Pretty sure I need A Solenoid Pack. Opinion on where to take it

RichieboyLS

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So as the title says, I'm pretty certain that I need the Solenoid pack replaced in the tranny. I was first gonna go to the used car dealer's service because the guy that works on the car was a Lincoln Mercury tech. Then I decided may my trusted mechanic could help. He didn't even wanna look and wanted me to come back early so he can take it to his transmission guy. So now I'm thinking to take to a Lincoln dealer or Gibralta Transmission. I know it's not too intricate of a job. I just don't wanna get raped at the stealership. I think I'm gonna go to Gibralta for this. If they wanna do something crazy I'll just go to Lincoln. I just want what's best for my car, it needs it. Especially now in the heat I can feel it more. Gas milage is also crappy with 13.5 in the street and 25+ on the highway where the tranny isn't shifting. Sorry for the long ass post.
 
DO IT YOURSELF!

Drop the pan and filter and it's right there. I got the part from the dealer for 375.00, but you can get them for cheaper.
 
For that price you better be certain. Something like that might throw a code if you haven't pulled them yet.

It wouldn't be hard to pull it out and test the solenoids. The tricky part is refilling the tranny.
 
Tranny shop says I need a rebuild.. Quoted me at 1800 that's probably without labor. They said they saw chunks of metal in the pan. This sucks. I'm wondering if I should get a second opinion. Maybe take it to Lincoln.
 
It may need a rebuild from what little info you gave on symptoms. I bought a solenoid block and valve body for real cheap from www.800700tran.com

My symptoms were simply not shifting past 3rd gear. It would operate fine otherwise. And of course like 5 codes.

Solenoid block- $140
Valve Body- $80
Gasket kit - $20 IIRC

Then installed for about 200 bucks.

But my issue did throw codes denoting possible issues.
 
They said I threw no codes. I have harsh engagement in pretty much all gears. And it shifts slow.
 
Tranny shop says I need a rebuild.. Quoted me at 1800 that's probably without labor. They said they saw chunks of metal in the pan. This sucks. I'm wondering if I should get a second opinion. Maybe take it to Lincoln.

What are the symptoms? Did you see the contaminated oil? I'm sorry but it's hard for me to trust other people with my car. I suggest checking the oil yourself.
With this car and in my experience, I've found that it's easy for mechanic shops to miss-diagnose this vehicle. Hell the dealer mechanics are have been the most clueless! I've had miss-diagnoses from the dealer and had to speak to the service manager with the workshop manuals in-hand to explain the troubleshooting steps.

For that price you better be certain. Something like that might throw a code if you haven't pulled them yet.

It wouldn't be hard to pull it out and test the solenoids. The tricky part is refilling the tranny.

I agree. You want to be sure. Changing parts would be the most expensive and timely way to fix your problem. Which is why I find it hard to trust other mechanics, (with exception to the other members of this site).
A transmission rebuild would keep them safe on all ends. Requires no trouble shooting, and is the max you can get in labor. Trany swap is 1.5-3hr, but a rebuild could be very time consuming.
As for your question... Yes. I think you should get another opinion, your own. The following links should help.

Also, there is a lot of information about transmission work on the site. Try using the search engine on the top right of the page. Even if it's just an oil change, you'll be looking at spending some money. Get as much info as possible so you can make an educated decision.

http://www.automotiveforums.com/t744469-salvage_ls_a_lot_of_work_need_help_.html
http://www.automotivehelper.com/topic662151.htm
 
Since you asked for opinions...

Do it yourself, or take it to a Ford/Lincoln dealer.

With chain transmission shops, it's a good bet that they'll say you have to replace the transmission with a rebuilt one, and then they'll screw up the replacement.
 
They said I threw no codes. I have harsh engagement in pretty much all gears. And it shifts slow.

I also had no codes. Look up that TSB on google. The dealears around me act like they know nothing about it, but it may shed some light on the "hard or delayed" shifting.
 
since you asked for opinions...

Do it yourself, or take it to a ford/lincoln dealer.

With chain transmission shops, it's a good bet that they'll say you have to replace the transmission with a rebuilt one, and then they'll screw up the replacement.

