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Accumulator installation

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Posted by: ruswin

I want to just upgrade the old style 1-2 and 2-3 accumulators to the newer style. From the other threads, it seems that I just have to drop the pan, remove the valve body and replace the accumulators. I don't have to mess with the separator plate and gaskets on the plate correct? Most of the threads seem to include some directions for the jmod within the same instructions of the accumulator replacement. Also, as I read the previous threads, it seem far less than unanimous that the jmod is required and recommended for ALL Marks. What I do not want to do is screw something up and end up with new problems.

Posted by: normohl

i also need to fix these in the near future so i am also interested in an answer.

Posted by: timkustom

OK, I posted this over on LOD, but since a couple here are looking for help, I'll add it here.

Finally got around to doing my trannie fluid change and 1-2 accumulator upgrade. Fun job indeed!

I consider myself a decent shadetree mechanic, but have never done any transmission work. I wouldn't even consider this job without the excellent instructions provided by LOD.

There were a few things that I'd like to let everyone know from my experience that might help anyone doing this job in the future, even though I assume most have done this job at some point.

First of all, I did mine using jack stands. It's recommended to use ramps; I second that. You need the car up pretty high to be comfortable. I'm a skinny guy and was a bit cramped.

There wasn't as much "raining fluid" as I thought there would be. Nice surprise.

Removing the pan from the car: Not fun at all! The linkage on the drivers side looked to pose a clearance problem, but what I'll call "rubber beer cans" that are attached to the exhaust system really got in the way! Couldn't really figure out what they are there for except maybe in the event of a crash the exhaust doesn't tear up the trannie?

I'm still not sure how I got the pan out, but after much cussing and some "Jedi mind skills" it somehow came free.

I was surprised how much crud was in the pan. Most appeared to be Arizona dust, but the magnet was covered pretty good IMO. Not what I expected in a 28k mile transmission.

Replacing the accumulator was a piece of cake. I thought there was no way a 5 inch C-clamp was gonna fit where it needed to go, but it slid in there like it was made for it. Thanks HOTLNC!

I found a set of snap ring pliers at Harbor Freight that included the needed 11" pair. I used the pair with the angle tips. I'm all about quality tools, but didn't feel I needed to spend big bucks for this tool. The Harbor Freight set was a whopping $11 and included ?? Pliers.

I could see some wear on the accumulator piston, but the inside bore looked fine. No broken springs, but I used the new springs to be safe.

(Other side)

Note that when you remove the accumulator piston there is a good amount of fluid behind it. Glad I had my pan close by and my face outta the way!

On the reinstall for some reason the pan slid right back in no problem. I did a "dry run" first to see if I could figure out how it comes out. Got it back out after 10 more minutes of cussing and using "The Force." That C-clamp came in handy to move the rubber beer can out of the way.

Everything else went very smoothly. While the converter drained, I replaced the front brakes since I had the car up in the air.

It took 11 and 1/2 quarts to fill it back up. Poured 6 qts in to begin with then I would start it, let it idle a bit, shift back and forth, then keep filling as needed.

Car shifts fabulous now. Noticed on a WOT run that it turned on the traction control light during a 1-2 shift. Haven't noticed it do that before.

Just want to say thanks to those that contributed to the "paper" as well as LOD for hosting it. I want to see our Mark go at least 200k miles as many cars here have done. Hope this "long read" helps anybody else doing this job.

Posted by: normohl

when you compress the accumulator and take the snap ring off and take the clamp loose does the acumulator come out easily? is changing the 1-2 shift accumulator the same procedure?

Posted by: Battery

Quote:

Originally Posted by timkustom

Note that when you remove the accumulator piston there is a good amount of fluid behind it. Glad I had my pan close by and my face outta the way!

Hah, this is true. I've done several j-mods, and I have three friends who are pissed at me for letting my car give them the money shot!

Posted by: rrudd2

Quote:

Originally Posted by normohl

when you compress the accumulator and take the snap ring off and take the clamp loose does the acumulator come out easily? is changing the 1-2 shift accumulator the same procedure?

