Changing TCC Solenoid (SC Series II)

Do they have to remove the trans to replace the TCC solenoid.?
I thought it only required removing the left Trans cover, where the solenoids are located.

Rickw wrote:

Do they have to remove the trans to replace the TCC solenoid.?
I thought it only required removing the left Trans cover, where the solenoids are located.

The shop replaced the electric and hydraulic parts of the TCC solenoid and did some reworking in the valve body basically that which is involved in installing the Sonnax repair kits including the 4th gear output shaft in order to forestall known problems. SO you are right the tranny does not have to come out to replace the TCC solenoid; that's not all that was done.

Albertj

Changing the TCC solenoid requires about 5 hours worth of work WITH a hoist and the proper jack stands/trans jack. You must lower the driver side cradle in order to gain access to the side cover.....it ain't that easy. I have some pics of when I did mine. If you like I can post em later.

Abaddon wrote:

Changing the TCC solenoid requires about 5 hours worth of work WITH a hoist and the proper jack stands/trans jack. You must lower the driver side cradle in order to gain access to the side cover.....it ain't that easy. I have some pics of when I did mine. If you like I can post em later.

Yeah! That would be great Scott, thanks!

Ok...sry, had to find the post again.....it migrated lol.

Here goes. I only have 2 pics (good ones tho)



This pic is before I lowered the cradle and removed the side cover. The only 3 things that need to be removed top side is the shift linkage (on top of trans), also is socket nearby that needs to be unplugged (precautionary). You should also remove your air intake tube to allow engine movement.
Now for the suspension....this applies to the DRIVER SIDE only. Take off all splash shields (not the big one in the fender). Remove caliper and rotor, and remove the axle nut. Next you need to remove the lower control arm bolts and swing the arm out of the way (this requires sway bar link and tie rod end removal, notice my 32mm F41 sway bar )...pull the axle.
Support the trans with a trans jack. Remove the engine mount (where you see the 4 bolt holes and 2 studs). Next, (while still supporting cradle/trans) remove the driver side cradle bolts (3 of em), and LOOSEN the passenger side, taking caution not to remove them all the way unless you want to drop your front end on the ground. Now you should be able to lower the engine/trans assembly (SLOWLY!!) far enough to remove the side cover. All of the side cover bolts are hex head except for the bottom 2 or 3 being a torx bit (dont recall the size). Remove the side cover....



With the side cover removed, the TCC is shown with the red arrow. It takes literally 2 minutes to unplug it and replace it. There is however a "jesus" clip holdin it in place, take care not to fling it across the garage as you NEED it.
Side note....a factory GM solenoid has an adjustable screw on the backside of it that is set from the factory. If you turn this screw CLOCKWISE about 1/4 of a turn (mark it first for orientation), you will up the trans pressures hence acting like a shift kit. I did this to mine and I love it. DO NOT go over 1/4-3/8 of a turn as you will interrupt the TAPS and your SES light will be on forever.

Now reinstall in reverse order and be good to go! You might wanna replace that axle seal for PM while your in there (it's cheap). Don't forget to replenish the trans fluid thats now all over your driveway

That's a great post, Scott (God, what a pain!)

I don't understand one thing, though... Why would adjusting the TCC solenoid increase the line pressures for shifting? Isn't there another solenoid that handles that?

Holy crap, does that look like a pain to do, especially without a hoist or any experience, which you obviously have. But its a fantastic post for info and provides a great reference when approaching a shop. You definately get plus marks from me for this! Thanks Scott

BMD wrote:

Holy crap, does that look like a pain to do, especially without a hoist or any experience, which you obviously have.

I did this exact thing on my 1990 Park Ave. In the driveway, with snow coming down and temps in the 20s without a car jack. It only took four days. I'm so glad to see that not much has changed.... *sarcasm*

Yeh, and I used walk 5 miles to school in the winter, barefoot, uphill, each way, Alone.

Rickw wrote:

Yeh, and I used walk 5 miles to school in the winter, barefoot, uphill, each way, Alone.

Nuh uh, it was 15 miles.

lol @ uphill in the snow!

BMD,
That solenoid is exactly what regulates the pressure for the TCC. It regulates the line pressures based on engine load and acceleration, with heavier loads requiring firmer shifting (this is where the TAPS comes into play). If you've had one go bad, it can cause launch shudders, a delay in shifting from 2 to 3, and also cause the car to constantly shift in and out of OD while cruising around 50mph. Alot of times sediment gets stuck in the screen and causes this also. I'm sure many people have been "bent over" by trans shops and such for this little guy, telling you that your valve bodies are shot and what-not. The factory replacement (as I stated before) can be adjusted by turning that adjusting screw 1/4 - 3/8 of a turn CLOCKWISE without setting a code and turning on the SES light. Aftermarket solenoids DO NOT have this screw and therefore cannot be adjusted. It's basically a poor mans shift kit. Works great for me! It's about $40 btw with about $1000 in labor.

