How to: 5R55E Valve Body Rebuild Diary

[joecrna]

Is that "slipping" really slipping or is it slow to engage when cold? The low/reverse servo could be dragging a little. Possibly the gasket on the servo got a little tweaked during installation. Once it heats up, it lubricates better and slides more freely.

 

[gotta_gofast]

Gentleman,

I would like your opinion on Sonnax's solution to the 5R55E.

http://www.sonnax.com/product-lines/transmission/parts/1498

It may be twice the price of either transgo or superior kits, it seems to deal with "hard parts" rather than springs. I'd be open for opinions, especially by those who have handled the valve body before. I'm looking into kits to improve my 5R55E in my 2005 Ranger and this one has interested me.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! Sonnax makes excellent upgrades. They also make a boost valve with an O ring. The end plugs with O rings are available outside of this kit. This kit must be a recent addition to their product line. I don't know if they sell the forward engagement control valve outside of this kit, but you could check their website.

 

[gotta_gofast]

I believe they do sell any and all parts individually. Upon more research I've found a lot of extra tooling is needed for this kit. I'm not sure the extra drills, reamers, cores, and jigs in addition to this kit are cost effective. I may just opt for the superior kit. I've noticed both superior and sonnax sell an increased ratio boost valve. Any opinion which may be more beneficial? I noticed Sonnax also replaces the spring where as superior appears to reuse the factory spring in their boost valve.

My ultimate plan is to upgrade the valve body and flush with amsoil atf along with a larger trans cooler. I plan on installing Ron Castor's supercharger kit and want a solid foundation. My reason for the trans work before hand is purely insurance and ease of mind. However, I do not wish to invest too much money into it because if it does end up failing I'll swap to an M5OD-R1HD instead.

Enough thread jacking, thanks for the welcome! I'm more on TRS but this place has a lot of good stickies and tech to weed through also.

 

[BrooklynBay]

The Sonnax kit has end plugs which are swappable just like the boost valve. Other brands require drilling holes in the separator plate.

 

[gotta_gofast]

Here's a link to the PDF instructions. It looks like a lot of tooling will needed to be purchased in addition to the kit in order to install some of the kit.

http://www.sonnax.com/system/instructions/37947-BOOK-IN.pdf

Pressure regulator sleeve kit requires PN:37947-TL5
TCC regulator sleeve kit requires PN:37947-TL9
EPC and engagement control require PN:37947-TL11
Oversized coast clutch control kit PN:37947-TL33

Basically it looks like these tooling kits consist of a core drill, jig for said drill, reamer, and jig for said reamer. I suppose this is the best solution because you are starting with a fresh bore instead of a worn bore that could be grooved or out-of-round.

I'm having a hard time finding the instructions on the superior kit. It may be in this thread and I missed it? If anyone has the instructions from superior I'd be real interested in combing through it.

 

[drdoom]

I have a set of Superior instructions.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Could you email me a copy of those instructions? I'm going to send you a PM with my email address.

 

[kciRsnurB]

- 2000StreetRod nailed it, thx! Somehow through head space and timing, the two lines on the external filter were crossed. In researching the issue, there is conflicting info out there as to which line is the supply line, and which line is the return line to the transmission. Paging through the factory Workshop Manual, the closest thing I could find was in the "Transmission Fluid Cooler Test" on page 307-01A-92, para 4. "Remove the cooler return line (rear fitting) from the fitting on the transmission case."

Tough for me to determine 'front' & 'rear' ... I would've preferred a 'top' or 'bottom' reference. However, there are also these references out there ...

Top - return. Bottom - supply:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=321652&highlight=cooler+return+line

Top - return. Bottom - supply:
http://rockledge.home.comcast.net/~rockledge/RangerPictureGallery/Tranny_Fluid_Change_5R55E.pdf

Top - return. Bottom - supply:
http://www.txchange.com/cooler.htm

Top (upper) - supply (output). Bottom (lower) - return (input):
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=270291

- Yep, flushed the system upon dis-assembly w/ Dr Tranny Kooler Kleen ( http://www.lubegard.com/~/C-184/Dr.+Tranny+Kooler+Kleen )

- Ya, I thought about doing the nut on the inside. Two concerns ...
1) Internal clearance.
2) The height of the nut would provide a 'dam' when draining the pan, not allowing for all the crud/fluid to drain. Not an issue if you're removing the pan each and every time the fluid is drained. Again, copper washer solved the seep issue. Minor point in my opinion (and we know what they say about opinions!

 

[gts]

The next one is also very easy, it is the bore right next to the Boost valve on the other side.... the "forward engagement control valve". It gets a new (white) spring... here is the old versus the new side by side...

replace, reassemble and reinstall. easy.

So on this forward engagement valve is the end plug supposed to be a tight fit like the others? Or is it loose in the bore? On mine the plug is very loose. Could this be a cause of my no forward motion in D issue? Or is the plug just there simply as a stop for the sprint to push against for the valve inside?

