Colt45's Trans swap chronicles

[Colt45ws]

Minor update:
First, More parts:

For doing the VB modification on the new trans. Im going to do that this weekend and have it ready for install next weekend. My new crossmember will not be here until Monday, so I can't install it anyway.

Got a O2 bung welded into the driver side cat for my wideband sensor. I had pre-marked the location prior to removing it from the car. I picked a location with a fair amount of flexibility so the location didnt have to be machinist precise to make it fit. It was $30 to have it done off the car like this.

New flexplate installed. This is a later 'dual pattern' flex plate that can accept either the 12" 'standard' or 11.25" 'performance' torque converter.

 

[The_Eric]

Thanks for keeping us updated! Keep 'em coming.

 

[Colt45ws]

Anybody good with looking at broken parts and seeing what happened?
The large stub shaft piece was pretty much a melded mess, since it kept spinning. In one spot on the broken end it was blue from the heat generated.
But the small piece is mostly intact from its original state after the breakage occurred. It just got pushed into the hub and only got wiped on the high spot.
I got curious after seeing the ADTR.net 'RocketCouch' 600RWHP 1992 Crown Victoria shear the same part. But it was a clean shear right at the top of the splines. Like someone just spun it while holding against a blade and cut through it.
Mine is a bit different.

I think mine somehow ended up cracked which weakened it enough to allow my comparatively weak engine tear it apart.
I circled in blue a large area I think was cracked before the final failure. About the last 2mm towards the outside of the shaft is broke like this all the way around. Smooth, sharp edges.
In red I lined a crack I found. It starts (I don't really know where it started, that is just where it is convenient for me to start) about 3 splines across from where it breaches the surface in a valley. It goes across one spline at an angle then makes a almost u-turn to head back in the valley. About .5mm under the valley it makes a 90* turn and goes directly under that spline.
In green I think is where it finally tore off on that last 2-3.

But, this is all just my guessing.

 

[Colt45ws]

Opened the new transmission to modify the valve body and swap the EPC (Electronic Pressure Control) Solenoid.

The correct one for my 2004 is on the left and the incorrect one used 2005-2008 is on the right. The new one will not give the correct pressure commanded by the PCM and will quickly burn up the trans. The manual shift lever had to be mostly removed in order to replace this.

These are holes I enlarged and the drill bits used.
Hole #2 (Intermediate clutch feed): 7/64
Hole #4 & #5 (Direct clutch feed): 7/64
Hole #6 (Direct clutch exhaust): #21 drill
Hole #7 (Reverse servo feed for Manual 1st): 3/32
Hole #10 (Reverse feed): 3/32"
Hole #9 & #11 (Forward clutch feed): #31 drill

Back together with my modified 'Supertuff' plate.

Ready for install. Its not 100% complete, I didnt put a filter in it. Also, the transmission pan that it has is scrap from it sitting on it like this. I have the infamous 'Uhaul' factory pan with drain plug, on the way to replace this one.

 

[Colt45ws]

So last night I pulled the radiator so I could replace the transmission oil cooler.

Giving me acres of room in there. I took the time to install the new tensioner I bought when I first started this.

This morning, after work, I decided to move the A/C accumulator forward on the frame, drilling new holes for it.

The purpose of which is to accommodate the Mustang GT belt routing.

I overlaid the difference. On Crown Vics, the pulley just to the left of the alternator is a ribbed one, and the belt runs over it, then drops down around the A/C.
On the Mustang, the same pulley is a smooth one, so the belt runs under it, then over a ribbed pulley before going around the A/C.
I had had my car setup like this, but, when I fixed my A/C I had to swap back to factory because of the low pressure sensor sticking off to the side there.
The factory 03-04 accumulator had the sensor standing straight up off the top, then in 2005 Ford changed it to the design seen here. If you order a service accumulator, you get the new design.
Several other people have run into the problem and fixed it by doing what I did here, move the accumulator forward 3/4".
Difference is, it was really easy for me to perform with no radiator and fan in the way.

Then Ill just zip tie the harness to make sure it does not get sucked into the belt.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Beautiful and thoughtful work. Really enjoying these posts!

Please keep us in the loop...

 

[meep]

I'll second that. extremely impressed. I agree with your thoughts on the stub shaft metal fatigue failure. cracked first then saw fatigue on the inner portion of the shaft. I'm not a mech-E., though, so I could also be wrong.

 

[Colt45ws]

Im glad you guys like my work!
I have bad news.
Im not going to make putting the trans in this weekend.
I did something to the VB that I'm having second thoughts about and its irritating me. I thought about it all day at work today and got myself worked up about it; so, I'm just not going to let it fly like I thought I was.
I will get the radiator back in; that isnt too hard.
Also, I got another improvement in the works.

So, on the 03-04 Panthers, the lower dash insulation (arrow) does this. It droops down and lays on the light-off catalyst.

Yeeeeah. You can see where it had been rubbing on the cat. According to the TSB for this, it can cause "Charring, smoke, and fire."
Lovely.
Ford will fix it for free...ooooh, wait. It isn't a cop car or a taxi so it does not apply.
Unfortunately, Ford excluded Civi Panthers from the TSB because it only is a problem with the "unique drive cycles of those vehicles." Or some shishka like that.
I think I probably use the car at least as hard as either of those, so Im going to perform the TSB fix myself. Its stupid simple.
All that has to be done is cut the insulation along the transmission tunnel, and rip the side pieces out of the frame. Leaving only the section above the trans in place.
Then these pads are stuck onto the firewall above the cat.

