Transgo Shift Kit

hite337

hite337

Hite Performance
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Well I dropped my transmission pan, removed the old filter, solenoid pack and valve body on my '02 LSE (and yes, the solenoid electrical connector bolt is a bitch). I installed all of the valve body parts that came with the Transgo Shift Kit into the valve body, there wasnt much to it. The car drives great but the 'check transmission' is now displayed along with the'E'. The 'E' doesnt stand for excellent apparently. I think I may have the fluid level wrong and I am going to check that tomorrow morning. I added 4 quarts of new fluid and more than half of the 1 to 1.5 gallons that came out of ther pan when I drained it. I had the transmission flushed and had 10 miles on the new fluid when I parked it awaiting the new solenoid, valve body and shift kit so I figured I could re-use the fluid that came out of the transmission. But I added what seems like way more than what came out of it.
I could not get any fluid to come out of the center drain plug when I filled it untill I shut the car off. Then it came out slowly for about a half an hour. I think the instructions say to wait for it to come out of the center drain plug while the car is running. It is a possibility that I got a bad solenoid valve, and I have not heard anyone say the Transgo Shift Kit caused any problems so I'm leaning towards incorrect fluid level. Anyway, I am going to re-check the fluid level tomorrow but I was wondering if incorrect fluid level would cause the 'check transmission' message??? And does the check transmission message store any codes anywhere???
 
It could be the fluid level. You can pull the code from the OBDII port. Also check to make sure you got the connector fully seated.
 
hite337 said:
... if incorrect fluid level would cause the 'check transmission' message??? And does the check transmission message store any codes anywhere???
Click to expand...

No, incorrect fluid level will not trigger the check transmission message by itself. (There is no fluid level sensor.)
Yes, transmission codes are stored. Generic scanners can pick up some of them. Others require a Ford specific scan tool.
 
The only reason I replaced the VB and solenoid is I was opening the pan to install the shift kit so I figured I would change them also and put in a new filter. I ordered the VB and solenoid from 800700 trans and the valve body came with a gasket that was trashed and the solenoid looked like it was dirty. I am not impressed, I'm now thinking the new solenoid is bad. I finally got the fluid to start dripping out of the inner plug so I know the fluid level is correct. The strange part is I put in 5 more quarts than what came out of the transmission. I did spill a little out of the pan when I was removing it because the drain plug leaves a little in the pan and some was held in the valvebody also, but nowhere near 5 quarts. I am wondering if the dealer even checked the fluid level when they flushed the trans. Who knows with those clowns.
The transmission seems to work ok but I am not really liking how the shift kit affected the shifting. It hits hard from 2nd to 3rd and 3rd to 4th and seems to be hit too hard. I dont really like the 'thunk' noise it makes when under light acceleration from a stop. I think I am going to drop the pan again (damnit) and remove the shift kit and install my old solenoid valve and see if that cures the 'check transmission E'. This is not what I want to do but I dont think I have any other choice.
 
The check transmission code was the solenoid. I bought it from 800700 trans. I'm not too happy about getting a bad solenoid from them. So I dropped the pan and removed the shift kit from the valve body and changed the solenoid back to the origional one. Everything works great now. I wish the shift kit wouldnt have had such a harsh kick. Oh well, time to get a tune I guess
 
hite337 said:
The check transmission code was the solenoid. I bought it from 800700 trans. I'm not too happy about getting a bad solenoid from them. So I dropped the pan and removed the shift kit from the valve body and changed the solenoid back to the origional one. Everything works great now. I wish the shift kit wouldnt have had such a harsh kick. Oh well, time to get a tune I guess
Click to expand...

How are you so sure that the harshness wasn't from the bad solenoid valve instead of the new valve body? Harsh engagement/shift is one of the typical symptoms of a failing solenoid valve.
 
hite337 said:
The transmission seems to work ok but I am not really liking how the shift kit affected the shifting. It hits hard from 2nd to 3rd and 3rd to 4th and seems to be hit too hard. I dont really like the 'thunk' noise it makes when under light acceleration from a stop. I think I am going to drop the pan again (damnit) and remove the shift kit and install my old solenoid valve and see if that cures the 'check transmission E'. This is not what I want to do but I dont think I have any other choice.
Click to expand...

That is not the shift kit...provided you started with a good valvebody and installed it correctly.
 
