4r100 DIY rebuild

[Mark Kovalsky]

When you were looking for SS3 to come on did you have the OD OFF light on? If not, it will never come on. And even if it doesn't it won't cause shifting issues. The trans just won't have engine braking in the lower gears.

The converter locks when the pedal position and vehicle speed are right. If you are steady on the pedal at 60 MPH it should be locked.

 

[ht99vpi]

Okay sorry for the delay I finally got some time. Yes the overdrive light was on when I was looking for the SS3. As for the TC locking, you are saying that it varies but should always be on if the pedal is pushed and a steady 60 mph speed. At this point I am thinking that it might be a seal. So now I am looking for more advice. These are the pressures that I am getting while the engine is idling.
P 60
R 80
N 60
OD 58 All in PSI
D 58
2 58
1 70
I also noted a brief spike when going from 2 to D or OD.
Is there a particular seal that might cause this or could it still be a valve in the valve body? When I tear into the tranny will I know when I find the seal that is leaking or will it look normal? :fustrate:

 

[Mark Kovalsky]

SS3 does not affect shifting. If SS3 doesn't work then you won't have engine braking when the OD OFF light is on. That is the ONLY symptom you'll see.

A bad seal is pretty obvious to someone familiar with seals. I don't understand what problem you're chasing to be able to offer any help.

 

[elrodalexander73]

Back to what Mark said, what is the problem the truck is exhibiting.. Shift delay, holding in gear too long, hard shifting, soft shifting, or just the O'D light blinking..

 

[ht99vpi]

Mark, I am incredibly grateful for all your assistance. Right now the truck is not shifting correctly and I am trying to figure out where the next step is. If I do not need to pull the trans then I don't want to. But will if it is needed. I am getting 1-2 Shift malfunction and 2-3 Shift malfunction codes. While data logging it appears the PCM is calling for the shift well before it shifts. I am trying to narrow this down to see if it is still a valve body problem or if this is a seal problem. I was under the impression that if I was not getting pressures with in a certain set of specs then I might have a seal problem internally. I still intend to replace the valve that was scraped in my accumulator body it is the line pressure modulator valve. (I do not know what it controls exactly) It did not appear to be scraping or sticking when I last checked the valve body. It moved smoothly. Could that valve sticking cause low pressures in all gear selections? I will be ordering a replacement and I guess Ill try that before going any further with investigating a seal.

I am open to any advice or direction to look.

 

[elrodalexander73]

Ok.... This transmission exhibbited a catastrophic failure, not knocking ones ability or anything, when these things happen you need to disassemble damn near everything to get the metal out of everything. I mean take every valve out of the Valve body and clean everything. Every drum needs to come down, and when you reassemble your apply pistons use a quality rubber tipped blow gun (not one that leaks) and listen closely to make sure your lip seals are sealing. Catastrophic failure is hard to overhaul because of all the debris in places you didn't know that can come back to haunt you. You may have a slightly leaking lip seal or debris in the passage way delaying fluid moventment... OR the relief check balls maybe plugged up, you need to clean everything so thoroughly when this happens or it just fails again. Trans building is an art that is learned through failures of others and well your own. I've built enough of these guys to tell you everything has to be on the money to have one hold and blast through all the gears like you're looking for. These ain't ole C6s lol.

 

[ht99vpi]

Back to what Mark said, what is the problem the truck is exhibiting.. Shift delay, holding in gear too long, hard shifting, soft shifting, or just the O'D light blinking..

Just saw your post after posting. The truck is intermittently shifting very soft and started out as an intermittent delay in the 2-3 shift. It would sometimes shift when turning off the OD. Then it would shift normal until it had to do another 2-3 shift. Now it is also delay shifting 1-2. I am getting the 1-2 and 2-3 shift malfunction code. After disconnecting the wire harness and reconnecting i have cleared up the shift solenoid A inductive signature, and the Gear 3 incorrect codes. The only harness that had any corrosion was the gear selector harness. All the rest appeared fine. I do intend to replace the gear selector wire connector side but wouldn't think that would cause the issue I am having. I cleaned it up as good as I could and was getting a signal with a meter.

