Shift problems..

M

mk8fanatic

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For as long as I can remember, my 97 has shifted fine between gears 1&2 but from gears 2 to 3 the rpm's go up real high and it takes forever to finally go into gear..:(

I have dropped the pan and replaced the filter bit I have not done the j-mod or replaced any shift Accumulator.
My question would be what exactly is the "j-mod" and is there a write up on how it is done?
Also is there a 3&4 shift accumulator? If so could this be the problem or could it be the 1&2 accumulator is getting hung up on the 2nd gear?
 
Look on TCCoA for the tranny tech articles which will tell you what you need to know.

There isn't really a 3-4 accumulator but there is a 2-3 accumulator.
 
Sounds like your transmission is slipping... loss of gear 3-4 is the most common failure... i'd prepare for a rebuild.
 
You don't think that would be a bit hasty?
The car had 125k on her when out of the blue it started...It had 180k on her when I did the mercon 5 swap & filter and the fluid that came out had no bad smell or dark color...always stayed surprisingly fresh.
The car now has almost 200k and for the last 75k it has not once gotten any worse nor any better.
Almost seems pressure related since I can drive the car nice and easy with no shifting issues.
I do realize of course that I will someday need to put in a rebuilt 98 version, but wouldn't it be worth it to install the updated 1-2 and 2-3 shift accumulator assemblies wit a J-mod?
My good friend from work used to rebuild these for a living and has no problem with helping me drop the valve body & do the shift accumulators correctly.
After all the parts will not exactly "break the bank", and who knows.. maybe I can break some kind of longevity contest on original tranny life...lol

Through my research today on the j-mod, it seems that with all applications the 2-3 accumulator spring is left out completely..? Is this right, and would I just replace the piston and leave out the spring?
 
If you have the know how and place to do the work, by all means, do the overhaul....Only problem is, you will still have a '97 tranny. Find a ''98, and do the overhaul on it and put the mods in...just continue taking it real easy with the one you have in there now!
 
So what other ford models exactly is it that I would look for? 99 and up F150, grand marquis, crown vic, mustang gt ? If it were to come from something other than a 98 mark viii would I still need to use the TC and solenoid/harness from the mark viii?
 
If it were me, I would upgrade the accumulators and do a J-mod or install a Baumann shift kit.
 
Tons of great info! thanks bud! looks like I could repin the connector or swap out the harness/solenoids.

As for the trany itself, What other model cars will work best?
Would a 1999 to say 2002 Crown vic or Grand Marquis work well?
Would I need to keep the mark viii Torque Converter?
Will these 1999 and up cars have a speedo gear output or would they use the abs system like the Gen2 marks?
 
mk8fanatic said:
Tons of great info! thanks bud! looks like I could repin the connector or swap out the harness/solenoids.
Click to expand...

What I did was cut and resoldered the wires from my old harrness to the connector (to tranny) end of the '98 tranny harness ( Making the cross connection easy). I didn't have the tool to unpin the wires IN the connector. Covered 'em with shrink tubing and retaped the length back to just past where I cut it. Before I shrunk the tubing, I only had one set of wires wrong....had to un-solder and re-solder it correctly!! LOL
 
budpytko said:
I didn't have the tool to unpin the wires IN the connector.
Click to expand...

FYI... when we did mine, no special tool was needed. You simply remove the red lock from the face of the connector and use a mini screwdriver or pick to release the pin(s).
 
I thought that the plug would be like that :big-grin:

All well and great guys, but what I really need to know at this point is what other model&year transmission I should be on the lookout for? Is there a speedo gear output on other model cars like the crownvic? What torque converter to use, or what is the bolt pattern size the TC needs to have if I were to get a stall converter? The mark has an 11 inch TC...How do the 12 inch TC's work?
 
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The Maurader converter is a good mild upgrade if you don't want to spend a lot of money on a killer high stall torque converter.

I'm pretty sure all the 4R70Ws had a speedo gear output. But there are impedence matching issues with the TSS in certain models. I'm not knowledgeable enough to tell which ones though.
 
Does my 97 take the cars speed off the front abs?
If so do they make a plug for when it's not needed?
I was planning on reusing all the electrical components from my car.
 
Yes.

Look in the electrical forum for the sticky post that will lead you to the wiring diagrams.
 
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