Very good point and I did think about that. I will try and install the shift kit again and see what happens. I was just tired of draining and dropping the pan and making a big ass mess so I decided to take it back to the factory configuration for now. The good news is I can do the job in 2 1/2 hrs now that I've had so much practice! Thanks for the info guys, I will keep you informed.
 
Yeah... I know I pulled this thread from the boneyard. :shifty:

So Hite... Did you ever follow through with this? If so, what were the results?

Thanks,

---Mike---
 
I did...I should've updated this thread but I forgot about it altogether. I installed the TransGo shift kit and it definately improved the shifts between 2-3 and 3-4. It shifts a bit quicker and just feels more solid. I didnt insatll the whole kit, some of the parts required the entire transmission to be dropped and I have not needed to do that yet. I installed everything that goes into the valve body. Well worth the $60-70!
 
Yell at me week after next if it does not sell before then.
 
mlara1129 said:
Not to thread jack, but im currently selling a transgo kit if you're interested:
http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/showthread.php?t=83432
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's how I found this thread. Stumbled upon yours Mlara, through a google search, and that led me to Hite's.

So Hite, would you care to expand on your procedure? Which valve body did you end up using, and which parts did you omit from the shift kit installation?? I take it that you got a bad replacement solenoid, and that was your issue in the first place?

Mlara. I'm curious as to why you decided not to install the shift kit during the rebuild. What were your reservations??
 
marcredd said:
Yell at me week after next if it does not sell before then.
Click to expand...
sounds good.

04_Sport_LS said:
Mlara. I'm curious as to why you decided not to install the shift kit during the rebuild. What were your reservations??
Click to expand...

Only reason i didn't was because my mechanic recommended against it. I was having my tranny replaced not just rebuilt so he told me that if something wasn't working right after the install was done, it would be tough to determine if the replacement tranny was bad or if something had gone wrong with the kit/installation. So he told me to try out the replacement tranny for a while (at least until the warranty was over) and then try to install it.

So nothing really against the kit, just the circumstances i was in.
 
04_Sport_LS said:
So Hite, would you care to expand on your procedure? Which valve body did you end up using, and which parts did you omit from the shift kit installation?? I take it that you got a bad replacement solenoid, and that was your issue in the first place?
Click to expand...

I think I have a folder full of pictures from when I did mine that I never made into a tutorial. :rolleyes: It is worth the money and time if you are already doing a pan drop, which is not a bad idea with replacing the filter. There are a few pieces designed for the pump, which cannot be done without pulling the transmission. Otherwise all of the parts are used.
 
04_Sport_LS said:
So Hite, would you care to expand on your procedure? Which valve body did you end up using, and which parts did you omit from the shift kit installation?? I take it that you got a bad replacement solenoid, and that was your issue in the first place?
Click to expand...

Ya what Josh said. I used the factory valve body. The other one I had laying around got too dirty. The shift kit installation into the valve body only takes about 10-15 minutes.

The reason I even dropped my pan in the first place was to do the shift kit and go ahead and replace the shift solenoid while I was in there. I did get a bad solenoid from 800700trans who I will never buy from again (they are lucky I dont burn their building to the ground). They dont issue refunds...ever. Only exchange. Even if they sell you bad parts. The guy told me 'guess you're screwed'.

All is well with the trans now and this kit is well worth the money as I said before. If I ever need a new trans or a rebuild these parts will definately go into the new one along with the pump parts I omitted so far.

As far as the procedure I will try to find the instruction sheet that came with the shift kit, scan it and post it here. You have to remove your trans pan, shift solenoid and valve body. The parts go into the valve body. IIRC the only tool I needed to intall the shift kit itself was a pair on needle nose pliers.
 
mlara1129 said:
sounds good.



Only reason i didn't was because my mechanic recommended against it. I was having my tranny replaced not just rebuilt so he told me that if something wasn't working right after the install was done, it would be tough to determine if the replacement tranny was bad or if something had gone wrong with the kit/installation. So he told me to try out the replacement tranny for a while (at least until the warranty was over) and then try to install it.

So nothing really against the kit, just the circumstances i was in.
Click to expand...

A good recommendation by your mechanic. Sounds like he is wise and trustworthy.

---Mike---
 
hite337 said:
As far as the procedure I will try to find the instruction sheet that came with the shift kit, scan it and post it here. You have to remove your trans pan, shift solenoid and valve body. The parts go into the valve body. IIRC the only tool I needed to intall the shift kit itself was a pair on needle nose pliers.
Click to expand...

