Thinking about getting this 97

Ole SuperGordo is going to chime in. I even zoomed the picture in. That is a cork trans pan gasket. Get rid of that. Problem number one! Best to get the OEM reuseable pan gasket. The cork doesn't torque down well. I agree with Grog on the Dorman pan with the drain plug. It COULD be the manual shaft seal. You may as well do the pan gasket first. You can replace the manual shaft seal from the outside by removing the neutral safety switch. So you can eliminate the pan gasket first.
If you cannot source a proper pan gasket send me a message and I can help you find one. Ford should still sell them. There are ways to get them from autozone. Or in a pinch I can send you one. But I am NOT amazon... I can be slow.
The only 4r70w torque converter seal I saw leak was because a pump bushing came loose and moved forward and opened the converter seal up.
 
If it's dripping from the tc hole HOPE it's the drain plug, I should have said. The cork gaskets don't work, but every filter includes one. I agree with you, that's the leak.
 
It's not a common fail. I've yet to break a tc. I have a potential grenade one, so we'll see.
I would bet money that your 4r will fail a shaft seal, likely the direct, and it will clean off the frictions. I've killed a few that way. It's way more likely. I wouldn't worry about it. A stock rebuild kit is ~$250, and ~120 for the good plates for the direct. $10 for teflon seals, and it's good to race.
 
It looks like Victor, ATP, Mahle, and Pioneer all sell an OEM style overmolded rubber gasket that is reusable. Fel-Pro, ATP, and Pioneer also sell the lower end gasket so make sure you know what you are ordering. I'm guessing the filter kits come with the paper/cork gasket since they can fold it up and put it in the box with the filter.
 
Thanks everyone. I won't have time to get under her and get her cleaned up until probably Sunday at the earliest, after that, it'll have to be the following weekend. I'll definitely be monitoring ATF levels though in the interim.

@supergordo , your experience and keen eye is most appreciated!

If I'm going to be opening up the transmission from the bottom like this, would it also be a good time to do a mild J-Mod?

Grog6 said:
Get the dorman pan
Click to expand...

This is just a stock replacement with a drain plug, right?
 
It's always a good time for a j-mod on a virgin trans.
In fact, I'd get the new 1-2 accumulator piston, put the purple spring on top, no bottom, and do the 300hp jmod settings. Look at jerry's thesis for drill bit sizes. get about 3 of each, unless you're used to drilling steel. go slow, use coolant on the bit, and wear eye protection, broken tiny drill bits suck, embedded in your forehead,lol.

So, since we jumped in to help, in addition to the filter, gasket, pan, and o-ring,
Now you need a separator plate gasket set, a 1-2 bonded accumulator piston,and drill bits.
You also need a beam-type torque wrench or inch pounds to put the vb back in.
2 of the vb bolts are longer; keep track of them, they go in first.



 
Grog6 said:
It's always a good time for a j-mod on a virgin trans.
In fact, I'd get the new 1-2 accumulator piston, put the purple spring on top, no bottom, and do the 300hp jmod settings. Look at jerry's thesis for drill bit sizes. get about 3 of each, unless you're used to drilling steel. go slow, use coolant on the bit, and wear eye protection, broken tiny drill bits suck, embedded in your forehead,lol.

So, since we jumped in to help, in addition to the filter, gasket, pan, and o-ring,
Now you need a separator plate gasket set, a 1-2 bonded accumulator piston,and drill bits.
You also need a beam-type torque wrench or inch pounds to put the vb back in.
2 of the vb bolts are longer; keep track of them, they go in first.



Click to expand...

How deep of a rabbit hole do I want to go in on this for simply fixing the leaky transmission 🤔😅😂?

Also, is the 300hp setting really right for me as Gold Bird is going to be more or less stock in terms of HP output? Is there a lower HP output setting for the J-Mod, or is the 300hp setting the lowest available setting?

Maybe, eventually, I'll swap over the PI intake to Gold Bird from Dirty Bird at some future point, but that's a maybe.
 
