4R75E - DIY rebuild, full swap, manufacturers, ...?!

[boywonder]

Originally Posted by JWA

I generally am NOT an advocate for HF tools.....

...not to derail this thread.....

If we rewind the clock 15-20 years most everything at HF was barely worth the metal....but some things there have changed.

I never thought I'd say that the hand tools there now surpass craftsman stuff (the craftsman tool quality has been on a decline for decades) and the HF hand tools have multiple quality grades to choose from.

In the past few years I bought 2 bottom rollaways from HF. I also have a few Craftsman ball bearing bottom cabinets; the HF cabinets are much nicer than the Craftsman stuff. The sheetmetal gauge is the same as Snap-on boxes and beefier than the craftsman boxes and the slides are nicer..just overall nicer. It's not a Snap-on, but it's 1/4 of the $$.

I also recently bought the top end HF floor jack, it runs circles around my 30 year old Chinese orange one from the auto-parts store....no surprise there. There is a fair bit of online chatter about that jack being made in the same Chinese factory as the equiv Snap-on jack...it looks identical. And there was some litigation around that jack between the two of them that has since been settled. This jack has a warranty longer than any of their other jacks (2 or 3 three years I think).


All that being said I returned my HF jack stands due to the recall, and bought the super beefy Sunnex stands that use a big fat pin to hold up 12 tons.

[E-350]

Carpet patch… yeah… what should I say: you do what you can to protect your driveway ������

But I also have some HF stuff. Dual cylinder floor jack works super nice, a lot of tools I intend to use once or twice like pullers or so, random orbit polisher works super nice. And surely a lot of consumables from brake clean over silicone sprays to zip ties.
But pliers, a good hammer, screwdrivers, ratchets, battery tools (Makita only!!! :-)) and other stuff I will be using for years I’m very happy to pay for all these years!

Getting back to the topic:
Received my rebuild kit yesterday and started working on it. Most part of the bushings already replaced, clutch plates replaced,…
The bands surprisingly didn’t come with the package, so I got to wait for their feedback. Should be included based on their website description.

Ordered Mercon V.

So on a good way to get it done.

[JWA]

Originally Posted by E-350

Carpet patch… yeah… what should I say: you do what you can to protect your driveway ������

Please know in was not in any way criticizing your improvised driveway protector. It was not my intention to derail your thread, hoping only to offer an affordable alternative should that be of interest.

Originally Posted by boywonder

...not to derail this thread.....

If we rewind the clock 15-20 years most everything at HF was barely worth the metal....but some things there have changed.

I agree pretty much with everything you say BW---HF has become a great alternate tool brand for many people, including myself for some "disposable" items. Tools I'll be modifying for testing an idea are just one example.

Anyway E-350 looking forward to your progress on the transmission overhaul. One bit of advice I'll offer is when re-installed and full of ATF installed should you ever need to remove the valve body be advised there will be upwards of 5 quarts it holds back. As you'd expect all that comes flooding out when its removed. (I've not done that, read about it on FTE by another member in the E-Series van sub-forum.

[E-350]

[QUOTE=JWA;306992]Please know in was not in any way criticizing your improvised driveway protector. It was not my intention to derail your thread, hoping only to offer an affordable alternative should that be of interest.

All good, no problem. I a serious mechanic would see my driveway/ garage they would go crazy :-D

[E-350]

Originally Posted by JWA

Anyway E-350 looking forward to your progress on the transmission overhaul. One bit of advice I'll offer is when re-installed and full of ATF installed should you ever need to remove the valve body be advised there will be upwards of 5 quarts it holds back. As you'd expect all that comes flooding out when its removed. (I've not done that, read about it on FTE by another member in the E-Series van sub-forum.

Overhaul for now goes fairly well. OPT didn't send the bands with the kit, although advertised on the website. So I guess they just forgot it or they come in a second package. Already contacted them. Hope to get them soon.
EPC comes in on Wednesday.

All in all I got fairly overwhelmed seeing all the new parts. In the beginning it looked much quicker/ easier and then you see everything :-D but eventually I worked along step by step and it clears up.
Got to find the right bearings for the places and some parts I just don't need as the kit is also for the 4R70 and I got the 4R75. Direct clutch drum for example seems to come apart for 4R870, but mine is welded, so 2 sealing rings that I don't need.
I also found "wrong dimensions" for one of the clutches, I think it was also the DC. I had 6 plates in and they sent 8. So I thought "oh, that's for 4R70". But I got too much space, so after clicking around on OPT's website I eventually found that the new pack replaces "6 thicker ones" by 8 thinner ones + a new thinner pressure plate...

The handbook doesn't really help. I found it's much more useful to take 100s of pictures yourself. That's enough and helps much more. Make pictures which way bearings sit, how the stack looks like, about the orientation of parts to each other, ...

I started to put everything back together on my bench to check for the right assembly sequence. All bushings replaced. Taking the old ones out I would also measure the depth BEFORE taking them out so you know how they sit. Had to correct 2 bushings as the parts didn't slide in all the way they're supposed to.
Most of the bearings replaced (beside the one in the planet pack, as I can't open the pack and can't access the bearing).
Once done I'll disassemble again package by package and lube everything up. Also found the clutch discs should be soaked for 30-60min in ATF before assembly.

Only point I got to figure out during the week:
transmission take 14qt ATF in total. I would 1.5 or so into the TC before assembly, fair enough.
Leaves another 12.5qt.

I would right now try to get like 10 additional into the trans before firing it up first time and go from there.
Or should I start with 6 and then add qt by qt?!?
--> happy to hear how you did it

[JWA]

Originally Posted by E-350

Only point I got to figure out during the week:
transmission take 14qt ATF in total. I would 1.5 or so into the TC before assembly, fair enough.
Leaves another 12.5qt.

I would right now try to get like 10 additional into the trans before firing it up first time and go from there.
Or should I start with 6 and then add qt by qt?!?
--> happy to hear how you did it

Add about 6-7 qts via the external fill tube, watching for any leaks around the tube or the o-ring at the bottom. When my 4R75E was rebuilt while attempting to re-fill discovered the tube mounting tang had torn away allowing ATF to leak out.

Start the van, let it run no more than 30 seconds before shutting down. Check ATF level, add up to another 6-7 qts and repeat the start up and shut down/check once again. At this point you could start the van once again until the engine reaches operating temperature.

At that point move the transmission into its various gears pausing in each a few seconds. Re-check the ATF level, add to full line and take on a 10-20 mile drive. If possible during the drive run through the gears once again, check ATF and top off if necessary.

BTW I do hope you've flushed the existing transmission lines and cooler? Adding an inline fluid filter is highly recommended, often times any warranty or guarantee on parts ect demands that step

That procedure should help during the initial start up and drive post rebuild. Hope it goes perfectly!

[E-350]

Good reminder! Thought about it earlier and planned to get one of these cooler flush sprays! Will pick it up today when grabbing my assembly lube!

Thanks for the procedure as well.

[E-350]

There we go!
If Oregon Performance Transmission would have added the bands with the rest of the shipment, I would have started to put it back together!

At least I got the right sequence and this is the way it belongs :-)

[marret]

Excellent, nice to see it coming together.

[E-350]

Lubing up everything and soaking the discs in ATF!
Will prepping the valve body I found this!

Looks like either someone worked on it in the past OR they used copper paste way back :-)




Oregon Transmission answered today and shipped the bands.
One more snap ring missing and then I can start to get the case loaded up!