I have a 1998 F150 4X4 with a 5.4. I have driven standards all my life but decided to get an automatic this time and I am not happy with the tranny at all. It seems to wind out between every gear. I also replace the tranny fluid when I first got the truck around 60k because it smelled like it was burnt and now at 72k it smell the same way. I replace the filter and the fluid in the torque converter so I know I got all the old stuff out. I talked to a tranny mechanic and he said it could be anything from a bad tranny to a cut o ring.

I was thinking about putting in a TransGo Performance Shift Kit but thought I would get opinions first What do you guy think.

 

I installed a Transgo about a month ago on my 01 Screw. It definately firms up your shifting and is crisp. I have a superchip also and personally to me, with both, it seems too jerky. I'm sure with just the Transgo it would feel better.

 

A transgo shift kit will firm up those sloppy shifts for sure. There are 3 settings to choose from.

If you dont already have a good aftermarket trans cooler you should invest in one. A good unit could lower the tranny fluid temps considerably. this would be especially desireable in your warm climate. Also, a decent synthetic trans fluid of the proper type will endure heat much better without burning up.

Good luck.

 

I just had a Transgo kit put in about a week ago. I'm in the same boat as 01screw. I also have the chip in and the shifts do feel a bit harsh, especially first gear. My Trans guy loved it though, so I guess it's all a matter of personal taste.

 

HI!... I have a TRANSGO shift kit set on it's highest setting plus a SUPERCHIP with it's shift firmness program cranked WAY above stock setting. I still don't think it shifts hard enough. This is how mine shifts at the dragstrip from the 1ST to 2ND gear upshift.

http://www.85merk.com/members/nealhp...7oct01-2_s.mpg

 

I just bought a Transgo kit too and I hope to install it this weekend.

I got the Transgo AOD-E HD2 kit which is the kit that's just below the manual stick shift version they offer. The kit can be setup with various settings by selecting which size hole to drill in one specific location on the valve body seperator plate explained in the instructions. The three settings are:

1. Police-taxis-truck & mild street rods 0.067"
2. Hot Rod with original stall converter 3/32"
3. Using small dia. high stall converter 1/8"

I'll be starting out with hole size one for sure, I can always drill the hole bigger, much more difficult to make it smaller Of course, there is a lot more to this shift kit than the one hole size mentioned, a whole lot more.

Wish me luck and if anyone knows any other tricks or tips, let's hear them please.

~DM~

 

Johnny,

Thanks for the tips and strong opinions, I'll take them with a grain of salt, however I will consider altering the kit's plans to coincide with some of your recommendations.

BTW, what is your recommendation for reprogramming the shift points and what hardware or tools can you recommend to acheive that result?

Thanks,

~DM~

 

I have been seen your clip and fairly let me say that the cobra,( if iam wrong say so) (cobra) whooped you

 

Who would be a good source to get a chip for for my year and power train combination?

 

Thanks for the honest answer. Maybe I should take a poll on who's used whos with what success
Thanks
Joe

 

I installed my Transgo shift kit today. It went fairly well but it took longer than I'd planned. I had several interruptions and it still took over 4 hours. The 1-2 accumulator cut my a$$ for 30 minutes until I finially found the correct snap ring pliers for the job. Then, almost every single hole that the kit recommends to drill out was already bigger so there was no need to do anything. Out of all the holes to drill out, only one was changed and by just a small amount, it probably wasn't enough to make a change. On the other hand, the valves and springs that the kit recommendeds you change, I did all of them with the exception of the EPC rework recommendations, I left it stock.

I did remove the 2-3 shift check ball and that was a mistake, the damn thing hits so hard on the 2-3 shift that it feels like 1000lbs was dropped into the bed of the truck, much too harsh for me. I'll be taking the valve body back out tomorrow and putting that check ball back in just as Johnny Langton's post above recommended. I wanted to follow the kit instructions first, then back them up with corrections just in case the pro's at Transgo were correct, they weren't in this case.

The 3-4 shift is much better too but I may put the stock spring back in there too since Johnny's post said that too, I'm torn as to what to do with this spring. Also, there's a spiral spring and restrictor on one of the solenoid valve's ports, I may pull that out too. All in all, the kit has made a big improvement and a few of the quarks of the 4R70W seem to have disappeared, like the clunk when you accelerate and then quickly let off the gas, it used to go clunk, now it's fine and it handles that scenario perfect, at least it does now, I'll have to let you know since I'm going back in for more surgery tomorrow.

Next big mod, superchips or the microtuner to improve the shift points. I had an idea, if there was some easy way to trick the tranny into thinking that the throttle is pressed part way when in fact it really isn't then I could delay the shifts. I'll explain, what I mean is if there's a way to offset the signal that the tranny sees so that it's always higher than what the TPS is sending, then the shift points can be modified without a reburn on the EEC code. For example, if the TPS is sending a signal range of 5 to 12 volts over the range of throttle movement, the tranny may need to see 6 to 12 volts over the range of throttle motion. The TPS may not output a voltage signal but the logic should be the same...any thoughts?

~DM~

 

Johnny, you got AIM or MSN instant messenger? I'd like to chat with you as this forum is too difficult for fast communications.

~DM~

 

For those considering the Transgo shift kit for their 4R70W, you may want to read this post.

Well, after deciding that the Transgo shift kit results were not exactly what I was looking for, I decided to remove the valve body again and undo certain aspects of the shift kit.

First, I removed the valve body from the transmission, and then I disassembled it.
Below is a list of items I had to do to finally get what I wanted:
1. Re-installed the 2-3 check ball that Transgo recommended to remove
2. Drilled out a few more holes per the recommendations from the TCCoA article that Johnny Langton posted, supposedly written by an Engineer that has worked on the 4R70W design team I think
3. Removed the 2-3 accumulator spring, per the TCCoA article
4. Removed the spiral spring and restrictor from the Transgo kit too
5. I never did the modification to the valve body that Transgo recommends to prevent total transmission failure in case of a high pressure spike in case of an electrical malfunction of the EPC, the TCCoA article didn’t recommend doing it and I agreed.
6. Finally, I drilled a ½” hole in the transmission pan and brazed a ½-20 nut inside the pan and added an engine oil pan drain plug for future oil drainage. This mod came in handy on the second valve body removal. Removed the pan without a splash. However, once you get to removing the valve body, it’s almost impossible to avoid getting Mercon V on your body somewhere, hair, draining down your arms when removing the valve body screws and after you drop the valve body, you’re surely going to get splashed at some point.

All in all, I’m pleased now with the shift performance and after all the work and rework; I can say that it’s worth it to me, but then again, each to his own. I would guess that most folks would’ve given up after the first attempt as it’s a PITA to redo a shift kit.

~DM~

 

What is the link to the TCCOA article?

 

Y2kXLTSport,
If I remember correctly, it was one of the posts. It has been removed. Don't know how or why but the post is no longer here...