Trans Side Pan Removal 1997 Pa

[Greg5150]

Does anyone have experience replacing a pressure control solenoid on a 1997 PA? I understand the trans side cover has to be removed and the engine cradle has to lowered to do this. How far must the cradle be lowered? How difficult is the job? Thanks

[Allbert]

Originally Posted by Greg5150

Does anyone have experience replacing a pressure control solenoid on a 1997 PA? I understand the trans side cover has to be removed and the engine cradle has to lowered to do this. How far must the cradle be lowered? How difficult is the job? Thanks

Haven't done a PA, but have done a Saturn L... hoping yours is easier since your V6 engine should be one cylinder narrower than my L4 is and your vehicle should be wider. All the stuff above the trans on mine had to come off, which included battery, battery support, coolant reservoir, fuse box, range sensor. Also removed wheel, fender, strut to steering knuckle bolts, pulled drive axle from trans (had enough room that I didn't have to unbolt it from hub), drained trans oil (of course), removed transmission to frame mount, and then lowered engine+trans enough so that side cover could be pulled away enough to reach a hand into where the PCS was. All in all, it was about 6 hours and a major pain... looked like I threw a grenade under my hood with all the parts lying around. Anyhow, I work for a solenoid manufacturer and we're developing an aftermarket replacement for the troubled Delphi PCS that the 4T40/45/65E transmissions had for original equipment... the prototype I put in my car cured all the problems I had, which included harsh shifts, shuddering, and occasional bucking after shifts. Best of luck.

[kok328]

Hey Albert, I was wondering if you might be able to advise me on something.

A few years ago, I chased what I thought was spark knock through my car (plugs, wires, premium fuel, knock sensor, tranny filter & fluid change, etc...). Come to find out it was torque convertor "chatter" sounds just like spark knock. If first started out from 3rd gear to 4th (O.D.) then progressed to the lower gears (2-3, 1-2), it only does it when it's warmed up (about a mile or so). I tried some Mopar additive (the mechanic said if this don't fix it, nothing will) and so far he is right. I don't know (and don't really want to) if the knock sensor is picking this up and retarding my timing or not.

My question is: will replacing the PCS fix my problem?

[Allbert]

Originally Posted by kok328

Hey Albert, I was wondering if you might be able to advise me on something.

A few years ago, I chased what I thought was spark knock through my car (plugs, wires, premium fuel, knock sensor, tranny filter & fluid change, etc...). Come to find out it was torque convertor "chatter" sounds just like spark knock. If first started out from 3rd gear to 4th (O.D.) then progressed to the lower gears (2-3, 1-2), it only does it when it's warmed up (about a mile or so). I tried some Mopar additive (the mechanic said if this don't fix it, nothing will) and so far he is right. I don't know (and don't really want to) if the knock sensor is picking this up and retarding my timing or not.

My question is: will replacing the PCS fix my problem?

To be honest, I haven't heard of a torque converter issue that made any sort of noise that sounded like spark knock before. I have heard of (and actually had) broken flex plates that make knocking noises though, although in my case, the noise was most prominent at idle. On my car, it was caused by a backfire while starting the engine. As far as the PCS goes, if you're not experiencing any other symptoms like harsh shifts, slips, shuddering, bucking (that's what I call lower frequency shudders), or rough engagements (clunks), your PCS probably isn't so bad that it needs to be replaced yet.

[Greg5150]

Thanks for the info. Have you marketed the replacemnt solenoid yet? If so, I would be interested in buying one. Also, how is the PCS held into the valve boby? Is there some type of retaining clip?

Thanks

[Allbert]

Originally Posted by Greg5150

Thanks for the info. Have you marketed the replacemnt solenoid yet? If so, I would be interested in buying one. Also, how is the PCS held into the valve boby? Is there some type of retaining clip?

Thanks

Right now we are waiting on some of the specialized tooling we'll use to carve out the snout of the part. Hopefully, we'll have some parts out by the end of the year, but I'm not sure what stores our aftermarket distributor will sell these things through (I'll have to check on that).

The PCS is held in the valve body by a springy clip that goes into a slot in the valve body and then passes through a groove cut into the PCS snout. In my car, it was pretty easy to get out and back in.