installing valve bodies

[Hemiville]

Almost everyone is recommending upgrading the valve body, in trans. , Getting it from dtt, natch. Has anyone done the installation themselves? Is it difficult to do, I've overhauled my own gas engines, etc. Do you have to adjust anything, line pressures etc. ?I'm hoping if I did get one, I wouldn't have to get the truck hauled to a trans shop 'cause I screwed it up. Would that be a nightmare??,, thanks for you guyses help.

 

[maint.man]

Did one myself about 6 mo. ago . It isn't the simplest thing that a DIY. er could do , but it isn't a big deal either. If ya' can rebuild your own engine you can do this. I'd only done a few GM shift kits before this and it wasn't that much more difficult. The instuctions are pretty staight foreward and for the mechanically enclined it can be done in an evening or two. (depends on how long your evenings are) The pressures are to be checked after you're done , but they have been tested before they leave DTT. BTW the people at DTT are great and if you've got a question , just give em' a call . Also alot of us have got their products and would be glad to help out all we can.

 

[Snow man]

I did my own valve body swap,internal upgrades,and have put in shift kits before. If you can succesfully overhaul your own engine,swapping a vlave body will be easy. Id go for it if I were you. There isnt anything difficuklt about it,the park rod is the hardest thing to get reconnected during the install. You might have to adjust line pressure,I did on my truck,it was to high,and casuing a lot of shifting trouble. My Dad's truck,went perfect,Im still fine tuning mine. If you have a universal pressure guage,and a voltmeter,along with the same tools you used to do engine work,your set.

 

[Bob Wagner]

you should be fine

the shop set's up the VB per your customer profile.



Call and talk to them they don't bite toll free 1-866-504-4002



Great people

 

[CumminsAholic]

I've never been in a transmission before and I did mine. I've done a lot of motor work though. It's pretty basic, you just have to follow the instructions. I didn't have to check any pressures as it is factory set from Bill. I believe that he recommends that you do, but I don't have gauges so... I think I called Bill twice just to make sure I was doing everything right. I was. Man was I happy when I started it and put it in gear and it actually moved. I was so afraid I was going to do something wrong, but it worked out good. I can't remember how long it took, it's been a while now, but it wasn't more than a couple of hours. I had my cousin helping. The only tool I needed that I didn't have was an inch pound torque wrench. You have to torque the VB and the 2nd gear band strut with that.

Corey

 

[Bill Kondolay]

Installing a vb physically is actually quite simple, it is just messy.

It is however highly recommended that you have a volt meter, inch lb torque wrench, and especially a pressure gauge.



It is important to have a torque wrench as overtightening the vb bolts can cause warpage in the vb.



Leaving them loose can cause internal leakage.



Volt meter, digital is preferable, installing either a shift kit or vb,

can or will cause the pcm (power control module ) to go into limp mode, resulting in 2nd or 3rd gear starts.



In order to avoid pcm limp mode you must install a resistor.



The value of the resistor varies from one truck to the next.



It is best to visit your local radio shack and pick up a variety of resistor values. 35 ohm, 50ohm, 100 ohm, half watt or 1 watt



Why am i bringing this up?



Mike Crossley on this site has been one of our biggest supporters and he had a shop, i wont mention their name, install a resistor for him as he was having 3rd gear starts, i checked the truck out when i was in Tulare as he was still having 3rd gear starts, when i went to do a voltage reading on the resistor, much to my surprise there was no resistor added. It was a good thing for Mike that i had a spare transmission.



My point, have your own volt meter, it is critical to be aware of 3rd gear starts as the lack of this $1. 00 resistor, caused $3000 worth of damage.



Pressure gauge, knowing what the internal pressures of your transmission are before and after the vb or shift kit install is one of the key elements of having a good working transmisson.



If your pressures are too high, you can end up with a hunting problem, if your pressures are too low, your vb bolts could be loose, a pressure gauge lets me look inside your transmission without me actually being there to help you diagnose your setup.



I am not trying to scare anyone into not doing a vb install, i know it is critical to have the proper tools and to do the job right.



For me personally in our own shop it takes us less time to do the actual vb install than it takes us to do our pressure testing, road testing and selecting the correct value resistor for the application.



We even designed a adjustable voltage regulator so we dont have to mess around with resistors anymore.

So for those of you that dont like to mess around with the resistors and the soldering wires, this is a easier system to use.



To recap, if you dont mind getting dirty, and have the correct tools AND read the instructions, AND READ THE INSTRUCTIONS before you tackle the job, AND READ THE INSTRUCTIONS,

did i for get to mention read the instructions, the labor part is not that tough.

 

[Jim Fulmer]

Thanks for the info!

Thanks for the posts and reposts on the VB job and especially bill for piping in, I will definately get you parts installed either by me or and installer you'll recommended, the stock stuff is already showing signs, guess I'll baby it for a while!



Jim

 

[Valkyrie99]

Ordered mine yesterday. I plan to read the instructions when it arrives.