How To Replace 2000 31TH Tranny TCC Solenoid, Filter, Adj Bands, Full Fluid Exchange
#1
08-14-2016, 08:00 PM
How To Replace 2000 31TH Tranny TCC Solenoid, Filter, Adj Bands, Full Fluid Exchange
A wordy procedure, but take it one section at a time & you'll quickly get the feel if you've not done this before.
If at 78 I can still get down there & do this, anyone else should be able to also & save themselves a wad of their gold!
Purchase a new torque converter clutch solenoid, tranny filter with rubber seal from a dealer. Some after market tranny filter gasket seals aren't cut to fit right, the MOPAR part Does & mine was made in the USA & the filter seal was Rubber, not paper & was just a couple more bucks than the no name parts store brand.
Purchase a new reusable tranny pan gasket if you don't want to use the specified RTV form in place gasket material. The RTV residue is a pia to clean up every time we drop the pan, so I've opted to use a Felpro pan gasket.
The reusable Felpro one I bought 6 years ago did seem to have some compression/creep problems & may need re-torqueing after a week, or month, or so, if you notice weep/drip signs along the seam, or forming on the fastener heads. Re-torqueing always stopped the weep for me. As I remember I had to retorque once in 6 years.
Come by 12 quarts of licensed ATF+4. The 2000 31TH tranny takes 9 qts in round numbers & if your fluid is really dirty, you'll likely want to run an extra qt through on the pump out to allow for some mixing in the torque converter.
The other two qts can be used for the power steering fluid pump out.
Put the vehicle up on ramps, or stands. If your working on anything less than concrete, put at least a 1/2 inch board under the stands or ramps, so they won't sink in, or tip over.
Remove the air box to get access to the shifter and kick down levers, TCC solenoid electrical connector, the Neutral/Park switch & the Upper tranny fluid return fluid line. Put all air box mounting fasteners in the air box so you don't loose them.
Remove the tranny return line, its the upper line, item #1, (FSM page 21-84 fig 46) & attach a length of old hose (I used heater hose that slipped over the return line) long enough to reach your catch bucket that at least has qt markings, mine has 1/2 qt marks, for reference on how much fluid I get out on the up coming pump out, pan & valve body drop.
Plug the return line fitting, or add a piece of hose to it & route to your catch bucket in case you over fill the tranny & it spits back to make a mess.
Start the engine & let it idle. At idle speed it'll pump 1 qt/15 seconds. With the vehicle on ramps I only get 3 qts out this way (45 seconds run time) but it's Way less messy to let the tranny pump all but empty the pan before the pan drop. This is really helpful on large capacity tranny pans.
Watch the catch bucket hose & when you see air bubbles, turn the engine off without delay.
After the pan is pumped out, we can remove the battery B- cable.
Scroll down to the transaxle FSM page 21-89 here, to view pictorials of what follows, so your familiar with what things are going to look like. http://www.ertyu.org/steven_nikkel/n...000/EPL_21.pdf This view is with the tranny out of the vehicle & inverted on a work bench. Our view with it in the vehicle is from the top of the illustration, so everything in our under vehicle/looking up view, is reversed from the illustration.
Slide a 52 qt plastic under bed storage container under the tranny pan to empty the remaining pan fluid into & catch tranny drips.
Loosen the 14 tranny pan 10 mm hex bolts & let the tranny & pan drain, it won't have much remaining, maybe 1/2 qt or so + what drips from the tranny.
While the tranny drips & pan drains, go under hood atop the tranny & loosen the shifter & kick down lever clamp 10mm bolts and pry those levers open some, so they easily lift off the shifter shaft, no need to disconnect the cable from the clamp. Try not to burr up the shifter shaft & if it's damaged, or heavily rusted, use emery cloth to sand it smooth & vacuum up the debris Before attempting the valve body drop. If it's roughed up badly & not smoothed up, it might hang up on the valve body drop & you don't need that grief.
Review page 21-67 of the above FSM link for a tranny case pictorial of where the shifter & kick down tower shafts, upper/return tranny line port, TCC solenoid connector & park/neutral switch are located on the transaxle case. The view is sorta looking in from the drivers side headlight position, with the air box removed. The park/neutral switch isn't labeled, but is the large round illustration on the lower center right.
If the clamps are rusted, or over tightened, It may take a little PB Blaster to loosen things up some.
Don't get crazy prying or beating on the shafts, as they end up in the valve body, so don't want to damage any thing in there.
A 50:50 mix of tranny fluid & acetone make a really good rust buster & rusty thread lube. A little help from a hair dryer, or heat gun can speed things up some on stubborn rusted parts, but don't get crazy with the heat gun & over heat things.
again, clean up around the shafts, so debris won't fall into the tranny on the valve body drop.
I did my yearly under hood engine wash down with(a garden sprayer, car wash, home A/C condensate = distilled water = no drying spots), before beginning this routine, so my engine compartment was tidy.
Disconnect the wire connector from the tcc solenoid, which is behind the base of the dipstick tube. The dipstick tube isn't shown in the above illustration. A tooth brush with hand cleaner on it will clean up most debris around the tcc connector tower base.
Clean this area if it's cruddy, so when the valve body is dropped, debris won't fall into the tranny. Look here to get an idea what your looking for & where to look for the tcc & park/neutral switch locations on the radiator side of the tranny case. Another location pictorial. https://s3.amazonaws.com/2cp-images/...9415/large.jpg
Disconnect the Park/Neutral start switch electrical connector. It's located low down on the drivers side tranny front corner, kinda behind the 3 ECM electrical connectors that do a good job of hiding it. Refer to FSM 21-67 Fig-5 for it's location. It's the unnumbered circular item between the #6 & #7.
