A440F dying - sorry long, really long (3 Viewers)

[azaussie]

I have an 88 fj62 (220k miles) with A440F auto trans. Yesterday the tranny began slipping while in 3rd and 4th- foot flat to the floor and nothing, then it would "catch". This morning it would "slip" on occasion in all gears and then it would be fine for awhile. The fluid was changed about 9k miles ago it looks fine and smells OK (at least not burnt) and the level is fine. I don't know if this has anything to do with the slipping but about 3 times last week when I came back to the truck after it had sat of an hour or so the tranny tunnel was very warm. After driving it cooled down again.

I will try to flush the tranny tomorrow or Tuesday. If the flush does not help I will take it to a local mechanic for a double check but if the decision is that the tranny is toast I kind of need to move fast as this is my daily driver.

Options: Used A440F from cruiserparts.com for about $750 plus S&H.
A rebuilt unit with an extreme valve body from Rodney in South Australia for about $2,700 shipped to Phoenix;
Have this tranny rebuilt locally;
An adaptor for a Chevy auto from up n' over (what t'case) $$??;
Convert to a 5 speed - H55F. $1850 for tranny plus everything else

Suggestions?

My preference would be the H55F but I don’t know a local mechanic that would be up to the challenge (I know I’m not). Does anyone know of someone in Phoenix that could do this install? What kind of $ would I be looking at for someone’s time to do this kind of conversion?

Anyone know of a tranny shop in Phoenix that has experience with the A440F?

 

[lowtideride]

DO NOT FLUSH IT!!!!! only put fresh fluid in it. cruiserparts.net has all the parts you need for the set up...all in all its not that hard. just bolt on for the most part. A H55f is going to make that 3FE fly.....

 

[tclndcrz]

so i just checked out cruiserparts and they say the have a manual trans conversion kit. that sounds awesome. do you guys know what all it consists of? how easy is the swap? what do you do about the computer without the auto trans?

so basically i think im in the same boat as you. my trans is slipping an dying rappidly. anytime now its going to be worthless. i would love to have a 5 speed. do you think i would be able to do the swap myself? i put my own lift on and i helped my friend rebuild his motor and i lifted his truck. i also wired u my winch, alternator, and fog lights. think i could do it? i would love to save on labor and do it myself. how much do you think it would cost if i got someone else to do the swap for me?

thanks. sorry a lot of random questions...

 

[Dunbar]

I converted my FJ62 to the H55F.

See this thread: https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=29988&highlight=Dunbar+H55F

Also search for my name, Dunbar and H55F and there are several threads dealing with the issue.

It cost me about $3200 in parts with me doing the labor. A lot quicker and easier to swap in Rodneys extreme A440F but he had not surfaced on this side of the pond when I did mine.

I have a spreadsheet of parts and a decent write up as well as pics so let me know if you seriously consider the H55F conversion.

Dunbar

 

[azaussie]

Thanks Dunbar,

Rodney just got back to me and confirmed his extreme A440F would cost $2700 to Phoenix and I would have to pay to ge tthe old tranny to CA. Still the manual tranny would be great if I could find someone to do the conversion.

 

[Pskhaat]

Might I also offer as at least a consideration of the H42 in there as well? Yes, the 5 speed is awesome but if you don't have the $ the H42 bolts the same way up as the H55f and saves a load of money; decent H42s are also a LOT easier to source. The ratios are still very good for a 3F-E; allow for a touch larger tires if desired and a slightly slower crawl, though with a little slower highway travel.

...H41 also for that matter.

 

[Pskhaat]

Read my response in the AZ section as to a location for a professional who's not afraid of custom work there.

 

[bigbertha]

Rodney's Flush

I had the exact same problem with my 1989 FJ62 about 3 weeks ago and the awesome people over at the 3FE yahoo group suggested I first do a tranny service, then follow the passive "Rodney Flush", refilling the tranny with synthetic atf, and my trannys is shifting smooth and trouble free now. There was about 3-4 gallons of old crap atf and some air in there that is now replaced with fresh sweet synthetic and she loves it.

