Ok so I took my truck to Ford last friday and I have been told by the transmission tech that I need to replace the Solenoid. Which is apparently teh reason why my truck is not downshifting properly on high gear on the highway, and why when I tromp on it the first two shifts are flawless then the third and fourth are harsh and then the flaring as he called it then throws my transmission into default mode..

Now this is extremely frustrating because I just two months ago when rebuilt the transmission asked him if I should replace the solenoids due to the fact that I was rebuilding everything with SunCoast Parts, TransGo Shift Kit, and New Torque Converter...

So now this $150 part is going to cost me between $500 to $1000 IF I'm lucky and I didnt do any further damage.

The frustrating part is that he tells me dont drive the truck.. Well I have dramatically reduced my driving but since I need my truck for work its really hard to not drive...

Anywho back on topic here. Where is a good place to get the Solenoid's I've found Performance Truck Products But thats all I found some of the other forums says SunCoast makes them but when I spoke to them they say they no longer do.

SO who's had good experience with another vendor trucks going back to ford on Monday and want to order any parts today if possible!!! Thanks again!!!

 

Anyone with Suggestions My trucks sitting at the Ford Dealer and they are stumped as to why Im flarring from my 3-5 shifts, and subsequently having my trans go into default mode after shifting hard into 5th...

I just had the same dealer rebuild the transmission 6 months ago with a complete SunCoast Transmissions Kit including...

• SunCoast 5R110 1600RPM Stall Torque Convertor
• SunCoast Iron pac-3 with Alto Clutches
• SunCoast TransGo Shift Kit
• SunCoast 300M alloy billet shaft
• SCT Livewire with Custom Tunes from Matt @ Gearhead

I've been trying to reach SunCoast but they closed their office from Dec 24th to Jan 2nd so Im unable to reach out to them. Now Im stuck and wondering what could be causing this issue.. I've spent thousands of dollars on supposedly bullet proofing the transmission and now im left with the dealer saying that the solenoid "looks ok" but seriously I would have expected a better answer than this!!!

And yes on a side note the flare shifting is only present under heavy throttle, shifts fine other than when driving under normal unspirited driving which is 95% of my driving. As well I have tried different tunes all without any change in the shifting.

I was wondering if it could be the EPC (Pressure Control Solenoid) or if my dreaded fear is that the Torque Convertor Failed?? But from reading online many who rebuild their trans suggest the Line Pressure Solenoid to be changed, so whats the difference from the Pressure Control Solenoid, Coast Clutch Solenoid, and Line Pressure Solenoid???

Need some help guys!!

 

My trans did the hard flare from 3rd-5th. But it turns out the clutch pack on that shift was toast. The rest of the trans was nearly new. Are you running a bullydog or edge tuner (shift on yhe fly power level)? They are known killers of that clutch pack

*Just read the livewire part. Does that shift on the fly? I have a regular sct tuner so im not familiar with the livewire.

 

What kind of transmission fluid did you use?

SCT tuners are not shift on the fly no matter what model you get. Livewire is also a monitor I believe.

 

If it is the torque converter then EVERYTHING will be wrong, not just the 3-5 shift. The torque converter doesn't know that the trans is making a 3-5 shift, so it wouldn't know to only act badly then.

The biggest difference is that the line pressure solenoid controls the overall transmission line pressure. The coast clutch solenoid operates the coast clutch. There is also a torque converter clutch solenoid, an intermediate clutch solenoid, a direct clutch solenoid, a low/reverse clutch solenoid, and an overdrive solenoid.

To make the 3-5 shift happen the intermediate clutch solenoid releases pressure in a controlled manner from the intermediate clutch. At the same time the direct clutch solenoid applies pressure to the direct clutch. The intermediate clutch has to release while the direct clutch has to apply. These two have to finish what they are doing withing 0.030 seconds of each other or the shift either flares or ties up. You know what a flare is, a tie up is when both clutches are on and all three parts of the planetary gearset are held together. This makes the output shaft stop rotating RIGHT NOW. It often breaks shafts and gears, too.

To make a flare either the intermediate clutch is releasing too quickly or the direct clutch is taking too long to apply, or both are happening.

All of these solenoids are pressure control solenoids. That's a type of solenoid. Other transmissions have other types of solenoids. There are on/off solenoids and pulse width modulated solenoids, too.

 

Mark I know this is going to be an over board question for most people reading.
But how does a pressure control solenoid work? I was thinking it would of
been a PWM.

It this is too much to post here can you point me at something I can read online?

I have one really bad habit and it's sort of like "curiosity killed the cat but pleasure brought him back"

If I had the money I think I would go back to school and learn for fun.

