmission on a crown vic when all it needed was a plastic grommet piece on the throttle body that the TV cable from the transmission connected to. Turns out it was a recall item from Ford and 5 minutes later at a dealer the transmission worked like it never had an issue.

Just go to the local drag track of find a Ford/Mustang car club near you and talk to some of the people. They can usually point you in the right direction for a transmission shop. If you know of a reputable Ford performance shop around you they would also be someone to ask about transmission rebuilder recommendations.
 
Update: so after 5 weeks of labour and $2000 in parts later the guys at Mr transmission can't solve the problem. It sound like they threw everything they had at it from complete rebuild of the transmission (several times) to being check out by electrical specialists even spent a few days at a ford dealer. They said they couldn't understand what was going on because when they hook the car to the computer it says everything is doing what it should but it's not. The only good thing is that they never chrged me for all the work, but I still have the same problem. The only suggestion the guy had was maybe replace the computer for the car because the transmission is not the problem, its been rebuilt 3 times now. Any suggestions on what I should do, just continue driving as is or bite the bullit and replace the computer?
 
Sorry just saw your post now so a little late since you spent all that money already. I was going to suggest posting on GTAMC.com or TorontoMustangClub.ca as there are members in your area who can help locate a good shop.
 
Just my .02 but every transmission issue should be diagnosed to PCM first. The PCM repair/diagnosis is only $161 and it's easy enough to remove and re-install yourself. Before spending any money on a transmission I'd always start there. From a pure cost/benefit stand it makes no sense to start messing with the transmission without eliminating the PCM first.

Sia Electronics is the PCM rebuilder
 
Would a pcm from an '05 work for my '04. Just got access to an '05 parts car and the transmission was working flawlessly before the rear end seized on him.
 
04charcoal said:
Would a pcm from an '05 work for my '04. Just got access to an '05 parts car and the transmission was working flawlessly before the rear end seized on him.
Click to expand...

It should, but you'd have to have the dealer flash the PCM in the car. It's not plug and play.

On the dipstick issue, they should be able to install one of the flexible dipsticks. The LS uses the same trans as the Explorer, so the dipstick port should just be plugged off.
 
Last August I had my Solenoid pack replaced and just had it replaced again. Good thing I went with OEM because they swapped it out for free. Two days later I get more codes than before. After Talking to an old family friend who did trannies he mentioned I replace the neutral safety switch, clear codes and drive and see what happens. MY question is should I do this or just send out the PCM to SAI. Thanks Guys
 
OP: coils, fuel, kam data, maf, etc can all cause your symptoms too
 
AND HE'S BACK ... here we go drive-cycling again!

~ not lying, actually missed ya a bit Bud :p
 
well maybe you shouldda searched

04charcoal said:
Update: so after 5 weeks of labour and $2000 in parts later the guys at Mr transmission can't solve the problem. It sound like they threw everything they had at it from complete rebuild of the transmission (several times) to being check out by electrical specialists even spent a few days at a ford dealer. They said they couldn't understand what was going on because when they hook the car to the computer it says everything is doing what it should but it's not. The only good thing is that they never chrged me for all the work, but I still have the same problem. The only suggestion the guy had was maybe replace the computer for the car because the transmission is not the problem, its been rebuilt 3 times now. Any suggestions on what I should do, just continue driving as is or bite the bullit and replace the computer?
Click to expand...

so I have the exact same car with the exact same issue, you should of searched before flushing that $$ down the crapper:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/forum/showthread.php?94532-5R55S-PCM-vs-tranny-rebuild
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
 
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