Good luck!

 

[azaussie]

On my way to work today the tranny did not slip once, however the truck stalled (like it was out of gas). It fired right back up and drove the rest of the way no problem. Could a partially blocked fuel filter/line be causing the tranny slipping symptoms I described above?

 

[Pskhaat]

Very doubtful. Blocked fuel filters/socks usually result in long & difficult starting and only if very bad do they cause stalling issues. Nothing that would make the tranny slip like you're experiencing.

 

[billmc]

Another thing to verify before plunking down large wads of cash, is that the throttle cable (the one that goes to the transmission is not sticking. Did the person who did the flush say whether there were chunks in the residue?

Bill

 

[azaussie]

Another thing to verify before plunking down large wads of cash, is that the throttle cable (the one that goes to the transmission is not sticking. Did the person who did the flush say whether there were chunks in the residue?

Bill

Bill,
Not flushed/drained yet. I did check the throttle cable and can move it by hand OK .

 

[billmc]

Bill,
Not flushed/drained yet. I did check the throttle cable and can move it by hand OK .

Ideally you should drain the sump, pull the pan, swap in a new screen, and then do a passive flush with synthetic ATF as mentioned by BigBertha. That'll give you a chance to see what's in the bottom of the pan. Should be just pasty residue, no chunks. If that's the case then the passive flush may fix your problem and save you boatloads of, for which you can reward yourself with some pricey new mod. If that doesn't fix it, then there's still the "party trick" but I'm not going to be the one to tell you about that.

Bill

 

[lowtideride]

On my way to work today the tranny did not slip once, however the truck stalled (like it was out of gas). It fired right back up and drove the rest of the way no problem. Could a partially blocked fuel filter/line be causing the tranny slipping symptoms I described above?

Loss of vacuum....check your vac lines. My 3fe has done this to me as welll, chased it back toa vacuum problem.

 

[azaussie]

Ideally you should drain the sump, pull the pan, swap in a new screen, and then do a passive flush with synthetic ATF as mentioned by BigBertha. That'll give you a chance to see what's in the bottom of the pan. Should be just pasty residue, no chunks. If that's the case then the passive flush may fix your problem and save you boatloads of, for which you can reward yourself with some pricey new mod. If that doesn't fix it, then there's still the "party trick" but I'm not going to be the one to tell you about that.

Bill

'party trick" - now ya got my attention...

 

[azaussie]

Loss of vacuum....check your vac lines. My 3fe has done this to me as welll, chased it back toa vacuum problem.

I will check to vac lines, thanks.

 

[billmc]

'party trick" - now ya got my attention...

Well, try the other things, and if they don't solve your problem, come on over and join the 3FE group and explain your situation there and the list summitees will decide whether the "party trick" is appropriate for your tranny.

Bill

 

[overhanger]

It's alright to talk about the party trick here, Bill. Dropping the pan, cleaning the screen and a passive flush is the first phase of curing this problem, however.

 

[azaussie]

I read the "Rodney Flush" directions some place and now I cannot seem to find them? Anyone have a link to these directions? Also, is there a special funnel or something to get the tranny fluid down that littler filler tube?

 

[euclid]

I read the "Rodney Flush" directions some place and now I cannot seem to find them? Anyone have a link to these directions? Also, is there a special funnel or something to get the tranny fluid down that littler filler tube?

Yep, it's on the 3FE list on yahoo. You can do some searching on the 3FE archives on birfield.com or sign up and read the stuff from the yahoo web interface for the 3FE forum: Here and:Here

BTW, flushing it is fine, just dont let some idot at a quicky-lube presurize the system to 10 times more preassure it was designed for, which is what you get when you buy a flush from them. Pulling the pan and cleaning the screen isn't going to hurt either.

In the end, if the transmission is going out you are only buying time.. eventually it will need fixing for real.

I am very pleased with my new A440F from Rodney. The 3rd and 4th lockup are especially cool. I can drop to 3rd to pull long hills on my 34's and the temp on the transmission stays below 250 the whole time.