5R55S Servo Bore Fix Fail After Classic Symptoms

[jpoole23]

3 months ago I noticed on one of the first cold mornings of the year that my OD didn't engage as soon as it normally does. It takes about 5 miles on freeway almost every time and you can sometimes get it to engage sooner by slowing down a bit and accelerating again. No codes or check engine lights.

About a month after that I notice a little jerk or flare on the 2/3 shift, no other real issues. No codes.

So i decide to take it in to the Tranny shop i had the solenoid pack and connector replaced at just 5 months prior. (To give a little background...I was having engagement issuse, it would jerk when you first put it in D or R. Ford wanted to replace the wiring harness, case and solenoid pack connector. Got a 2nd opinion at said tranny shop to replace solenoid pack and connector. Solved engagement issues.)
So anyway, Tranny shop A asked if I heard a whine and thought it might be the cat converter. I don't think he really felt the 2/3 flare as it was intermittent at this point.

Decided to get a second option at Tranny shop B who said it was the servo bore issue so famous with the 5R55S. All the symptoms matched. They told me to wait until the band breaks because the just fix the servo they would have to rebuild the tranny anyway.

Didn't like that answer so I did research and found the 'Servo Bore Fix' by AJ1E Solutions online and decided to give it a shot this past weekend. I've only driven twice since but seems to be doing the same. Still no codes.

Im just at a loss at this point, the symptoms matched so well I don't want to drop 2000 on a rebuild when i don't know the issue. This truck has a lot of electrical issues i keep going back to that but does anyone has any insight to this issue?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Rick]

I moved your thread to our Transmission and Transfercase subforum.

 

[domct203]

Did you unload/re-adjust the band as shown in the instructions?

If the band has been slipping for awhile you may have worn off most of the friction material if adjusting the band to factory specs doesn’t solve this.

How much does it flare (rpm jump)?

Are you sure that only Mercon V has been used in the transmission?

 

[jpoole23]

Did you unload/re-adjust the band as shown in the instructions?

If the band has been slipping for awhile you may have worn off most of the friction material if adjusting the band to factory specs doesn’t solve this.

How much does it flare (rpm jump)?

Are you sure that only Mercon V has been used in the transmission?

The bands were unloaded then re-adjusted at the end. Though that was one of the few jobs I didn't do due to having no experience with a torque wrench. The guy who did it did say that was his first time trying that though. When I get the fluid changed this week I was going to have a tranny mech re-adjust the bands. We did check the fluid before the fix to at least make sure it wasn't burnt.

My RPMs don't do a noticeable jump during the 2/3 shift knock. Just more of a quick jerk.

I can't confirm that only Mercon V has been used as ive only had it since 65,000 and this is going to be my first fluid change. Though I was impressed when we checked fluid before fix. Very little specs of anything and no real smell.

Thanks for the response!

 

[BrooklynBay]

You mentioned that the solenoid block was replaced. A defective solenoid block might have low EPC pressure. Was the valve body gasket replaced & torqued to specification? Was the filter replaced when the solenoid block was installed or did they reuse the old filter? Did they reuse the old fluid or refill it with fresh fluid (and correct fluid)?

 

[jpoole23]

You mentioned that the solenoid block was replaced. A defective solenoid block might have low EPC pressure. Was the valve body gasket replaced & torqued to specification? Was the filter replaced when the solenoid block was installed or did they reuse the old filter? Did they reuse the old fluid or refill it with fresh fluid (and correct fluid)?

Thanks for the response, tbh I'm not 100% sure if the valve body gasket was replaced or not. Nothing about any gaskets were written up on invoice. I do know they just reused the old fluid. You think my new pack is going bad?

Another piece of information i didn't know before, I was going through Fords diag receipt. There was a code 'P0713 TFT SENSOR'. This was before i had the solenoid block & connector replaced at Tranny Shop A.

 

[JK080]

The delay into OD sounds like a normal operation too me, OD is confused with the converter lockup because its the last time the transmission "shifts". The computer won't allow the converter to lockup until the transmission warms up to help speed up the time to reach operating temp. So I dont believe this is a problem, plus with no codes the computer is fine with it, If the computer commands a shift and it doesn't happen it should set a code.

The 2-3 shift issue could be a few things, if the RPM dont flare during the shift then I wouldn't suspect the servos, they usually cause shift flares mostly when hot. A harsh 2-3 shift only sounds more like a control problem like the solenoid block or PCM. Try to reset the shift adapts with a good scanner or maybe try disconnecting the battery for while, that can reset the computer sometimes. Make sure the mass air flow (MAF) sensor is clean and working like it should, a dirty or failed MAF can cause shifting issues like this.