HELP!! Swapped '98 tran. with a '96 tran.

[gijoecam]

Ditto... Play a little dumb... make some calls, explain what you have and what it was doing, and let them make the diagnosis. By what you've described to us, you want the shop that says, "Well, we'll have to open it up to know for sure, but by what you're saying, we think it might be ......{__should say something about valve bodies here too___}......." and they'll probably say it needs to be rebuilt.

That's when you say, "Are there any improvements that can be made to the trans to stop it from happening again, make it last a little longer, or work a little better?" The correct response there should involve something about an 'improvement kit' of some sort and 'updated parts from Ford'.

The key is to sound intelligent, and know at least a little bit about what you hope to have done without diagnosing it for them and telling them how to do their job. Basically you want to prod them in the direction you want them to go with it, while letting them think they're leading you the way they want to. If you sound at least a little bit intelligent about the work you want done, it'll keep 'em honest too.

 

[CDW6212R]

Very well said, that advice applies to almost anything, and this is about cars.

 

[mhcoop62]

Gotcha! Thanks guys, and I'll keep you posted on how this unfolds. Maybe by the end of all this I should quit working for the government and open my own transmission shop! I'm really starting to get into this! Both my husband and my ex-husband are car guys, but mainly the older models. They really know their stuff, but all the computer stuff on the newer cars blows their minds. All I've ever driven were cars that were at least 15 yrs. or older. Buy 'em cheap, fix'em up, drive 'em easy. I got the Camry back yesterday along with a $171.00 bill for gasket replacements and a thermostat (running hot). The biggest part of the bill was for a tow 30 miles away. At least I got AC again! If we ever get a roof on our shop, I think we could do a lot of stuff ourselves. Thanks again for all your help!

 

[mhcoop62]

Guys, my husband is considering attempting the valve body rebuild himself. I suggested that we just order a rebuilt valve body. Or, should I take mine in and have it rebuilt? He knows a great deal about cars, but has never done anything serious with any part of a transmission that I'm aware of. I'm not saying that he couldn't possible do it, but I think what I'm reading in the valve body rebuild diary of Glacier's that you and all the others have had a great deal of experience in trans/valve bodies. Am I correct? I'm thinking we better take the whole transmission in and do like you said before, prod them towards a more conservative fix, suggesting a VB rebuild first.

 

[CDW6212R]

You might consider the rebuilt VB's that a couple of members here have used. The link to them was in one of the threads, and the company sounded knowledgeable about the 5R issues. Part of a good rebuild is to confirm that the surfaces of the VB and trans case are perfectly flat. That is very difficult to do for most people, inspecting the surfaces on disassembly is the best first clue(look for damage from a gasket blowing out). For the labor involved in doing a VB kit, and the frequency of any issues for a first timer doing it, I would suggest avoiding doing it yourself.

 

[mhcoop62]

Thank you. I like that idea MUCH better. You have no idea how much I appreciate all of your time and help. I am SO greatful that I found this site and you and all the others that have responded. I see so much bad stuff and dishonest people in the work that I do, that it's hard for me to realize that there ARE still good, honest, helpful people in this world. Thanks so much for everything! I'll definately let you know how all this turns out.

 

[CDW6212R]

We are glad to help, I wish that I knew enough to tell you more of what you could have used from the 96 trans. You may be able to sell it intact if it's still in fine shape. Do let us know what progress you make. Night,

 

[mhcoop62]

I think the '96 trans is in good shape. Oh, my husband thinks we sould go ahead and replace the seals while we're doing this. I wondered if I should order these along with the rebuilt VB. Should I tell them front and rear seals? And anything else you can think of I should order with the VB. How am I doing at "playing dumb"? By the way, we haven't taken the '96 trans out of the truck yet, so we'll be doing the VB change on the original trans. while it's out, then we'll be making the switch.

 

[CDW6212R]

Who will be swapping the trans? If you swap the trans yourself, then the 98 trans you can have rebuilt a whole lot cheaper than if they R&R it. The rebuild kits all have every seal in it, though the Ford rear seal is usually a better part.

 

[mhcoop62]

We're going to do the swap ourselves. The '98 trans is sitting on my garage floor as we speak. Our plan was to just order the rebuilt VB, put it on the '98 trans. then stick it back in the truck. And hopefully sell the '96 and recoup some money. You think we should get the whole trans rebuilt and not just the VB? I know the labor is a huge part of all this, so if it's just a little more cost involved to do an entire rebuild, maybe I should go that route. It would be a shame to put the new VB on, get everything back onto the truck and still have the same problems I had before. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

 

[mhcoop62]

If money weren't so extremely tight right now, it really wouldn't be any big decision about it. But I"m trying to live on a dime and drive on a nickle, know what I mean?

