FORD Transmission 6R80 Lead Frame Replacement
FORD Transmission 6R80 Lead Frame Replacement
FORD Transmission 6R80 Lead Frame Replacement
Safety First
Hot engines and hot transmissions can cause serious injury.
Before removing parts from the vehicle, allow sufficient
time for engine and auto to cool.
Parts List
2
W.A.T. 6R80 Nomad Heavy Duty Valve Body
Tools List
• T27 and T30 Torx Bits
• 10L Full synthetic transmission oil (meeting Mercon LV™ specification)
• Oil drain pan
• 8mm socket and wrench
• Small flat blade screwdriver
• Torque wrench
• 19mm spanner
3
W.A.T. 6R80 Nomad Heavy Duty Valve Body
3. Disconnect the transmission case connector that is found on the driver’s side
rear of the transmission. Twist the connectors outer shell counter-clockwise
and pull back on the connector gently.
*Do not pull on the wire harness to disconnect as this can pull the terminals
out of the connector.
4
W.A.T. 6R80 Nomad Heavy Duty Valve Body
4. Remove the 19mm bolt and level indicator stick from the fill hole, located on
the passenger side front portion of the transmission. Put aside safely for use
at the end of the instructions for refilling purposes. It is removed now to
avoid damaging the fill indicator during valve body remove and refit process.
5. As the transmission pan does not have a drain plug, you will need to drop
the pan to drain the transmission fluid. This can potentially make a large
mess if you are not prepared for it.
Pick two bolts opposite each other towards the rear but not covered by the
cross-member for easier access - these two bolts are to be loosened and
removed last. Remove all other bolts except the two bolts you picked.
5
W.A.T. 6R80 Nomad Heavy Duty Valve Body
6. Loosen the last two bolts until the front of the pan begins to hang down so
the oil can drain out. If the two bolts are loose enough but the front of the
pan does not start to drop, finger tighten the bolts and then use a screwdriver
to pry the pan down carefully. This will break the seal allowing the pan to
drop. Once the oil flow has stopped, remove the two bolts, pan, filter and
gasket from transmission.
6
W.A.T. 6R80 Nomad Heavy Duty Valve Body
8. Remove the transmission filter. If the orange seal is not attached to the top of
the filter tube (as shown above) then it may still be stuck in the valve body.
Remove the seal from the valve body and discard.
9. Set the transmission filter aside for comparison with the new filter to ensure
the new filter supplied is compatible (minor cosmetic differences in
appearance are OK). *If you purchased a cast sump with your valve body,
you will be supplied with a filter that has a deeper pickup*
7
W.A.T. 6R80 Nomad Heavy Duty Valve Body
10. On the right hand rear of the valve body you will find a white locking
mechanism (shown below) on the electrical connector. Squeeze the release
tab above then pull the locking mechanism down to release the internal
connector from the valve body.
11. Once the white locking mechanism has been pulled down, you will be able
to remove the hollow black plastic case sleeve from the rear of the
transmission where you had previously disconnected the electrical harness.
8
W.A.T. 6R80 Nomad Heavy Duty Valve Body
12. ONLY Remove the 11 bolts indicated using a T30 Torx screwdriver from the
valve body as shown below and remove the assembly. The thermostat valve
may fall from the transmission case. Note that the three (3) rear bolts are
shorter than the other eight (8) valve body bolts.
9
W.A.T. 6R80 Nomad Heavy Duty Valve Body
13. Remove plastic lead frame from the valve body by first removing six (6) x
T27 Torx Bolts.
10
W.A.T. 6R80 Nomad Heavy Duty Valve Body
14. Gently and evenly pry the plastic lead frame from the valve body.
15. Remove the eight (8) x T27 Torx bolts and the metal solenoid bracket.
16. Place both old valve body and new valve body on a bench side by side, lining
up in the same direction with solenoids closest to you.
11
W.A.T. 6R80 Nomad Heavy Duty Valve Body
17. Carefully and patiently remove one solenoid at a time and install in new
valve body in the same location before moving on to the next solenoid.
*Solenoids MUST go in the same location on the
new valve body as they are not interchangeable!
Pay special attention to solenoid direction and locking pin before removing
and when installing.
12
W.A.T. 6R80 Nomad Heavy Duty Valve Body
18. Reinstall the metal solenoid bracket that was removed in previous step on to
new valve body with solenoids correctly installed. Secure with eight (8) x
T27 Torx Bolts. Tighten to 6 Nm (53 lb-in).
19. Prepare the electrical support frame for installation by checking the foam
strip is still in place. If not, return it to the correct location as shown below.
Note that not all vehicles come with this foam strip fitted.
13
W.A.T. 6R80 Nomad Heavy Duty Valve Body
20. Reinstall original plastic lead frame by lining up the two locating pins as
shown below.
21. As you slide the lead frame down onto the valve body, check that the Lever
Position Sensor (black pin) locates into the Manual Valve.
14
W.A.T. 6R80 Nomad Heavy Duty Valve Body
22. Secure Lead Frame by using the original six (6) x T27 Torx Bolts removed
previously in the same original locations as shown below.
Tighten to 6 Nm (53 lb-in).
15
W.A.T. 6R80 Nomad Heavy Duty Valve Body
23. Also note that one or more of the case grommets may have remained stuck
to the valve body assembly during removal and should be installed into the
transmission case at this time. Use Vaseline to hold seals in place if they will
not stay in place.
16
W.A.T. 6R80 Nomad Heavy Duty Valve Body
24. Install the new upgraded cooler bypass valve as supplied. Ensure this valve is
held in place when reinstalling the valve body as shown below. It is
recommended to use a generous amount of Vaseline to hold the new valve in
place during assembly (Vaseline dissolves as the transmission warms up).