 

[DEEZUZ]

Any updates? I'm debating possibly doing this with the help of a trans guy but I do not want this situation.. Lol

 

[DEEZUZ]

Also, what were the parts totals

 

[Northwoods2002]

Any updates? I'm debating possibly doing this with the help of a trans guy but I do not want this situation.. Lol

Also, what were the parts totals

From my own experience, its very do-able as long as you pay extremely close attention to everything! The devil's in the details here, a single stray piece of clutch material or metal shaving can foul-up a fresh rebuild. With that said, so can an improperly torqued v.b. bolt, wore out bushing (there's a few), etc...

As for price, depending on the power range you're looking for, expect to pay $400-$1,100 in parts for a decent build.

 

[DEEZUZ]

I'm curious as to the special tooling needed. I honestly don't trust any of the builders in my area and certainly am not paying out the nose for some of the more 'built' trans that everyone is having issues with..

 

[Northwoods2002]

Some really good snap-ring pliers are amazing. For seal installations, some transgel mixed with a little mercV makes em nice and slippery. I also use a plasic pop bottle just into a circle shape to install seals and resize teflon or-rings.

In the 4r100 on assembly you have to install about 30lbs of rotating mass(clutch packs) as one big assembly. Ford has a specal tool they use, you can make one, or if you lake the time/ability, i've used mechanics wire to hold them together and then cut it once they are installed... Lots of write-ups out there showing both versions.

I think one of the biggest challenges is the fact that the thing is darn near 3 feet deep. I use an old rear rotor and a couple pieces of 2x4 to stand the housing on once the output shaft is installed, makes life a whole lot easier...

 

[ht99vpi]

I'll have to add up the numbers for my rebuild haven't added it all up yet. Tomorrow I plan to replace a valve and reinspect the valve bodies. I did my best to clean everything and took particular care to no over tighten the valve bodies. The only place I think I must have gone wrong is possibly the cooler. I only had a tube and fin cooler and thought a thorough flushing would have been satisfactory. I'm hoping that's the only place I went wrong. I did add an aftermarket filter to the cooler lines and plan to upgrade the cooler to a 6.0 when money is available. I'll update after getting into it.


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[Northwoods2002]

I did my best to clean everything and took particular care to no over tighten the valve bodies.
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What did you torque the bolts to? What kind of torque wrench did you use? The valve bodies on these things are massive, a lose bolt can cause a world of trouble. For example, not tightening one of the three rear reinforcement plat bolts to the proper torque will cause poor/no reverse. Did you check for square on the valve body and case? Warped case or body can cause problems too.

If you are taking the v.b. off, check the valves for nics. When I did mine, I forgot to replace one of the valves with a new steel valve and while towing my jeep back home on a trip the 3-4 valve stuck. It was one little burr and it made my return trip a nightmare.

 

[ht99vpi]

I torqued them to 90 inch pounds using an inch pound wrench. I had read that they are very finicky so I checked and rechecked them to be sure they were all tight. I also checked for square and all was good.
I have pulled the valve bodies off and found 2 of the valves were not under tension at all but did not appear to be stuck they still moved but had no spring tension. I took them all apart and found no indication of anything broken. Not sure what would have caused this. Any way I have not been able to find the line pressure valve in stock size so I have now ordered a re-manufactured accumulator valve. Cheaper than buying the boring kit. I am also cleaning all the valve bodies up real good before reinstall. I hope this fixes my problems. I ll update when I get it back together. I will also provide an approx cost breakdown. I did use upgraded parts from stock. High flow pump and triple disc clutch, then upgraded the clutch packs to reduce heat. I fabricated the specialty tools.

 

[ht99vpi]

Ok so finally finished. The transmission appears to be functioning correctly. No more delayed shifts.

I finally just replaced the accumulator valve body. When I removed it 2 of the valves did not seem to have any tension on them at all. I cleaned all the valves again and put everything back in. Now it is all shifting correctly.

Thank you everyone that provided input and suggestions.

Also, what were the parts totals

As for the cost

TC RacerX $799 You can get stock or cheaper I decided to invest in this one.
Rebuild kit level II $585 this was upgraded and additional clutches
Washer kit $53.95
Ball bearing center $13.60 Mine was broken
Power to kit $133.95
Hi perf pump $255.00 MTS

Since I did this myself I decided to spend a little more on some of the parts.

Other than the issue with the accumulator body it was not incredibly difficult. I watched a tear down of transmission on youtube which is the easy part.