 

[CDW6212R]

I would want the trans rebuilt if it gets out of the vehicle. Some builds like that can be as little as $200. Bench building the trans is only about 20% of the labor of an in car job. Call around and see what you can find for bringing the trans to them. You could pull the pan and see what the fluid and debris looks like. If the mileage is low and the fluid looked clean, you might get away with the original torque converter. Changing the several shift solenoids is very important. All except thew EPC may cost under $100, the EPC is critical and is over $100 itself.

I could make you a good deal for my Ford EPC that I recently swapped for an experimental unit. There was a thread here from a company testing a new design. They work great but aren't available yet. I had installed a new EPC and a VB kit 22,000 miles ago, so it only has about 12k on it.

Shop around and see what kind of deal you can get to rebuild it. Regards,

 

[mhcoop62]

Will do. I'll go ahead and call around for some prices. And thank you for the offer on the EPC. I will definately get back to you once I see exactly what we're going to do here. By the way, my vehicle has approx. 156,000 miles. I just hate to get rid of it because the body and interior are in great shape, and I sunk about $500-$600 in having new heads put on just before the trans started getting bad. And spent $280 on trans work last year (a seal replaced, o rings and a rear piston. I looked back at the invoice the other night to refresh my memory of exactly what they did. This $280 was to be taken off of a rebuild job when they were going to do it later on, but they went out of business.) Also, not to mention the $300 I gave our "mechanic" to switch out the '96 trans for the '98 and the $250 I spent on the used '96 trans. I gotta keep this car. Thanks for all your help. Will get back to you soon.

 

[CDW6212R]

I know how the parts can add up. I spent two years in my off time rebuilding a wrecked 99 Limited. After getting almost 18 months of use from it, now the USPS is making me take a USPS vehicle. That makes the 99 truck a $7000 investment with a rebuilt title, not easy to sell. Good luck,

 

[96eb96]

I know how the parts can add up. I spent two years in my off time rebuilding a wrecked 99 Limited. After getting almost 18 months of use from it, now the USPS is making me take a USPS vehicle. That makes the 99 truck a $7000 investment with a rebuilt title, not easy to sell. Good luck,

Aren't all branded USPS trucks explorers with a different skin? The suspension I saw on one looks awfully similar...

 

[CDW6212R]

There are about five different USPS vehicles now, not counting the old Jeeps.

The original LLV's are now being discarded from the City routes, being pushed off on the Rural routes. The LLV's are a Blazer type of platform, they have no ABS, no AC, no radio, and no back windows. They are junk and I do not want one. The latest vehicles are smaller and have windows, many are based on an Explorer chassis.

 

[Glacier991]

Sorry for the late reply. I suggest you buy the correct year rebuilt Valve body from Central Valve bodies and have a trans shop install it - make sure you change the fluid and filter as a part of this process... a FULL change, not a pan drop change.

 

[CDW6212R]

It's good to see you find this Chris. Do you think it's ever worth trying to use a 4R trans in place of a 5R, changing internal parts etc? I don't know the differences well enough to have guessed. Night,

 

[Glacier991]

With electronically controlled trannies, swapping has to be done with great care. I'd not try putting a 4R in place of a 5R for several reasons.

 

[mhcoop62]

Thank you so much for replying, Chris. I am planning on having a rebuilt VB installed with the upgrades as Don had previously suggested. He also suggested that since I have the trans out of the car, to go ahead and do a total rebuild. My husband and I will be removing the '96 trans from the car and putting the rebuilt '98 back on, so I won't have all the bucks in the remove and replacement as he said. I agree with him that this is the thing to do, don't you? I haven't had time the last few days to call and get prices, but I plan to tomorrow. If I'm only looking at $400-$450 or so, I guess I'll get the whole thing rebuilt. The Camry I was driving that kept running hot now has a new thermostat, new gauges, new radiator and it's still running hot! Going to put a new water pump in this weekend. Meanwhile, I'm commuting about 30 miles back and forth to work in an '89 BMW convertable. It has no AC, and I can't put the top down by myself. I'm scared if I get it down, it'll start raining and I won't be able to get it back up! I REALLY miss my Explorer! Thanks guys for everything!