Solved What do I get with a "rebuilt" valve body?

So my stepson has a 2001 Explorer (134k miles) with the 5R55E transmission and recently began experiencing the dreaded shift flair followed by the flashing O/D light. I checked the code, got the not uncommon, P0733 "3rd gear code..."' which lead me to this forum (really well done info...Glacier's valve body diary is legendary).

Yesterday, we dropped the pan and valve body and did the Ford TSB (03-22-10), where we replaced the valve body seperator plate and gaskets with the new plate/bonded gaskets and replaced the little epc "plug" bit. The upper gasket was torn at the usual locations everyone finds. Got it back together and...no improvement. Dropped the pan again, and put in a new EPC solenoid. Same thing - no improvement.

So, we've done what appear to be the most common "fixes", but to no avail. As I read the 4,279 threads on the subject, the path forward is a lot more murky.

One of the more common themes beyond "rebuild the transmission" seems to be "just get a rebuilt valve body" from somewhere like CVB. So, my question here is "what exactly does a rebuilt valve body give me that I can't do myself"?

When I compare it to carburetor rebuilds I've done in the past, most of that consisted of disassembling the carb, soaking all the parts in (nice and caustic) carb cleaner, cleaning passages and reassembling with all new seals, gaskets, and a few other common wear parts (needle/seat, plungers, seals, float, etc.). It is important to note that 80% of the value in rebuilding a carb was cleaning all the passages out.

I assume a VB rebuild will check/replace the solenoids too, and maybe do a couple more "upgrades", but is the process essentially the same as above? Is it more complex simply because they don't sell a VB "rebuild kit" and knowing what to replace vs. keep just ends up being a bit difficult for the layman? Perhaps they can "cycle" solenoids and check for pressure, which I can't do. Is there any benefit to pulling it down, AGAIN, and removing all plumgers, check balls, springs, etc. and cleaning it or do we just bite the bullet and go for the rebuilt unit?

Thanks all!

Welcome to this forum! The parts could be difficult to replace without picks. The bores need to be cleaned & sanded with wire tube brushes. Sometimes the bores are way out of specification, and need to be resleeved. There are over sized boost valves, and other parts for worn valve bodies. A torque wrench is required to tighten the bolts. Make sure that you install the various size bolts into the proper places, and tighten them in the proper fashion (one bolt at one end then another bolt at the opposite end).

Thanks Brooklyn. I have e-mailed CVB (found an old e-mail address on the Interweb) to run the same question by him. I hate throwing parts at problems, but I may be forced to do just that for this particular item.

If the VB doesn't fix it then we'll need to decide if we sell it or dump a lot of cash into a rebuild. I am kicking myself for not even ohm-checking the solenoids while I had the dang thing on the bench!

So I went ahead and ordered a rebuilt valve body from CVB. I recognize it is still a bit of a crap-shoot, but given the age/mileage of the vehicle (15 years/138k miles) I figure it is possible that some bore has worn enough that it isn't holding pressure, or a solenoid is on the edge, etc. They do, apparently, pressure test these things so I'm hoping this takes care of it.

Regardless, I'll post back in a week or two with the results when I get it and get it installed.

They offer Explorer Forum members a discount. Did you mention this forum?

OK, so I've been swamped with work and other commitments and didn't get back to my stepson's Explorer until yesterday. Even then I was under the gun, but I was able to get the rebuilt valve body in from CVB. I managed to get a single 10 minute test drive in and at this point...I THINK IT'S FIXED! I really need to test drive it again, but since the shift flair was there virtually all the time before, it seems like it has worked.

My takeaway and recommendation here is that these cars are all getting pretty old (with corresponding high mileage), and perhaps the effort of just replacing the gasket and/or a specific solenoid may just not be worth it at this point. My vote is to just go for the rebuilt valve body from the get-go. The hassle of dropping the pan multiple times (3 in my case) and valve body (twice in my case) just isn't worth the money. Oh, and as a bonus, when I refilled the transmission this last time I poured it all in too fast (w/o starting the car) and lost a bunch out the overflow tube...of course I had removed the drip pan by that point and got a nice mess on the driveway!

Anyway, if anything changes and it turns out it isn't fixed, I'll let ya'll know.

A HUGE thanks to the folks on this forum (and the awesome diary thread)!

p.s. CVB got the valve body to me in a DAY...it helps they are in Oklahoma and I'm in Dallas of course. I guess I need to ship the old unit back now after I drain some of the tranny fluid from it.

Thanks for the update! Your thread is now marked solved.

As a quick update, I did get to drive it to dinner last night and the grocery store. While both of those were pretty close to our house, I would say it feels "normal" now (as normal as a 16 year old rattling SUV with 135K+ miles can feel). My stepson should pick it up in a few days...

Prasie the Lord this one is done!