Re: 2000 GTP...and so it begins...(LOTS of PICS)
No apology needed, I love helping and teaching people when I can. Originally I had TCC oscillation, but not too bad. Every time I was going uphill and hit that point in the throttle where the transmission doesn't downshift it was like I was listening to techno music:
It happened when I bought the car, but with the engine dying 3 weeks in, I thought that was the problem. Naturally, after the engine was done I didn't feel like ripping it all apart again to change the solenoid. I was intimidated by the job, because I hated transmission work (thanks to the TV cable BS on a Ford AOD transmission). So I just disconnected the TCC PWM solenoid, and enjoyed the lower MPG.
Zoom ahead 8 months or so and it was time to get my hands dirty again. I changed the TCC PWM solenoid on a weekend whim hoping it would fix the problem. I figured since the TCC PWM solenoid was the problem because I disconnected it and the problem went away. WRONG. Next time I planned a little bit more and looked up what else could go wrong and the normal wear items on the transmission so I could replace all that stuff. PCS, 4th shaft, 4th stack, and Sonnax TCC Apply valve all went in. Fail. 3rd time I bought a rebuilt Valve body\Channel plate with Sonnax upgrades, new solenoids, etc. I also decided to swap in an aluminum subframe because I though it was easier to do when I had the driver side already dropped. WRONG. Then...brace for it...no more oscillation! About 3 days later, the 1-2 shift became harsh and "dirty." Ever had a ride in a car with a manual transmission and the driver pops the clutch too soon? About 20-30% of that feeling. Drove me and my wife(which in turn drove me MORE) nuts. Tore it apart AGAIN and looked through the valve body, and didn't really find anything wrong. PCS screen was ripped and the screens in the separator plate had fallen out; but fixing them didn't change the way the transmission felt.
Did more research, downloaded more manuals than I could ever read, and bought a JY transmission. 2002 GP GT 130k on the clock, the car I ripped it out of had fresh plug wires, aluminum coolant elbows, new hoses and belts, clean interior, and the badges were relocated. Only thing I saw wrong with the car was a ****ty bondo job on the front driver fender. Transmission fluid was red, so I bought the transmission for $67 after tax. I tore it down, checked everything out, added some shims here and there to the clutch stack, swapped over everything I had done to the old transmission, put in hardened chains from a GXP, swapped in the HD diff, driven gears, and used the higher stall lighter GT torque converter (had to drill my flexplate for that one).
So far, so good. It's shifts a LOT better, and feels like it pulls harder as well. 1-2 shift is 99% better, but not quite what I want. I have a good feeling that a tune will help that. When I clear TAPS it shifts EXACTLY how I want, so the increased line pressure will help a lot. Now I drive like this: