The gasket on the one side of the plate was stamped with Factory Tech lettering in white. I didn't see any lettering of any kind anywhere else but I really did not look too closely. It also did not come with new accumulator pistons like I have read they are supposed to. My truck is an 03 (with 58000 miles) so I had read they did not need to be replaced in my year but I think they still should have been sent if it comes with the kit. It was shipped in a USPS box and came with his own instructions for the installation. I don't remember if it came with any other paper work of any kind other than the packing slip, I will have to check. I specifically asked for the Factory Tech Kit so I am hoping that is what was sent.

 

I think that maybe the gasket said TRANStec on it and not Factory Tech.

I don't think you got an actual Factory Tech kit, but I wouldn't blame Mike for not providing what you asked for because I think he is being duped on this and he needs to talk to Gregg himself to see what the real story is. The guy providing that kit to Mike did actually work with Gregg on the Factory Tech stuff and he may still, I don't know. What I do know is that he basically copied those plates and started selling his own version of a kit. When this happened he told me that Gregg didn't want to mess with the 4R70W stuff any more and handed it all off to him. I don't know if that is true or not, but I do know that he was handling some of the ebay sales of the 4R70 stuff for Factory Tech.

Also, what I do know is that if you got the real Factory Tech plate kit that it says Factory Tech on the actual metal plate itself on the side tab. I have several and every single one has that same marking.

Sorry if you didn't get what you thought you got. In my opinion, that 'new' plate is not up to the standards that it should be and I hope to God that Gregg hasn't been fooled into using it on any of his products. This guy just bought a bunch of them last summer and has been trying to pawn them off everywhere he can as near as I can tell. Maybe Gregg got suckered too. I hope not, but it's possible I guess.

Darrin

 

I just spoke to Mike at Madenterprise and no it is not a Factory Tech plate kit. He assures me that it is identical to the Factory Tech kit and is made (stamped) by the same person who makes the Factory Tech kit and this version does not come with the accumulators as they are not needed. Mike said he will stand behind this kit 100% so now that I already have it in I will give it a shot. I am positive that the gasket did have the Factory Tech Lettering but I now know that is not what I really have. Where were you before I ordered DB. Had I known this before I probably would have gone right to Factory Tech or to Troyer. I guess I should have been clearer in my emails as to what I was after. Wish me luck. Thanks for all the info.

 

I hate to make you feel bad, but sometimes the truth kind of sucks. I apologize up front. I am sorry for the facts that I am about to clarify for everyone reading.

Gregg had the Factory Tech plate kit made, not this guy. The guy, Alan, who had these plates made isn't the same person and they are not made the same even though the plates are actually modified identically. The quality difference between the 2 is where my concern lies. In regards to that, these aren't stamped they are laser cut and if you saw one side by side with a real Factory Tech plate you can both see and feel the differences. A very high profile vendor flat refused to use them once he saw one. He made a call to Alan for information on the changes and to voice his concerns on quality. When he asked for info about a specific hole change he was told "I will have to get back to you on that". In other words... 'I don't know'. You would think/hope that the person who designed the plate would at the very least know what was changed and why.

I could probably use the name of the vendor, but I haven't asked him to on this issue so I won't at this time.

Whats funny is that we took one of those plates that was supplied to us by someone who was trying to be sold on offering them as a product and compared them to the Factory Tech plates and found them to be pretty much identical. The major difference was that the real Factory Tech plate was of higher quality than that knockoff. The guy that had these plates made was then confronted with this info and totally denied copying the Factory Tech plates. But, he is also the same guy that once told me "All you have to do is change one thing and it isn't legally the same" in response to my complaint about him wanting to copy something else and selling it as his own. Apparently in this case he changed 3 things. He used a lesser quality metal, he deleted the extra tab area that says Factory Tech and the cleanup on the plates isn't as thorough as with the real Factory Tech stuff.

Unfortunately here we are a ways down the road and things are where I feared they might end up knowing how this guy operates. We have him selling them to honest guys like Mike who are being told what we said in the first place, that the plates are basically identical to the Factory Tech plates.

To recap...

Initially the claim was that they were not the same because it was inconvienient to admit to copying someone in the circumstance that it was presented. In this situation they are identical because that claim is convenient to make the sale by riding a coat tail.

Either they are or they are not. They can't be both at the same time. LOL

Darrin

 

I have had a chance to drive it around a little and it seems to work good. I would like to soften the 2-3 shifts, they are way harder than they need to be for my application, so I will be putting in the inside spring from the lower portion of the 1-2 accumulator in the 2-3 accumulator. I really am not looking forward to going back in to do this but it should go a lot faster this time around.

Further investigation has convinced me, for now, to keep this kit in. I was thinking that I would go get the Factory Tech kit right from them and compare for myself but I have not seen any posts yet where anyone has had any trouble with the knock off kit and I keep hearing how identical they are, for the most part.

 

Hi... I just installed the same kit on my 4r70w tran... My plate gasket was stamped in white lettering trans go ... ... 2 to 3 gear shift was nice... upon wot 2 to 3 shifts grabed serious rubber and rpm maxed out to 5400 I belive. Anyhow two day after install I lost the trans. ( Not bashing on Mike Dunn... I believe It was installer error). But it was fun while I had it... GL.

 

This has been a common problem with these kits. It is exactly what the initial concern was when we saw the first one. The quality of the product is the culprit, I can almost guarantee it. You are definitely not the first that has had this happen.

Everyone in your situation needs to go back to who sold it to them and tell them what happened. Without that and without sharing the experience with others then others will end up in the same boat.

It just needs to stop as soon as possible to prevent other people from having to go through the same costly experiences.