The 2-3 accumulator is held in place by tabs on the round cap. Once you remove the cap, you reach up and pull the 2-3 accumulator out with a couple of fingers. It's different, and easier, than the 1-2 accumulator.

You compress the 1-2 accumulator with the c-clamp in order to remove the snap ring.

How easily the 1-2 accumulator comes out will depend entirely on the condition of the two springs within the assembly. Both of the springs in mine were broken, so there was no pressure on the accumulator. Consequently, it stayed in place when I removed the c-clamp. I ended up having to put a small self-tapping screw into the bottom of the old accumulator cap and use a pair of plyers to pull the base out of the valve body. Once I did that, the bottom spring fell out in two pieces, and I was able to remove the accumulator and the top spring.

Here's what my old 1-2 accumulator looked like. You can see the self-tapping screw in the middle of the old accumulator cap.

It's really not that difficult of a job, especially if you follow the directions on the LOD site as timcustom pointed out.

Posted by: rrudd2

Quote:

Originally Posted by Battery

Hah, this is true. I've done several j-mods, and I have three friends who are pissed at me for letting my car give them the money shot!

I bought a small hand-pumped siphon from Harbor Freight, and siphoned most of the tranny fluid out thru the transmission dipstick/fill tube. There was just a little left in the pan, and I avoided the "money shot".

Well worth the extra $5!

Posted by: ruswin

I assume this is the pump you used? http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=93290
Did you snake the hose down the tube or just slip it over the end of the dipstick tube? I am planning on installing a trans drain plug on my pan to make changes easier in the future.

Posted by: normohl

Quote:

Here's what my old 1-2 accumulator looked like. You can see the self-tapping screw in the middle of the old accumulator cap.

does ford sell a new acumulator/spring set? or is it just the spring? and does ford make one for the 2-3 shift also? why not right?

also i have 110000 miles on my 95 do you think that a whole fluid change to mercon v would free up all the gunk from the old fluid, and clog my filters and then not circulate fluid everywhere and ruin my tranny?

Posted by: rrudd2

Quote:

Originally Posted by ruswin

I assume this is the pump you used? http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=93290
Did you snake the hose down the tube or just slip it over the end of the dipstick tube? I am planning on installing a trans drain plug on my pan to make changes easier in the future.

I used this siphon:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...temnumber=3878

I snaked it all the way down the dipstick tube, until it was in the old pan. I got almost all of the old fluid out that way.

I bought a new pan from Max at 5-Star Ford that came with the deep sump and a drain plug. That way, I can just drain the fluid from underneath the car in the future.

Posted by: rrudd2

Quote:

Originally Posted by normohl

I got all of the parts from Max at 5-Star Ford. He's a supporting vendor here at LVC. If you're a Gold Member, you get a bit of a discount. He has a list of all the part numbers you'll need. 1-2 and 2-3 accumulators, all the springs, the transmission filter, etc.

If you've got 110K on your original fluid, you need to get it changed, as well as the filter in the transmission pan. Be sure you drain the torque converter too, in order to get all the old fluid out of the transmission.

Posted by: normohl

i read some crazy long thread about how its burnt up so many trannys, and it got me scared. ill be getting ahold of max soon.

Posted by: ruswin

OK, I completed the installation of the new accumulators and I still have a problem. It shifts from 1 to 2 way late, like at 3000 rpm even under normal acceleration and the shifts is very slow / soft to engage. I left out the bottom spring on the 1-2 accumulator to firm up the shift, but it seems to have the opposite result. The car will also slip out of 2nd during medium to hard acceleration which allows the rpms to go to the redline. I don't know if I am looking at 2 separate problems or the just 1 problem. Another thing that was confusing about Jerrys modification instructions is which of the 2 springs to leave out. I left the one that goes between the accum piston and the retainer. Is that the correct one to leave out to firm up the shifts?

