NON BIKE GRIEF - auto gearbox stripdowns

[mentalboy]

Sorry that it's a non-bike topic but I figured that the best place to ask was in the forum where the 'tinkerers' hang out

Has anyone braved sticking their nose in the Pandora's box known to some as an auto transmission? I've got an opportunity to acquire a very cheap pick-up in reasonable nick but that is in need of transmission attention. I've tinkered with manual gearboxes on cages in the long distant past but never had the need to fart around with an auto-box.
The likelihood is that it just needs a fluid top-up but unfortunately Ford in their wisdom made this a sealed gearbox and after 200K it's more than likely to need a clean out. (2002, 4ltr Ford Ranger derivative)
The rebuild kits are cheap enough to obtain (and these boxes have a reputation for leaking seals so the problem is hopefully not major) but it's just how tricksy it is to dismantle, clean and successfully reassemble something that has about a million nigh on identical bits?
If it's any help I can be quite anal when it comes to photos, labels and keeping parts in some semblance of order, am reasonably handy with mechanical stuff and have a reasonable amount of tooling. Guess I'm looking for confirmation that these things are easier to understand than your average woman

[Monkeywrenche...]

[B0ndy]

I've never done any work on one but I found several videos a few months ago which show a "teardown" of an automatic transmission system, these might be worth watching if you have an hour to spare at some point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGbsgpp2YJQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Qf6O0oAs7U

Some of the things he points out at the end might be worth noting:

"I only worked on rebuilding automatic transmissions back in highschool however since then I just swap them out if they're bad and that's honestly suggest you do unless you've got advanced mechanical experience and also specialised tools and equipment that are used to service automatic transmissions , it's not likely you're going to be successful in repairing them"

I assume when he speaks about repairing them he's referring to a problem greater than a rebuild kit will fix, never the less I thought it would be worth sharing.

Hope that helps.
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[mentalboy]

[ADAMH0]

The only concern for me would be any special tools that you may require to do the job.

I have access to Ford etis and can look to find what sort of job it would be but would need a valid reg number or chassis number.

PM me with the details if that would help.

[jjdugen]

Careful! The anti car post Nazis will be on your case anytime soon.
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[mentalboy]

[uberkron]

As an automotive specialist, i have rebuilt my own toyota corolla auto trans and one from a w210 e class. Being a sealed unit means fluid was not changed for too long and you will find few parts are re usable within.

I remove and send away 20-30 gearboxes a year for my customers. The sealed for life units always need many parts, and usually a torque converter too as the lock up has been damaged by poor oil quality.

If you have a large heavy duty work bench, clean conditions and good lighting it may take only 15 hours or so, assuming all tools, knowledge and parts are there as well.

Not bad buzzing, just an educated opinion. From an auto sparky and mechanic.
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[Taught2BCauti...]

I specialised in auto gearboxes (and vehicle electrics) towards the end of my apprenticeship because I thought they were easy to work on - and they are, as long as you have the right tools, jigs, templates, and super-clean conditions.

I recently had to replace the internal ecu and service the control block on my Merc's gearbox, and managed to do it with the front wheels on ramps on my drive - but anything more complicated than that would have been a nightmare without removing the whole gearbox.
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[misscrabstick]

I wouldn't go there, it's a specialist job we always send out to get done, common issues include worn bands and clutches and duff solenoids, a good auto box doesn't eat fluid, overall nahh... don't do it.

[mentalboy]