(Also, turning this screw COUNTER-CLOCKWISE will result in undesired mush shifts)

Abaddon wrote:

If you've had one go bad, it can cause a delay in shifting from 2 to 3

When mine does that, it hangs at around 80km then struggles there until I give it more gas, then it flies up to 90 or so. I tried to get the dealer to fix my problem through the insurance I bought from them when I bought the car. But they said it would cost $4000 to do, but I imagine, as you said, that they were gonna overhaul the whole transmission. They said that it was a wear and tear issue and it wouldn't be covered so I couldn't afford to get it done. If at the time they said it was the TCC and it would be about $1000, I would have definately done it, thanks for all the help Scott!

Thanks for the writeup. I just replaced the PWM solenoid on my 95 series 1. It might be a little different, but I could get to that solenoid, and maybe a couple of others, without lowering the transmission. The side cover can move over a few inches, and if you have skinny fingers you can get the solenoid out. You still have to remove the axle of course.

Good info on the '95 Steve. It's cool you can reach those without dropping it down. I know on my '98, the side cover moved maybe an inch before it was hitting the chassis. You get a + from me

A + from me too Steve. So Scott, are you saying that on the 96+ Rivs, there is not enough room to do this without dropping the tranny?

The 96 still had the 4t60e right? whereas 97+ was the 4t65e....

I guess it can be done with the smaller transmission....

Possibly a bit of good news for the people that own the older models.
After always being told this and that won't fit or work on your car, this is a small but valuable victory.

I had to pay a little more than $800.00 IIRC to have all the solenoids replaced in my trans from an independent shop.

A year later I still needed a complete overhaul.

BMD wrote:

A + from me too Steve. So Scott, are you saying that on the 96+ Rivs, there is not enough room to do this without dropping the tranny?

That's what I'm sayin! You can't even reach all the cover bolts without dropping it down. You can see them, but you don't have enough room to fit a socket and a ratchet.

So here's my question:
You said it has a "Jesus clip" that holds it in place. What is it and how do you get to it? I don't see any way to get behind it or under it to take a clip off. I see a you tube video that says I have to remove all the stuff on top of the bottom of the solenoid to get to the point where I can replace it. While I ain't skeered, I don't wanna if I don't hafta!

Thanks for the posts and the replies!

EDIT:
Went ahead and removed the outer pump assemblies and could see the clips: ! Got it all replaced, changed the rack and pinion out with the part from Morad (that was really easy), and took it for a test drive: power steering is amazing! Transmission still won't go into 1st or 4th! Arrrggh! When I took it to Advance and had it scanned, it said "Solenoid B" was bad. Since all the descriptions on here said TCC, I figured that was the one. Guess I figured wrong.

Gonna clear the codes and hope that fixes it (as well as my Airbag light is on now). Film at 11!

So now I've got it all torn down again, all the reading I'm doing and Abbadon has suggested that the solenoids might not be bad, could be a stuck check valve. I have replace the solenoids, but I haven't buttoned it up yet. Is there anyway to tell if the new solenoids are gonna be the fix before I get this thing all the way put back together?

I have a bad TCC solenoid and i need to replace it. I was wondering if anybidy has gotten into the side pan on the transmission and ifbyou couldbtell me the easiestway in and out

I have heard that the valve body can be taken off the side of the transmission without dropping the cradle, but I don't believe it.

I would think to get to the side cover you'd have to remove the wheel & axle, and separate the ball joint from its mount spot. I also think you'd have to disconnect the intermediate shaft from the steering rack, get the stabilizer shaft off the lower control arm, and remove tie rod end from steering knuckle. I must be forgetting something. Anyway, with all the stuff that is in the way off I'd think you could then support the transmission with a transmission jack or such, then just remove the left side body-to-frame bolts and then lower that tranny jack enough to get access to the side cover. Then you'd have to remove the oil cooler tubes at the case. Then you should be able to get the side cover off. You'll need a new gasket set, most likely, to reinstall the side cover. Installation should be in general the reverse of removal.

For the rest of you: failure of the TCC (TCC stuck on) is often indicated by the engine stalling when braking. Either the solenoid has out right failed or more likely it has some sort of debris stuck in it. You would really want to clean the transmission out for this problem, not just replace the TCC, so that it's worth your trouble -- don't want to have some other debris clog things right back up. An overhaul would take more time than just servicing the TCC but not as much time as dropping the transmission again in a few weeks.

All that said it would not surprise me if you actually could sneak the case open and get at that solenoid, the TCC PWM solenoid valve is under the leading edge of the side cover.

Albertj

Thank you very much. I didnt realize how much i would have to take all that off. My trans isnt acting exactly how you describes though. The gears do get stuck in when its at operating temp but when i stop it does eventually give and the engine doesnt stall. When driving the tcc seems like its constanly engaged and the gear doesnt lock unless i accelerate.

https://rivperformance.editboard.com/t6843-changing-tcc-solenoid-sc-series-ii



Read this....

Quote :

The gears do get stuck in when its at operating temp but when i stop it does eventually give and the engine doesnt stall. When driving the tcc seems like its constanly engaged and the gear doesnt lock unless i accelerate.

How do you know the TCC is locked on? Have you verified the TCC engage circuit is on all the time? As albertj has stated, the engine will want to stall when in the lower gears if this is the case. Also, your PCM will throw a code telling you the TCC is stuck on. Usually, it's a very simple situation to diagnose.