I just got my mav running,Should i flush the tranny?

Drive the snot out of it.

Man, Mine loses a quart of fluid in 30 miles, and I still drive it (well, not so much lately). I have a 2-3 flare that I had to adjust the int band way overtight to get rid of, and I still hammer on it.

I doubt you will break anything if you take it for a spin.

 

I agree that if the C4 has been sitting for more than 3 years it should be at least resealed (that means piston apply seals too).
You can do a stock rebuild fairly easily but you will need some tooling to get it right. I am in Seattle and rebuild performance C4s. It takes around $200 in parts and $500 in labor for me to build a 500 to 550 HP C4. (most of the labor is machining work). I replace the bushings and thrusts, add clutches, modify the valvebody, pump, cooling and lube circuits for longer life. It takes about two weeks for me to build one at that level. I recommend (strongly) that a new converter is used and that your cooler is flushed and you add an auxillary cooler. The C4 is set up to use type F fluid only.
You can e-mail me or call to work out what you need (or want) and I can quote you a price, get the tranny built and all you have to do is pick it up and drop off your core. (I don't ship transmissions). You will get a complete set of instructions in your paperwork.

Paul's Street and Strip
Performance AODs & C4s
6522 51 Ave. S.
Seattle, WA. 98118
206.725.0881

 

FYI, just my two cents...

PaulS is The Man, and if I lived anywhere near the Pacific Northwest I'd have probably saved my pennies and got him to build my transmission. You certainly get a lot more for what he charges than you would at a trans shop.

And about the engine hoist - no, you don't need that. As long as you can get the exhaust out of the way all you need is jackstands. Here's a couple of fun pics for ya:



That's the height I had to get the car up to in order to get the transmission out. Not too bad, right? Higher might have been easier, but really after the exhaust was out of the way it was a piece of cake. I did not touch anything on the engine other than the bolts that hold the bellhousing to it.




And if you opt to tinker with it yourself, get a copy of that book you see in the middle of that awful pile. It's a Haynes manual that covers rebuilding many different Ford automatics, and it sure made me pretty bold. It was almost like I knew what I was doing! It's really not that bad. I recently repaired an iPhone 3G, and I'd have to say I would rather take apart a C4.

 

If something with your rebuild doesn't go rite i to rebuild C-4S also. I'm not but 100 miles from Memphis. I will give the same deal Pauls gives. If you need some references i have those also.

 

Going strong right now, but will keep that in mind.

 

I am just one of the guys that used to build autos for a living and now that I am retired I get to build them to match what a guy wants and give a decent price too.
If you want a C4 built the way I build them I am sure there are others who can do it but the best on the net is Broader Performance... and they ship. They also have the best Tech help out there. It is only for customers though.

 

I have that Haynes Rebuilding Ford Auto Trans book if you want it for a decent price plus shipping...

I will never use it, because I don't have the room to tear mine down to rebuild it, and will send it to a shop instead.

 

I think i will take you up on the offer, Paul. But it will take me a few months of saving money before i can afford to do it though.


I have another question for everyone, I talked to a friend about the car and he said i should drain the oil and run kerosene through the engine, then drain it and put in fresh oil. I google'd it and found info that seemed to say this is an old practice and can cause more problems then its worth. Is it a bad idea to do this?

 

Don't do the kerosene...

 

Some people put a quart of ATF in there (or "engine flush") before draining the oil, run it a few minutes to warm it up then drain and fill...

But I wouldn't suggest doing that either, unless you know there's a lot of funk in there.

As for replacing the oil with kerosene, that sounds like a horrible idea to me. I don't think it would provide enough lube for the bearings.

 

God man dont do it. We dont even suggest engine flush products.I do however know a lot of techs that run a half liter of trans fluid in the engine oil. I dont but the guys I know have no issues. Trans fluid is a very high detergent. Just change the oil and put in a good quality oil. Those old engines are bullet proof. Not fussy like the new stuff.

 

As long as you use something other than Type F transmission oil it is safe to run up yo a quart in the engine with 4 quarts of your regular engine oil. It should be run at high idle with no load only until the engine is at normal operating temp. You drain it immediately after it gets to temp. None of the "flushing" techniques will clean the hard clay from an engine that has been abused for years. Complete disassembly and hot tanking (or pressure or oven) cleaning is the only way to get it clean.
Just remember that any product that will break down the solid oil will also break down your engine oil - leaving your engine unprotected from friction.

 

Just something to consider -- I found a bunch of really awful jelly-like stuff in the bottom of my C4 pan that had been sittig for 19 years. I changed the fluid. Can't be any worse than pumping jello.

 

JSArnold,
If you haven't run the transmission yet then let it warm up in Park before you take it out on the street. I am hoping that you at least cleaned the strainer (filter) when you had the pan off. Letting the C4 warm up in Park will help get the ATF onto all the clutches and bands so you don't end up glazing those friction surfaces on the first run after sitting for such a long time. It will also flush the same sludge that was in your pan out of the cooler, torque converter and gear train. YOu may want to change the oil again after about 500 miles.