Shudder confirmed, upgrades wanted

[Flexthis2011EB]

So it turns out the shudder ive been experiencing in my flex is due to a bad torque convertor with possibly more internal damage. The tranny is being removed and instead of just replacing torque convertor im going for a full rebuild. But i would like some better parts (high stall, shift kit, etc) but am having trouble finding aftermarket support. Does anyone or has anyone done transmission upgrades? Which company?  Pros and cons to messing with upgraded tranny parts for these cars?

 

[ajpturbo]

Hard parts require tune changes...there are slip rates, clutch fill times for gear changes and slip ratiofor the clutch packs

You should feel how fast a properly tuned ecoboost transmission can shift being completely stock

 

[Flexthis2011EB]

Hard parts require tune changes...there are slip rates, clutch fill times for gear changes and slip ratiofor the clutch packs

You should feel how fast a properly tuned ecoboost transmission can shift being completely stock

Hmm, so what would you recommend, stick with OE for the rebuild and focus more on getting it properly tuned? And are you talking handheld or dyno?

 

[ajpturbo]

I think the selection of parts will suck....and id be afraid if i put an upgraded type converter in and it didnt work as anticipated and daily driving sucked you would be screwed

 

[BiGMaC]

Currently I have no tranny issues (knock on wood).

Sorry to here of the failure of your TC, but agree with the rebuild as the best route. I researched the issue for weeks about 6 months ago simply because with the 3.5EB gen1 we have can easily be tuned and modded far beyond any engineering specs or long term reliability prospects for the Tranny and PTU. Unfortunately even the one company who said they could beef it up on their website declined and had no suggestions. Stay with OEM would be my advice and for daily use have a tune that makes below 450-475 AWHP.  Some have tunes that make as much as 617 AWHP (almost 800 CHP equivalent), but have been warned by their tuner that they would break the car if they used it for DD... So they use a milder tune most of the time.

Just my $0.02.  Best of luck with your difficulty.

 

[Flexthis2011EB]

What do yall think about deep sump aluminum pan and cooler? Also, ive heard some good benefits on a shift kit and that no tuning was required but dont no the truth behind that.

 

[ajpturbo]

There is no pan on the bottom of the car

I would say tuning for ANY trans hard part...i really wish you all could see the trans section for an ecoboost tune

 

[Flexthis2011EB]

There is no pan on the bottom of the car

I would say tuning for ANY trans hard part...i really wish you all could see the trans section for an ecoboost tune

Lol. No pan? Well that answers that. Lol. What kinda of tune would you recommend?  Like a handheld?

 

[SHOdded]

Wouldn't you have fitment issues if you tried the "deep sump" approach, assuming it is even feasible with the casings on these transmissions not really having a pan?  If, and I mean IF, you could have a custom piece made by cutting into part of the casing, possibly, then there would be clearance issues with the exhaust, belly pan, ...

There has been a tiny amount of attempts made to improve the trans, specifically, a higher stall converter, but that failed to yield any performance improvement.

I think if you could figure out where the flow restrictions are inside the transmission, where the weak solenoids are, that kind of thing, you could actually improve upon Ford's design.  Not a project taken on casually, or for someone who does not have deep pockets.

 

[Flexthis2011EB]

Wouldn't you have fitment issues if you tried the "deep sump" approach, assuming it is even feasible with the casings on these transmissions not really having a pan?  If, and I mean IF, you could have a custom piece made by cutting into part of the casing, possibly, then there would be clearance issues with the exhaust, belly pan, ...

There has been a tiny amount of attempts made to improve the trans, specifically, a higher stall converter, but that failed to yield any performance improvement.

I think if you could figure out where the flow restrictions are inside the transmission, where the weak solenoids are, that kind of thing, you could actually improve upon Ford's design.  Not a project taken on casually, or for someone who does not have deep pockets.

Well i have it in a trans shop now who is taking it out and apart and rebuilding with all new parts for only $2000 which was way below my budget ($5-$6k) so i was hoping for "drop in" performance parts but doesnt look like thats happening. Lol.

 

[SHOdded]

Completely understand how you feel.  The "aftermarket" is just not there for these transmissions.  I mean you could talk to mfrs like Sonnax for their insight, maybe they also know repair/performance shops that routinely work with the 6F55.

 

[Flexthis2011EB]

Completely understand how you feel.  The "aftermarket" is just not there for these transmissions.  I mean you could talk to mfrs like Sonnax for their insight, maybe they also know repair/performance shops that routinely work with the 6F55.

Awesome. Appreciate the feedback.

 

[ajpturbo]

There is no pan on the bottom of the car

I would say tuning for ANY trans hard part...i really wish you all could see the trans section for an ecoboost tune

Lol. No pan? Well that answers that. Lol. What kinda of tune would you recommend?  Like a handheld?

The handheld device is just the communication medium to transfer the calibration....id go with unleashed or lms

 

[Flexthis2011EB]

There is no pan on the bottom of the car

I would say tuning for ANY trans hard part...i really wish you all could see the trans section for an ecoboost tune

Lol. No pan? Well that answers that. Lol. What kinda of tune would you recommend?  Like a handheld?

The handheld device is just the communication medium to transfer the calibration....id go with unleashed or lms

So i have to buy a tuner like the sct x4 and then purchase a lms or unleashed tune, load it on my handheld, then load it in the car?

 

[ajpturbo]

Yep.....lms requires their tuner

 

[Flexthis2011EB]

Well imma get on that

 

[4DRHTRD]

LMS = their tuner, everyone else = X4 just FYI.
LMS won't use X4 for tuning.

 

[pmezo33]

I was looking for you to update your other thread.  Looks like you're joining the recent bad torque converter club too.  I did the full rebuild too about a month ago and it's running as smooth as ever.  Hope you get the same results.

 

[Flexthis2011EB]

I was looking for you to update your other thread.  Looks like you're joining the recent bad torque converter club too.  I did the full rebuild too about a month ago and it's running as smooth as ever.  Hope you get the same results.

Sorry for late response and apologies about other thread. I should have mentioned it moved it over here. So yea, after the last two shops claimed bad t vert, i brought it to a highly respected trans shop out here in SD who confirmed it was a bad torque and also something with 3rd gear. He has the tranny torn down and I am going there tomorrow to look at what he found internally (ill try and get pics). Hes charging me around $2000 which i think is a pretty decent deal. I explained to him i wanted him to look into finding me upgraded parts for trans but after doing research on here, most ppl are saying not to get those (like high stall convertor, shift kit, etc.) without an extensive tune so i think im just gonna stick with oem parts.

 

[SHOdded]

3rd gear's been problematic on SHO transmissions for many years now   Glad you are making progress, what kind of warranty coverage are you looking at post-rebuild on the trans?