I got the part number off the TSB and bought them online. It was $40 for a pack of two pads. If anybody decides to do the same thing, order a quantity of two. In the Ford system the MSRP is per pad, but it comes in a sealed package of two so you have to actually order two.
I have to place the pads right above the cat, so I will wait to install until I have the cats back in place. Watch for these to show up again later.

 

[Colt45ws]

Putted around with it a bit this morning.
Double checked the VB and my fears were unfounded. Im glad I checked, though.
Got the radiator back in and everything hooked up. Refilled with the coolant I drained out of it (I used clean containers) and the power steering got a quart of Schaeffers ATF.

Got the belt back on in the Mustang configuration using a Marauder (93").

Installed a new Racor transmission filter. Figure Ill let it go 5k miles and change it then it should be good for another 30k. These filters are pricey!

In the new parts arena, Ive received my new transmission pan.

The infamous U-Haul factory transmission pan with a drain plug.

Also, I discovered I bent one of the bellhousing bolts. Im still going to try and land the trans tonight or tomorrow. I'll just be short a bolt.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Thanks for the update! You won't likely even know about the bell housing bolt missing, it shouldn't be a problem.

I really like the drain plug equipped pan!

 

[Colt45ws]

Transmission has been landed.
Had an oops moment when me and brother got it up there and I realized the converter was not fully seated. It was flush against the flexplate but the trans was still 1/2-3/4" away from the engine. Instead of bringing it back down, I had him but a wrench on the engine and spin it. It took just a 1/4 turn and the converter seated allowing the trans to seat at the same time.

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Thanks for the update! You won't likely even know about the bell housing bolt missing, it shouldn't be a problem.

I really like the drain plug equipped pan!

Yeah, Im still going to try to get another one. Im not going to stop for it though. I can put it on later.

 

[Colt45ws]

Going to fire this right now.

 

[Colt45ws]

Got it running! Had some hiccups. Before I ran it, I loaded my first DIY tune onto it.
Ill get into that later.

I didnt have any room to back up my phone, but you can see the new sticky heatshield in-place above the cat. (Also, Wideband O2)

Pouring near $10/quart fluid in. With any luck, Ill actually leave it in long enough to get my money out of it.

This was the first thing I did, was fill it with fresh gas. Second thing was to wash it.
This whole time it was hesitating something fierce and I knew I had to fix my tune, but I wasnt aware of just how bad it was.
It was on the way home that I found out exactly how bad. I went WOT and the Wideband went to 1.3 Lambda. (19:1AFR) I immediately pulled out of the throttle as soon as I noticed this. It didn't seem to have hurt anything, so I babied it home.

Got back home and looked over my tune to find that the MAF table had been reset back to stock rather than the Marauder MAF table I had loaded. I KNOW I loaded it so I must've accidentally reloaded the stock table.

Once I loaded the proper MAF table in and put in on the car, it was perfect. I wnet further and adjusted the Base Fuel Stoichiometric to match E10 fuel. Now its perfect. Im getting .82-.83 Lambda at WOT. Will probably do some adjusting to the MAF table to lean it out a little (Im actually requesting .85 in the fuel tables). But, thats so little difference Im not too worried about it, especially since its on the safe side.

Video time!

Listen to the valvetrain clatter! its been over 3 months since it was running. Probably quite dry up top.
Then the power steering pump finishes emptying the reservoir dry and begins sucking air.
It idles like it has a cam in it because of the wrong MAF table in the tune.

 

[Colt45ws]

Wanted to give a 1000 mile final update kinda thing.

76,718 to 77,718
No problems to report.
Trans shifts awesome. Of course I have direct access to the tune, so Im doing a lot there, but I don't think it would be nearly as good without the mods I did to the valve body. I tried to get a video of it, but, it was useless. The mic just picked up bass REALLY well and made my exhaust sound significantly louder than it actually is inside to the point you couldnt tell what was going on at all.
But, suffice to say it shifts what I would call drama-free. It doesn't slide, but it doesn't slam either. It just snaps through the gears.
I am so happy with how it all turned out. It sucked blowing money on a new trans, but I got a nearly new transmission with all the factory upgrades and improvements the later cars got. Then I went and upgraded the valve body to improve that as well.

It does seem to run about 10F hotter than the old transmission, but I thought of a couple reasons.
The obvious one is I didn't reinstall my aluminum deep pan. But, IIRC, I never saw that much drop when I first installed it. Its pretty tucked up into the car anyway and I doubt it gets much air.
The converter it came with is the smaller factory 11.25" 'performance' torque converter that stalls 300-400rpm higher than the 12" the car came with. I can tell the difference around town and the slight additional slip may be adding a couple degrees.
I didnt think either of those were full answers though.
However, then I remembered I used the circuit board inside the transmission from the new one. The thermistor is integrated with the circuit board. If the tolerance is +/- 5% for that particular thermistor, which seems reasonable, then the range at that temp is nearly 10F. Ill try swapping to the original board to see if my idea is correct.

Figure, Ill give it another 4000, and Ill change both filters, (the Racor and the pan filter) fresh fluid, and then it should be good for the long haul. Ill swap the circuit board at the same time as Ill have to remove it to re-torque the valve body anyway.