4R75W Transmission Valve Body Upgrade (Troyer)

[Punisher]

Troyer Valve Body Upgrade: (long post) 2008 F150 FX2 Sport Screw

I ordered the valve body upgrade from Troyer after reading their extensive information. I've also dealt with Troyer in the past (eFans / underdrive pulleys) and been extremely impressed with their customer service and quality of service.

I also went ahead and purchased 10qts of transmission fluid and a pan gasket. After much debate and inquiry I decided to stay with the stock transmission pan. I ordered a transmission pan drain plug kit from Jegs (JEGS60175 / $5.99 + shipping) so in the future I can change the transmission fluid without having to go through the excessive mess of dropping the pan. Some transmission pan gaskets are re-useable and indicated as such stamped into the stock pan. I went ahead and replaced mine with the Fel-Pro and kept the OEM as backup.

Within about 5 days of ordering I received a large box. Inside was another box surrounded by about 5" of bubble wrap packed in tightly. Inside the 2nd box was the modified valve body heat-sealed in a plastic bag. Also included was 7 pages of instructions (front/back) with pictures for most every step. The swap process is well illustrated with clear directions.

And what a mess it is...

I placed my regular oil catch pan inside a large galvanized wash tub (about 30" in dia.) and extremely glad I did. There's about 16 or 20 pan bolts and as soon as you begin loosening them the red, slick, smelly transmission oil starts seeping out. By the time you've loosened all the bolts things are beginning to get covered in oil and extremely slick. There's no clean way to do this... I really tried to manage the mess but be warned... have lots and lots and lots of paper towels handy. You'll have transmission oil running down your arms in no time. I guess if you can get ahold of some long plastic gloves (and I mean shoulder length) you might save coating yourself in the mess... might.

Once the pan is off the transmission continues to drain. Once inside the transmission, there's the 2-3 accumulator... be sure to pump this several times with the valve body bolts loose. This will help cycle more of the fluid out of the valve body. Otherwise, when you remove the retaining clip and drop this assembly, theres a large gush of more fluid (approx. 1/2 qt) that will drain.

BTW... if you're not familiar, there will be a small plastic piece with an o-ring rolling around inside the transmission pan. Don't panic... this is a plug they use during manufacturing/assembly that fits where the transmission dipstic will eventually be placed. When the dipstick is placed this plastic/o-ring piece is pushed into the pan and left to float around.

Follow Troyer's instructions. They're detailed and spot on. Some springs are replaced... some are removed... Theres 25 bolts in the valve body that you'll remove and reinstall. Keep track of the lengths and locations. Also, be mindful of clips, brackets and other hardware. I wanted to take pictures during these steps but was so covered in transmission fluid that I didn't dare risk ruining my digital camera... or even oiling my cell-phone cam for that matter. But again... Troyer's instructions provide large, clear pictures to assist you during the swap.

Make sure you have an inch/pounds torque wrench. Don't fudge with a foot/pounds torque wrench or you'll end up stripping bolt threads right out of your transmission body... as you can imagine that is not a good thing.

Take the time to check... double check... and then check again. Although the intructions from Troyer did not indicate to torque the valve body bolts in steps, I did so anyway. I first got everything seated then torqued to 40 in/lbs the first go'round counting all 25 bolts. I then increased to 75 in/lbs and then finally to 110 in/lbs as the instructions indicated. I also started with the bolt most center of the valve body and worked outward in a spiral pattern until all 25 bolts were torqued. I then went back and check 3 times to make sure none were missed or mis-torqued. I figure the extra couple of minutes might save having to go through the horrid draining mess all over again.

I drilled the 1/2" hole in the OEM pan and installed the Jegs drain plug making sure to clean any burs from the hole, and then rinsed the pan down with brake cleaner to make sure i didn't leave any drill shavings inside the pan. Finally, I installed the new gasket and OEM pan and torqued these bolts to 110 in/lbs as well. Again... small steel bolts in soft aluminum. It doesn't take too much or too long to screw up... take your time.

I poured in 6qts right from the beginning before even starting the truck. I then started the trunk and continued to put trans fluid in until I started getting readings on the dipstick. I then placed the truck in each gear manually while running to make sure all the actuators were being filled with fluid. All told, it took all 10qts to bring the fluid level back up to the required level. (and from the looks of my workshop floor, 10qts seems about right)

I do have the Edge Gryphon from PHP. However, I haven't received my custom tunes yet so I'm running the stock tune. I could immediately tell a difference in shifting. Shifts are firm but still well mannered. They're about the same time as a quick manual shift so the dreaded 3 second shifts are no longer. During normal acceleration the shifts well mannered and very smooth. Under harder acceleration, the tires bark with good firm shifts without any lag. I'm very pleased with the upgrade and resulting performance. As for any mileage gains... that's yet to be determined. I haven't run enough tanks through to determine any improvements yet... but I'll keep y'all posted if anything significant is observed.

