Transmission filter myth answered, magnet, and New larger pan and shift kit installed.

[Todd Z]

I serviced my tranny and installed the larger capacity pan, installed the shift kit, Replaced the solenoid pack and changed the EPC solenoid, and added the ford recall additive and new fluid. Here are my findings.



1) The filter is NOT a screen. It is an element filter and MUST be changed. Even the new filter from ford is an element filter. (See pic)

2) There is a nice size magnet in the tranny pan from the factory. ( so you should drop your pan and clean this. (see pic)

3) The larger pan fits perfectly and added 3.5 qts capacity to my tranny and the fins add extra cooling.

4) The higher pressure EPC solenoid is great, along with the shift kit, the tranny has no slow reverse and the 2-3 flair is gone. I did compensate with the flasher, but i wanted the mechanical issue gone.

5) I would NOT recommend people install the shift kit. This kit is really intended to be installed while your rebuilding the tranny. The improvements are great, BUT i believe the new solenoids and EPC made the difference, NOT the shift kit.



In conclusion, I would recommend a filter service on our tranny at least every 30K and fluid flush in between.... Or both every 30K...

I would not recommend the 2 hours to install the shift kit

I would say if your going performance, install a better pan so you have extra fluid which allows better cooling and adds life to the tranny....

And the parts do vary from 2wd to 4wd.



The pan I got from a company that Wayne is dealing with. There are other companies out there that do make them but I know Wayne will get them cheaper once my test fitment gets reported to the company...

Here are some pics.

Todd Z

Factort pan and magnet location, in a high point, it shuld be lower to catch everything on the bottom..

[Broken External Image]:

Old filter, not a screen, fiber material.

[Broken External Image]:

New pan with drain plug installed.

[Broken External Image]:

 

[Kevin Palmer]

Nice job...



Something to look into....

 

[Richard L]

Todd,

The filer looks like most other filters, perhaps a bit larger than most, but it's still just a screen. What do you mean by element filter, because it's incased in a metal shield? There are many other fransmission filters that are similarly constructed and are just screens. What makes you think it's any different?



...Rich

 

[Gavin Allan]

The filter appears to be a non-woven fiber type, not a screen. It probably performs surface as well as depth filtering. I agree--it needs to be replaced, not flushed out.

 

[CHRIS KOPEC]

Would this be the same for a manual trans.?

What is the Epc?

 

[Dreman]

None of the above applies for a manual transmission.

 

[Snooze]

How come you installed a Shifter Kit? What did it do to the performance of the truck? Also.. what is " the tranny has no slow reverse and the 2-3 flair is gone" ?

 

[Tom Schindler]

Todd Z,



1) I knew that. I changed my filter before when I installed my drain plug. The filter is not a screen, it is actually filter media.

[Broken External Image]:



2) Knew that too since I droped my pan before.





Tom

 

[EddieS'04]

Dreman....manual trans has no filter...



I never thought that the Trac trans had a screen for a filter. I wont say they dont exist. Every auto trans I have torn down personaly, had a paper element on a steel frame...or some type of fiber...

 

[Dreman]

That's what "none of the above applies" means. It means that none of the information in this thread applies to manual transmissions, including any references to any filters.



Old Ford C4s and C6s had a screen type filter. I had a kit to install a Mopar A904 trans. fiber filter in my C6. It worked fine until my trans guy decided it should have the larger Mopar A727 filter. The only problem with that was the hole was in the wrong place. He kept trying to figure out why it wouldn't stay in gear, until it burned up. He rebuilt it for me again, this time with me there.

 

[Todd Z]

This information is for an automatic transmission only. Sorry if i was not clear...



Rich, If you open the filter the fibers are woven into a metal base. it looks like house insulation, The above pic is the old filter. The glistening is from the flash on the old fluid but it is not simply a screen. like the screen on a front door... The fibers catch the fine particles and flushing the tranny does not back wash the filter. so it should be replaced to keep proper flow and pressure in the tranny... I agree there are screen filters in Honda's and Nissan's, those you never change, but this one must be changed...



K, Automatic tranny only.. the EPC is the electronic pressure relay for the tranny. IT keeps the pressure in the tranny, they do get week, and this has been a common problem that when it fails, the tranny slips and burns out.