Thanks
Sean

 

What I have done because when the dealer called me today they said theres no debris in the pan, no clutch material, and no metal they were still just guessing and since they were already at $500 in labour I told them to stop poking around only because I wanted to replace the solenoid so I ordered this one from PTP today which will hopefully be there on Thursday before 2pm. Im Hoping that this will fix the issue Im experiencing. Every other shift is flawless other than my 3-5 and occasionally when on the highway my 5th gear will downshift then shift right back into 5th. Which also only happened the week I took it to them.

I don't know what controls my OD gear but Im really praying that this modified solenoid will fix the issue. According to Colin the Tech at Ford he says that the solenoid in my transmission is working fine and not fluctuating pressure wildly. But he was not suggesting we change the solenoid and since Im in a rental F250 I really dont want to be on the hook for more days than I need to be while my Excursions in the shop.

Thanks Mark as always your knowledge is really greatly appreciated!!! If I can only figure out why I cannot give Rep's to you!! I will once i find out how.

 

Hmmm...excuse me ,but this trans was rebuilt 2 months ago,shouldn't be under warranty?

 

I bought all the parts from SunCoast, and had the Ford Dealer do the install. I dont know if they will warranty anything because I didnt have them install ford oem parts.

I hope that any failed parts will be warrantied by SunCoast but so far to the best of my knowledge there's been no failures from the Parts installed. And Barrie Ford isnt providing me with any warranty on their labor.

 

The overdrive solenoid controls the overdrive clutch, which is used for second gear and overdrive.

 

Take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variable_force_solenoid.

 

Thanks.
That is not so hard to understand. The design of a good one that is a bit harder.

Sean

 

So after having the Solenoid replaced in my truck it's seemed to fix the major issue with the Flared Shift into 3-5...

However I'm still noticing a slight delay with the shift from 3-5 under moderate to heavy acceleration. Its really noticeable when I am running the tune from Matt at Gearhead.. Now the especially troubling part is with the extreme cold snaps we have been having the truck was never willing to start even when it was plugged in over night or all day. So I was really ready to replace the FICM with a Modified one as well.

But before I did that I returned the truck back to the stock programming so that when I received it I could take it to the dealer and have them flash the FICM once I received it.

After I returned the truck to stock programming the starting issue completely disappeared. In fact I can now again start my truck again without plugging in the block heater all the way down to -20*c and even without boosting my truck.

So that then lead me to try the canned SCT Performance Tune in my truck to see how it drove and started.. The starting is actually better than the stock tune however the slight flare with the Stock Tune and Performance Tune is still there.

It really makes me nervous and is making me wonder what else can be causing this flared shift... Ive rebuilt the entire transmission from front to back everything is brand new and the flare I started to get was diagnosed the same week it started, and repaired as well. The dealer tech said he saw no reason for concern inside the transmission but this is also the same guy who argued with me that the factory solenoid would not cause the shift flare... So Im stuck who should I go and see next to figure this out.

PS Im running the SCT Performance Tune now, since Im unable to start the truck with Matt's tune in this cold and have an even more obvious Ruff/Miss. (Not sure if this is because Im running the larger Injectors and Turbo without a Regulated Return or AirDog Pump??)

I am also perplexed about the ruff/miss feel when the truck's cold Im going to replace the FICM even though the dealer says its putting out 48-49v, I've replaced my batteries, and had an Ohio Generator 240Amp alternator, my SCT Livewire is showing 14.4-14.6Volts output. So wondering if it will go away once I install the new FICM.. I've ordered a BulletProof Diesel 6Phase FICM PSU. BPD 6Phase FICM Link

 

You need to talk/Emai and let him know what it going on.
Sometimes a truck will need a tweak on it's tune.

Also I had some shift issues when I first installed a tune.
The problem was solved 2 ways.The first was an adjustment
to the shift pressure. The next time instead of making the
adjustment I put the tune in and did the steps for the relearn.
In both cases problem was solved.

On the starting issue I think you need to talk/Emai with Matt.

I have been running the 8K tow tune and no problems with starting.
But I do have an 06 and not an Excursion and I am in a warmer place.
That is if you can call it warm @ 18ºF over night.

BTW what oil do you have ? If you are using the heavier weight
that WILL give you starting problems. I run Rotella T6 year round.

In taking a second look at you mods list I think you need to talk/Email Matt.

Sean

 

Yeah Im hoping that after I email him or get him on the phone I can figure out whats going on, I dont know how to make the truck "relearn" its shifting but Ill ask him that too.

The Oil Im using is the Ford Dealer supplied oil. I havent started to run Synthetic yet, my next oil change I have planned on getting into the Synthetic routine.

Thanks