Archived 47RE.. band adjust turned to a headache!

[Nate]

Well this afternoon I decided it would be a perfect time to put in the PML deep pan I ordered a while back.



That went fine. Then I go to adjust the front band, and the adjuster turns all the way in.



So I pull the pan back off, pull off the valve body, and the "strut" that goes from the adjuster to the band is sitting on the top of the VB. 2nd time this happened... I noticed the last time when I lost 2nd gear. Anyhow, I put it back in place, all seemed ok.



But now the shifter is hard to get into gear, and it's not really clicking into gears as it should. I was wondering if there's more pieces to the "strut" than just the 1 piece I found and it's kinda jamming the VB? I know when the strut fell out, that's what it did. I left the park rod attached so I didn't actually pull the VB all the way out.



I may just pull it back out tomorrow for piece of mine. Won't take too long the 2nd time...

 

[Nate]

Here's a pic of what was on the VB (I photochopped it a bit so it was easier to see) and my "workshop"... thankfully it wasn't too hot today.

 

[Joe G.]

That's the band anchor. It goes on the other end of the band. The adjustment screw pushes it. Once you get it adjusted leave it alone. The adjustment on these transmissions affects shift timing. The band material is so thin (check it out) that it cannot stand any wear. As long as it is shifting correctly leave the adjustment alone. If it is too tight you will get a short bind during the shift where both the band and the clutches are holding. If it is too lose you will get a short skip or slip where both the band and the clutches are not holding.

 

[Nate]

I've been told that by some people (don't touch the band adjusters), while others say to adjust the bands at every ATF change. I figured it wasn't much different then adjusting the rear brakes, granted these bands don't have that much friction material.



All I did was back off the locknut and start turning the bolt it... and turning... and turning, so I guess it was too loose and fell out at some point? It's hard to noice 2nd gear is not there on these trucks. Last time I noticied, I was going down some hills and I put it in 2nd... and it just would stay in drive.



I'm gonna pull the VB back off since I haven't heard if that's the only piece and it's already close to 8AM... (need to get it done before the race... Watkins Glenn @ 1100)

 

[Joe G.]

There are four pieces involved. The band, the anchor, the struct, and the servo rod that pushes the band. The last should still be in place. Leave the adjusters alone. It's not a wear adjustment as you can see by looking at the back friction material.

 

[FourBarR]

just did mine yesterday. at 422300kms. mag hytech pan clean,changed filter added ,adjusted bands, back off lock nuts 5 turns torque to 72 in. lbs. back off front 2 turns, rear 3 turns. add 8 liters plus 3 fluid good to go. I have had zero problems with the transmission, and just done the above maintenance every 30,000 to 50,000 miles.

 

[Nate]

Well I figured it out. I guess the park rod wasn't in the right spot was all it was.

 

[Joe G.]

If you adjust the band all you are doing is an exercise in putting back exactly like it was. If the band wears enough that the adjustment changes, it will be metal to metal and you will have other problems.



The park rod will not cause the band anchor to fall out. The only thing that can do that is for the band to be too loose. You could have done that by backing off the adjustment screw too far before you ran it in. The round socket hole in the band anchor fits on the rounded end of the adjustment screw.

 

[HEMI®Dart]

If you adjust the band all you are doing is an exercise in putting back exactly like it was. If the band wears enough that the adjustment changes, it will be metal to metal and you will have other problems.

Joe,



While you are here I have the pan off on a 727 Torqueflite ('68) behind a strong 440. Should I adjust the bands or leave them alone?



Does 72 in lbs = 6 ft lbs, or should I buy an in lb torque wrench?

 

[Joe G.]

Our truck transmissions are 727 types with an OD unit. So the same rules apply. If it is shifting ok, let it alone. I have a service manual for a '77 van I had. It has some of the same awkward syntax as my '95 service manual does. As far as I can tell all they did was edit the manual for the later transmission. Same thing for my '82 Chrysler Imperial manual.



My Dad had a '63 Plymouth (muscle car) and never adjusted anything or had it adjusted. I don't think he even changed the ATF. It was still running good when Mom sold it. Almost 190K miles on it. It would still lay down a set of black railroad tracks if you stood on it. Ugly car but it was a rocket. These 727 type transmissions are a tried and true design.

 

[Nate]

I was talking about why the shifter wasn't running through the gears smoothly... I guess the park rod wasn't in the right spot, though it's pretty hard to mess it up so I'm not sure if that was really it. Works fine now though.





Actually where I fawked up was I took the adjuster bolt out. It was leaking ATF for some reason, been doing it for a while, so I wanted to spray it down with some brake clean to get the crud off it and put a little teflon paste on it.



After looking how that band anchor is held, it makes sense that it would fall out. I hate that when I make more work for myself :{

The park rod will not cause the band anchor to fall out. The only thing that can do that is for the band to be too loose. You could have done that by backing off the adjustment screw too far before you ran it in. The round socket hole in

the band anchor fits on the rounded end of the adjustment screw.

 

[Joe G.]

Aha! It makes sense now. Just leave the adjustment alone after you get it right. I had a little bit of a leak there. I finally had to use a thin teflon washer to stop it. Now I have a little bit of a leak once in a while at the shifter. Not bad enough to pull the VB and fix it.



I can't imagine how you have the park rod in wrong. I can only get mine to go in one way. Maybe that's a little bit different on your 47RE because the tail shaft (OD unit) is shorter than the one on my 47RH. That's just a guess.