circlip broken on low servo

Hey fellas

what a score! Today I pulled the low servo apart. I found the gasket which seals under the cap was torn, the o-ring which was within the cap looked sketchy, the larger o-ring which is on the perimeter of the piston had become exceptionally stretched and the circlip which was midshaft was missing. Careful searching found the circlip, in 4 pieces no less, AND as you can see in the picture, all 4 parts make a complete circlip so no floating bits :grinyes:

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Bad news is I have to order the circlip and that'll be 2 days but I'm really crossing my fingers that this repair will solve my trans slip problems.

Man I'm happy to find these worn parts!! My next "hmm" is though, should I be pulling the overdrive servo and inspecting parts there? I'm thinking that the overdrive servo doesn't get as much of a workout... any thoughts 12Ounce or Serge?

I'm having difficulty believing this is what you found! You remember I mentioned that I had had a broken circlip .... but I thought it was a "one in a million" event. I had no conviction that you would find the same thing. I think my circlip was broken in the same pattern. I kept the pieces in a cellophane tape "pouch" for years.

Congrats on your find ... I think that will be all of your problems.

I actually made the reference to the circlip in this string: http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=956298

I gotta tell ya, when I saw the groove on the shaft and realized that the circlip was missing I had visions of some future trans grinding halt. I couldn't believe when I ran my finger around the lip of the servo and found the 4 pieces. Putting the "puzzle" together, and realizing that it was all there, well sometimes we just get very lucky. I'm almost thinking I'm gonna have this clip made into a necklace for my wife, albeit a week late for valentines day.

I think when I get the new circlip parts in I'm going to order a few, and change both for sure on the low servo. I'll wait and see how things go before doing the overdrive servo.

Yep 12Ounce, I must admit, I'm on my second 12 ounce right now. Maybe I'm counting my chickens before they hatch, but I'm feeling pretty good about this find!

As always to you, Serge, and all the other AF folks, thanks!:bananasmi

I do still have the souvenir broken tranny pump shaft from the Windstar... beside my computer. Its sold as one single part, but is an loose captured-assembly of two steel components with several pre-installed seals. About 10" long by 1" diameter space envelope. Pricey when purchased: very pricey when broken.

Hopefully you will never have this souvenir. And hopefully I won't get another!

When my circlip broke, I avoided a towing charge by driving some 200+ miles back home in first gear. When my pump shaft broke ... the tow truck was called!

Wow! What a find!

I didn't comment on your transmission thread - because I simply didn't have helpful transmission experience on my Windstar (after many fluid changes, I'm still trouble-free at 160K miles).

But what you found appears to be something that those of us with high-mileage Windstar transmissions need to understand. Thanks for sharing the pics - and please follow up with other hints, and the final effects of a new circlip.

hey guys... the good news (ok great news!) is that I've replaced the servo pin, piston, spring, and servo spring and once buttoned up and tranny filled with fluid things are perfect. 3 test drives and the van shifts effortlessly and smoothly, the trans works great. I am going to create a posting with some photos and diagrams of what I've learned and done. I've thought about this a lot and have some pointers to share. As 12Ounce said, this procedure is likely something people with high mileage transmission may just want to tackle as a preventative thing. Had I known what I've been forced to learn over the past week, I'd certainly have done the work.

I'll post the photos and description tomorrow. Right now, I've got a couple of beers to drink! :smooch:

Congrats on your find and fix.

Oops, who would have expected something like this? I should inspect every bit and piece I can lay hands on.