My connector was real tight & hard to get at from the bottom, so I used a long square shaft pry bar to catch the edge of it's lip on both sides from the top, to work it out, popped it right loose. It's just a friction fit, no locks to fiddle with.
Use a 25mm, or 1 inch box end wrench to loosen the switch so it can be backed out some to clear the plastic actuator inside on the valve body, so it's not damaged in the valve body drop, or hang up on it. After the pan drop we can see it inside, between the case & valve body. Don't loosen this switch with fluid in the pan, as it'll leak & make a mess.
Again, I use a 52qt plastic under bed container in place to catch the remaining tranny pan fluid & tranny drips while I'm working.
I took a couple of hour break while the tranny did most of its drip thing.
I also took advantage of having the air box out to yield good access to the kick down band adjustment, so did that while the tranny & pan dripped. Refer to FSM page 21-67 Fig-5 item-13.
Loosen the lock nut & back it off about 5 turns.
Turn the screw In until it's tightened to 72 in/lbs, then back the screw off/out 2 & 1/4 turns, hold in place & snug the nut down some, then torque the nut to 35 Ft/lbs. You'll need a deep well socket for the torque wrench to fit over the screw & nut. I didn't have one, so guessed at the torque with my box end wrench!!! If you do this manually, don't get crazy & over tighten the lock nut.
I have 1/4" - 3/8" - 1/2" drive size Harbor Freight break-over, reversible ratcheting torque wrenches that have worked well over the years on my shade tree wrench turning. The 1/4" dive has been invaluable on tranny work & all were inexpensive when caught on sale.
All torque settings have proven to be accurate with my traceable lab calibrated beam type Craftsman torque wrench, used as a check tool.
Just remember to stop turning when it breaks over at the torque value you've set & release/back off the torque setting to zero when you store the tool & it'll remain accurate.
Take plenty of pictures of the following for reassembly reference.
Once the pan is removed, clean the 14 fasteners & stow in a sealed container to keep clean & not to loose any. Final clean the pan with a spray carb cleaner or the like & store the cleaned pan inverted on lint free paper, so to keep it clean inside. Don't do the final pan cleaning with linty paper, or cotton towels, do it with the spray cleaner & keep it inverted until ready to reinstall.
The ATF will be constantly dripping, so again keep the 52qt pan in place to catch the drips.
Refer to FSM 21-89 fig's 60 & 61 & unscrew the two T25 Torx screws holding the filter and remove it, but remember or photograph how it goes on, especially the filter seal. Stow the filter screws with the E clip & parking rod.
On the drivers side of the valve body, there is a parking rod and e-clip holding it to the actuator arm. Remember how it goes and remove the e-clip (don't lose it!). Lift the rod clear of the arm & pull it to the left/front, to clear the right end parking lever actuator & clamp holder. Clean & stow the rod & "E" clip. Refer to FSM page 21-90, fig's 62 & 63 illustration.
Prepare a clean work surface. I used the dish shaped inside of the lid of my 52qt plastic under bed storage container, lined with lint free parchment paper, you know, the kind the wife bakes cookies on. Use Clean news paper if you don't have parchment paper. Don't use linty paper towels.
Check to make sure the Neutral/Park switch is backed out enough to clear the plastic actuator before the valve body drop. No need to completely remove it to get clearance. Removal is another chance for dirt to gain another entry point. With the pan removed we can look up & see it, on the drivers side front corner, if we look up between the valve body & case. Confirm it's backed out enough to clear on the valve body drop. Ref FSM 21-67 fig-5. (It's the circular unnumbered item between the #6 & #7 numbers in fig 5).
Refer to 21-90 Fig-4 & remove the seven 10 mm hex bolts that hold the valve body in. Notice the two governor tubes on the rear, which will come down & can come off/out of the valve body as you lower/remove the valve body, remember how they go in. They are a slip fit.
Gently rock & evenly pull Straight down on the valve body. You may need a helper to push down some on the shifter rod from the top, to help get things started. Don't pull down too hard. If it gets uneven & jams, Push it back up & begin lowering again until you get the feel of the drop. Pull Straight down Evenly. It's a closed assembly, not heavy & nothing is loose to fall off, it's all a enclosed one piece assembly. The valve body cover plate is still on, no need to open it up, so no ball check valve *****, ect to fall out & no need to open the valve body to replace the TCC solenoid, as depicted in the FSM pictorials. Pull the valve body out in one piece, the TCC solenoid is bolted externally to it.
Once the valve body assembly is out, place it on your clean work surface.
Check the new TCC solenoid winding for short to it's metal frame, its winding for continuity & resistance. Mine was 32 ohms.
If ok, you can now replace the TCC solenoid.( Refer to FSM pages 21-102 & 103 fig's 103 & 104) Note the FSM shows the valve body opened up, but remember we don't have to do this to replace the tcc solenoid, as it bolts to the Outside of the valve body assembly. As illustrated it has 3, T-20 fasteners holding it in place, a gasket & two internal springs pushing it away from the valve body. Don't misplace the springs or the items behind them. Install the new TCC solenoid, making sure the gasket & springs are in their designed for place on the TCC solenoid frame & gasket cut outs.
Make sure there is No continuity/short from the electrical connector pins to the metal case, we should have a infinite resistance reading/no short to ground. Mine was intermittently shorting to the frame/ground & blowing my in cabin fuse 10. Fuse 10 also powered the computer, so the engine would die when fuse 10 would blow. A dangerous situation in traffic!!!