I also used a small flat-blade screwdriver and a few paperclips.
 
hite337 said:
Ya what Josh said. I used the factory valve body. The other one I had laying around got too dirty. The shift kit installation into the valve body only takes about 10-15 minutes.

The reason I even dropped my pan in the first place was to do the shift kit and go ahead and replace the shift solenoid while I was in there. I did get a bad solenoid from 800700trans who I will never buy from again (they are lucky I dont burn their building to the ground). They dont issue refunds...ever. Only exchange. Even if they sell you bad parts. The guy told me 'guess you're screwed'.

All is well with the trans now and this kit is well worth the money as I said before. If I ever need a new trans or a rebuild these parts will definately go into the new one along with the pump parts I omitted so far.

As far as the procedure I will try to find the instruction sheet that came with the shift kit, scan it and post it here. You have to remove your trans pan, shift solenoid and valve body. The parts go into the valve body. IIRC the only tool I needed to intall the shift kit itself was a pair on needle nose pliers.
Click to expand...

Hite and Josh,

Thanks for the info. I'm curious about the reason for the included pump parts. Any time you get into the VB and modify it, you are changing internal pressures. Makes me wonder if the parts were meant to boost pump pressure, or just reinforce it, to prevent failure. How many miles are on the tranny since the shift kit install?

Thanks,

---Mike---
 
Not sure what is included in the Lincoln Transgo Kit, but I had a Transgo kit installed in my Camaro (700R4 trans) a few years back. The mechanic I took it to said the kit was really well done and basically provided upgraded and stronger internals than what came stock. It also required some mods to the valve body (don't remember exactly what) but a couple holes were needed to be drilled if I remember correctly. Once it was installed, it cleaned up the shifts quite a bit and made them much quicker and a bit firmer. Since the car was fairly modified, and I was young and didn't care about a "smooth ride," the firm shifts didn't bother me.

Again, Transgo makes a good product and I was happy with it in my Camaro. Would I install it in my Lincoln - probably not. From what I understand, it seems a tune from Torrie cleans up shifts and doesn't require you to get your hands dirty...
 
myfirstlincoln said:
Since the car was fairly modified, and I was young and didn't care about a "smooth ride," the firm shifts didn't bother me.
Click to expand...
The shifts arent that harsh at all. Just firmer and quicker. It doesnt have that 'lazy Lincoln' shift anymore.

myfirstlincoln said:
Again, Transgo makes a good product and I was happy with it in my Camaro. Would I install it in my Lincoln - probably not. From what I understand, it seems a tune from Torrie cleans up shifts and doesn't require you to get your hands dirty...
Click to expand...
$350-400 or $60-70?? I know you can get more than better shifts from a tune but if you dont have the money for an SCT and tunes then the Transgo will help for awhile.


04_Sport_LS said:
Hite and Josh,
How many miles are on the tranny since the shift kit install?

Thanks,

---Mike---
Click to expand...

I have about 3500 miles on mine. All is good.
 
You're right hite but that's 60-70 if you're pulling the trans out anyway. If you aren't inclined to do it yourself, that 60-70 price increases drastically.

Btw, I HATE the "lazy Lincoln" shift - perfect way to describe it.
 
04_Sport_LS said:
Hite and Josh,

Thanks for the info. I'm curious about the reason for the included pump parts. Any time you get into the VB and modify it, you are changing internal pressures. Makes me wonder if the parts were meant to boost pump pressure, or just reinforce it, to prevent failure. How many miles are on the tranny since the shift kit install?

Thanks,

---Mike---
Click to expand...

The pump is a weak point, so they include the parts to address it.

I have been running the kit in mine for ~25k miles.
 
Well, I just talked to my local Transtar parts supplier. They have both the Transgo, and Superior kits in stock. They recommend the Transgo kit because of the pump parts, and highly recommend putting the pump parts in because it is a major issue with this trans. The Superior has more parts for customization of shifts, and valve body wear, but doesn't include the pump parts, and is more expensive.

Damm!t. :( I really didn't want to pull the trans, and do the pump. If I do that, I might as well do Mikeyswood's procedure, and do the servo bores too. However, this is my DD, and I don't really have enough down time to go through this. Especially if I run into problems. But, I do have a carrier bearing waiting to be installed...
 
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