Successful valve body upgrade

[JOEZ33]

My 5R55E auto 5 speed had a problem of being slow to engage reverse in the mornings, and finally last week it got worse to the point that it SLAMMED into reverse. Afterwards it was making noise in reverse and 1rst gear. The noises somehow faded away but it still took forever to engage reverse.

After reading the thread titled 5r55E diary, I made a list of which upgrades I wanted and ordered them online. I also got a good shop manual on ebay for $7.99 and dowloaded it within a day.

I decided to get the following upgrades: #1 was the Ford factory TSB kit for TSB# 03-22-10 (kit 3L5Z-7M203-JA).This kit involved installing a new style "Blowoff Valve" and throwing away the old school "EPC Screen" and "EPC Limit Valve". A requirement of this kit was to also install an upgraded valve body separator plate that has the gaskets bonded to the plate. The new plate has a hole removed as part of the EPC Blowoff valve modification so you HAVE to do the valve mod if you use this gasket/plate.

#2 upgrade was installing a Sonnax increased ratio boost valve http://www.sonnax.com/announcements/37947-03K.pdf, this affects pressure for reverse and also line pressure.

#3 upgrade was a Sonnax main pressure regulator spring http://www.sonnax.com/announcements/FORD-PRSPRINGS.pdf. It's supposed to increase pump pressure by about 10 psi. That's supposed to make up for lost pressure elsewhere in the transmission that parts are scuffed and worn.

#4 upgrade was installing a reverse servo "D Ring" kit http://www.transmissionpartsusa.com/A4LD_4R44E_5R55E_Transmisse_reverse_servo_D_ring_p/230-00023256k.htm. These new style "D" rings fit much tighter and should work much better than the old school round o-rings.

#5 item was to adjust the bands IAW the shop manual. This helped shift into OD and to shift 2nd gear.

#6 item was I replaced the filter and filter o-rings. Then installed 8 quarts of Mercon V fluid, drove it and no problems noted.

Overall it shifts much better, no more reverse delay too. I can feel every gear shift including 5th and also the torque converter clutch. I can feel it downshifting while coming to a stop. It was a messy job but definitely worth it.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Thanks for the information. Sonnax makes a boost valve with O rings as well as end plugs with O rings to help maintain pressure on worn valve bodies.

 

[JOEZ33]

Thanks for the information. Sonnax makes a boost valve with O rings as well as end plugs with O rings to help maintain pressure on worn valve bodies.

I got a lot of info from your posts as well during my planning on this one. -THANKS!! I spent all week reading posts and saving to my favorites for when I needed them for help half way through the job. I ordered parts based on your experiences and everyone else's experiences so I knew what to expect.

I was a little bit surprised at what I found, the old reverse servo cover gasket was installed wrong. It was sandwiched between the separator plate gasket and the transmission case. That was causing the seperator plate to have a hard time staying level and tight to the case. I also had a few VB bolts that weren't loose, but they were half the torque of the rest.

The bottom of the pan didn't have the usual dense sediment you find in transmissions, but it did have some shredded pieces of thin metal on top of the valve body when I pulled it off the truck. They were laying in the areas that let you see the bands. It was very thin metal, looked like someone took a carrot scraper to a tin can and made very thin slices half the thickness of a beer can.

Also found the reverse servo rod is cracking at the very top/tip. Not sure why but you can see inside the tranny where its making marks each time it pushes up against the tranny. I didn't know that ahead or I would have ordered another one. It's working now but next time I'll add that to the list.

I gotta plan on doing the extension housing bushing next. Have the new one but don't have the tool. It's clunking bad and the new seal still leaks because there's so much free play.