I've checked several times for leaks and found none. That is the biggest relief of all. In summary... be prepared (tools, fluid, gasket, paper towels, etc...), read the directions (several times before and every step along the way), check... check... and double check before moving on to the next step, and be prepared to get messy. Well worth the mess and effort though.

[Jackpine]

Excellent writeup, Punisher! It really doesn't suffer from the lack of pictures. Your writing is very descriptive and will be a big help to anyone contemplating this modification. I'm going to add it to our "How To" section.

Thanks!

- Jack

[88Racing]

Sounds like you had your hands full! Of fluid!
Geeez!
I've never really had that big of a problem with getting spewed by tranny fluid!
My secret is a combination of a 40" pan and a 2'x2' drain pan.
First you loosen up all the pan bolts with the 40 underneath. Then remove both sides of bolts leaving just 1 in the front and three in the back.
The you cable tie up the 2x2 drain pan underneath so there is enough room to get your hand in from the back to get the front bolt and then you pull it.
Then let drain and remove the remainder of the bolts.
Then wait 1-2 hours and then come back to the project.

Glad you got it done now it's my turn!

[88Racing]

This is the kit I'm considering:Complete 4R70W Valve Body Kit

Over the past few months most of the locals I talk to recommend shift kits! I know that it isn't right to do that with these tranny's.
So I think Darren's will work the best. He also is one of the top gurus in f150online's tranny forum!

[Punisher]

Originally Posted by 88Racing

Sounds like you had your hands full! Of fluid!
Geeez!
I've never really had that big of a problem with getting spewed by tranny fluid!
My secret is a combination of a 40" pan and a 2'x2' drain pan.
First you loosen up all the pan bolts with the 40 underneath. Then remove both sides of bolts leaving just 1 in the front and three in the back.
The you cable tie up the 2x2 drain pan underneath so there is enough room to get your hand in from the back to get the front bolt and then you pull it.
Then let drain and remove the remainder of the bolts.
Then wait 1-2 hours and then come back to the project.

Glad you got it done now it's my turn!

It wasn't so much a "spew" of fluid... more of just a consistent dripping mess. I did the loosened bolts... drain a while... loosen more... drain more... and finally the 'tilted' pan with bolts on one side. Working from underneath there's just no way to prevent the fluid from running down your tools... to your arm(s)... etc. 99% made it in the drain pan... but that last 1% seems to spread itself around to tools, clothes, and anything else that's touched during the process. It's just one of those jobs where you just have to resolve to yourself that it's going to get messy... kinda like good BBQ.

Also, I failed to mention that Troyer's price is $300 + a $100 core (that isn't charged unless you fail to return the stock valve body within 30days). Because I've used Troyer in the past (eFans, underdrive pulleys) I was already sold and confident of both their product(s) and customer service.

[Jackpine]

88, I'm going to add your "technique" to the "how to" thread. It may keep at least a teaspoon full of fluid off your arm!

- Jack

[88Racing]

I know with past tranny work. That trying to do them on the floor isn't always the best.
I've learned that renting a two post hoist and a stall at a local shop keeps me a little cleaner along with my tools. My garage floor doesn't get as messy either. They are a PIA.
Why the mfgrs never put in a drain plug is beyond my comprehension. That drain plug would make it so much easier.

[ballisticmike]

what are the key benefits of these kits..? can these kits be used in addition to the gryphon programmer? or are they intended to be used in place of?

I wonder what a tranny shop would charge for labour to install this .. any guesses? i would never attempt this myself

[88Racing]

Originally Posted by ballisticmike

what are the key benefits of these kits..? can these kits be used in addition to the gryphon programmer? or are they intended to be used in place of?

I wonder what a tranny shop would charge for labour to install this .. any guesses? i would never attempt this myself

Bill and I have discussed this here:http://forum.gopowerhungry.com/calib...y-upgrade.html

What a tranny shop would charge to do this would all depend on:

If they are hourly>>1-2hours.
If they have a jobber rate.
How much they charge for the fluid. You should use new stuff.