Torque the 3 solenoid fasteners to 41 in/lbs. Route the solenoid wires away from any metal support contact, so both are free standing, Both of mine were laying on the metal support frame, to rub through & short out over time.
Referring to FSM page 21-96 Fig-86, now that the valve body is out, also take the time to adjust the Low/Reverse band as it'll provide more work room & make it easier to do. It's performed like the above kick down band procedure, loosen the 10mm lock nut & back it out about 5 turns.
Tighten the 5.5mm screw in to a torque setting of 41 in/lbs, then back off 3 & 1/2 turns, hold the 5.5mm screw & pre tighten the lock nut hand tight with a box end wrench. Then torque the locking nut to 10 ft/lbs, making sure the screw doesn't move.
If you didn't remove the tranny filter earlier, remove the two T-25 tranny filter fasteners & install a new filter gasket, making sure it's aligned properly, then install the filter & torque the filter fasteners to 45 in/lbs. It's easier to replace with the valve body out.
Clean & lube the shifter shaft, TCC solenoid connector shaft & "O" rings, so they go in easier and put the valve body back in, aligning the governor tubes as you push it Straight up, if it hangs up, stop pushing up & drop it down & begin again until you get the feel. When fully in place, Using a nut driver, run the 7 bolts in by hand & then torque the seven 10mm bolts to 105 inch lbs in a couple of steps. I did them at 50, 75, then finished at the specified 105 in/lbs.
Replace the parking rod and e-clip.
Again, if you haven't done so earlier, replace the tranny filter seal and tranny filter & torque its two T-25 fasteners to 45 in/lbs.
Replace the shifter and kickdown lever clamps. The shafts they fit on are sorta "D" shaped, so the clamps need to be open & rotated/oriented properly to slip Fully down, to rest in their proper place. Don't over tighten the fasteners.
Plug in the TCC solenoid electrical connector. It's physically polarized so must be aligned right to fit. Push it fully on. It's a friction fit, no locking tabs.
Before you replace the tranny pan, turn the ignition switch to On & check the mechanical operation of the shifter, parking rod & kick down rod on the tranny shift shaft. Turn the switch off if all is working ok.
Clean the pan and the magnet. The old RTV is difficult to remove. I use carb cleaner and plastic scrapers. The cleaner you get things, the less likely it will leak later. Careful not to gouge, or score the tranny case, or pan sealing surfaces, as that'll become a likely leak spot. Again, I finish the pan cleaning by doing a throttle body or the like aerosol spraying with the pan tipped up, to chase out the solvent & remaining debris, or lint the rough cleaning has left behind, then store the pan inverted on clean paper, until ready to install.
Make sure the tranny pan, sealing lip & tranny case mating surface is Squeaky clean, no lint visible in the pan, or rough debris can be seen, or felt on either mating surface, or the pan gasket, if your reusing the old one like I did.
Most tranny pan gasket fastener holes are under size, so we can screw the pan fasteners into the gasket holes & they'll stay in place, while also holding the gasket in place as we lift & align the pan & get a couple fasteners hand started to hold the pan up.
If your going to use the specified RTV gasket material, place a thin 1/8 inch bead of the specified RTV around the mating surface of the pan and bolt holes and get it on the tranny case without delay, before it starts to set. Don't do what some people say and let the RTV set a little first, it won't properly wet the surface & will likely leak if you do that.
Use a nut driver to run the tranny pan fasteners in by hand, then torque the 14 tranny pan 10mm hex bolts to 165 inch lbs. in a cross hatch pattern in say, 3 torque values. I evenly snug them up by hand, then torque to about 100 in/lbs, then to 130, then finish at the specified 165 in/lbs. This is where a ratcheting, break over type torque wrench really shines, as we can work by feel & not have to try & read a scale, or dial while torqueing fasteners.
Make sure the Neutral/Park switch is retightened to 25 ft/lbs. & reconnect its electrical connector. Make sure it's electrical connector is fully on/in place.
Add the new ATF+4 through the dipstick tube = to the total measured amount of fluid removed on the pump out, tranny drip & valve body removal. Don't add the full 9 qt tranny capacity all at once, as it can leak out the vent & make a mess.
I started with 5 quarts, as 3.0 qts was the total that was pumped out + an additional 2.5 qts dripped out over a couple of days, or ran out as the valve body was removed, to = 5.5 qts total removed.
If yours doesn't drain as long as mine, you'll likely have less fluid removed on just a quick pan drop & filter + fluid change/service, or on a combined pan drop, valve body drop for the tcc solenoid replacement, along with a filter change, so let the measured catch bucket determine how much fluid was removed & needs to be put back in to proceed with your Full fluid pump out service.
The tranny holds 8.9 qts, so only about 4.5 qts of old fluid remained in my valve body, torque converter, cooler & lines, that needed to be pumped out in order for me to get a Full fluid exchange. Don't want that old fluid to remain & weaken the new fluid ad pack, so we'll continue with the following procedure to obtain a Full fluid pump out.
After adding the amount of new fluid = to what has been removed, make sure the tranny return line & hose is back in the catch bucket, reconnect the battery, start the engine & let it idle 15-30 seconds, to pump out 1-2 qts, while shifting through all gears, to flush the valve body, torque converter, cooler & lines, with new fluid, then turn the ignition off. Don't let the engine run & pump the pan dry, so as not to aerate the fluid, or run the tranny pump dry. It'll appreciate that.
So pump out 1-2 qts at a time/15-30 seconds run time.
