I E-Mailed Factory Tech with this question but since it's the weekend and he's probably doing weekend stuff, I thought maybe someone here could help.
When installing the FTVB for the 4R70W it is neccessary to remove the "bottle cap" for the 2-3 accumulator and install a spring into the OEM spring and then replace the springs and the bottle.
The cap seems to fit and hold as a compression type fitting. However, the "bottle cap" will not reseat and retain the springs.
I think the pointed part goes up to seat the springs on but i could be wrong i will have to go look at one tommorrow.
It has been a couple months since i have installed one.
I do know it goes in the same way it came out if that helps.
The pointed part of the bottle cap MUST go down to seat into the pac-man plate. You shouls have gotten a new bottle cap in your kit. Be sure to use the one that came in the kit. I had to slightly bend the three little ears on the bottle cap to make it hold the springs in whgile installing the VB.
Take my advise and put the stock springs in the 1-2 accumulator -- especially if you truck is a 4x4. The axle wrap was aweful with the the new springs. I just installed a a set of ladder bars on my fx4 and solve the axle wrap issue I had with the stock springs.
Anyway, that bottle cap is a pain in the a$$. The tranny guys do all of there work up-side-down on the work bench, but us shade tree mechanics can' go about it like that.
Also, make sure the new gasket EXACTLY matches the OEM gasket. --Could save you alot of time and tranny fluid.
Had the same problem installing bottle cap. I took a pair of pliers and bent the three tangs out just enough to make an interferance fit so that it did not fall out until i got the valve body back in. Dont over bend the taps just enough to hold it and the sprins in place. Also i think that i would leave the inner 1/2 red accumilator spring out unless you want an extreamly hard 1/2 shift. this can be done without removing the valve body, if you feel the shift is too harsh. this depends on what you are after. The valve body is a great mod I am shure you will like it. Also make shure youre wiring snaps all the way on to the transmission connector it should make a click when it is on, as it is hard to see what is going on especially working on youre back with fluid dripping in toure eyes. Best of luck and hope this helps.
Before you go chasing your tail in the tuning process, think about adding a set of ladder bars. The amount of spring wrap you get on these trucks is crazy. I my case, that is what was causing my problems. I went into the tranny about 5 times trying different spring combinations in the 1-2 accumulator--finally ended up with the stock springs top and bottom. I still had issues with jerky shifts until I put some bars on last weekend---now its perfect! The springs wind up and cause a "seconadry jolt" and nothing you do to your VB will help. I think mine is just right now.
I'm glad we were able to help you out----no point in ALL of us having the same problem...you go to love the internet.
Sidewinder,
I also have a FTVB and used the stock springs on the 1-2 accumulator to smooth out the shift a bit. My problem is that I also used the stock spring (without the extra spring) on the 2-3 accumulator. Now, the downshift from OD to 3rd is really sloppy.
I'm thinking about going back in (third time) to put the helper spring back into the 2-3 accumulator, but want to know if this will fix this sloppiness.
Also, make sure the new gasket EXACTLY matches the OEM gasket. --Could save you alot of time and tranny fluid.
Sidewinder
That's not right. The gasket has to match the valve body (or more properly the seprator plate) but not the one that is being replaced. There are umpteen different gasket/plate combinations, as well as valve body castings with 2 or 3 "pac man" plates, and as long as you have them matched correctly, they are more or less interchangeable. There are also two different sizes of locating pins, to get around compatibility issues I install the smaller ones in all FTVBs, you can use the little ones either way, the big ones will not fit the smaller holes.
On the Bottle Cap, not everyone gets a new one, but if you do YOU MUST use it. The Valve body with two pac man plates must have the taller bottlecap, but the ones with three plates can use either one, (the taller one will make it shift a bit harder on a 3 plate valve body, so you may want to skip the 1-2 accumulator mod if you are going from a 2 plate to a 3 plate)
I hope this helps, and hope it confuses you less to read than it did me to write
G
(I even had to go back and edit to get it right)
Last edited by Factory_Tech; 07-28-2004 at 03:23 AM.
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Need Help!! 4R70W FTVB Install
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