2-3 shift flare

[jdm_sixtwo]

So, an ongoing thing with my truck is an odd flare with the 2-3 shift. At very low rpm it won’t flare, and neither will it flare at heavy throttle. It has to be in between. (By flare I mean the rpm’s go up about 2-300 before the gear grabs.) don’t recall it ever doing it on stock tuning, and it gets much better with the transmission tables being learned, but it’ll still do it occasionally. I contacted 5 star and had them write new tunes for it to hopefully stop the flare and it’s a little better with it still having not learned itself yet, but still flares. Again it’ll get better but every time it’s reset it’ll do it consistently, and drop off from there. Am I looking at a potentially junk transmission or maybe just torque converter?

 

[Guardrail]

I had the same problem with a 4-5 shift flare. Turned out to be the valvebody in the trans. I installed a sonax rebuild kit. It worked for about a year then I started having problems with the lockup convertor not holding. When I got the new valvebody it looked a lot different. Once installed I had towed it to the dealer to have the new strategy uploaded. You'll get e new data plate for the side of the trans with the new valvebody. Just make sure you put the truck back to the stock tune before you do this.When you get the truck back from the dealer, hook up your programmer and get the new code and send it to 5star. They should send you a new tune to match the new valvebody.

 

[jdm_sixtwo]

I had the same problem with a 4-5 shift flare. Turned out to be the valvebody in the trans. I installed a sonax rebuild kit. It worked for about a year then I started having problems with the lockup convertor not holding. When I got the new valvebody it looked a lot different. Once installed I had towed it to the dealer to have the new strategy uploaded. You'll get e new data plate for the side of the trans with the new valvebody. Just make sure you put the truck back to the stock tune before you do this.When you get the truck back from the dealer, hook up your programmer and get the new code and send it to 5star. They should send you a new tune to match the new valvebody.

Didn’t the 2010s have a different lead frame/valvebody that wasn’t as prone to failure?

 

[W0n70n]

Didn’t the 2010s have a different lead frame/valvebody that wasn’t as prone to failure?

Yes the 2010 has a separate transmission controller setup instead of the PCM taking care of all of it. The TCM is on the lead frame in the 2010 which is why our valve bodies and lead frame are so much more expensive but it doesn't have the same issue with ferrous and magnetic material shorting out solenoids.

 

[jdm_sixtwo]

Yes the 2010 has a separate transmission controller setup instead of the PCM taking care of all of it. The TCM is on the lead frame in the 2010 which is why our valve bodies and lead frame are so much more expensive but it doesn't have the same issue with ferrous and magnetic material shorting out solenoids.

Ok. After getting an updated tune from 5 Star the flare is gone. It also won’t flare at all in tow/haul. Guess that leads me toward torque converter because it’s locked in towhaul

 

[jdm_sixtwo]

Does anyone know if the shift solenoids in these transmissions can be replaced instead of replacing the entire valve body? I see shift solenoids for sale on rockauto, and have done shift solenoids before in a Tacoma but can’t find much online about anyone having done the 6r80 solenoids.

 

[jdm_sixtwo]

Troubleshooting Ford 6R80 & 6R140 2-3 Shift Quality | Sonnax

Learn how to troubleshoot 2-3 shift issues in Ford 6R80 & 6R140 transmissions using stop-and-start road tests. Replacing a few solenoids may solve the problem!

www.sonnax.com

Going to answer my own question here. I’m going to attempt the C and B solenoid replacement soon

 

[Gumby]

@jdm_sixtwo Are you going to do the entire valve body? or just a couple of solenoids?

 

[jdm_sixtwo]

@jdm_sixtwo Are you going to do the entire valve body? or just a couple of solenoids?

Just solenoids. Valve body requires dealer retune and then I need 5 star to update my tunes based on the new code

 

[Guardrail]

When i put the Sonax rebuild kit in my valvebody, I didn't replace the solenoids. When the lockup converter started acting up, I talked to my friend at a local transmission shop that I had bought parts off for years. He said the real problem is having steel valves in an aluminum valvebody. They wear the aluminum and cause pressure problems. This is probably what they're talking about when they mention clearance issues in the last sentence of the article.
"Sometimes it may be more than one solenoid causing shift complaints or even a clearance issue inside of the transmission"
I hope the solenoids fix your problem. But if you start having issues with other shift points, it's probably the clearance issue.