Check the catch bucket to verify the amount just removed & pour that amount of new fluid into the dipstick tube to top the tranny pan off & continue until at least the total system capacity, 8.9 qts, has been pumped out.
I ran a extra 1/2 qt through, to allow for some torque converter mixing. My fluid was 10K miles past where I intended to change. It was at almost 40K & I like to change tranny fluid on this severely short tripped vehicle at 30K miles, but other events had let scheduled maintenance get away from me this time. So if your fluid has been in there a loooong time, run an extra qt or two through it to get as much undiluted new fluid in the system as possible.
Don't over fill. If you do, you can pump some out the dip stick tube with a marine lower unit hand pump & length of tubing attached to it's syphon tube, that's longer than the dipstick, in case it comes loose, it won't drop into the tranny pan.
If all seems well after a test drive, reinstall the air box & air filter.
So, now pat your self on the back, as you've just saved a tidy sum of your gold by spending a little Quality time with & getting to know your Neon 31TH Tranny a little better.
If like me you've suffered a tranny pan case stripped thread, have a read here on how to easily perform a low cost & effective factory recommended thread repair. https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...bolt-size.html
Now, while your at it, execute a full power steering fluid pump out, with the two remaining tranny fluid bottles. It won't take long, maybe another 20-30 minutes.
Put the vehicle up on stands, so the front wheels are clear of the ground. Chock both rear wheels so the vehicle can't move aft.
Place a towel or rag under the P/S pump reservoir return line fitting. Disconnect the return line by Pushing the line outer diameter end at the pump reservoir, aft, toward the fire wall, until it's off the plastic nipple. Don't twist, or pull the line as it could cause the plastic nipple to break. Keep the open end of the hose elevated, or plugged, so it won't drip fluid on the drive belt, while you attach a length of tubing to the disconnected hose & route it into the catch bucket.
Plug the pump reservoir return line fitting so it wont leak fluid on the pump drive belt, if you pour too much fluid in the reservoir, or it spits back, Keep a towel or rag under the fitting in case the plug weeps/leaks some, it won't drip on the drive belt & cause it to slip.
Remove the fuel pump power relay from the under hood power distribution box, so the engine won't run.
Open a bottle of new tranny fluid & with the pump reservoir cap removed, keep the reservoir topped up as your helper cranks the engine using the starter motor, while slowly turning the steering wheel fully left & right, to bump the stops. Run at least a qt through the system, so to get all new fluid in. Try to keep the pump reservoir topped up so it won't suck air & aerate the fluid, which can be a pia to remove.
When the fluid being pumped out looks bright red & clean, replace the pump return hose & clamp.
Replace the fuel pump power relay.
Top up the reservoir if needed & start the engine & turn the steering wheel fully left & right about 30-40 times so to get any aerated fluid out of the system before a test drive.
Make sure the fluid isn't aerated in the pump reservoir Before any high speed test drives, as aerated fluid can cause the pump to go into parasitic oscillation that can jerk the steering wheel out of our hands.
If all looks well, replace the p/s pump reservoir cap, put the vehicle back on the ground, remove the rear wheel chocks & go for a check ride.
Again, pat your self on the back, as you've saved some more of your gold & helped the system work real good & last a long time.
Stow the unused fluid for top up's in case you have a pan, or P/S system leak, or didn't properly top up either.
Recheck both system fluid levels after a long test drive, say 10 miles out & back to fully warm both fluids to operating temp. Then check both systems with the vehicle level & while both systems are at full hot operating temp.
The tranny fluid level should be done with the fluid at hot operating temp, with the vehicle on level ground, at idle speed, After having been shifted into All gears.
Don't run the vehicle if the tranny fluid level indicates it's overfilled, as that could cause the fluid to become aerated from being whipped into a froth by contacting moving parts it's not supposed to be contacting & that can cause all sorts of mischief we don't need.
If at 78 I can still get down there & do this, anyone else should be able to also & save themselves a wad of their gold!
Purchase a new torque converter clutch solenoid, tranny filter with rubber seal from a dealer. Some after market tranny filter gasket seals aren't cut to fit right, the MOPAR part Does & mine was made in the USA & the filter seal was Rubber, not paper & was just a couple more bucks than the no name parts store brand.
Purchase a new reusable tranny pan gasket if you don't want to use the specified RTV form in place gasket material. The RTV residue is a pia to clean up every time we drop the pan, so I've opted to use a Felpro pan gasket.
The reusable Felpro one I bought 6 years ago did seem to have some compression/creep problems & may need re-torqueing after a week, or month, or so, if you notice weep/drip signs along the seam, or forming on the fastener heads. Re-torqueing always stopped the weep for me. As I remember I had to retorque once in 6 years.
Come by 12 quarts of licensed ATF+4. The 2000 31TH tranny takes 9 qts in round numbers & if your fluid is really dirty, you'll likely want to run an extra qt through on the pump out to allow for some mixing in the torque converter.
The other two qts can be used for the power steering fluid pump out.
Put the vehicle up on ramps, or stands. If your working on anything less than concrete, put at least a 1/2 inch board under the stands or ramps, so they won't sink in, or tip over.
Remove the air box to get access to the shifter and kick down levers, TCC solenoid electrical connector, the Neutral/Park switch & the Upper tranny fluid return fluid line. Put all air box mounting fasteners in the air box so you don't loose them.
Remove the tranny return line, its the upper line, item #1, (FSM page 21-84 fig 46) & attach a length of old hose (I used heater hose that slipped over the return line) long enough to reach your catch bucket that at least has qt markings, mine has 1/2 qt marks, for reference on how much fluid I get out on the up coming pump out, pan & valve body drop.