+1
 
Since you asked for opinions...

Do it yourself, or take it to a Ford/Lincoln dealer.

With chain transmission shops, it's a good bet that they'll say you have to replace the transmission with a rebuilt one, and then they'll screw up the replacement.

I was really thinking about this but after reading some posts on here I see that people were having trouble getting some bolts off and needed a swivel socket. It looks easy enough though.

I'm gonna bring it to a mechanic that my cousin knows and let them take a look tomorrow.
 
Richie, I bought my first LS about 2 weeks ago, 2004 with everything except the nav. screen. I loved the car so much that I bought it with a hard / firm shift from 1st to 2nd gear. I have since learned that these have this as a problem. I called the dealership back and discovered that they had the transmission worked on before I bought it and scaned the invoice and emailed it to me. (to big a pdf file to attatch here) but in short they replaced the solenoid block, filter (fluid) and transmission mount.
So in more searching I found a post from a guy who discovered that a 4 dollar spring fixed his issue (similar symptoms) and I will past his post here at the bottom. I don't think that this spring is in the solenoid pack and probably needs to be sought out to have examined or replaced. I plan on speaking with a shop about this particular part when my car gets out of the body shop. (bought mine with some damage). Hope this helps..


if you come up with a PO795

i did find this...


on this forum link

http://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10521

The <$5 spring was the fix. This is the one you most likely need if you have the dreaded "Gearbox Fault" message and P0795 OBD2 code on a 5R55N transmission. http://www.transmissionpartsusa.com/5R55N_4_3_Pre_stroke_valve_springs_56947J_S1_p/400-056947js1.htm Mine was broken into 4 pieces! It amazes me that a $4.45 spring could kill the transmission of a $30-40K automobile! If you want to see where it lives in the A/T valve-body have a look here: http://sonnax.com/instructions/56947J-S1-IN.pdf and here:

http://www.sonnax.com/announcements/56947J-S2.pdf

I took it to a local transmission shop. Since it is a normal Ford transmission they had seen it before and were not afraid to work on it. They changed the spring out, refilled with 7 quarts of Mercon V ATF fluid (still some in the TC area that did not drain - filled hot according to Ford/Jag specs), put in a new AT filter and I had them suck out the rear-end lube and refill it with synthetic. Total it cost me $425 with tax. $75 went into the rear end. A good lot of the cost was labor. It was a 3 man job at times getting the pan down and then refilled again.

I watched most of it and the normal fill tube on the transmission would not accept their pump tube. They had a smaller adaptor but it was still too large to fill without a lot of waste through the bottom "filler tube". Finally, they found another plug at the back of the AT body and filled from there and checked flow and fill levelthrough the normal "fill plug". They also had to drop the valve-body to get the brokenspring out. That was a job. But I think I could do it now that I watched them. The clip was on the top side. So the valve body had to come out to access the clips. But that was good, because then they could check out all the other valves and springs more completely.

I wish I had not needed to spend the money on a car I had just purchased, but I was thinking I would change out all the fluids when I bought it anyway. Now I know for certain the ATF and filter are fresh, the rear-end is fresh and the drive train should be good for at leastanother 70-80K miles. They suggested chaning out the ATF fluid/filteragain at the next 30K interval. I may try that myself, now that I watched them do it all once! Just dropping the pan and replacing the filter and fluids would have run ~$150-200. So changing out the valve spring and checking all the rest was not too much more.

I think I am satisfied. She is running sweet again. The "warranty company" would cover none of it. I think I am going to contact the seller tomorrow and persuade him to pay half!

I hope you never have the dreaded "Gearbox Fault"and Solenoid C error. But if you havethe 5R55N transmission and you get those errors, thenyou likely have the same problem.(If I could get pics to post, I would show you my 4-part $350 spring!)

I feel like going out and driving her some more, just because I can!!!