Dbl, I am a performance kind of person, I like things to perform the way they should, manufacturers hover on the line of performance and drive ability.. Some people do not like to feel the tranny shift, I like it to feel it and have it be firm and crisp, That also keeps tranny temps lower and extends the life of a tranny.. My tranny has a common for problem where the tranny would take 3 seconds or more to go into reverse.. ans the engine would rev up in between the second gear to third gear . Most people don't even notice it, But that slipping will cause the tranny to burn up..

Also i have added a stall converter which adds extra heat and can lower tranny pressures, I needed to compensate for the performance converter...



NOTE!! I am not saying everyone should do this, But the way i am and the performance i have, I want things to hold up to the abuse...



Caymen, Guess you beat me to the punch...:lol::lol:

 

[Fred]

Todd,



Is the EPC solenoid easy to get to and change out once the pan is off? Do you have the part # handy? I'm going to change my trans fluid/filter very soon and if the EPC change isn't too involved, I might as well do it while the pan's off.



Thanks!

 

[Todd Z]

Fred, changing the solenoid requires the valve body to be removed... Not an easy task on the ST.

What you can do is take the clip off it, and on the side of the solenoid there is a torx screw. Turn the screw clockwise 1/4 turn MAX !!!!! this will increase the pressure overall in the tranny, Unless you want to remove the valve body..

Sorry, no part number, my buddy at his tranny shop got me the electrical parts.. they are not cheep from ford either.. I think 200-300 bucks..

Todd Z

 

[Fred]

Sorry for my density...



So I can do the remove the clip/torx twist (1/4 turn max) instead of replacing the solenoid? This will increase the pressure some without actually changing the solenoid, right?

Is the clip/torx near the torque converter end or drive shaft end? Left side or right?



Sorry to keep bugging you. Last question, I promise. Thanks!

 

[Todd Z]

Fred no problem.. This will help you out with out replacing it.. But it can still fail.. This just assures higher pressure to help aid it...It is the large round solenoid on the drivers side back of the valve body..

Todd Z

 

[Fred]

Thanks Todd!

 

[Richard L]

Todd,

That's exactly what most transmission filters look like, a non-woven fiber material. When I say that transmission filters are screens, that does not mean they look like metal window screens. It only means that they perform the function of a screen.



The key in it's filtering ability is the thickness of the material. Transmission filters are only about 1/2" thick or less. If the filter were designed to trap and hold all the debris circulating in your transmission fluid it would clog up long before you ever reached 30K miles. That;s the whole key in the design of engine oil filters, It's the amount of filtering material that keeps the oil clean. If you only had 1/2" of filter material for your engine it would likely clog up in less than 1000 miles.



The fact is still that the transmission filter only blocks the larger particles from circulating through the transmission. When the engine is shut off, the majority of the particles fall to the bottom of the transmission when they stick to the magnet. Yes, a very small percentage of the particles will get trapped in the filter material, but they will not cause the filter to clog under normal conditions



If you do not change the fluid regularly, the fluid can cause sticky varnish deposits which can clog the filter and fluid passages in the valve body, but even then it only happens in extreme cases.



The only reason people change the transmission filter is because they are dropping the pan to change the fluid so it makes good sense to spend the extra $10-$20 and replace the filter while you have the pan off. And if you prefer to remove the pan and change the fluid, then I would always recommend that you change the filter while you have the pan off.



If you feel it's better to drop the pan and change the filter, by all means do that, but don't assume that because the transmission filter is made of a non-woven fiber that it will clog if it's not changed. They just don't work that way



...Rich

 

[Todd Z]

you see where that magnet is mounted... ??? Do you see where the filter stem drops almost 3 inches below the magnet in the valley of the pan...

You theory is good, But on this tranny, once everything falls out of the filter, IT will never Even see the magnet... IT will only be re sucked on to the filter once you restart the truck..

I should have taken the pics of the filter cut open... The crap that was on there was amazing..

Todd Z

 

[Teddy GreeneII]

Todd, that's hard core man. This is the type of thing that amazes me, I mean it. It may sound stupid to you guys but how you do this stuff is so cool to a guy like me that can barely put gas in. Very cool. Thanks as always Todd, for teaching and turning us on to how you do what you do. Awesome.

 

[TrainTrac]

Teddy,



Don't sell yourself short! With all of the mods you've done to your ST in the short time that you've owned it, you're becoming quite the gearhead! Keep it up, and next thing we know, you'll be doing a V8 conversion on your Trac!