Transmission Rebuild & Upgrade

[Shadow351]

I believe my transmission is starting to slip in at leas 1st and 6th as well as occasionally 'neutral dropping' from a stop (try to accelerate from a stop and engine winds up like it's in neutral, then drops into gear, sequels tires and accelerates. It has only done this 3-4 times in the last few years though).
When stopped at idle, if you let off the brake, the car will repetitively 'surge' forward in increments (suspect slipping the forward clutch?) and in 6th if you give it enough gas to accelerate, but not enough to downshift, the car will again surge/shudder occasionally.

I would like to try my hand at rebuilding the trans, but as I've never rebuilt an automatic transmission before, I'm looking for resources that others have used to successfully complete it. Has anyone here successfully rebuilt a 6F55? What resources (manual/documentation) did you use, and what parts did you replace? What Upgrade options are there?

Thanks

 

[4sfed]

Watching this one.....

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[High on Ethanol]

No upgrades. Make friends with someone who can loan you the ford tech manual/software. Probably cheaper and faster to just buy a reman and send that core in.

 

[Ryan Selcer]

Theres a few here that can help i believe @Jordan_R and @SM105K have done tranny work. I know @bpd1151 is currently doing alot of cool shit with his trans

 

[Jordan_R]

Theres a few here that can help i believe @Jordan_R and @SM105K have done tranny work. I know @bpd1151 is currently doing alot of cool shit with his trans

I've never touched the trans. Usually the issues with slipping and shuttering is the torque converter in these trans though.

 

[Ryan Selcer]

I've never touched the trans. Usually the issues with slipping and shuttering is the torque converter in these trans though.

Ok my bad i thought you blew yours.

 

[Shadow351]

I've got the Ford Manual for the car, but I've heard there are better resources out there for the transmission, Like the ATSG manual (They have one for the GM 6T70/75, which is based on the same transmission). I see there are shift kits and 'Hybrid' clutch packs, are these not really upgrades? I've got a shift kit in my 04 F150, and it feels way more 'responsive'. I don't use the paddle shifters in the Taurus because it shifts so slow, that it's apparent you aren't actually controlling the shift, merely requesting it, would the shift kit not help this?

I'm sure the 'slip' I'm feeling in OD is the TC Lockup clutch, but I don't want to tear everything apart to put in a new TC, and keep the 223k mile transmission untouched (I don't know for sure that it's the original trans, but the car has 223k on it.).

It looks like reman transmissions start at about $2000, but a rebuild kit can be had for ~$500 + $300 for a Motorcraft TC, that's half price, is there a major cost I'm missing? Does the Solenoid pack need to be replaced?

There is an almost identical car with 170k on it in a yard near my parents, they want $250 for the trans. I was toying with buying this salvage yard trans, rebuilding that, and just swapping them, so if there was an issue, I could 'just' (I'm using just loosely here) swap the original one back in.

 

[High on Ethanol]

Labor. Is your time worth nothing?
Sometimes special tools....extra trips...breaking shit.............ya know car stuff.

 

[Shadow351]

I'm not concerned about the labor, I'm planning on it being a 'learning' experience for me, and since I don't currently have room for a true project vehicle, my daily driver will have to fill the bill.

Breaking stuff is a given, that's why I own a Dremel, Grinder, and Welder.

 

[Ryan Selcer]

I don't use the paddle shifters in the Taurus because it shifts so slow, that it's apparent you aren't actually controlling the shift, merely requesting it, would the shift kit not help this?

Yeah i learned how long they take to shift and tap them that much before i want to shift lmao id love to find out that can be fixed but im guessing you'd have to have your tuners look at it and even then they might not be able to fix it as it could be part of the safety for keeping dummies from blowing their motors.

Does the Solenoid pack need to be replaced?

I mean... come on dude....your that far into it you better replace it lol, I do believe that what you're talking about controls shift timing so if it goes out your gonna ruin your newly rebuilt tranny

 

[6500rpm]

I'm not sure what's out there in terms of a good manual, I have access to Ford PTS at work and a good group of guys that I work with. It's still a lot of O.J.T..
A good dealer parts department can make sure you have any update parts/kits based on your VIN.
For the most part it's basic hand tools, picks, and snap ring pliers with one exception.

