Valve Body Upgrade - Auto R33

[hardsteppa]

yo

so bought one of these kits

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Nissan-Skyline-Pathfinder-RE4R01A-Automatic-Transmission-Transgo-Shift-Kit-/221468393075?pt=AU_Car_Parts_Accessories&hash=item33908b7e73

to sharpen up the shifts a little. Car is a s2 r33 with RE4R01A trans. Doing this with the trans on the car still so will only be doing the valve body upgrades, not the sealing rings.

Have downloaded the workshop manual for the re4r01a trans and seems pretty straightforward, just wondering if anyone else has done this so far and has any tips on doing this? One concern is the manual details dismantling the trans upside down to when it is in the car, so not clear if springs/balls will fall out everywhere when I put the valve body off while under the car.

Thanks

[turboedsloth]

That kit there won't sharpen the shifts up to much it will still be comfortable to drive.

When you lower the valve body be aware of the accumulator springs that sit on top of the valve body. Try not to mix them up. Make sure you follow the instructions to the Tee. It's easy to put on valve/spring in backwards/wrong spot

[hardsteppa]

thanks man, yeah not expecting miracles from it but it was cheap from the US, $92 delivered. Main issue I have with the trans is the slow change from 2-3 which the kit apparently addresses to some degree.

I did see the accum springs in the workshop manual and wasn't sure if they were held in or will fall out so thanks, will be aware of those.

[turboedsloth]

3 springs will fall out. Get yourself some Vaseline/petroleum jelly, it will help sticking the balls into the valve body and put a lump on each springs to help hold it in the accumulators when you put it back together

[hardsteppa]

so did it on the weekend, time consuming but easy enough. Shifts are snap-fast now, I wouldn't want it any firmer. Only bad thing I've found is there's no longer any engine braking in 3rd gear (overrun clutch?) although 1st and 2nd still have engine braking. A bit weird in that the first time I drove it, on the way home there was engine braking in 3rd gear 'pulsing', like going on/off in maybe 1 sec intervals, when getting down to about 1500rpm, but now none at all. Thought it might be a solenoid playing up but I've run through the auto diagnostics and no error codes being thrown.

transgo.pdf

[hardsteppa]

damn, posted before I was finished....in the attached instructions I only did the highlighted yellow sections, not any of the other parts that involve dismantling the trans. Can anyone see anything in the instructions that might cause 3rd gear no longer having engine braking? Tried to contact Transgo directly to ask them but wouldn't you know it, can't find any email address for them, only a US phone number.

[XR Pilot]

There is a set of interlock valves to stop the overrun clutch engaging in 4th gear. In my experience if you have too much line pressure then the overrun clutch will either float on and off or not engage at all due to this. This may or may not be your problem but it's where I'd start - I have the same shift kit fitted to my box (sans components that require box removal & disassembly) and overrun works fine but I have an aftermarket TCU. When locked in 3rd on the dyno it takes have a half second or so for the overrun clutch to re-engage after a pull as the line pressure bleeds away.

Edited December 9, 2014 by XR Pilot

[hardsteppa]

thanks man that's appreciated, guess I would need to hook up a pressure gauge and do some testing then.

I spoke to an auto trans workshop today about it and his feedback was that something wasn't sealed right and pressure was draining away, causing it not to engage. It could well be, although I was pretty careful to make sure everything lined up right and put back in correctly. I really don't know anything about auto's other than what I'm slowly learning from the workshop manual so extensive troubleshooting is out of my depth. The loss of engine braking in 3rd makes the car worse overall to drive really as it's lacking feedback to part-throttle, so worst case will remove valve body and reinstall the original springs.

[turboedsloth]

You didn't mix up the accumulator springs did you?

[hardsteppa]

I was extremely careful to measure sizes and allocate to right chambers as per workshop manual so hopefully not but anythings possible.

[hardsteppa]

while i'm reviewing old topics - this one just turned out to be the 15+ year old gasket falling apart, re-did it with a new gasket and was good as gold....still running strong.

 

FYI spend $35 more on a new bloody gasket if you're doing the job

[Trex]

How is the trans going @hardsteppa ? How much power are you on now?

[hardsteppa]

trans is still going well Trex; my power levels are pretty pisswe@k, prob under or on 200rwkw. Valve body kit transformed car though. Have thought about going manual but for daily driving will be a PITA, this is much more traffic friendly than my last car with OS Gayken twinplate ...although it was an awesome clutch.

[Trex]

I thought you bought cams etc?

I'll be aiming for around 250-300 on a std box with some new solenoids. Wish me luck haha

[hardsteppa]

upgraded valve body served me very well; have now gone manual so is up for sale if anyone wants it.