mountaingoatgruff Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 first, what causes atf foaming and will foaming cause crappy shifts? i just rebuilt the 4EAT in my wife's 93 Imp L (EJ18, 231k) and used wal-mart's supertech atf (i know, its cheap and i planned on changing it after all the bugs are worked out) and about 4 ounces of petroleum jelly (a/t assembly lube). i doubt the petro jelly would cause foaming, am i wrong? i've already got decent atf ready to go in so i'm just wondering. second, i've got a tcu code 31 for tps fault but no corresponding ecu code, anyone had this happen to them? i'm thinking i'll try cleaning the tb and adjusting the tps to fsm spec, but i don't have the fsm. anyone know the procedure/specs to do this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 foaming = bad. i'm not a trans expert but probably problems with the oil pump or seating the ATF "filter"/pick up tube going into the trans. i assume you installed a new "filter" and new oring? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 Foaming is caused from too much fluid. The Hyd system is like your heart, as it is not made to pump air. This can also damage your clutches as they need to be 100% wet evenly, Air can cause hot spots. Why didnt you just use tranny fluid for assembly? The jelly is like pre-gumming up the tranny. It may not even be compatable with the materials inside the transmission. Check the simple things first on the code, like the electrical connectors. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountaingoatgruff Posted December 3, 2008 Author Share Posted December 3, 2008 i know foaming is bad, its now affecting how the trans shifts, it was shifting fine and now its revving up between shifts and engaging hard. new atf strainer and o-ring, seated just fine when i installed it. i'm pretty sure there's not too much fluid but i'm about to change it right now so i'll be sure to check carefully. i used petroleum jelly during the rebuild because that's what the atsg manual said to use. we used it on seals, bearings, bushings and the like. we soaked the friction discs of each clutch pack in atf and dumped a little extra atf in the clutch packs/geartrain as we assembled. i'm going to go change the atf and see if that helps. i'll update when i have news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 Is it possible that you have coolant in the tranny fluid, or the other way around? Also look for any leaks at/around the coolant lines. nipper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountaingoatgruff Posted December 3, 2008 Author Share Posted December 3, 2008 nah, there's no mixing of atf & coolant and no leaks. rad is brand new, installed yesterday and all atf and rad hoses are brand new, too. i also pirated the new oem t-stat, seal and al housing off the 2.2 i have collecting dust (i toss every plastic t-stat housing i get and find al ones to replace them from the first couple years of leg's). i just drained the pan and changed about 5qts of the atf and the level is a pube hair above the hot full mark with the trans hot. capacity for the original configuration is 8.4qts but i've got a 2.5 tc in there and the capacity for the car it came out of was 10qts, so i changed about half the fluid. there's definitely a noticeable difference, engages R and D with less delay and almost no harshness, shifts are smooth without that slipping. i still need to drain & fill again but at least i know its pretty much fixed. the atf/petro jelly cocktail was even foamy as it drained, and i barely ran the car enough to move it into the garage. i don't think the problem was so much the fact that we used the pj, just how liberal we were with it. now all i've got left to do with this car is another drain/refill of atf, figure out tcu code 31 (haven't checked connectors yet), replace rear diff oil, reinstall all the plastic trim inside (cleaned that sucker right!! i even shampooed the seats), replace bulbs throughout int & ext, get 4 wheel alignment, replace pass front door, install fog lamps, visit dmv for tags, and eventually give it the rattlecan treatment... we knew it was a fixer-upper though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted December 4, 2008 Share Posted December 4, 2008 i'm wondering if part of this is kind of like the noise after an engine build? maybe the trans just needs to run a bit to get all the air out of the system and get fluid running properly through all the nooks and crannies? kind of like engines being really noisy after a rebuild? that's what it sounds like. (i toss every plastic t-stat housing i get and find al ones to replace them from the first couple years of leg's). no kidding, the gen 1 stuff is aluminum? that's good to know, i've never actually worked on the first gen EJ stuff. the level is a pube hair above the hot full mark with the trans hot. is that a curly pube or a straight one, that might make a big difference? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountaingoatgruff Posted December 4, 2008 Author Share Posted December 4, 2008 no kidding, the gen 1 stuff is aluminum? that's good to know, i've never actually worked on the first gen EJ stuff. from what i've seen, they only used al t-stat housings till 92, all the 93's and up i've seen are plastic. also, from what i've seen gen 1's have cast iron acc brackets and gen 2's have al acc brackets. the 95 2.2 i'm prepping for an ej swap has an al t-stat housing from a 90 leg and al brackets off a 97 leg with the extra metal for the p/s pump and a/c comp cut off. i haven't decided if i want to use the early recurve intake or straighter 97 intake. i remember reading when i was a building mopars that longer intake runners give a better torque curve but i think since the fuel and air are mixed at the port of the head on mpfi ej's it doesn't matter...besides, i like how the straighter manifold looks. is that a curly pube or a straight one, that might make a big difference? that'd be a fat curly one. that atf sure expands when its good and hot. i need to drain and refill again anyways so i'm waiting for it to cool down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountaingoatgruff Posted December 4, 2008 Author Share Posted December 4, 2008 so how about procedue and specs for adjusting the tps? anyone with an fsm care to share? checked the wiring and its all good. cleaned each connector, too. i think mine is bad but i'd really like to try resetting the adjustment first. thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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