25. Position valve body in place. Ensure that the bronze coloured manual control
valve is fully engaged with the pin on the silver selector arm when
reinstalling the valve body as shown below.
17
W.A.T. 6R80 Nomad Heavy Duty Valve Body
26. Install the eleven (11) bolts indicated using a T30 Torx screwdriver. Confirm
that the manual control valve remains in the correct location once finished.
*Tighten to 8 Nm (71 lb-in). The three (3) shorter bolts are used at the rear
of the lead frame.
18
W.A.T. 6R80 Nomad Heavy Duty Valve Body
27. Ensure that the white release tab on the rear of the lead frame is still in the
down position (unlocked). Ensure the sleeve bore is clean and free of burrs
first. Use a light down the bore to check the location of the key way for the
locating pin on the inside of the supplied black sleeve. Match the key way to
the locating pin and install the supplied new black sleeve. Discard the old
black sleeve.
*Take your time, be patient and triple check this step. Not completing this
step correctly will result in a variety of major faults.
When sleeve is in the correct position, press upwards on the white tab to lock
the case sleeve to the valve body. Make sure the white locking tab is fully
seated.
19
W.A.T. 6R80 Nomad Heavy Duty Valve Body
28. Attach the transmission wiring harness. Twist the lever clockwise to secure
the harness as shown below. The image below shows the lever in the locked
position.
29. Check that all pan and pan gasket mating surfaces are wiped clean ready for
installation of the transmission pan and supplied pan gasket. As there is no
bolts to secure filter to valve body, you will need to have the transmission
pan and pan gasket ready to go before installing filter as the filter will fall out
if left for more than a couple of seconds.
30. Lubricate the supplied filter seal with transmission fluid then install neck
into position in the valve body.
31. Fit transmission pan and pan gasket into place. Take care not to put pressure
horizontally on the filter as this may damage the neck. Install two bolts
halfway along on each side finger tight to keep pan balanced. Install all
remaining bolts finger tight. Working in a criss cross pattern, similar to
doing up wheel nuts, proceed to tighten all transmission pan bolts.
*Pan Bolts torque specs are 11 Nm (97 lb-in).
20
W.A.T. 6R80 Nomad Heavy Duty Valve Body
32. It is recommended that you perform a flush of the transmission fluid as part
of the Valve Body fitting process. If you are doing a flush without a flushing
machine, we have provided a guide in the next few steps.
It is recommended to be done with two people - one underneath to pump in
fluid in to the transmission while the other is in the drivers seat. This guide
on flushing is only applicable if you have one of our External Oil Cooler Kits
already fitted.
33. Before starting engine, fill transmission with transmission fluid through the
fill plug removed at the beginning. Fill all the way up to the fill plug.
34. Remove the upper transmission cooler line from the upper cooler union and
either extend the hose with a joiner to a bucket or secure a bucket to catch
the fluid.
35. Start engine when safe keeping a foot on the brake and handbrake on to
ensure safety at all times.
36. As the transmission fluid starts to flow out of the cooler line, the fluid level in
the pan will start to drop. Continue pumping fluid into the fill plug to keep
the pan area as full as possible.
21
W.A.T. 6R80 Nomad Heavy Duty Valve Body
37. Once you see the fluid in the waste bucket changing colour to the new fluid,
wait 10 seconds and then turn the engine off, reconnect the cooler line to the
cooler union and secure with the original screw clamp.
38. Restart the engine and using the level indicator, check the level of the
transmission fluid is correct.
For transmission fluid above 50° C then the fluid level needs to be in the “B”
section of the indicator.
For transmission fluid below 50° C then the fluid level needs to be in the “A”
section of the indicator.
39. Have the person in the drivers seat, while their foot stays firmly on the
brake pedal and the handbrake remains on, shift to Reverse and hold for 10
seconds. Then shift to Drive for 10 seconds. Repeat x 1. Return to Park.
40. If the fluid is low, remove the indicator stick and add small amounts of
transmission fluid at a time. Allow 20 seconds to settle and then re-check
with the indicator until it reaches the correct level.
41. If the fluid is too high, you will need to remove the upper cooler line from
the cooler union again and drain some more fluid into the waste bucket until
you achieve the correct level. Then reconnect the cooler line and secure with
original screw clamp.
42. After the fluid level is correct, insert the indicator stick and reinstall the
19mm Filler Hole Bolt and tighten. You may switch off the engine now.
43. Clean up all fluid from under the vehicle and re-check all bolts, and cooler
connections that were loosened.
44. If the vehicle has any bash plates, please wait until test driving is complete
before re-installing.
45. Take the vehicle out for test drive. Drive carefully to begin with. If you
experience any issues of concern, cancel the road test and contact Wholesale
22
W.A.T. 6R80 Nomad Heavy Duty Valve Body
Automatics to discuss.
46. While test driving, check that all shifts feel positive and there is no slipping
or flaring during the drive. It is recommended that the original test driver
does both the before and after test drives to compare how the vehicle drives.
47. After test driving, keep the engine running and re-check the transmission
fluid level. Adjust as necessary to achieve the correct level.
48. Check for any leaks from the transmission pan, pan gasket, or electrical
sleeve.
51. When oil level is in the ‘B’ range on the indicator stick, cycle through the
gears (while stationary) moving the T-Bar up and down slowly from P to D
and back.
Repeat steps to refill the transmission after this process and the fluid will
now have dropped and will need to be topped up.
52. Road test vehicle, ensure computer is clear of any fault codes and free of any
warning lights. Recheck the transmission oil level and top up if required.
23
W.A.T. 6R80 Nomad Heavy Duty Valve Body
24
W.A.T. 6R80 Nomad Heavy Duty Valve Body
25