Posted by: ruswin

This morning I installed the lower purple spring into the 1-2 accumulator and there is no change to the symptoms. Shifts way late from 1-2 and then will "slip" out of 2nd if medium to full throttle. Once it is in third it is fine. If I shift it manually from 1-2, 2nd shifts right away at lower rpms than if in drive. I had read other threads about the pump pressure not being high enough, is that something that I can do without pulling the trans again? I only had the pan on there for about 70 miles and there was already a fairly thick accumulation of metal on the magnet that needed to be cleaned again along with a small amount or small tan / natural flakes in the pan. Is the trans coming apart internally or what?

Posted by: Battery

Quote:

Originally Posted by ruswin

I only had the pan on there for about 70 miles and there was already a fairly thick accumulation of metal on the magnet that needed to be cleaned again along with a small amount or small tan / natural flakes in the pan. Is the trans coming apart internally or what?

I just took my pan off for the first time in about 50k.... My magnet was almost clean, so I would assume the shavings on yours are a bad sign. You should read through the first two tech articles on here and make sure you didn't forget anything. http://www.tccoa.com/articles/tranny/index.html It includes a lot more than what you did, so only read the parts pertaining to the modifications you performed.

Posted by: ruswin

I followed that article. I think there is something wrong with the trans itself. I bought it from ASAP Motors used from a donor 94. The original trans I had definately had problems with 3-4 gear, it would not go into them at all. I will be callling ASAP in the AM.

Posted by: ruswin

While I am waiting for ASAP motors to get back with me, I am trying to figure out if I did anything wrong when installing the new accumulators. The one thing that I have to question is the 2-3 accumulator and the bottom retaining cap with the tabs that is supposed to hold it in place. Unlike the 1-2 accumulator, the 2-3 does not have a snap ring to retain it. You are supposed to bend three tabs on the bottom cap so it snaps into the recessed groove in the piston bore. When I installed it, the tabs are very soft and seems to not grip the groove too well. I thought I read somewhere that the valve body itself holds it in place after completing the reassembly. So my question is, how important are those tabs and are they responsible for holding the accumulator in place, or does the bottom cap eventually push out and into the top of the valve body to keep in in place?

Posted by: Battery

It pushed out the first time I did it and that caused me a lot of trouble, so that would certainly be worth looking into. You barely need to bend the tabs at all.

Posted by: ruswin

I did bend the tabs and pushed it into place, but it seemed that the first time any extra pressure would be placed on the inside of the piston, the clips would not continue to hold it in place and it would eventually be pressed out of the slot until the outside of the cap comes into contact with the top side of the valve body. When you say you had a "lot of trouble" what kind of trouble? The main problem I am still having is very late shifts from 1-2 and the slipping in 2nd under moderate throttle. If you drive it nice and easy, it shifts into all gears OK, just late on the 1-2 shift. I am leaning towards the pump not producing enough pressure?

Posted by: Battery

Is it always very late on the 1-2?

Posted by: ruswin

Yes it is late if the trans is in D, if I shift if manually from 1-2, it shifts right away. So the late shift is only when the car is in D.
The other problem of 2nd gear "slipping" occurs under moderate to full acceleration and / or if the trans kicks down from 3 to 2 under moderate to full throttle, the rpms just climb to redline until the throttle is released, then 2nd will come back in. Second gear only engages up to about 2700 rpm then will slip like it is in neutral.
I read somewhere that it could be the trans fluid pump is not producing enough pressure if there is a difference shifting manually as compared to allowing it to shift in D automatically. Is there any way to test that and / or can the pump be changed / repaired without pulling the trans?

Posted by: mmtphoto

Quote:

Originally Posted by rrudd2

I have done a couple of 1-2 accumulators and do the same thing-much less mess and the tube is wide enough to get a decent sized hose in to drain fluid out of the pan-then, when you remove bolts, there is almost nothing in the pan-the pump I used is one of those drill deals from home depot, cost 6 bucks. Nice to have too if you want to do a 'cheap and fast' refresh of the Mercon 5.