Tranny flush helped but not fixed

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Martin Olson

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I have a 01 with about 152K. I have been having some transmission slippage, particular when cold. I contacted the first owner and he never did a tranny service. I changed it out and the fluid was in bad shape and the screen on the filter was somewhat clogged.



I replaced the fluid and changed the filter.



I am still seeing slippage but it is not as harsh as it was. I guess I am going to take it to the next level. After researching the next step seems to be checking for a blown valve body gasket and/or a valve body rebuild kit.



I know many others have been at this point. Here's what I am looking at:



Trying a valve body rebuild myself.

- Did you try this and did it fix your issue?

- Any recommendations on kits?



Take it to a tranny shop:

- Rebuild the tranny?

- Install a used one not fully rebuilt?



I would hate to spend a bunch of money on a rebuild kit if they don't work. I would hate to spend a bunch of money at a tranny shop if I could get by with a valve rebuild.



I would appreciate your wisdom and expertise.



Thank you.
 
If you go to a transmission shop, they will almost always just want to install a rebuilt transmission ($2400+). Most transmission shops do not have the facilities or technical expertise to rebuild transmissions onsite (let alone diagnose problems), so they get their transmission from a factory specializing in rebuilding transmissions....either outsourced or company owned. It is cheaper and easier to just remove and replace transmission than diagnose and repair the internal problems.



The advantage to a rebuilt transmission is they usually come with a warranty (6mo/6K or more)

If you only replace the valve body, you won't get much, if any warranty even if it's done by the transmission shop.



If you replace the valve body and/or solenoids, and that does not solve your problem, you will have no warranty and will eat the cost.



It is also hard to diagnose problems online without having hands on the vehicle....all anybody can do here is listen to your problem and make a "Possible" diagnosis to your problem based on their experiences or based on how others have resolved a similar problem.



In the end, it is still your decision.



...Rich





 
I think I may try rebuilding the valve body and give that a shot. After that I will probably have to hit a tranny shop. Any recommendations on a valve body kit? I have seen some positive reviews for the Sonnax kit.

 
If I recall correctly, there is/was "California Performance Transmissions" that sold valve bodies, High Performance parts including complete transmissions for the Sport Trac most other vehicles.



...Rich
 
This took a weird turn. I went to my national chain parts store to get the filter and tranny fluid. I told the guy I need Mercon V. He got the parts and put them in a bucket a part of some promotion (get the bucket, get a break). I live in Miami and it was 90+, super high humidity and mosquito trying to make a meal out of me.



I pulled the pan. Replaced the filter. Scraped of the old pan gasket, cleaned the pan and put it back. Added the fluid The Haynes manual speced it at 4 quarts. It suggested to add 3, crank up the engine and put in the 4 th as needed.



When I first cranked it up it was a little low. Added part of the 4th quart and it seemed fine. Initially it seemed great but started acting up worse. On Tuesday, I went to add more fluid and noticed instead of a V, the bottle said VI. The guy had given me Dexron VI for GM not Mercon V.



I went back to the parts store and got an apologetic OOPPPSS! They gave me 4 quarts of Mercon V and a new filter.



Initially it seems fine like it did when I first got it. No slippage at all. Hopefully it will hold.



Shout out to Rich. Thanks for the advice.



BTW, I saw alll the post about Mercon III and Dexron III being cross compatiable. DO NOT PUT THE DEXRON VI in your SPORTTRAC.

I went back t
 
Now you may eventually have more problems. As the dexron vi has mixed with the merc v.

Save your reciepts and the counter persons name....make copies, the store reciepts fade out.
 
I doubt that you can get any compensation from the Autoparts store that sold you the wrong tranny fluid...even if the sales clerk picked it out and put it in your bucket. Selling you the wrong fluid is a mistake but that did not cause any damage to your transmission...You put it in the transmission without reading the label to verify that it was the right fluid...you can't blame the clerk at the auto parts store because you failed to insure he gave you the correct fluid.



About all you can hope for is that it did not damage the transmission, and that the auto parts store will refund your money or give you the correct Mercon V at no additional charge...but even that is a stretch.



Don't feel too bad....We may not all want to admit it, bue we have all made dumb mistakes like this and we all survived, if only to make more dumb mistakes...:grin:



...Rich
 
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Would it make a difference in the long-term to, instead of leaving some mix of V and VI, flush the transmission to replace all the fluid?
 
Yardsale makes a good point...you should get the tranny flushed ASAP and be sure they put in the correct Mercon V fluid. Then take a copy of your bill to the auto parts store and see if they will pay for the tranny flush. The tranny flush will hopefully prevent the wrong fluid from ruining your transmission, and that will let you get an idea on how much the auto parts store feels about their liability for giving you the wrong fluid....probably none, but it's worth a try.



....Rich
 
Actually I replaced it as soon as I realized what had happened. It has been running like a champ with no slippage or any other problems. Everything so often stupid works. Thanks for all the help. I am good for now. It has been about 10 days and no issues.
 
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