Hi, I'm new to the list. I wish I had found you a while back. I've already learned more from you guys in a few minutes than in searching several other forums for a few days.
I'm attempting a rebuild of a CD4E. The one in my Contour is dead, so I picked up a used one, and figured I'd "freshen it up" and then drop it in. One problem I have is that I don't know the condition of the tranny. I know, it may have been counter productive to buy something I had no knowledge of, rather than just fix the one I had, but that's what I did. This trans supposedly has 97k miles on it (one reason I went this route was that mine's got 140k on it, and I thought I should start with something not quite as worn out). I've got it almost completely disassembled. I noticed that the friction surfaces appear to be in very good condition (I'm not a trans tech, so this is just an uninformed opinion). You can still see the ID numbers stamped on the clutches and the band (on the actual friction surface). Is that normal for a tranny with nearly a hundred k-miles? I'm wondering if maybe the thing had been recently rebuilt. It has a 2.047" band, and I read somewhere that OEM was 1.65".
If everything else is nominally okay in this thing, is it really necessary to replace all the clutches and plates?
Not knowing the history or actual condition of the trans makes me a little concerned that I ought to cover the "cheap insurance" items. Are the solonoids a must-change item? (this is a '98 model) What about the pump?
Things that troubled me upon disassembly:
1. Found what looks like a piece of a bushing in the pan. It's a small, thin shaving. Thing is,I can't find any damaged bushings (so far). Maybe something left over from manufacturing? I know bushings are reamed and cut when installed. Is it commont to find something like that?
2. A plunger in the VB looks like it was the victim of overpressure. I don't know which valve it is by name (have yet to receive my tech manual), but it is one of the shift valves in the intermediate plate. The spring clip holding the spoolpiece was broken, it looks like the valve was forced one direction and caused the clip to imbed into the aluminum itself. It was pretty much jammed. The valve itself looks okay. But the spool piece was galled, and I made it worse trying to get it out. So I gave up and found another valve body cheap (a used piece). I've heard about pressure problems with these tranz. Is the VB kit from TransGo the way to fix this?
I'd appreciate any words of wisdom on rebuilding this unit, or if there are any links where I can find good pictorial instructions or guides that would also be a plus.
Thanks.