I understand the dilemma. Everything I listed fixes known problems with a 96-7. The sleeve kit to fix the 1-2 acc bore is More than a better trans. I recommend an'02 to start with anyway, and they're easier to jmod.
 
CDsDontBurn said:
If I'm going to be opening up the transmission from the bottom like this, would it also be a good time to do a mild J-Mod?
Click to expand...
CDsDontBurn said:
How deep of a rabbit hole do I want to go in on this for simply fixing the leaky transmission 🤔😅😂?
Click to expand...

Seeing these two statements side by side, my point would be: dropping the pan is really easy. My recommendation would be to fix the leak now, then do the J-Mod whenever you've researched/decided what exactly you want.

CDsDontBurn said:
This is just a stock replacement with a drain plug, right?
Click to expand...

Correct. And anytime anyone mentions that Dorman pan, I always point out you can have the same benefit from a $5 hand pump. That allows you to siphon 4 quarts through the dipstick tube.
 
CDsDontBurn said:
How deep of a rabbit hole do I want to go in on this for simply fixing the leaky transmission 🤔😅😂?

Also, is the 300hp setting really right for me as Gold Bird is going to be more or less stock in terms of HP output? Is there a lower HP output setting for the J-Mod, or is the 300hp setting the lowest available setting?

Maybe, eventually, I'll swap over the PI intake to Gold Bird from Dirty Bird at some future point, but that's a maybe.
Click to expand...

The “HP” numbers really don’t mean anything pertaining to engine horsepower, I never quite understood why Jerry didn’t just call it stage 1, 2 or 3 as all it really means is a level of harshness. The 300hp one is the stage 1, or mild J mod if you will. It is what every 4R70w should have and in fact the factory specs for late 4R75ws are remarkably very similar to the 300hp settings, which makes sense since Jerry was engineering the thing.

A base 3.8 would benefit from the J mod to put it in perspective.
 
1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
What if one likes the way it shifts, and the driving style is more Nathan Lane than Burt Reynolds? Should one still do it?
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Yes, because ultimately it’s beneficial from a durability standpoint, not slipping the clutches unnecessarily leading to their premature wear. You could essentially do just the drill settings leaving the accumulator springs as is without sacrificing shift quality, like I said above if you’ve ever driven a later 4R70w/4R75w equipped car (Crown Vic Town Car etc) from the mid to late 2000s they’ve basically got the 300hp J mod stock.

That said my driving style is Burt Reynolds so take my standard for what you will… I will admit my old 450+ j mod was a wee bit harsh lol
 
1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
Seeing these two statements side by side, my point would be: dropping the pan is really easy. My recommendation would be to fix the leak now, then do the J-Mod whenever you've researched/decided what exactly you want.
Click to expand...

Dropping the pan is super easy. It's all right there and the hardest part of the job would be to not make a mess.

My thing on this is the whole "Well, while I'm here..." train of thought which is how I ended up with Dirty Bird being the way she is. It was originally just replace the rear wheel bearings type of job and now I'm balls deep and just shy of pulling out the engine only because it will take me that much longer to get her running 😅.

1997ThunderbirdLXV6 said:
Correct. And anytime anyone mentions that Dorman pan, I always point out you can have the same benefit from a $5 hand pump. That allows you to siphon 4 quarts through the dipstick tube.
Click to expand...

Fuck using a hand pump from the fill hole.

XR7-4.6 said:
The “HP” numbers really don’t mean anything pertaining to engine horsepower, I never quite understood why Jerry didn’t just call it stage 1, 2 or 3 as all it really means is a level of harshness. The 300hp one is the stage 1, or mild J mod if you will. It is what every 4R70w should have and in fact the factory specs for late 4R75ws are remarkably very similar to the 300hp settings, which makes sense since Jerry was engineering the thing.

A base 3.8 would benefit from the J mod to put it in perspective.
Click to expand...

Good to know. So I'm going for a "Stage 1" J-Mod job.
 
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