 

[drdoom]

Addressing the concerns of "damming" at the internal nut for the drain plug: I always take the nut, and using my 4.5" angle grinder, make three slots in the nut to allow for drainage. It ends up looking like a CASTLE NUT. Then I orient the nut with the grooves down, and tack weld it three times, using care to not clog the slots with a weld.

Here is a quick graphic:

As for the placement, you must plan ahead, to avoid clearance issues (linkage, filter, etc.) inside the pan.

 

[wrench1020]

hey anybody know the install for the superior shift kit for the resistor for line pressure rise ?

 

[drdoom]

hey anybody know the install for the superior shift kit for the resistor for line pressure rise ?

Yeah, it comes with two "squeeze taps", you just crimp them both onto each wire going to the EPC solenoid, just before the connector. Be careful where you tap in, the space is VERY limited, and there is no slack in the internal harness. After setting the taps, you just plug the riser in, doesn't matter which way, there is no polarity. After that you can use some small cable ties to tuck it up out of the way, once again, the space is limited here also.

 

[soulwhisperer]

I hope this is the right place(If not sorry)I have a 2000 Ford Explorer XLT with the typical issue of the 2/3 flare and my OD light has flashed a couple times on one drive(we were almost home),the SUV has been driven once since then and it didn't flash again.I plan to rebuild the VB and replace the EPC,But im curious to know if anyone can tell me,Do I need to replace the whole solenoid pack?And im wondering where the best place to order the parts from would be.Thanks

 

[CDW6212R]

Welcome, prior to 2002 there is no solenoid pack, that began in 2002. You have shift solenoids which can be changed alone as you like. I suggest doing them based on mileage. If it's high, do them all, the EPC is more than all others together. If they aren't old, do at least the 2/3 solenoid, which could be part of your problem.

 

[soulwhisperer]

Thanks for that info,I will see about getting one,Im going to get a VB rebuild kit(Not sure what it consists of) along with changing the EPC.Im currently looking for a place to buy all the parts I will need and trying make sure i get the ALL the parts needed.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! Check WWW.TransmissionPartsUSA.Com & WWW.BulkPart.Com.

 

[drbenz]

I believe they do sell any and all parts individually. Upon more research I've found a lot of extra tooling is needed for this kit. I'm not sure the extra drills, reamers, cores, and jigs in addition to this kit are cost effective. I may just opt for the superior kit. I've noticed both superior and sonnax sell an increased ratio boost valve. Any opinion which may be more beneficial? I noticed Sonnax also replaces the spring where as superior appears to reuse the factory spring in their boost valve.

My ultimate plan is to upgrade the valve body and flush with amsoil atf along with a larger trans cooler. I plan on installing Ron Castor's supercharger kit and want a solid foundation. My reason for the trans work before hand is purely insurance and ease of mind. However, I do not wish to invest too much money into it because if it does end up failing I'll swap to an M5OD-R1HD instead.

Enough thread jacking, thanks for the welcome! I'm more on TRS but this place has a lot of good stickies and tech to weed through also.

Actually, the EZ kit doesn't need any reaming although the standard kit does:

Sonnax Part Summary
This kit is a combination of service items used to improve valve control and reduce oil loss in either the
4R44E/55E or 5R44E/55E. None of the items included in this kit requires reaming, although some of the
repairs point to and suggest sleeves be installed when worn beyond the scope of this kit. This kit elevates
line pressure to overcome some of the internal oil loss, has a quicker EPC rise for firmer shifts, addresses
leaks in the solenoid circuit, improves intermediate servo and direct clutch pressure, and improves TCC apply.

(as shown in the parts summary - the instructions shown are not for the EZ kit)

 

[albi1cnobi1]

Just wanted to drop a line thanking everyone in this thread for all the great info. Just replaced my vb with a new(rebuilt) one and my transmission is running and shifting like the day I bought it back in 99. Couldn't have done it without all of your help.

 

[asavage]

Superior K4R/5R55E shift correction kit instructions

I ordered several items from bulkpart.com (Makco Distributing) yesterday, got the parts today.

56307 	Gasket, C3/A4LD/4R44E/4R55E, Reverse servo cvr 	1 	$2.00
56320H 	Gasket, 4R44E / 5R55E, valve body, upper 	1 	$3.63 
56321H 	Gasket, 4R44E / 5R55E, valve body, lower 	1 	$3.63 
56300EF Pan Gasket: A4LD / 4R44E series 		1 	$3.96
56010G 	Filter, A4LD, 4R44E, 5R55E 4wd 1986-UP 		1 	$14.68
S56165H Shift correction package, 44R4 / 55E 1995-up 	1 	$46.59 
A56431A Solenoid,4R44E / 4R55E / 5R55E, EPC		1 	$46.20

In case anyone is like me and likes to read the install instructions before buying, here's the Superior instructions.

(click on any image for larger)

These last two are 11" x 17". Fortunately, I own an A3 flatbed scanner . There is also a set of duplicate instructions for these last two pages, in Spanish, which I did not scan.