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Post by 2003LimitedAWD on Dec 5, 2018 0:18:58 GMT -5
i bought an 03 Sport back in August that had sprung a leak from the infamous water pipe, got hot, and blew the head gaskets. I just completed the reassembly and am very happy with the result. Aside from some irritating moments with the valve cover gaskets (the ones in the FelPro head gasket kit were ill-fitting), all went very smoothly. No water leaks whatsoever and it runs perfectly. I do wish to thank Larry4406 for his engine rebuild thread, which I referenced often to double-check my work and confirm certain procedures.
The Sport runs great and I’m impressed with the amount of power from the 3.5L. The only things left are, one, the tach doesn’t work. Not a big deal, will troubleshoot later. Second, the transfer case shifter is stuck in 4wd, but I have the fulcrum ball to fix it.
Third, I added some transmission fluid when I first bought it (maybe a third of a quart) which was the wrong fluid. Now that I know that these trannies take Diamond SP3 (which doesn’t mix well with other fluids), I’m trying to find a place that will service it for me. Not having much luck because several highly-regarded local businesses that I’ve talked to swear that they’ve used the equivalent fluid without any issues, which strongly contradicts what I’ve read here. I may end up doing the tranny service myself.
Sorry, don’t really have any questions, just happy to finally enjoy driving the Sport instead of it gathering dust in my shop. Then again, if someone maybe has a tip about fixing the non-functioning tach, it would be very helpful, thanks.
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Post by larry4406 on Dec 5, 2018 6:52:04 GMT -5
Good news on your rebuild!
Glad my rebuild thread helped you. When I did mine I was struggling to find A-Z info so off I went on my journey. Mine still has the cylinder 6 misfire which I have declined to chase further.
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Post by 2003LimitedAWD on Dec 5, 2018 9:22:00 GMT -5
Good news on your rebuild! Glad my rebuild thread helped you. When I did mine I was struggling to find A-Z info so off I went on my journey. Mine still has the cylinder 6 misfire which I have declined to chase further. Yes, your info was invaluable and I couldn't have done it correctly without your help. Thanks again for taking the time to do such a detailed write up. |
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Post by jkdv8 on Dec 5, 2018 21:38:53 GMT -5
Second, the transfer case shifter is stuck in 4wd, but I have the fulcrum ball to fix it. Third, I added some transmission fluid when I first bought it (maybe a third of a quart) which was the wrong fluid. Now that I know that these trannies take Diamond SP3 (which doesn’t mix well with other fluids), I’m trying to find a place that will service it for me. Not having much luck because several highly-regarded local businesses that I’ve talked to swear that they’ve used the equivalent fluid without any issues, which strongly contradicts what I’ve read here. I may end up doing the tranny service myself. Sorry, don’t really have any questions, just happy to finally enjoy driving the Sport instead of it gathering dust in my shop. Then again, if someone maybe has a tip about fixing the non-functioning tach, it would be very helpful, thanks. Think they read off the crank sensor so if it's running that is unlikely the issue. Hook up a scan tool and see if it's reading rpm. If the ECM is reading it then more than likely it's in the cluster. Find the circuit diagram and check the grounds fuses etc. Always had e dealer do trans service after a local shop dropped the ball. I would advise against highway speeds until you can get it done. Took a couple flushes to get mine back to normal. I've often wondered if it's the mixing of different fluids rather than being aftermarket fluids that cause issues. Couple guys on here have used different trans fluids without issue but believe they were 2WD. |
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Post by 2003LimitedAWD on Dec 6, 2018 12:20:25 GMT -5
Second, the transfer case shifter is stuck in 4wd, but I have the fulcrum ball to fix it. Third, I added some transmission fluid when I first bought it (maybe a third of a quart) which was the wrong fluid. Now that I know that these trannies take Diamond SP3 (which doesn’t mix well with other fluids), I’m trying to find a place that will service it for me. Not having much luck because several highly-regarded local businesses that I’ve talked to swear that they’ve used the equivalent fluid without any issues, which strongly contradicts what I’ve read here. I may end up doing the tranny service myself. Sorry, don’t really have any questions, just happy to finally enjoy driving the Sport instead of it gathering dust in my shop. Then again, if someone maybe has a tip about fixing the non-functioning tach, it would be very helpful, thanks. Think they read off the crank sensor so if it's running that is unlikely the issue. Hook up a scan tool and see if it's reading rpm. If the ECM is reading it then more than likely it's in the cluster. Find the circuit diagram and check the grounds fuses etc. Always had e dealer do trans service after a local shop dropped the ball. I would advise against highway speeds until you can get it done. Took a couple flushes to get mine back to normal. I've often wondered if it's the mixing of different fluids rather than being aftermarket fluids that cause issues. Couple guys on here have used different trans fluids without issue but believe they were 2WD. Thanks, I've already checked the easy stuff such as fuses. There's about 10 pages of troubleshooting steps in the service manual for a non-functioning tach. That'll be a job for another time. At this point, I've called multiple transmission shops and none will service it once they find out the miles (255K). One in particular (a very reputable shop) told me that it's too risky to do if it's never been changed and to just drive it as is. He also said that, despite adding a third of a quart of the wrong fluid, to not be too concerned because (in the grand scheme) a third of a quart of wrong fluid added to a system which holds 10+ quarts is not a big deal. He simply advised to be sure to add the correct fluid if I ever need to top it off again. |
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Post by jkdv8 on Dec 8, 2018 12:32:36 GMT -5
Electrical issues always make for a good time.  |
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