5r55S Transmission Drain/Fill plug stripped

[joeburmeister]

After spending some $500 in parts yesterday at the dealership ($377 new solenoid, $37 oil filter, $17 gasket, $70+ in Transmission fluid, etc.) I hoisted the car up on jack stands this morning and proceeded drain the existing transmission fluid on my 2003 Mercury Mountaineer AWD with 110K miles on it.

I managed to get the 22mm drain bolt loose, but the T-30 fill plug is stripped. I let it soak in PB blaster, but there is no way I can get the fill plug out.

Does any one know of an alternative method of filling the tranny? I know I removed about 4.25 quarts,so I just want to put 4.25 quarts back in somehow.

I went to Riley's/Autozone/AdvancedAP/Pep Boys- but no one sells a tranny drain plug.The dealership/NAPA are closed on sundays.

 

[joeburmeister]

Another problem...how the #%@*# do you get access to that 10 mm bolt on top of the solenoid that is holding the plug in? There is zero room for a ratchet or a 10 mm wrench!!

 

[tower]

I do it with a 10mm swivel head ratcheting wrench, it is a pain.

You need a new plug but there is a "fill plug" on the tranny, it is on the pass side near the back, to the left of the tag it is a allen if I remember right. I would be careful using this as you have no way of checking the level and the 5r55 is very picky about the level.

 

[joeburmeister]

I finally got the 10 mm bolt - the key was you just had to losen it, and take it out completely. I spent the longest time trying to take the damn thing out but it would just keep turning.

Ok, I have reached a major stumbling point.While emptying the pan,I found two large bit of metal parts (we are talking about an 1" in length).The edge looks rough so they must have snapped off.

The original problem I was having was no 3rd gear (p0745 code, among others).

Is it worth continuing,or should i dismantle the new solenoid, and try to return it to the dealer to get my $377 back since it appears that this tranny is toast!

 

[waskly]

the pan will hold 6 quarts, and can be put back full.

also the old sohc ls head tentioner recall came with the same exact t30 bolt.

 

[tower]

I finally got the 10 mm bolt - the key was you just had to losen it, and take it out completely. I spent the longest time trying to take the damn thing out but it would just keep turning.

Ok, I have reached a major stumbling point.While emptying the pan,I found two large bit of metal parts (we are talking about an 1" in length).The edge looks rough so they must have snapped off.

The original problem I was having was no 3rd gear (p0745 code, among others).

Is it worth continuing,or should i dismantle the new solenoid, and try to return it to the dealer to get my $377 back since it appears that this tranny is toast!

If you post a pic that would very helpful but it sounds like you have a broken intermediate band.

The transmission needs to be replaced or rebuilt, sorry

 

[joeburmeister]

It won't let me post attachments!!

I posted it on my wall on facebook....

http://www.facebook.com/joe.burmeister2

Can you identify it as an intermediate band?

I am going to remove the new solenoid and take it back to the dealer for a refund!

 

[waskly]

It won't let me post attachments!!

I posted it on my wall on facebook....

http://www.facebook.com/joe.burmeister2

Can you identify it as an intermediate band?

I am going to remove the new solenoid and take it back to the dealer for a refund!

gl with the refund...

 

[tower]

It won't let me post attachments!!

I posted it on my wall on facebook....

http://www.facebook.com/joe.burmeister2

Can you identify it as an intermediate band?

I am going to remove the new solenoid and take it back to the dealer for a refund!

No pic just says

This content is currently unavailable

As far as a refund goes they don't normally refund on parts like that, if you have it rebuilt then you don't have to replace the solenoid (not much help)

 

[tower]

OK I logged onto facebook and can see the photo of the 2 ends of a band as you have lost 3rd we will guess it is the intermediate band.

Just out of curiosity how did the truck drive before the problem? Did you know anything was wrong or did it just happen?

You options at this point are


1 - get a "new" transmission from someplace like ford, autozone, jasper and so on

2 - get a used one from a bone yard

3 - have the one you have rebuilt

There are good and bad to all 3. I would go with having it rebuilt with a local shop, make sure the know to bore and sleeve the servos that is most likely what caused you problem.

 

[joeburmeister]

In order to see pics on someone's wall, you have to log in to (your) facebook account.