Darrin

 

OK. I could not take it anymore. I just went right to Factory Tech Transmissions and ordered the separator plate kit right from them. I made sure it was going to be an original Factory Tech Separator Plate Kit and I explained why it was I was confirming.

I figured I was going to go back in to add a spring to the 2-3 accumulator so I might as well take the knock off out and put in what I wanted in the first place. When xmotoxgeorge added his story I figured my trans is worth another 85 bucks to keep it from falling apart.

I am going to have a real good look at how the two of these things compare side by side and see if everything DB says rings true for myself. I will add my thoughts here when I do for those who are interested.

I am not sure if I did ask Mike at madenterprise for the Factory Tech kit or just the separator plate kit he has listed so I am not sure I will try to return the old one. I may just write it off as a lesson learned when ordering on the web. Maybe it will make a good paper weight for the garage. lol.

 

Pay close attention to the quality (shape and roundness) of the holes on both plates and compare them to the stock plate. The holes should be uniform and smooth and not jagged in any way. Jagged means imperfection and imperfection is not duplicatable. Laser cutting is great for some things and not so great for others.

Comparing 2 of the supposedly same plates from the knockoff was an enlightening experience for me. While you are checking it, make sure to check flatness of the plates as compared to the stock piece. You are going to need a high quality straight edge to run over the plates at different angles. I know you can't compare the quality of the steel easily, but it is interesting. Checking the thickness everywhere to make sure that it was uniform was also enlightening.

You will find that there are uncanny similarities between the plates from Factory Tech and from the other. Like I said, at this point I can only hope that Gregg hasn't sold out that portion of his business. The plate from Gregg should have "Factory Tech" clearly laser etched into it. It should say FACTORYTECH with a big C centered right below it. If the plate you get from Factory Tech doesn't have that then Gregg has done the unthinkable.

I have both plates and very high resolution digital photos of each to compare.

Darrin

 

The guy I spoke with told me , after I clearly expressed my concerns, that the plates do indeed still come from Gregg. He also said he knew of knock off plates out there and these were the real ones. If I don't see the logo and the C stamped in the plate it will be going right back to where it came from.

If you have the photo's handy could you post them up here? That way no one else will make the same mistake I have and it will give me something to compare my new plate to when it arrives.

Thanks.

 

I had to dig it out from the pile of 'stuff that I refuse to use'. LOL

It's a little rusted, but you can clearly see the markings.



Darrin

 

Oh wow. The drama must continue. I had the plates made that are being spoken of. I am not suggesting them for 06+ transmissions at this time. The plate I had made was in no way a clone of anyone elses work. It was directly a complete exact copy of an OEM plate. A 02 crown victoria to be exact. I then modify the plates for shift changes when required. So making accusations of stealing someone elses work is nothing but slander. When the plates come to me they are exact OEM plates. How this becomes poor quality is beyond me. They are made of the same material and done on the same machines as the others. From the same machine shop no less. I felt that accumulators on late transmissions were a waste and prefer to include a filter instead. Something that actually can be used. This thread is completely impartial because the guy who is telling you how bad something is, is the guy who is selling the other product.
Alan

 

Well heck...

We should be able to kill a couple or three birds with one stone here.

IF those plates you had made are exact copies of an 02 crown victoria plate then that will make all of this easy. With the size of this site we shouldn't have any trouble at all finding an honest and disinterested third party that is close to your shop in Kentucky.

What I have in mind is that I will buy the plate kit from grizzstang that he bought from Mike Dunn. That will help lessen the blow to him on all of this since I am the one that got him worried in the first place. I will also buy an 02 Crown Victoria valve body. I will arrange to have all of this sent to a disinterested third party from this site to bring to your shop where you can provide an unmodified plate that you had made and show them the differences between the 3 plates. The stuff will not go through me at all so there can be no claims of tampering.

This needs to be done in your shop too. Not at a gas station or something 'halfway'. I want the disinterested third party to be able to take pictures of both the plates and your shop to clear up all of this mess.

If you don't want to do it then we can send the stuff that we can get off to a shop of the collective choice from the guys here to be examined. I would think that you would want to show off the differences in your own shop where you can explain all of it though.

FYI, Troyer is the only one that sells his product. But, that considered, thanks for calling the thread "impartial". I always try to be as impartial as I can you know. Being that way does get me into trouble from time to time, but I am proud to say that I am as honest a person that you will likely find and I work my hardest to give everything as fair a shake as possible. Right up until it isn't possible any longer. I won't turn a blind eye to things that can hurt others or rampant dishonesty.

Slander indeed. If these people only knew. LOL

Darrin

 

My issue with all this is that I wanted a Factory Tech Plate. I found my email and I even asked for a Factory Tech plate. DB let me know I did not get what I wanted. When I inquired I was told this plate was identical. I don't want other people to be fooled as I was.

I did not read anything about your plate and know only what I have been told by DB. I will make some comparisons of my own and put in the Factory Tech plate I ordered and wanted when it arrives.

If DB wants to buy the plate to make comparisons of his own that is fine with me. I will even sell it to him for half price as it is now technically used and I too would like some additional insight on this matter. Quality parts never fear comparison.

 

I thank you for your input and willingness to help get to the bottom of this.

If we can get Alan to help out by getting someone to his shop for this comparison and a volunteer to take the plates and get the fair comparison then that's great. I will buy the kit from you and we can get on with it. All Alan will have to do for his part of this is open the doors to his shop and provide one of the plates that he had made in it's 'unmodified' form to compare to the others.

If not, I will buy the plate from you after you take as many pictures as you deem needed and we can get the guys here to find a disinterested third party shop to do the comparison between an FT plate, an 02 Crown Vic plate and the plate you got from Mike. The only thing we will be missing at that point is an 'unmodified' plate from Alan.

This should be a simple thing to get done. Again, thanks for offering to help getting this resolved.

Darrin