Sonnax Valve/Spring kit DONE!
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 9,293
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From: Parker, CO
Sonnax Valve/Spring kit DONE!
Yep, finally got to it and did it today. Had to first find the time to do it, then had to find a torque wrench. Found a Pep Boys here that loaned me a torque wrench. It was time to change the tranny fluid and filter anyway. Old fluid that came out looked brand new and there wasn't much metalic gunk on the magnet at the bottom of the pan. That's always a good sign in my book 
It was messy and a little time consuming, probably because I wanted to make sure everything was done perfect. The Sonnax valve and the springs are an easy install. Truck shifts perfect now. No more gliding into gear, just a nice and firm little bump that you feel as it shifts. Well worth the mess and time spent.
Now on to more mods!!!!!
It was messy and a little time consuming, probably because I wanted to make sure everything was done perfect. The Sonnax valve and the springs are an easy install. Truck shifts perfect now. No more gliding into gear, just a nice and firm little bump that you feel as it shifts. Well worth the mess and time spent.
Now on to more mods!!!!!
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Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 9,293
Likes: 10
From: Parker, CO
Taking everything apart and putting it together was straightforward and very hard to mess up anything. The only tough part I had was getting the line pressure modulator valve bore and the spring valves out. They didn't want to come out easy, but I did carefully work them out.
On a 10 point scale (1 being easy and 10 being the worst) I'd give it a 2 for installation and a 10 for the mess.
Oh, and having a 6 inch lift made it the perfect height to crawl under and work on the tranny
On a 10 point scale (1 being easy and 10 being the worst) I'd give it a 2 for installation and a 10 for the mess.
Oh, and having a 6 inch lift made it the perfect height to crawl under and work on the tranny
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wycowboy, the shift kit should help with tranny longevity. By making the trans shift more quickly, you accomplish two things that help it to last longer:
1) - you reduce wear on the clutches because they don't slip as much or as long as with the stock setup; and,
2) - by reducing the slippage, you reduce the heat the trans produces, keep the temp cooler, and prolong the life.
The biggest enemy of an automatic transmission is heat. The shift kit is good, but also make sure you are keeping the trans temp low - a trans temp gauge will help you keep track of this.
1) - you reduce wear on the clutches because they don't slip as much or as long as with the stock setup; and,
2) - by reducing the slippage, you reduce the heat the trans produces, keep the temp cooler, and prolong the life.
The biggest enemy of an automatic transmission is heat. The shift kit is good, but also make sure you are keeping the trans temp low - a trans temp gauge will help you keep track of this.
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I rarely tow, and have never towed anything over 6,000 pounds with my truck. But I'm paranoid about the auto trans as I have never trusted them (My first car had an automatic - had to have it rebuilt twice in the 50,000 miles I owned it. My second one had an automatic. I bought it, serviced it immediately. Everything looked fine. 10,000 miles later it died. I switched to manual transmissions and never looked back).
On my F250, I have the following to help the trans last longer:
1) shift kit
2) extra capacity, finned aluminum trans oil pan
3) external trans filter (with filter bypass, to prevent trans destruction if the filter should get clogged)
4) replaced the stock lame trans cooler with a Tru-Cool cooler.
Seems to work fine. By the way, performance is also helped. My truck used to "slide" from first to second gear when pushing it at all. Now it just makes quick, solid shifts. Well worthwhile from a performance standpoint, even if it didn't help keep the trans alive longer.
On my F250, I have the following to help the trans last longer:
1) shift kit
2) extra capacity, finned aluminum trans oil pan
3) external trans filter (with filter bypass, to prevent trans destruction if the filter should get clogged)
4) replaced the stock lame trans cooler with a Tru-Cool cooler.
Seems to work fine. By the way, performance is also helped. My truck used to "slide" from first to second gear when pushing it at all. Now it just makes quick, solid shifts. Well worthwhile from a performance standpoint, even if it didn't help keep the trans alive longer.
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Joined: Jan 2005
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From: Shawnee, Ks
It only takes about an hour if you take your time and double check everything. I spent extra time cleaning the pan up, but its not a hard thing to do at all. The key is no rushing and keeping everything clean. Its a great upgrade and will make you smile the first time you feel the difference in shifting. Its been a couple weeks and I'm still smilin.