 

[tower]

For anyone that wants to see what the parts of a band look like

They actually seem to be not really part of the bands but the 2 tensioners for the band.

 

[joeburmeister]

Yes, there was major drive ability issues. It's my wife's vehicle, and she reported the RPM would ramp up whenever the truck tried to get into 3rd gear. We got around it by starting the vehicle on "D", let it build up some speed, and then switch to "2" on the column shift, continuing to drive in "2" until the speed is approx 35 mph, then switch back to "D" on the column shift. Drove like this for several weeks until I had time to drop the pan. Switching to "3" on the column shift did not help so we used "2" instead.

The vehicle was drivable in this fashion so I am going to put it back like it was so she can continue to drive in this manner until we figure out a solution.

OK I logged onto facebook and can see the photo of the 2 ends of a band as you have lost 3rd we will guess it is the intermediate band.

Just out of curiosity how did the truck drive before the problem? Did you know anything was wrong or did it just happen?

You options at this point are


1 - get a "new" transmission from someplace like ford, autozone, jasper and so on

2 - get a used one from a bone yard

3 - have the one you have rebuilt

There are good and bad to all 3. I would go with having it rebuilt with a local shop, make sure the know to bore and sleeve the servos that is most likely what caused you problem.

 

[tower]

Yea that rise in rpm was the intermediate band slipping.


Sorry we could not be of more help as I always like a happy ending but at least now you know.

If you could remember to post back what you do, it will help others in the future.

Good luck.

 

[joeburmeister]

The dealer gave me a FULL refund for the solenoid, gasket and filter ($430+!). They didn't even charge me a restocking fee (15%). All I had to do was show the metal bits that I found in the pan and they fully understood that it was pointless putting good parts in a bad tranny.

As to my original problem (stripped filled plug), well I cleaned out the pan, magnet, etc., and put in 6 quarts of Merc V fluid directly into the pan. Then I hoisted the pan onto the body (yes, it was a pain in the ass as I had to hold the FULL pan up with one hand, and fumble with the screws with my other hand). I did spill some (as I only had the front jacked up, and therefore the tranny wasn't quite horizontal) but it wasn't as bad as I thought. This morning I purchased a new drain plug from the dealership for $10 and took 2 quarts of tranny fluid to Precision Auto, and had them replaced the stripped drain/fill plug with a new one, and add any extra fluid, all for $40 plus tax.They told me they had to add 2.5 quarts which makes sense since I removed about 7.5 quarts, but put back in slightly less then 6 quarts (I spilled some).

The SUV is drivable (for small trips to walmart, kids summer camps,etc.). It will buy me some time to figure out what to do next.The dealer wanted $2600 for a remanufactured tranny (does not including labor)!! I would pull tranny myself but it does not look like a one-person job. I had replaced a tranny by myself before but it was on a Mitsubishi 3000GT (small foreign car). Has anyone pulled a 5R55W/S transmission on their own,and if so,is there a DIY write up somewhere?

 

[JoshMcMadMac]

The SUV is drivable (for small trips to walmart, kids summer camps,etc.). It will buy me some time to figure out what to do next.The dealer wanted $2600 for a remanufactured tranny (does not including labor)!! I would pull tranny myself but it does not look like a one-person job. I had replaced a tranny by myself before but it was on a Mitsubishi 3000GT (small foreign car). Has anyone pulled a 5R55W/S transmission on their own,and if so,is there a DIY write up somewhere?

You should be able to find a 5R55 "expert" that will rebuild yours for ~$2k, and that will be better than a remanufactured unit since the expert will be able to address the intrinsic weaknesses of the design. I have not pulled a unit that is AWD, but the RWD transmission is not that difficult to pull if you are up for that sort of thing. A transmission jack makes it a lot easier and safer to do, and some of the bellhousing bolts are tough to reach.

 

[zerodevil]

mine did this too, goto a hardware store and get an "easy out", use it and a drill to remove the striped plug, and buy a 1/8th NPT pipe plug, it is the exact size and length as the inner plug on the drain pipe, and has a square on the outside so no more stripping, cheers bud. I have my transmission on the ground infront of my truck right now actually, to be honest its not a very hard pull, but make sure you have all the right tools, and a friend to help you on this one. More than happy to help you with any info.