As for specialty tools.... I used 2 right angle picks to lower the assembled clutch packs into the transmission instead of buying the 300 $ specialty tool. I also fabricated one of the tools to compress the assembly for one of the snap rings. I second the comment about a good set of snap ring pliers. I did it without them but it would have the job much easier.

Obviously you want to buy the manual as well. That was invaluable for the rebuild.

My only complaint would be that the rebuild kit was for the E4OD and the 4R100 which means some parts aren't used so it is just more parts to sift through.

All in all I would do this again.

 

[Northwoods2002]

Ok so finally finished. The transmission appears to be functioning correctly. No more delayed shifts.

I finally just replaced the accumulator valve body. When I removed it 2 of the valves did not seem to have any tension on them at all. I cleaned all the valves again and put everything back in. Now it is all shifting correctly.

Thank you everyone that provided input and suggestions.


As for the cost

TC RacerX $799 You can get stock or cheaper I decided to invest in this one.
Rebuild kit level II $585 this was upgraded and additional clutches
Washer kit $53.95
Ball bearing center $13.60 Mine was broken
Power to kit $133.95
Hi perf pump $255.00 MTS

Since I did this myself I decided to spend a little more on some of the parts.

Other than the issue with the accumulator body it was not incredibly difficult. I watched a tear down of transmission on youtube which is the easy part.

As for specialty tools.... I used 2 right angle picks to lower the assembled clutch packs into the transmission instead of buying the 300 $ specialty tool. I also fabricated one of the tools to compress the assembly for one of the snap rings. I second the comment about a good set of snap ring pliers. I did it without them but it would have the job much easier.

Obviously you want to buy the manual as well. That was invaluable for the rebuild.

My only complaint would be that the rebuild kit was for the E4OD and the 4R100 which means some parts aren't used so it is just more parts to sift through.

All in all I would do this again.

Good to hear! Did you notice any side-to-side play in the valves that were stuck? Just something to keep in mind if there is a shifting issue in the future.

I used the racerX converter as well, but I had them make it a low stall for towing, they also did something else extra but I cant think of it, I'll have to find my build sheet.

The rebuild kits do tend to be rather generic, it took me a solid month to find one that had exactly what I wanted in it without the e4od stuff. Is your new center support machined to accept the additional snap ring to prevent future loosening of the the c.s. bolts? What brand h.p. pump did you get, that was one thing I wish I had done...

 

[ht99vpi]

Here we go again.....

Good to hear! Did you notice any side-to-side play in the valves that were stuck? Just something to keep in mind if there is a shifting issue in the future.

No I did not notice any side to side but I wasn't looking for it either would it have been noticeable? The only thing I noticed is one of the springs was elongated which I may have done during the install, it got pinched in the clip.

Is your new center support machined to accept the additional snap ring to prevent future loosening of the the c.s. bolts? What brand h.p. pump did you get, that was one thing I wish I had done...

No I had not come across that upgrade. The pump is from MTS Midwest Transmission Supply.

I wish I could say all is still good.... but it is back to doing the same 2-3 shift delay and error codes. :fustrate: I am now wondering if it could be junk still in the cooler. Though it is only a cheap tube and fin cooler I wouldn't have thought it would have more junk in it. It is not running through the radiator anymore. Everything seemed to be fine no codes and no shifting problems and now it is starting up again. I did find some friction type material in the pan but it was not the color of the friction plates I installed. So it is either from the original TC or maybe a problem with the new one. I flushed the system good after the first reinstall.

Anyone have any other ideas to look at? I suspect if I drop the pan and clean the Accumulator body again all will be good again for a time? I am open to any other suggestions. I did completely replace the oil this last time just in case there was any junk left.

 

[Northwoods2002]

Did you flush the lines at all before/after rebuild? I hate to say it, but I think you may have a damaged lip seal that's not allowing proper 2-3 shift. You can wiggle the valves or v.b. to see if there's side-play in them, there shouldn't be any noticeable play, if there is its bad.

 

[ht99vpi]

I flushed the lines before but not after the rebuild. The re-manufactured valve body had new valves and they seemed to fit and move appropriately. Would the damaged lip seal allow normal shifting and then leak causing issues? I am just confused as to why everything would work after cleaning the valve body each time. Which lip seal are you thinking? Is there any way to verify with out pulling the tranny?
Thanks for the advice.