well i attempted to install the Factory Tech Separator Plate "B" Kit (not the valve body kit) today and it didn't go so well.

after i put the pan back on and filled it with tranny fluid i discovered that i had no reverse. my truck will also not go into gear when i put it in drive ("D"). i shifted into 1st gear and my truck started to roll slowly so 1st apparently does work. i am not sure if 2nd gear engages or not. so as of now my truck is "dead" in the driveway

i thought i did everything correctly (i followed the instructions very closely and took my sweet a$$ time). the only thing that comes to my mind is something a member recently said about their plate kit who mentioned that he also had no reverse:

"i forgot to engage the linkage shift pin into the valve body piston thingamajig..."

when i had the valve body unit out i noticed the pin slides freely in and out and may have moved a bit from its original position. when i went to re-install the VB i wasn't sure if the pin was in the proper location in relation to the linkage. i took a pic of the VB before i removed it and it looked correct judging from the photo but it is not conclusive

i am at a loss on what the problemo is...if anyone has a suggestion on how to remedy this i am all ears

 

i forgot to mention this but not sure if its relevant:

1) when i dropped the VB a small filter/screen fell out of the unit and i was not exactly sure where it was supposed to go, however, i think i re-positioned it in the proper location when i bolted the VB back into place.

2) as i was putting fluid back into the system i noticed something odd. first i put 5 quarts in, checked the dipstick and then started the engine & went through all the gears. i shut it down and rechecked the dipstick and noticed it was still very low. i added another 2 qts of fluid and did the same procedure. after 10 qts the fluid level was well below the cross hatched area on the dipstick. i added another 1/2 qt and started it up, again went through all the gears. this time when i checked the dipstick it was well ABOVE the cross hatched area

i know it is not advised to overfill the system with fluid. the truck was not perfectly level when i added the fluid but is it possible that this is contributing to the problem?

i am going to drain the fluid again tomorrow & see if i find anything askew. i'll post the digital pics i took during the install and see if anyone else can catch my mistake....i'm sure user/installer error is to blame. but hey 1 out of 4 gears working isn't too shabby for a newb! i think having to drive everywhere in 1st gear will get old real fast though

 

This is a pic from an older 4R70W, so I am not sure if the positions are 100% the same or it the setup is the same for that matter, but I would assume they are. Hopefully someone will confirm....


from Silver95Bird on TCCoA

Sorry can't really describe where the filter (little screen) goes

Get on level ground, start it up, run through all the gears, and recheck. It'll take some time for the fluid to work itself back into the tranny ect... so if you just "zipped" through the gears right away you might be getting an inaccurate reading. Also being on non-level ground will hurt the reading too (obviously).

 

That little screen is nothing important I really like to use them but it won't cause a problem. You just missed the linakge gonna have to take it apart and try again . That is the right picture AAron they still look the same.
Alan

 

thanks for posting that pic! i see a potential problem already...it appears the pin mechanism (not sure what the official name is for this part) is not lined up right near the linkage, at least that is how i remember it before i closed the pan. i will take your advice and try to reinstall it again tonight. thanks guys!

p.s. is there a way to adjust the "pin" forward without totally removing the VB?? soooo many bolts to undo, just wondering if i can save some time and aggravation

 

that's good to know, that was kind of freaking me out not knowing where the screen goes. there only seemed to be one logical place that it would fit so i put it there (i'll post a pic later)

 

just got a courtesy call from Mike Dunn at madenterprise.com regarding the plate kit installation. he also confirmed that the pin & linkage is the likely culprit. i offered to submit my installation notes for him to review and there may be a revision done to the FT installation instructions to prevent this kind of thing from happening in the future for transmission-challenged ppl like myself. thanks for the follow up Mike, excellent customer service once again

 

btw does anyone know how many quarts it should take to fill my transmission? i bought the filter for the regular size pan (5.5 quarts i think) not the deep pan. i have the 4r70 trans

 

QUOTE:
2) as i was putting fluid back into the system i noticed something odd. first i put 5 quarts in, checked the dipstick and then started the engine & went through all the gears. i shut it down and rechecked the dipstick and noticed it was still very low. i added another 2 qts of fluid and did the same procedure. after 10 qts the fluid level was well below the cross hatched area on the dipstick. i added another 1/2 qt and started it up, again went through all the gears. this time when i checked the dipstick it was well ABOVE the cross hatched area.

You must check the transmission fluid with the engine running, preferrably in drive.

 

yeah i did that several times and ran through every gear for about 10 secs each gear and let the fluid warm up. all i can think is that my truck was on a slight slope and the fact that it wasn't going into gear in the first place was giving a false read out at the dipstick end

not to change the subject or anything but i removed the plate kit one more time and reassembled it and low and behold IT WORKS!!! BOOYA GRANDMA!!!

so yeah i was able to confirm that the pin on the VB was too far out and was not seated in the proper location in relationship to the linkage. that was my fault...user error as expected. if you are wondering how it is supposed to look refer to Aaron_T's photo

i only drove the truck a short distance but the change was certainly noticeable. i opted for the "aggressive" set up and went with the brown spring only & was pleasantly surprised to discover that it did not shift as hard as some ppl had reported. when it shifts from 1 - 2 you can feel the truck snap into gear but it doesn't slam or "jerk", it actually shifts rather smoothly. i only got the rpm's up to about 2700 so i can't say how it shifts at WOT but in general it feels like the transmission is a lot firmer and more responsive. it also feels like it is working more efficiently as it seems to get up to speed with less hp but that could be my imagination.

i'll post some installation tips for those of you who are thinking about installing the plate kit but fear the unknown (like me!). the included instructions are good but i have some footnotes that could save some time and guesswork for inexperienced mechanics

so tomorrow i'm gonna open up the throttle a bit more and see how it performs....i don't want to gun it too hard in the beginning though. i'm sure it will hold together but knowing my luck (a garbage truck hit my truck in the driveway last night) anything could happen

WOOHOO IT WORKS!!!

 

Do NOT use a shallow filter with a deep pan

 

this concerned me when i purchased the new filter (the ppl at Autozone had no idea which one i needed) so i went with my gut instinct and got the non-deep pan filter which i think is for the 5 1/2 qt capacity pan. before i installed the new one i compared it to the old filter and they looked identical so i went ahead and installed it. so far i've driven about 15 miles with the new plate kit in and it appears to be operating okay, fluid levels are good and no leaks

 

well i drove it a little harder today to see how the plate kit would respond. now that i've had a chance to feel out the new shifting patterns i retract my original statement and agree that the 1 - 2 shift is indeed VERY firm. however, below 2,000 rpm it isn't too extreme. between 3k - 4k rpm i heard a loud noise coming from the front end that surprised me. at first i thought it was my rear end chirping but it basically sounded like a drivebelt screeching or whining noise...

does anyone know what is producing that sound and should i be alarmed by this?

other then the fact that my truck sounds like a large prehistoric bird when i shift hard from 1st to 2nd i am generally very pleased with the performance of the new separator plate kit

 

I had the same problem when I reprogramed my truck and I replaced the serpentine belt with a Goodyear Gatorback http://www.goodyearbeltsandhose.com/cars/gatopoly.html and I have never heard the noise again.
Mark

 

thanks for the tip! i remember someone posted a similar problem (probably you!) on here somewhere but i couldn't find it. plate kit is still operating swell btw....i'm a happy camper