Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Transaxle ATX Rebuild Picture Story

I did purchase one and install it. I was hoping that it would cure my transmission ills. Well the shifting that did occur was veryyyy smooth. However my trans kept slipping out of gear which is the cause of my trans rebuild. I contact transgo support and asked them about my situation....They laughed and said that with 169,000 miles I was lucky my atx lasted this long!!!! They said the biggest problems with these atx's are the oil pump blowout problem. Thus the reason I purchased a whole new revised oil pump assembly. At least when I rebuild the trans, I won't have to do any work on the valve body.....This kit is worth every penny. You can pick the kit up from www.bulkparts.com for around $30 which is a good deal. Plus you can install this kit without pulling the trans as I did.

Regards,
Bob

Well, I finally pulled the ATX and Engine today. It came out through the top of the car with very little problems. I just had to ensure that I did have wiring disconnected, etc. I guess I also found the problem with my coolant tempature sensor, I went to remove the clip and the sensor broke in half! I wondered why I was having interrmitent problems!!!

On to the actual atx rebuild!!!!

how hard was it to pull them out as 1 unit?

Russell,

It really wasnt that hard! The toughest time I had was removing the radiator and fan assembly. Tight fit in there as you know.... The exhaust y pipe came off quite easily. The rear mount torx bolt was a pita to remove. I couldn't remove one of the bolts and just removed the center mount bold to free up the back of the engine. As I raised the engine up, I disconnected wiring in back of the engine as I had clearance to do so. I had to completly remove the front engine mount but what I did was remove the bolts holding it to the frame and raised the engine until the top of the mount was accessable above the car and just removed the bolts holding it to the block. After that the engine came right out and I even had enough clearance with my overhead garage door open above us. I have the car in the garage and am doing this work. If I tried to do this in my driveway my friendly neighboorhood association would have started sending me notices quicker than a speeding locomotive!

I am glad I removed it from above instead of from below. Now on to the fun part!!!!

Bob

Bob,

I have been telling everyone that pulling the engine/transmission as a single unit for awhile now. However, everyone likes snub their nose at the fact that it's easier and faster than seperating them inside the engine bay.

It looks like everything is going well. Good luck with the tranny tear down. You might want to have that camera looked at ... focus seems to be off

i didnt remove my fans or radiator!

Well I wasn't sure on the radiator to remove it or not...so if in doubt I removed it to be sure I didn't damage it.


FastCougar....it really was easy......I have a neighbor that has a 95 contour. When I told him I pulled the complete unit from above....he didn't believe it until he came over and looked at the results...he even voluntered to lend me his engine stand to work on trans and engine!!!!

Thanks for the advice!!!! I'm hitting the sack...I am bushed after today's fun!

Well here are some pictures of the atx after pulling it apart. Quite amazingly everything looks very clean. The clutches are worn but are still in decent shape. Checked gear teeth and all look great. Chain is in good shape also. With a 628 converter clutch slippage, I'm thinking it has to be either the oil pump, torque converter and/or the electronic selonoid...all of which are being replaced.

Oh yes, one picture shows the magnet with a thick layer of particles. The other shows the otc tool to replace the sprag in trans case. I'm not sure if it needs replaced but i'm gonna replace it anyway!!

Bob,

Since this will be my next project, this spring/summer, I have a few questions:

1) will I need any "specialty" tools aside from the kit that I sent you? I have a depth micrometer, but IIRC, there is something similar in the CD4E tool kit to check for endplay.

2) I ordered an engine stand since I recently purchased a 98-99 3.0L from a Taurus ... it will go nicely with my SVT heads Question: can you take some pictures of how you attached the tranny case to the stand? Since the stand and engine will be ariving soon, and the tranny rebuild is my next mod, I need to decide if I will just leave the engine in the crate until the tranny is rebuilt.

3) Having fun yet?