Plug the return line fitting, or add a piece of hose to it & route to your catch bucket in case you over fill the tranny & it spits back to make a mess.
Start the engine & let it idle. At idle speed it'll pump 1 qt/15 seconds. With the vehicle on ramps I only get 3 qts out this way (45 seconds run time) but it's Way less messy to let the tranny pump all but empty the pan before the pan drop. This is really helpful on large capacity tranny pans.
Watch the catch bucket hose & when you see air bubbles, turn the engine off without delay.
After the pan is pumped out, we can remove the battery B- cable.
Scroll down to the transaxle FSM page 21-89 here, to view pictorials of what follows, so your familiar with what things are going to look like. http://www.ertyu.org/steven_nikkel/n...000/EPL_21.pdf This view is with the tranny out of the vehicle & inverted on a work bench. Our view with it in the vehicle is from the top of the illustration, so everything in our under vehicle/looking up view, is reversed from the illustration.
Slide a 52 qt plastic under bed storage container under the tranny pan to empty the remaining pan fluid into & catch tranny drips.
Loosen the 14 tranny pan 10 mm hex bolts & let the tranny & pan drain, it won't have much remaining, maybe 1/2 qt or so + what drips from the tranny.
While the tranny drips & pan drains, go under hood atop the tranny & loosen the shifter & kick down lever clamp 10mm bolts and pry those levers open some, so they easily lift off the shifter shaft, no need to disconnect the cable from the clamp. Try not to burr up the shifter shaft & if it's damaged, or heavily rusted, use emery cloth to sand it smooth & vacuum up the debris Before attempting the valve body drop. If it's roughed up badly & not smoothed up, it might hang up on the valve body drop & you don't need that grief.
Review page 21-67 of the above FSM link for a tranny case pictorial of where the shifter & kick down tower shafts, upper/return tranny line port, TCC solenoid connector & park/neutral switch are located on the transaxle case. The view is sorta looking in from the drivers side headlight position, with the air box removed. The park/neutral switch isn't labeled, but is the large round illustration on the lower center right.
If the clamps are rusted, or over tightened, It may take a little PB Blaster to loosen things up some.
Don't get crazy prying or beating on the shafts, as they end up in the valve body, so don't want to damage any thing in there.
A 50:50 mix of tranny fluid & acetone make a really good rust buster & rusty thread lube. A little help from a hair dryer, or heat gun can speed things up some on stubborn rusted parts, but don't get crazy with the heat gun & over heat things.
again, clean up around the shafts, so debris won't fall into the tranny on the valve body drop.
I did my yearly under hood engine wash down with(a garden sprayer, car wash, home A/C condensate = distilled water = no drying spots), before beginning this routine, so my engine compartment was tidy.
Disconnect the wire connector from the tcc solenoid, which is behind the base of the dipstick tube. The dipstick tube isn't shown in the above illustration. A tooth brush with hand cleaner on it will clean up most debris around the tcc connector tower base.
Clean this area if it's cruddy, so when the valve body is dropped, debris won't fall into the tranny. Look here to get an idea what your looking for & where to look for the tcc & park/neutral switch locations on the radiator side of the tranny case. Another location pictorial. https://s3.amazonaws.com/2cp-images/...9415/large.jpg
Disconnect the Park/Neutral start switch electrical connector. It's located low down on the drivers side tranny front corner, kinda behind the 3 ECM electrical connectors that do a good job of hiding it. Refer to FSM 21-67 Fig-5 for it's location. It's the unnumbered circular item between the #6 & #7.
My connector was real tight & hard to get at from the bottom, so I used a long square shaft pry bar to catch the edge of it's lip on both sides from the top, to work it out, popped it right loose. It's just a friction fit, no locks to fiddle with.
Use a 25mm, or 1 inch box end wrench to loosen the switch so it can be backed out some to clear the plastic actuator inside on the valve body, so it's not damaged in the valve body drop, or hang up on it. After the pan drop we can see it inside, between the case & valve body. Don't loosen this switch with fluid in the pan, as it'll leak & make a mess.
Again, I use a 52qt plastic under bed container in place to catch the remaining tranny pan fluid & tranny drips while I'm working.
I took a couple of hour break while the tranny did most of its drip thing.
I also took advantage of having the air box out to yield good access to the kick down band adjustment, so did that while the tranny & pan dripped. Refer to FSM page 21-67 Fig-5 item-13.
Loosen the lock nut & back it off about 5 turns.
Turn the screw In until it's tightened to 72 in/lbs, then back the screw off/out 2 & 1/4 turns, hold in place & snug the nut down some, then torque the nut to 35 Ft/lbs. You'll need a deep well socket for the torque wrench to fit over the screw & nut. I didn't have one, so guessed at the torque with my box end wrench!!! If you do this manually, don't get crazy & over tighten the lock nut.
I have 1/4" - 3/8" - 1/2" drive size Harbor Freight break-over, reversible ratcheting torque wrenches that have worked well over the years on my shade tree wrench turning. The 1/4" dive has been invaluable on tranny work & all were inexpensive when caught on sale.
All torque settings have proven to be accurate with my traceable lab calibrated beam type Craftsman torque wrench, used as a check tool.
Just remember to stop turning when it breaks over at the torque value you've set & release/back off the torque setting to zero when you store the tool & it'll remain accurate.
Take plenty of pictures of the following for reassembly reference.