Greg
__________________~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


you might want to copy the text of this post and paste it into an email to your self.. that will make the links clickable...

this is the reason

Read more: http://forums.automotive.com/70/843...ifts-smooth-cold-har/index.html#ixzz1S5fhGafv
 
I appreciate you taking the time to post that. Thing is the tanny shop said I am not throwing any codes at all. Now who the hell knows maybe they just thought they could get me to throw down on a new tranny. I really hate this. I also have a sneaking suspicion that they didn't fill my tranny back up all the way because it feels weaker. On the other hand I was driving before and feeling like there's no way this trans is shot. Car still drives nice.
 
I appreciate you taking the time to post that. Thing is the tanny shop said I am not throwing any codes at all. Now who the hell knows maybe they just thought they could get me to throw down on a new tranny. I really hate this. I also have a sneaking suspicion that they didn't fill my tranny back up all the way because it feels weaker. On the other hand I was driving before and feeling like there's no way this trans is shot. Car still drives nice.

The standard diagnostic fee at Ford/Lincoln is $100 to $200 (depends on the area you are in). Maybe it would be worth it as a second opinion at this point?
 
I appreciate you taking the time to post that. Thing is the tanny shop said I am not throwing any codes at all. Now who the hell knows maybe they just thought they could get me to throw down on a new tranny. I really hate this. I also have a sneaking suspicion that they didn't fill my tranny back up all the way because it feels weaker. On the other hand I was driving before and feeling like there's no way this trans is shot. Car still drives nice.

Just because the trans shop scanner doesn't show any codes doesn't mean your problem can't be diagnost with a scanner. The Ford Toolbox scanner works wonders and you should try that before breaking the car down. Luckily for me I have a friend that has access to one so I scan my car anytime I have a problem and it lets me know what I need to do. Good Luck!!
 
Wow I thought I was the only one with this problem... My Ls has a hard shift from 3-4th and a jerk in reverse ( lol ) but yeah. I'm looking at all these options. Will re-read all of this once I get home..Almost on the brink of selling this car if it doesn't work out...
 
Angel12, what did your problem end up being? I have 03 LS V8 120k and having the same problem... Reverse started to give problems first. I was parked on a hill one time, put it in R, the car changed gears but didnt even move when I gave it gas just raised the RPMs, then finally slammed into gear and backed up. Now its slamming into 4th gear... not all the time though, only when I come to a complete stop and accelerate again. Dropping it off at trans shop tm (after I finish replacing a rear wheel bearing... pain in my @$$ should have paid the 160 to have it done). Thanks in advance.
 
Since you asked for opinions...

Do it yourself, or take it to a Ford/Lincoln dealer.

With chain transmission shops, it's a good bet that they'll say you have to replace the transmission with a rebuilt one, and then they'll screw up the replacement.

Or they'll just replace the solenoid, charge you for a rebuild, and send you on your way, hoping the tranny lasts beyond the warranty period. This is a more common practice, from tranny shops, than people realize.

Talbotway,

Good write up!!! Excellent info.
 
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In a town I used to live in, I tried to buy a used transmission from a salvage yard. One of the yards told me that AAMCO had first crack at all their transmissions. Apparently (in that town at least) rebuilt transmissions were really junkyard transmissions. If it failed during the warranty they just chucked another one in. Transmissions were going for around 100 bucks at salvage, at that time.

I was actually set up with my Lincoln dealer to have the job done, they were going to do it for about 950 bucks. Had to back out though, my son went to the dentist for a chipped tooth and came away with 3 wisdom teeth removed. He's 23 and has no dental insurance, so I wound up paying the 1400 dollar bill. Probably get it in to them next month provided nobody else has a freakin' disaster between now and then.
 
I have a rough downshift from 2nd to 1st. Would this also be a valve body/solenoid issue ? At 100k it's intermittent. Also bucks going into reverse ocasinally.
 
From what "I" have read, anytime its a rough shift or having issues shifting, its usually springs in the valve body or solenoid packs, thats why when people have the issues, they just replace them both. You can get valve body's for 80 bucks, and a solenoid pack for 119 bucks, easy to put in just a pain in the ass to fill the tranny. Anybody have any great ideas on filling up the tranny with new fluid, please feel free to chime in.
 
Can you tell me who sells those parts at that price. Thanks
 

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