update on my 98 exp 2-3 flare fix job
ok, so on the first trip inside the 5r55e i changed the vb with one i got from tranzmissions in fla, and, i put in the ford upgrade which consisted of removing a spring valve and installing a valve in one of the bore, 207 as i recall. also, installed the new ford separator plate with the bonded gaskets. filled her up and off we go, running tip top FOR A WHILE, about 1 day. AFTER allowing it to fully warm up, about 30 minutes of driving,then it is back to where it was before i started the "fix"... slow hanging shift from 2-3 with about 1000 rpm flare, and, slow going into reverse and not completely staying in reverse. after reading some more post and advise from glacier and BB, i went back inside to "retorque " the 23 vb bolts.
While i was in there i also put in the new style d-rings on the reverse servo piston and also a new reverse servo gasket. OH, forgot to mention, prior to goin inside for a second time, i adjusted the intermediate band, "about" 1/4 turn IN (tighter). I test drove it with the band adjustment and there was a huge difference in the overall performance of the transmission, much better "drive" (meaning less slipping) than i had before the adjustment AND i did not notice the slipping i had, it didnt sound or feel as if it was slipping. the best way i can desribe the difference is to compare it to when your torque converted locks up.. you feel the "slip" go away and you can feel the positive drive connection in the gas pedal and the seat of your pants. so... it was slipping a little all the time.. . so, today i opened her up, removed the vb, installed the new d-rings, gaskets, and torqued all the screws with my brand new torque wrench from Harbor Freight,(special thanks to whomever posted the link to HF for the torque wrench, its not bad at all for 19.99). filled it up tonight and it doesnt seem to perform as well as it did the first time i installed the vb. this time however i torqued the three screws holding the sep plate to the same as the 23 screws, 97 in/lbs. the first time i did it i torqued them to 67 in /lb as per the ford tsb instructions. i also reworked the band adjust bolts(removed the rust) and adjusted both to the "factory" settings as posted on our forum, tighten to 120 in/lbs then od band 2 turns out, int band 2.5 turns out. drove it after all that and the flare was slightly improved. but i had the continual slipping that i previously had. so ... back in the garage one more time and tighten up the intermediate band 1/2 turn. test drive. much better, the slipping is gone and the flare is getting better but still nowhere as good as it was the first time i installed the new vb. being one that is NEVER satisfied.. i tightened up the intermediate band another 1/4 turn, so my final setting is now : tighten to 120 in/lbs, turn back 1 3/4 turns. test drive, seems "pretty good" but not what i would call PERFECT". it still flares a little above the normal of 250 but i'm hoping it will get better as i drive it a little. i will wait and see how the next few days goes and then post back. i have learned a few things or actually paid closer attention to a few things and these i hope will help other...
when you torque up the 23 bolts on a new set of gaskets, i would recommend torqueing them to your final setting(97 in/ls) then DO NOTHING until the next day. allow the gaskets to take a set THEN torque them again to 97... this way you will see the bolts actually take up the slack from the gasket compressing overnight... this would have kept me from having to do this all over again. another tip... if you have removed the valve body you can slide a small open end wrench up "around" the band adjustment bolt while you loosed the bolt. the steel block that the adjustment bolt pushes in and out has spring pressure on it from behind. if you do it CAREFULLY and choose the right wrench the spring pressure on the steel block will pinch the wrench and allow you to fully remove the bolt and the nut, this way to can properly clean off the rust from the bolt. if you dont get the nut on the bolt to move toward the square end of the bolt you will never get the proper adjustment on the bands. this method will prevent the steel block and other stuff from falling or flying out when you remove the bolt. just be careful , don't let any of your helpers bump the truck or the wrench could slide out and then you're in big trouble. what else can i add... oh yeah, never ever ever buy a transmission made in france, lets face it, ford buys them there because they are cheap, not because of how well they build transmissions and oh yes, i say this with having 30 years in metal cutting and manufacturing experience... its all about the profit, cost, then reduced warranty cost, then MAYBE long term reliability and performance. and i actually don't hate ford but it is what it is. and yes, I'm an engineer and there are good ones and bad ones, i have fixed or repaired a number of products in the past 30 years that were "built" to the engineering specs. it's like doctors, they're ALL practicing. as for many other parts, they just don't put them all thru the torture track like they show in the commercials on tv. ok back to the real data here...the d-rings for the reverse servo. BE CAREFUL putting them on. be careful that once you have them on they are not twisted. it is very difficult to see if they are twisted and a pain to get them back off. i have put on many rings and i almost missed it too. look real close to make sure they are sitting as they should. i never did find an actual "BLOWN" gasket or section on either the separator plate or the reverse servo gasket. i have to assume that much of my 2-3 flare was a combination of leakage and the slipping of the intermediate band. i'll bet that had i adjusted the int band first i would not have gone any further. the adjustment would not have fixed the "slow going and staying in reverse problem", but the flare was my bigger concern anyway.. ok, now i'm really finished, thanks for reading and i hope some of this will help others. kjgces.
