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Epc solenoid help!

WhiteGT

WhiteGT

New member
Hi everyone
I have been having a problem with my tranny shifting hard once it gets warmed up and by reading up on Trannyman's page I have concluded that the problem is the epc solenoid. Is this something that I could change myself without removing the trans? I have changed tcc solenoids in the th125 trannies before so I have slight knowledge of getting into a trans. Any info and help is appreciated. I would like to fix it myself rather than take it to a shop. It seems like this car has a new problem every other week so it would be nice to not have to spend so much money getting this problem fixed.
Thanks.
Josh
 


you can do it, but its gonna require you to drop the cradle down on the drivers side quite a bit to take the side cover off. ive done it, but a month later my trans went out so if you have alot of miles on it i would suggest to just take it out and rebuild it to make it easier on yourself.

Logan
 
I asked the same question with no response as well.

basically i ended up jacking up the front end and rmoving both wheels, unbolting the swaybar, the drivers strut, spindle, tie rod and the driver side bolt on the steering rack. pulled the halfshaft as well. drained the pan.

after that i supported the transmission and unbolted the cradle on the DS, the transmission mount, dogbones and then lowered the tranny down.

from there i pulled the cover off and worked it off by pulling the cradle downward.

from there you can see the Pressure Control Solenoid and you can remove the clip holding it in.

after that, reassemble in rever order.
 
Thanks for the resposes. Sounds like alot more work to get into the side pan than it was on my old sunbird. I think the trans is in good shape, I have had no other issues aside from this and this problem only seems to occur after driving for about 2 hours. Can someone tell me the exact name of the part so I can make sure I buy the right part?
Thanks
Josh
 
Its called the Pressure Control Solenoid. Besides gettin' it from trannyman, the only place i could find it was at the dealership. Cost me $58+tax.

you also need (per the dealership) new filter, and gasket, new transmission fluid and a new side gasket. the gasket is reuseable, so if you are careful, you can save yourself the $64 for the sidegasket.

i would also recommend getting a 2ft pry bar for getting the half shaft out of the way.



It took me about 10hrs to get the job done.
 


I would not buy it from the dealership. It will just fail again. I believe Trannyman sells the Bosch version which is believed to be more reliable.
 
Merlin said:
Its called the Pressure Control Solenoid. Besides gettin' it from trannyman, the only place i could find it was at the dealership. Cost me $58+tax.

you also need (per the dealership) new filter, and gasket, new transmission fluid and a new side gasket. the gasket is reuseable, so if you are careful, you can save yourself the $64 for the sidegasket.

i would also recommend getting a 2ft pry bar for getting the half shaft out of the way.



It took me about 10hrs to get the job done.
Click to expand...
Why would I need to replace the filter and fluid if the epc solenoid is in the side pan? The filter is only about 2 months old anyway so it should be good still. Thanks for the input.
 
just printed the info off of all-data and that's what it told me to do. Wasn't a bother to me since i wanted the filter out anyway to see what damage was caused.
 
Merlin said:
just printed the info off of all-data and that's what it told me to do. Wasn't a bother to me since i wanted the filter out anyway to see what damage was caused.
Click to expand...
Oh ok, I wouldn't think it was neccisary but guess I will find out when I get into it. Thanks again!
 
Yes, get the Bosch EPC solenoid. It's an upgraded design. Although, with GM's, you can increase the line pressure simply by turning the little allen screw in the back by a 1/4 turn clockwise.
 


I will have to wait until Monday to get one now since today is a holiday. It would most likely be one from Gm. I could see if I could find one from Bosch it people say they are better. For the one from gm with the adjustable line pressure, is there much benefeit to being able to turn it up?
 
think about this. you pull the transmission apart and put that hing in there and after you ahve gotten it all buttoned together, you test it and think to yourself "hmm i could use a little more pressure in the lines"


Are you really going to tear the whole thing apart again to change the pressure?

How much of an increase is a 1/4 turn?
 
it should give you just enough to notice. it's a rebuild trick to help with the slip codes. throw in a shift kit and bump the line psi via the solenoid. i'd say a 1/2 turn will make thing firmer, however, any performance tuned PCM won't take that into account.
 
torq455 said:
it should give you just enough to notice. it's a rebuild trick to help with the slip codes. throw in a shift kit and bump the line psi via the solenoid. i'd say a 1/2 turn will make thing firmer, however, any performance tuned PCM won't take that into account.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't want it to start shifting too hard since it is mainly a daily driver but a bit of extra grab would be nice. It's supposed to be better for the clutches I have heard too since it will let it slip a bit less right?
 
Got the car back from mr transmission today. Seems to drive and shift great. Got a good price and great service from them as well. Anyone who lives in the Waterloo region, I would highly recommend Mr Transmission on Weber street in Waterloo for any trans work.
 


SO you guys know, Trannyman uses a Borg Warner pressure control solenoid for the 97-02. The Bosch version is for 03+
 
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