Once the pan is removed, clean the 14 fasteners & stow in a sealed container to keep clean & not to loose any. Final clean the pan with a spray carb cleaner or the like & store the cleaned pan inverted on lint free paper, so to keep it clean inside. Don't do the final pan cleaning with linty paper, or cotton towels, do it with the spray cleaner & keep it inverted until ready to reinstall.
The ATF will be constantly dripping, so again keep the 52qt pan in place to catch the drips.
Refer to FSM 21-89 fig's 60 & 61 & unscrew the two T25 Torx screws holding the filter and remove it, but remember or photograph how it goes on, especially the filter seal. Stow the filter screws with the E clip & parking rod.
On the drivers side of the valve body, there is a parking rod and e-clip holding it to the actuator arm. Remember how it goes and remove the e-clip (don't lose it!). Lift the rod clear of the arm & pull it to the left/front, to clear the right end parking lever actuator & clamp holder. Clean & stow the rod & "E" clip. Refer to FSM page 21-90, fig's 62 & 63 illustration.
Prepare a clean work surface. I used the dish shaped inside of the lid of my 52qt plastic under bed storage container, lined with lint free parchment paper, you know, the kind the wife bakes cookies on. Use Clean news paper if you don't have parchment paper. Don't use linty paper towels.
Check to make sure the Neutral/Park switch is backed out enough to clear the plastic actuator before the valve body drop. No need to completely remove it to get clearance. Removal is another chance for dirt to gain another entry point. With the pan removed we can look up & see it, on the drivers side front corner, if we look up between the valve body & case. Confirm it's backed out enough to clear on the valve body drop. Ref FSM 21-67 fig-5. (It's the circular unnumbered item between the #6 & #7 numbers in fig 5).
Refer to 21-90 Fig-4 & remove the seven 10 mm hex bolts that hold the valve body in. Notice the two governor tubes on the rear, which will come down & can come off/out of the valve body as you lower/remove the valve body, remember how they go in. They are a slip fit.
Gently rock & evenly pull Straight down on the valve body. You may need a helper to push down some on the shifter rod from the top, to help get things started. Don't pull down too hard. If it gets uneven & jams, Push it back up & begin lowering again until you get the feel of the drop. Pull Straight down Evenly. It's a closed assembly, not heavy & nothing is loose to fall off, it's all a enclosed one piece assembly. The valve body cover plate is still on, no need to open it up, so no ball check valve *****, ect to fall out & no need to open the valve body to replace the TCC solenoid, as depicted in the FSM pictorials. Pull the valve body out in one piece, the TCC solenoid is bolted externally to it.
Once the valve body assembly is out, place it on your clean work surface.
Check the new TCC solenoid winding for short to it's metal frame, its winding for continuity & resistance. Mine was 32 ohms.
If ok, you can now replace the TCC solenoid.( Refer to FSM pages 21-102 & 103 fig's 103 & 104) Note the FSM shows the valve body opened up, but remember we don't have to do this to replace the tcc solenoid, as it bolts to the Outside of the valve body assembly. As illustrated it has 3, T-20 fasteners holding it in place, a gasket & two internal springs pushing it away from the valve body. Don't misplace the springs or the items behind them. Install the new TCC solenoid, making sure the gasket & springs are in their designed for place on the TCC solenoid frame & gasket cut outs.
Make sure there is No continuity/short from the electrical connector pins to the metal case, we should have a infinite resistance reading/no short to ground. Mine was intermittently shorting to the frame/ground & blowing my in cabin fuse 10. Fuse 10 also powered the computer, so the engine would die when fuse 10 would blow. A dangerous situation in traffic!!!
Torque the 3 solenoid fasteners to 41 in/lbs. Route the solenoid wires away from any metal support contact, so both are free standing, Both of mine were laying on the metal support frame, to rub through & short out over time.
Referring to FSM page 21-96 Fig-86, now that the valve body is out, also take the time to adjust the Low/Reverse band as it'll provide more work room & make it easier to do. It's performed like the above kick down band procedure, loosen the 10mm lock nut & back it out about 5 turns.
Tighten the 5.5mm screw in to a torque setting of 41 in/lbs, then back off 3 & 1/2 turns, hold the 5.5mm screw & pre tighten the lock nut hand tight with a box end wrench. Then torque the locking nut to 10 ft/lbs, making sure the screw doesn't move.
If you didn't remove the tranny filter earlier, remove the two T-25 tranny filter fasteners & install a new filter gasket, making sure it's aligned properly, then install the filter & torque the filter fasteners to 45 in/lbs. It's easier to replace with the valve body out.
Clean & lube the shifter shaft, TCC solenoid connector shaft & "O" rings, so they go in easier and put the valve body back in, aligning the governor tubes as you push it Straight up, if it hangs up, stop pushing up & drop it down & begin again until you get the feel. When fully in place, Using a nut driver, run the 7 bolts in by hand & then torque the seven 10mm bolts to 105 inch lbs in a couple of steps. I did them at 50, 75, then finished at the specified 105 in/lbs.
Replace the parking rod and e-clip.
Again, if you haven't done so earlier, replace the tranny filter seal and tranny filter & torque its two T-25 fasteners to 45 in/lbs.
Replace the shifter and kickdown lever clamps. The shafts they fit on are sorta "D" shaped, so the clamps need to be open & rotated/oriented properly to slip Fully down, to rest in their proper place. Don't over tighten the fasteners.
Plug in the TCC solenoid electrical connector. It's physically polarized so must be aligned right to fit. Push it fully on. It's a friction fit, no locking tabs.
Before you replace the tranny pan, turn the ignition switch to On & check the mechanical operation of the shifter, parking rod & kick down rod on the tranny shift shaft. Turn the switch off if all is working ok.
