More on the Chrysler transmissions, From my post on Feb. 11th 2010 on a TF604 rebuild I’m doing for a friend. I have cleaned the unit up. It is surgically clean. You may think that sounds funny, but to have consistent success at rebuilding transmissions, the parts have to be surgically clean, your tools have to be equally clean, and you have to assemble it in a clean environment, Dig it?
The above pictures represent an extremely clean TF604 transmissions internal components and my secret weapons for a properly rebuilt, trouble free, long lasting rebuilt transmission.
We call the components shown ”hard parts”, because they are made of hard metals and should not wear. Well they do wear sometimes, which is why I inspect these close up with 4.0x reading glasses. That is how I figured out what caused the failure.
The problem that caused the failure was a broken snap ring. Simple it sounds, but complicated it is. An automatic transmission is a very complicated hydraulic unit. It is like the human body. It has a pump, or heart to pump the fluid or blood, it has passage ways to direct the fluid to where the valve body tells it to go, or veins and arteries as the passage ways with the brain making the decisions. Like a human body, the fluid has to stay in the passage ways, and blood stays in the arteries and veins, or problems occur.
This transmission broke the snap ring that holds the cover down to seal the low/underdrive accumulator piston down. An accumulator is a shock absorber, it accumulates fluid and uses the fluid as a cushion as it squeezes out of a tiny hole in the accumulator housing. The cover itself, has an o-ring to make the seal to the case and keep the transmission fluid in the circuit. The broken snap ring allowed the cover to cock a bit, well the o-ring that seals the cover to the case became compromised, and that is when it started to act up.
At first it was erratic, the o-ring was not broken yet, but it was leaking some pressure at times by the cocked cover and o-ring. Eventually the o-ring blew apart and the problem made the van almost unable to be driven. As you took off, and the van started to shift from first to second, you could fell a dragged out shift with a small to medium bind up/bump when the second gear shift was completed. Very noticeable.
You all stay tuned. We will present the entire process of rebuilding this transmission, showing you parts and areas of an automatic transmission you never see in a real life situation, with explanations you understand. Presented by GotTransmissions.com @ 866-320-1182.