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Advice on Transmission Re-Build

  

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Hi All! Still fairly new to the forum but in my effort to impress a new lady friend and her family I'd like some advice on a repair I've decided to try. 

Full disclosure the most extensive job I've undertaken was a heater core replacement on an '01 Ford Taurus (successful after I dropped the stupid dash on my lap and threw my shoulder out getting it off me). I mainly do brake/rotor jobs and stuff that you can do from the top of the car without the engine being dropped out which I've never done.

They have an '08 Ford Mustang (not sure the specifics) with a blown transmission. I'm planning on going home with her for a few days in the near future and I'd like to take a crack at the re-build SO I have a couple questions and would welcome any general advice on this repair.

Disclaimer.... they are going to junk the car if they can't fix the tranny so if I screw something up it's not really a big deal. 

1) How do you drop an engine out (if necessary) without a lift or specific tools? I haven't actually looked under the hood at this one but I know the technique usually involves bricks/blocks and loosening the carriage. 

2) Is a transmission re-build worth it on this car/in your experience does it last OR should you get a new transmission and install it?

3) Where is the best place to get an affordable yet effective re-build kit if this is the best option?

4) What specific tools would I need to complete this repair and would your standard auto repair shops rent them out a la O'Reilly/Advanced/Auto Zone?

5) Any general advice that wouldn't be provided by a video or the manual that comes with the re-build kit would be welcome.

 

Thanks all and keep on keepin' on!


7 Answers
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Speaking from A LOT of personal experience with these transmissions, I highly advise you to get a new one/OEM rebuilt one. 

Modern transmissions are extremely difficult to rebuild and even guys who do them all the time make mistakes. Approaching the job as someone who has never done a rebuild before and with only jack stands in the driveway, your odds of success are virtually zero. 

If you just want to drop it out and open it up for fun, then go ahead. But many times on those, you crack it open and the issue isn't really as obvious as you might think. If you aren't sure what you're looking for on that specific trans, you may miss something that will cause you to tear it back down again once you install it and realize you still have a problem.

As far as taking out the engine without having a cherry picker, there's not really a good way to do it. They are heavy and delicate, if you can believe that, and removing an engine correctly pretty much requires the correct tools.

 

TL;DR: Get a new/OEM rebuilt trans and save yourself a lot of time, money, and frustration. 


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unless you know exactly what’s broken

(for example: if it’d be a Hyundai Elantra and you’d say you think the wiring harness is shot - I’d say go for it)

This is not only something most skilled mechanic wouldn’t be able to do correctly, rebuilding these kinds of transmission isn’t something that gearbox techs can reliably do.

 

I’ve worked on some trannies previously, and let me tell you - 99.99% of people who try to do these things by themselfs end up breaking what was already left. Even skilled mechanics make a lot of mistakes (for example on the 6 speed Camry lots of places forget to replace the clutch baskets and the gearbox explodes when the poorly made basket just fall apart )

 

and let’s assume you replace the frictions, seals and solenoids, And it still doesn’t work right. you’d have no way of knowing if maybe your oil pump is worn too, If your TCM died, maybe the ECU is not issuing the correct commands - sadly automatics are almost impossible to rebuild when they’re at 180K-200k miles and there isn’t a single issue - it’s usually “the entire gearbox is worn out”

 

TLDR: if you want to do it for fun, and don’t expect it to work - why not. Just don’t get your hopes up at all… 


Also not sure what tools you need for the mustang, but on the focus the tool kit (not including the scan tool, scope and other basic things) is like $500 and the kit it self with the consumables is another $500 if you want the gearbox to last you another 60k miles.


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If going for a budget repair job you'd be better off installing a low-mileage junkyard transmission from a wreck than trying to rebuild that puppy yourself.


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Here is some advice my Grandfather gave me when I was eight - "If you don't know what you're doing, don't do it."


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First of all, if you still insist on trying this transmission rebuilding project you describe, … get yourself a transmission section from a correct, genuine service manual.

Second, park yourself on a comfy couch with that section, … study it. Study hard! And after, … say a week of study, you still think you can handle the job, … you probably should consult a psychopathologist.

F.S.


One of the best things I’ve ever read on here


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I would also not recommend rebuilding it yourself unless you're just wanting to toy with something complicated and "see how it works". I had the 4-speed automatic in my 1999 Ranger "professionally" rebuilt at a local transmission shop that's famous for the length of time they've been in business, and their "quality" work. It took over a year and 4 visits to get them to make the thing work satisfactory again. My initial issue was the truck would fight to go into and out of overdrive. I requested that they save the parts they replace. The overdrive planetary gears had crud jammed in between them. They would spin freely then bind up, and most of the friction plates were shot. They replaced the torque converter as well.

 

About a month later it got freezing cold, and the truck would slam from 1st into 2nd intermittently on the first upshift starting cold. They claimed they couldn't find anything wrong. The problem was less noticeable in the summer time, and when we got the next good cold snap, the transmission threw itself into 2nd so violently it felt like someone rear ended me. Once the truck was warm, it shifted fine. I sent a displeased email to the company and they swapped out three valve bodies before "fixing" the problem. I still intermittently feel a harder shift when it's downshifting through 2nd, but have had none of the other issues. Wish I had found Scotty before that initial visit, I would have bought a remanufactured unit in a heartbeat.

 

I wouldn't seriously mess with rebuilding a modern transmission on your own unless you really know what's going on. My truck is a 4-speed that they barely got right, I can't imagine how complex that 'Stang's 5-speed or the new 10-speeds are inside. 

 

On a fun note, I took the planetary gear assembly to work and cleaned them in aggressive cleaning tanks that prep metal for plating. That got the crud out of the gears, then I had them plated in nickel. They spin nicely again, and are a garage decoration. Haha.


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You don't want to attempt a big job like this without a service manual, unless you're a masochist.


Even if he’s a masochist, that’s beyond that. Even following the service manual on a complex gearbox like that is hell.a


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