Clean the pan and the magnet. The old RTV is difficult to remove. I use carb cleaner and plastic scrapers. The cleaner you get things, the less likely it will leak later. Careful not to gouge, or score the tranny case, or pan sealing surfaces, as that'll become a likely leak spot. Again, I finish the pan cleaning by doing a throttle body or the like aerosol spraying with the pan tipped up, to chase out the solvent & remaining debris, or lint the rough cleaning has left behind, then store the pan inverted on clean paper, until ready to install.
Make sure the tranny pan, sealing lip & tranny case mating surface is Squeaky clean, no lint visible in the pan, or rough debris can be seen, or felt on either mating surface, or the pan gasket, if your reusing the old one like I did.
Most tranny pan gasket fastener holes are under size, so we can screw the pan fasteners into the gasket holes & they'll stay in place, while also holding the gasket in place as we lift & align the pan & get a couple fasteners hand started to hold the pan up.
If your going to use the specified RTV gasket material, place a thin 1/8 inch bead of the specified RTV around the mating surface of the pan and bolt holes and get it on the tranny case without delay, before it starts to set. Don't do what some people say and let the RTV set a little first, it won't properly wet the surface & will likely leak if you do that.
Use a nut driver to run the tranny pan fasteners in by hand, then torque the 14 tranny pan 10mm hex bolts to 165 inch lbs. in a cross hatch pattern in say, 3 torque values. I evenly snug them up by hand, then torque to about 100 in/lbs, then to 130, then finish at the specified 165 in/lbs. This is where a ratcheting, break over type torque wrench really shines, as we can work by feel & not have to try & read a scale, or dial while torqueing fasteners.
Make sure the Neutral/Park switch is retightened to 25 ft/lbs. & reconnect its electrical connector. Make sure it's electrical connector is fully on/in place.
Add the new ATF+4 through the dipstick tube = to the total measured amount of fluid removed on the pump out, tranny drip & valve body removal. Don't add the full 9 qt tranny capacity all at once, as it can leak out the vent & make a mess.
I started with 5 quarts, as 3.0 qts was the total that was pumped out + an additional 2.5 qts dripped out over a couple of days, or ran out as the valve body was removed, to = 5.5 qts total removed.
If yours doesn't drain as long as mine, you'll likely have less fluid removed on just a quick pan drop & filter + fluid change/service, or on a combined pan drop, valve body drop for the tcc solenoid replacement, along with a filter change, so let the measured catch bucket determine how much fluid was removed & needs to be put back in to proceed with your Full fluid pump out service.
The tranny holds 8.9 qts, so only about 4.5 qts of old fluid remained in my valve body, torque converter, cooler & lines, that needed to be pumped out in order for me to get a Full fluid exchange. Don't want that old fluid to remain & weaken the new fluid ad pack, so we'll continue with the following procedure to obtain a Full fluid pump out.
After adding the amount of new fluid = to what has been removed, make sure the tranny return line & hose is back in the catch bucket, reconnect the battery, start the engine & let it idle 15-30 seconds, to pump out 1-2 qts, while shifting through all gears, to flush the valve body, torque converter, cooler & lines, with new fluid, then turn the ignition off. Don't let the engine run & pump the pan dry, so as not to aerate the fluid, or run the tranny pump dry. It'll appreciate that.
So pump out 1-2 qts at a time/15-30 seconds run time.
Check the catch bucket to verify the amount just removed & pour that amount of new fluid into the dipstick tube to top the tranny pan off & continue until at least the total system capacity, 8.9 qts, has been pumped out.
I ran a extra 1/2 qt through, to allow for some torque converter mixing. My fluid was 10K miles past where I intended to change. It was at almost 40K & I like to change tranny fluid on this severely short tripped vehicle at 30K miles, but other events had let scheduled maintenance get away from me this time. So if your fluid has been in there a loooong time, run an extra qt or two through it to get as much undiluted new fluid in the system as possible.
Don't over fill. If you do, you can pump some out the dip stick tube with a marine lower unit hand pump & length of tubing attached to it's syphon tube, that's longer than the dipstick, in case it comes loose, it won't drop into the tranny pan.
If all seems well after a test drive, reinstall the air box & air filter.
So, now pat your self on the back, as you've just saved a tidy sum of your gold by spending a little Quality time with & getting to know your Neon 31TH Tranny a little better.
If like me you've suffered a tranny pan case stripped thread, have a read here on how to easily perform a low cost & effective factory recommended thread repair. https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...bolt-size.html
Now, while your at it, execute a full power steering fluid pump out, with the two remaining tranny fluid bottles. It won't take long, maybe another 20-30 minutes.
Put the vehicle up on stands, so the front wheels are clear of the ground. Chock both rear wheels so the vehicle can't move aft.
Place a towel or rag under the P/S pump reservoir return line fitting. Disconnect the return line by Pushing the line outer diameter end at the pump reservoir, aft, toward the fire wall, until it's off the plastic nipple. Don't twist, or pull the line as it could cause the plastic nipple to break. Keep the open end of the hose elevated, or plugged, so it won't drip fluid on the drive belt, while you attach a length of tubing to the disconnected hose & route it into the catch bucket.
Plug the pump reservoir return line fitting so it wont leak fluid on the pump drive belt, if you pour too much fluid in the reservoir, or it spits back, Keep a towel or rag under the fitting in case the plug weeps/leaks some, it won't drip on the drive belt & cause it to slip.
Remove the fuel pump power relay from the under hood power distribution box, so the engine won't run.
