Dr. Overkill
Full Access Member
A couple months ago I started getting delayed and hard 1-2 upshifts in my '97 hoe, and it also felt sluggish taking off in 1st gear. It was more pronounced when taking off gently, but even WOT launches just didn't have the same oomph as they used to.
The computer didn't have any codes. I replaced the TPS for the heck of it (it had almost 150k miles on it), but it didn't help.
I checked the ATF and found that it had been over-filled at the last service, 19k miles ago, so I decided to go ahead and get it serviced again (by someone more trustworthy) and take a look up in there while the pan was off.
He removed the accumulator and found that one of the 3 springs had broken in half, and was wrapped up around one of the other springs. The snout on the piston/cap thing (for lack of the correct term) had broken off. And about 1" of the O-ring around the piston was missing.
I had the trans rebuilt nearly 50k miles ago. They put a TransGo kit in it, which I'm told replaces the OEM 2 springs in the accumulator with these 3 (or maybe it just adds a 3rd spring--I don't know). And that while TransGo makes a great kit, this does indeed happen sometimes.
So he replaced the entire accumulator with a used one he had, reverting back to the OEM 2 springs, and all is now good again. I had switched my B&M Shift+ to the stock setting when all of this began, because it was just intolerably harsh shifting 1-2. It was still pretty harsh with it turned off, but what really killed me was how soft downshifts were, especially when going from OD-3 to slow down coming off a freeway. I'm so glad to be able to turn the Shift+ back on now (medium setting).
Oh yeah, pictures!
The computer didn't have any codes. I replaced the TPS for the heck of it (it had almost 150k miles on it), but it didn't help.
I checked the ATF and found that it had been over-filled at the last service, 19k miles ago, so I decided to go ahead and get it serviced again (by someone more trustworthy) and take a look up in there while the pan was off.
He removed the accumulator and found that one of the 3 springs had broken in half, and was wrapped up around one of the other springs. The snout on the piston/cap thing (for lack of the correct term) had broken off. And about 1" of the O-ring around the piston was missing.
I had the trans rebuilt nearly 50k miles ago. They put a TransGo kit in it, which I'm told replaces the OEM 2 springs in the accumulator with these 3 (or maybe it just adds a 3rd spring--I don't know). And that while TransGo makes a great kit, this does indeed happen sometimes.
So he replaced the entire accumulator with a used one he had, reverting back to the OEM 2 springs, and all is now good again. I had switched my B&M Shift+ to the stock setting when all of this began, because it was just intolerably harsh shifting 1-2. It was still pretty harsh with it turned off, but what really killed me was how soft downshifts were, especially when going from OD-3 to slow down coming off a freeway. I'm so glad to be able to turn the Shift+ back on now (medium setting).
Oh yeah, pictures!
