DIY - 48re front band??
 

hey guys, i've had some trouble with a tranny build. been back in the shop for it 3 times etc. but now its off the warranty and i've already tightened up the front band once, hardly any adjustment left, its time for a new one, can i do this myself? i've done work inside of auto's before, do you think i can do this without screwing it up? basically just pull the pump and you should be able to get to it right?

also, i want to put in the best band i can find. but im not sure where to find it. should a guy just get one from a place like ats, or suncoast or something? i gotta do this quick

They do make bands that you dont have to pull the transmission out to put them in. Go with a good quality raybestos or Alto band.

If you do pull the trans then yes its a simple, easy, easy, EASY job. You may or may not need to remove the valve body, but it is a contained unit, nothing will just fall out of the valve body.

If you pull the valve body then once you set the new band you can air check it to make sure the second gear band servo is applying correctly.

To remove the old band just pull the pump out, remove the band adjustment screw, and pull band out, the drums should stay in the transmission. Note which way the old band was in, the new band will go in the same way. Re torque the valve body bolts to 120inlbs and re torque the pump to 160inlbs. Be careful not to tear the pump gasket.

thanks very much for the reply, thats what i wanted to hear,

"If you pull the valve body then once you set the new band you can air check it to make sure the second gear band servo is applying correctly. "

how do you air check it? is there a place you can put a blow gun or something? and you mean to check to make sure the servo is opening fully i guess?

where would you recommend i get a band? i'm kinda rushed here, thanks.

oh ya.. those bands are probably thinner that you can swap out in vehicle i guess? is there any guarantee you can even get the old one out that way, just tryin to figure out if i should even try

No they are not thinner they just have part of the band lugs shaved down so it will clear around the band. Used car dealers use them so they can flip these trucks without having to pull the transmission out ($$$). You have to cut the old one out. Probably not the best way but it is the cheapest way.

I found this picture online and just added tags to it. You want to air check the servos to make sure that they are not leaking pressure by. When you apply air to the servos the pressure should try and push the air gun back out. http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a11...aredz/48re.jpg

Try Wittrans.com for a band, when i get to the shop tommorrow i can post up which band to order, the one in there now is probably the crappy band with the 3 slots in it.

ok i was on transmissioncenter.org and they list a few, one is cheap and has slots in it.. something like 32 bucks, it also says 'the best band you can get for the 48re' or some ****, and they have a couple 159 dollar ones, 10% wider than stock- ok to use with stock drum, and ones red. other is carbon fiber. i was thinking of going with the carbon fiber one, but i'dhave to see which i could get sooner, i'll check that site you gave me. if it leaks air by,

i guess its just a servo i need? thanks a ton

oh ya, im interested on a band i could put in from underneath, as long as u can still get a half decent one. i guess you just reach up in there with snips or something? and there is no way to screw up the valvebody if you are careful?

Nope the VB is a contained unit. Remove the linkages, unplug the transmission wiring harness. Then just remove the nine 7/16 (11mm) bolts that hold the VB in and gently pry it down. A tip from doing this a lot is to leave the parking rod in the transmission, pull the VB down far enough then reach up their with a small screw driver or scribe and pop the e-clip out that holds the parking rod to the VB. The parking rod can be a pain in the butt to put back in. Oh, one big spring will fall out, it goes to the 1-2 accumulator, you wont have a hard time putting it back in.

As far as i know WITTRANS.COM is the only one that offers the slip in band. It will have (slip in) beside the description of the band. If your servos leak then it is probably time to change the sealing rings, check the servo it self though, and the bore it rides in for wear. While you have the VB down i would order an aluminum 1-2/2-3 accumulator piston, the plastic ones can crack giving you problems with second and third gears.

http://www.wittrans.com/showfilter.a...02&Section=136
http://www.wittrans.com/showfilter.a...02&Section=107

Btw those bands you were looking at can not go in from underneath, you need to take the transmission out to put those in, they are the "rigid" bands. Those are pretty tough, i would recommend getting a very stout aftermarket apply servo if you go with one of those bands.

well the tranny's in the garage, absolutely nothing left on the old band for material.. straight metal, little wear on the drum, should be ok in my situation i think... hope. i went with an upgraded servo and accumulator, had a chat with a guy that runs this combination in a few twin turbo trucks and its held up so far. and im supposed to crank up the pressure to 85-95 psi, stock is 50-60 or something and mine is / has been set to 75, im sure it'll get me on the road anyway. hopefully all goes well. valve body looks like a bit of a b*tch to pull off tho.

all i have left is to throw some fluid at 'er and go from there. couple last questions. u know that little e clip for that parking rod or whatever that clips into the valve body, is that the only clip like that around, or is there another one somewhere. i ended up with 2, i thought i had removed it from the linkage somewhere, but i cant seem to figure out where. im hoping its not needed. also. i've had the common problem of not always being able to engage park, like sometimes it wants to only stay in reverse when i go to park, but now, i tried shifting it to neutral, and back to park again and it feels like the trannys gettin to park, but i can only get to reverse on the dash. can i fix that easily?

anybody? i have an update, trans shifts through all gears. but doesn't show that its in neutral or park on the dash. and doesn't require the brake pedal to pull out of park. and because of this it wont start up. now with the key in the acc. position i can get the box around N to light up. but as soon as i go to turn the key further it disappears. im sure its a sensor somewhere, im just not sure which one. thanks

You werent supposed to pull that e clip off of the linkage. That holds your gear selector and neutral safety switch reactor on. If you left that clip off then these components are probably out of alignment.