Open a bottle of new tranny fluid & with the pump reservoir cap removed, keep the reservoir topped up as your helper cranks the engine using the starter motor, while slowly turning the steering wheel fully left & right, to bump the stops. Run at least a qt through the system, so to get all new fluid in. Try to keep the pump reservoir topped up so it won't suck air & aerate the fluid, which can be a pia to remove.
When the fluid being pumped out looks bright red & clean, replace the pump return hose & clamp.
Replace the fuel pump power relay.
Top up the reservoir if needed & start the engine & turn the steering wheel fully left & right about 30-40 times so to get any aerated fluid out of the system before a test drive.
Make sure the fluid isn't aerated in the pump reservoir Before any high speed test drives, as aerated fluid can cause the pump to go into parasitic oscillation that can jerk the steering wheel out of our hands.
If all looks well, replace the p/s pump reservoir cap, put the vehicle back on the ground, remove the rear wheel chocks & go for a check ride.
Again, pat your self on the back, as you've saved some more of your gold & helped the system work real good & last a long time.
Stow the unused fluid for top up's in case you have a pan, or P/S system leak, or didn't properly top up either.
Recheck both system fluid levels after a long test drive, say 10 miles out & back to fully warm both fluids to operating temp. Then check both systems with the vehicle level & while both systems are at full hot operating temp.
The tranny fluid level should be done with the fluid at hot operating temp, with the vehicle on level ground, at idle speed, After having been shifted into All gears.
Don't run the vehicle if the tranny fluid level indicates it's overfilled, as that could cause the fluid to become aerated from being whipped into a froth by contacting moving parts it's not supposed to be contacting & that can cause all sorts of mischief we don't need.
Last edited by paw paw; 01-09-2017 at 07:14 PM.
#2
08-16-2016, 10:36 PM
#3
10-12-2016, 11:49 AM
Bump: Update:
Tranny case bolt hole thread repair, replaced torque converter solenoid & it's "O" ring seals & the reused 6yo FelPro tranny pan gasket seem to be holding, as weekly checks since the mid Aug service/repair so far show no weeps, drips, leaks.
All seems tight so far, so the BWD replacement TCC solenoid, AFS-Fix-A-Thread & FelPro re-useable tranny pan gasket, all get a thumbs up from me.
The power steering noise & tranny shifting have improved after the filter change & Full fluid pump outs, as is usual for me on this type of service on my Tranny & P/S systems, so imo it's worth the time & effort to do.
Replacing the torque converter solenoid seems to have solved the in cabin #10 fuse blowing/no crank/DTC P0743 condition. It seems the TCC solenoid coil must have developed a hot short to ground, as replacing it seems to have fixed the problem, as I couldn't find any wiring run problems to the TCC solenoid, so was the reason for the decision to replace it.
Tranny case bolt hole thread repair, replaced torque converter solenoid & it's "O" ring seals & the reused 6yo FelPro tranny pan gasket seem to be holding, as weekly checks since the mid Aug service/repair so far show no weeps, drips, leaks.
All seems tight so far, so the BWD replacement TCC solenoid, AFS-Fix-A-Thread & FelPro re-useable tranny pan gasket, all get a thumbs up from me.
The power steering noise & tranny shifting have improved after the filter change & Full fluid pump outs, as is usual for me on this type of service on my Tranny & P/S systems, so imo it's worth the time & effort to do.
Replacing the torque converter solenoid seems to have solved the in cabin #10 fuse blowing/no crank/DTC P0743 condition. It seems the TCC solenoid coil must have developed a hot short to ground, as replacing it seems to have fixed the problem, as I couldn't find any wiring run problems to the TCC solenoid, so was the reason for the decision to replace it.
Last edited by paw paw; 10-17-2016 at 03:24 PM.
#4
05-25-2018, 04:41 PM
Bump/Update:
Checked/Inspected the above repairs & the tranny pan/gasket for leaks/weeps yesterday 5/25/18 during my 6mo oil & filter changing.
All looks ok, the pan gasket hasn't any more weep signs since I retorqued the pan fasteners on the Dec 2017 engine oil & filter service, so all seems well with the reused Felpro tranny pan gasket & the tranny pan bolt thread repair of two years ago.
As noted previously the 8+ year old re-useable Felpro tranny pan gasket is showing signs it should be replaced on the next tranny fluid/filter service, as the outer dia of one of the gasket bolt holes is split, so it seems the gasket plasticizer has baked out some over the years, making the gasket a little more firm & prone to split where it has exuded from between the block & pan. No weeps there yet, just a physical sign its time for replacement. The tranny case bolt hole repair is holding up fine, never have had to re-torque that fastener.
The replacement BWD torque converter clutch control solenoid is doing its thing, no more problems.
Checked/Inspected the above repairs & the tranny pan/gasket for leaks/weeps yesterday 5/25/18 during my 6mo oil & filter changing.
All looks ok, the pan gasket hasn't any more weep signs since I retorqued the pan fasteners on the Dec 2017 engine oil & filter service, so all seems well with the reused Felpro tranny pan gasket & the tranny pan bolt thread repair of two years ago.
As noted previously the 8+ year old re-useable Felpro tranny pan gasket is showing signs it should be replaced on the next tranny fluid/filter service, as the outer dia of one of the gasket bolt holes is split, so it seems the gasket plasticizer has baked out some over the years, making the gasket a little more firm & prone to split where it has exuded from between the block & pan. No weeps there yet, just a physical sign its time for replacement. The tranny case bolt hole repair is holding up fine, never have had to re-torque that fastener.
The replacement BWD torque converter clutch control solenoid is doing its thing, no more problems.