A 20T shop press (or possibly 12T) more about working room than pressure, and
Tool- Compressor, Forward/Intermediate Spring 307-584 (includes 307-584/1 and 307-584/2)- is invaluable.
Tool-Compressor, Overdrive Clutch, Balance Piston and Direct Clutch 307-589 (includes 307-589/1 and 307-589/2) to a lesser extent.
You could probably fabricate something, but these work really well for compressing the pistons that need to be taken apart/re-assembled.

It's also nice to have (especially being your first time), a good long work bench (or long plastic party table from Lowes, HD, etc) or two to lay your parts out on. Lay your parts out in order as they're removed, and make note of how things like snap rings are oriented.

I've only had to do a few of these over the years, they're not horrible unless clutch packs have slipped to the point of welding or other catastropic damage, but the first of anything is always a bit of a nail biter. If you can't come up with the special tools or press, it's possible that a local transmission shop might sub that out for you.

It's also fair to say that I work fleet. It's not my car or a customers, so other than the evil eye of my shop manager and the bitch of having to pull things back out and down if things go wrong, there are certain pressures that evade me.

Above all, take your time, it's not a race and don't force anything. When seating in parts, make absolutely sure they fully seat and drop in place. As you turn parts through the clutch packs you'll feel them line up and drop through and there will be a distinctive solid clunk when they find home.

Enjoy

 

[High on Ethanol]

I'm not sure what's out there in terms of a good manual, I have access to Ford PTS at work and a good group of guys that I work with. It's still a lot of O.J.T..
A good dealer parts department can make sure you have any update parts/kits based on your VIN.
For the most part it's basic hand tools, picks, and snap ring pliers with one exception.

A 20T shop press (or possibly 12T) more about working room than pressure, and
Tool- Compressor, Forward/Intermediate Spring 307-584 (includes 307-584/1 and 307-584/2)- is invaluable.
Tool-Compressor, Overdrive Clutch, Balance Piston and Direct Clutch 307-589 (includes 307-589/1 and 307-589/2) to a lesser extent.
You could probably fabricate something, but these work really well for compressing the pistons that need to be taken apart/re-assembled.

It's also nice to have (especially being your first time), a good long work bench (or long plastic party table from Lowes, HD, etc) or two to lay your parts out on. Lay your parts out in order as they're removed, and make note of how things like snap rings are oriented.

I've only had to do a few of these over the years, they're not horrible unless clutch packs have slipped to the point of welding or other catastropic damage, but the first of anything is always a bit of a nail biter. If you can't come up with the special tools or press, it's possible that a local transmission shop might sub that out for you.

It's also fair to say that I work fleet. It's not my car or a customers, so other than the evil eye of my shop manager and the bitch of having to pull things back out and down if things go wrong, there are certain pressures that evade me.

Above all, take your time, it's not a race and don't force anything. When seating in parts, make absolutely sure they fully seat and drop in place. As you turn parts through the clutch packs you'll feel them line up and drop through and there will be a distinctive solid clunk when they find home.

Enjoy

Thats a big **** YEAH BROTHER!

 

[SM105K]

Mine breaks I take it Ford. They fix it.

 

[Dirty Harry]

Why not drop the junker tranny in your car. It may work fine or work well enough for you to rebuild yours at your leisure and then put it back in at your leisure.

 

[High on Ethanol]

Why not drop the junker tranny in your car. It may work fine or work well enough for you to rebuild yours at your leisure and then put it back in at your leisure.

https://images.app.goo.gl/7cA5kbXHMHV8nbTF6

 

[High on Ethanol]

whole lot of "leisure"

 

[Shadow351]

Why not drop the junker tranny in your car. It may work fine or work well enough for you to rebuild yours at your leisure and then put it back in at your leisure.

The Junkyard one has 170k on it, and I don't know if it is actually any good (they claim it is but they obviously didn't test it as highway speeds or anything like that). Also, mine does still work, it just slips, so I'll rebuild the junkyard one at my leisure, and swap them once I complete it, and if the one that's in it gives up the ghost before I get a chance to rebuild the junker, I can rebuild either one at that point, or just put the junkyard one in then. This would hopefully limit me to a single trans swap.

 

[ridered74]

Ok my bad i thought you blew yours.

Jordan would never blow a tranny.

 

[bpd1151]

Jordan would never blow a tranny.

***tip toeing around that comment***

LOL

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[ridered74]

***tip toeing around that comment***

LOL

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I can't believe it just sat there for weeks untouched. Someone had to do it.