Transmission Issues.....5R55E

[98downunder]

Ok so like so many others on here, I was having problems with my transmission. I never really noticed the 2-3 shifting problem, but then one day I was driving and there was a bad stutter shifting into 2nd, like the tranny couldnt decide if it was supposed to shift or not. Thats when I started looking on here to see if anyone else had this problem, although I never found any similarities to my problem as most people had the no reverse or 2-3 shift issues.

2 days after I noticed this strange shifting, my wife had to drive it to work and called me to come pick it up as she was unsure if it would make it back home! As I drove it home the first few miles it seemed just fine, but then it started to act up, the next few miles it felt as though it were slipping badly. By the time I got home, I could only get it part way up the drive! It was like the clutches were completely gone! But I knew there was noway this could happen in such a short amount of time without prior warning signs.


After reading what others had done on here, I felt fairly confident in seeing if I could rebuild the VB. I dropped the pan down and had a look, filthy fluid as I expected, and a few chunks of metal.....NOT what I was hoping for! I was figuring the way the tranny acted that I had completely lost fluid pressure, but now with the added bits of metal, (not clutches) I was sinking fast! A few phone calls to local shops, and the basic rule was $2500 to $5000!! With the best reputation shop saying these trannys on average are $3800 rebuild job! Ya I got that same sickness in the stomach feeling as you did while reading that!

Well I came to find out that a mechanic that I know well here, used to be an autotrans specialist! Woohoo!! So he ordered all the bands, clutches and shift servos. While I tore out the tranny in the driveway. Oh and I ordered a rebuilt VB from Central Valvebody.....with everything else, I didnt feel like messing with it, I had enough crap to deal with! When we tore it apart, everything looked pretty good for having 290km (not miles) We found that a bearing had started to come apart near the first clutch pack, hence the metal fragments, but nothing that would make the tranny act like it did. Even the pump was in good shape, so my hopes are pretty high that the problem was in the VB! However we did run into a problem tonight as we were putting the last few bits back together on it. I will include a picture of it, Has anyone ever seen something like this before? I wasnt having problems with reverse, but I cant put this back in like this. It seems like the shaft is made of 2 different materials? And since noone here stocks this part and I cannot have it down any longer, would I be able to weld this? Of course as long as the length remains the same.

 

[98downunder]

Oops, forgot to add the picture!

Heh forgot to also say this is a picture of the reverse servo shaft.

 

[98downunder]

I took the reverse servo into work today and had it welded up! Should have it all put together tomorrow and reinstalled by the weekend!

 

[96ex5.0]

Probably cause most just have them rebuilt or replaced

 

[96ex5.0]

I know when I worked at a transmission shop we would place bits of all thread in the long vain under the valve body to prevent it from flexing and causing the gasket to leak.

 

[ntp7001]

I just swapped my 5R55E, finished this morning.
Now, I stare down my nemesis, my 5R55E without R. Looking for a quick fix here.

I am 99.9% sure that your problem is the reverse servo not seated properly. You have to drop the tranny pan and pull out the reverse servo. The Reverse Servo when installed correctly needs to be seated against a pin . You have to look down the servo hole and move that pin with a long flat screwdriver. There is a write up somewhere on this forum about it. I have made this mistake...twice before.

Neal