Just received my kit from Troyer lastnight. Was going over the steps and everything appears pretty straight forward. With that being said... I do have some questions that maybe those of you who have done this know the answers to.

1) Is it easier to remove the entire valve body? If so, is it just held in by some bolts? Is stuff going to fall out??? :o

2) I don't understand the "Plate Hole Sizes". There's four templates in the kit, they might be in pairs, not really sure. I think I'm supposed to drill a hole somewhere... but I'd like to know if that's what this page in the instructions is saying (page 5). Anyone have any thoughts?

That's about it for now. I'm going to do this job on Friday if all goes as planned.

My truck, 1997 4x4 XLT 4.6 towing package, has never had the transmission fluid changed. I just rolled 100K and figure I better change the fluid and since I'm down there, let's install a shift kit. Haven't had any serious transmission problems, but have noticed a "shudder" every now and again.

Thanks,

Kelly

PS. DirtyDog, with all due respect, I understand your dislike of TransGo and would appreciate not reading your posts on this thread. Thank you.

 

Before you do anything you better drop the pan and look - if there's a lot of crap in there you should rebuild it before putting any kind of shift kit in. Shudders are not good, the clutches could be on their last legs.

 

That shudder I mentioned is very, very slight. I'll definitely evaluate the install based on the condition of the fluid, stuff in pan, magnet coverings, etc. Thank you for the idea!

 

Don't go ballistic when you see a plastic bobber sitting in the pan - that's the dipstick tube plug, when they install the dipstick at the factory it drives it into the pan. Just throw it away.

 

1) Is it easier to remove the entire valve body? If so, is it just held in by some bolts? Is stuff going to fall out??? :o

2) I don't understand the "Plate Hole Sizes". There's four templates in the kit, they might be in pairs, not really sure. I think I'm supposed to drill a hole somewhere... but I'd like to know if that's what this page in the instructions is saying (page 5). Anyone have any thoughts?
...............................................
successtrainer:
You will have to pull the valve body out to do the install. i think a spring or two might come out if i recall right. lots more fluid is goin to come out when you pull the valve body also, so be prepared, and grab a lot of those old bath towels you have been wantin to get rid of!! there are a lot of bolts, 10mm i belive, that hold the valve body to the tranny. also lots of parts cleaner, in cans.
Those " Templates" - 4 of them? i belive them to be the gaskets for the valve body when you pull it out. when you pull the valve body out, it will have a plate on it. one of those gaskets is for between that plate and the valve body. one of the other gaskets i belive is for where the valve body meets the tranny after you unbolt it.
After the valve body is off the tranny, i recommend using a work bench covered in lint free rags to prevent contamination, and also to lay out the parts you will be pullin and puttin back in. the instructions in the kit will guide you thru, and show you where and what size drill bit to use.
Oh yeah, don't forget to put all the bolts back on that plate like i did. i got it all the way back to when i put the pan back on, and after i was puttin in 2qts of fluid, i went underneath to check, and seen a bolt layin there
so i had to drop the pan, lose some fluid and pull the valve body back out and repeat the whole process again!
Hope this info is what you were lookin for.
Like the previous post said, if there is a lot of gunk in your pan, then a rebuild before you install this kit might be the way to go.

 

Wonderboy,

That's exactly the information I needed to hear. Thank you!

 

Good to hear! I'll keep an eye on this post if any more questions arise

 

Found a great site with pictures on some of the procedures. Not the 4r70w, but still a good resource for anyone (like me) who needs it!

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/...d.php?t=186732

 

Started with the install this afternoon. So far, so good. Put the truck up on jackstands. Then I figured out how to get the torque converter to rotate using the crank. Get yourself an 18mm socket and put the freakin' truck in Neutral! Holy Toledo! I cranked away on the rachet (in Drive)and it wasn't moving. I thought... hmmmm, what am I doing wrong here? Ohhhhhhhh... anyway, after putting the truck in Neutral, it turned with a bit of effort. Currently draining. I'd like to get the pan off tonight too.

PS. I'm taking pictures along the way and hopefully be able to post them later...

 

To refill the torque converter. do you just add ATF in the dipstick port?

 

Here's a sample of fluids from my truck...

 

Very dirty stuff.

 

Finished around 5pm tonight. Wasn't really as hard as my mind was telling me. Took truck out for a test drive. Shift points from 1-2 pretty mello, 3-4 is really nice. Overall I am very pleased with the performance. I'd like to change the 1-2 shift point to something a bit stronger, but it's fine for now. I added a drain plug into the pan (Napa $5) and next time I drain the pan, I might change the 1-2 shift point... we'll see. I added some more picture to my gallery located here if anyone's interested. If you are cosidering doing this... do it! It's wasn't that difficult, but a bit messy.

 

If you want to tighten up first and second, let me know. I made my own plates thru trial and error to get them to hit properly.

When fine tuning after you drain the pan to adjust - just off (trash) that last quart drained and use the others on the refill - I installed an inline shutoff and refilled the empty quart bottles. You will see why I say to NOT re-use the last quart drained after you analize . The others SHOULD be free from foreign matter, use your own judgement there ..

My trans has been shifting great for a long time now. It use to slip bad from the line.

I talked with many trans guys when I had the problem and finally fixed it myself without to much of a problem.

Unfortunately , no one from this forum had the experience to help with my trans.

I have my install in the gallery and as far as plate drilling and how you describe the shifting for 1 and 2 , your real close to the perfect tune for what you have.

Transgo is an awesome help to older transmissions and have proved this to me and with others many miles ago.

Congrats on your install

 

JBrew,

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to check out your gallery. Did you end up drilling the holes larger?