Seems like I should be able to figure this out or it should be obvious, but will Factory_techs valve body work in my '98 4R70W?

 

No, it will not work.

For the 4R70W, you have a choice of 2 valve bodies:LENTECH & Performance Automatic.

No one on the board is using either yet. They are both respected performance A/T companies with Mustang owners, but you'd have to call and ask exactly what to expect from their valve body for your application.

 

My question is why?

 

Well that sucks. : )
From the pics at LFP they are physically different. I would guess that the 4R100s are heavier.

I guess I better get a hold of Mark at LFP and cancel.

I don't see Factory_tech talking on here much anymore, he must be busy building valve bodies. : ) I read the note where he said he had a backlog to catch up on.

Maybe he could design a VB for us 4r70w users.

 

What's so special about his VB?

Seabass

 

Here is his sales pitch: http://www.powersurgeperformance.net/shift.htm - sounds reasonable.

Ian

 

4R100 Valve Body.....4R70W Valve Body

To learn about the Factory Tech Valve Body, read the Lightning forum and learn what users are saying.

 

Denaro has alot to do with it! The Lentech site price is $379, factory tech is $199.
Plus there is alot of accumulated run time from people on the site.

I put a Transgo in last fall plus new Accumulators and I have a problem when the tranny is cold it wont shift, i.e. like I have blow by and it get stuck inbetween gears. This goes away when it warms up but maybe robbing power, like it does when it wont shift, its like putting the brakes on hard while trying to accelerate.

I was hoping to swap out the old valve body with FT's VB. Transgo said if the Accums didn't fix it that I needed to rebuild the tranny, but I never had any hint of a problem before install the shift kit. It seems to me that it may be a part tolerance issue at cooler temperatures.

Fom the write ups and discussions on the website it sounds like he has put quality parts and design into it.

Looks like you are doing some serious tranny work! Is that a current or past project you are working on?

-From AjRagnos pics of the valve bodies I think we know where the price difference come in! : ) Sometimes simpler is better.

 

The LENTECH valve body is very pricey, but the Performance Automatic valve body is only $200.00 retail.

I'm getting the impression that LENTECH is more for the true drag racer, whereas PA is most often the choice of daily drivers interested in strong performance.

I've been wary of adding a shift kit because I've heard from a number of fellow Minnesotan's that their transmission will not shift when it's cold. Not just no O/D, but no 1-2 or 2-3 shift.

 

I start having shifting problems when the temp drops below 30 degrees, from there it gets worse as it goes down and longer to warm up. Might have to buy some sled dogs to sleep with the truck, like a 3 or 4 dog night. : )

I may try the Performance VB. Do you know if the others that have had problems are different brands of shift kits or is the tranny the common thread!!

If its the tranny there just may not be enough margin in the design for the pressure changes at Tundra temperatures.

Mine is 2 - 3, just like throwing the breaks on!! Let up and it will BANG into gear, step on it again it will come half out and throw the brakes on again!!! Solution............ drive in second for 1/2 mile. : )

 

The problem cases I'm familiar with are all the 4R70W with a TransGo kit. Just like with you, the others have problems any time the temp is below 30 degrees. I don't know if it's the transmission or if it's TragnsGo.

I'm considering the PA valve body. I haven't contacted them yet because I'm simply working on other projects right. If you do call them, try to get to the bottom of what their valve body is, not just what it does.

 

Since I was willing to try Factory_Tech VB, I'm going to check into the PA VB and most likely give it a try, I'll be come the guinea pig, don't have much to loose. $200 for shift VB or $2000 for a tranny or just keep driving in 2nd! : )

I'll keep you posted.

 

Very interesting I have been considering a shift kit for some time now and have always heard that the Transgo is the best option out there. Hard to tell if it's a product failure or individual trans failure due to slight misinstallation or worn tranny's. It does make me rethink about going with the shift kit. I know being able to buy a whole valve body would be nice. Just drop the pan, drop the valve body and then bolt the new stuff back up. No more figuring out which hole to srill and hoping you got all the springs back in right and so forth. If a shift kit is $75-125 then a vlave body at 200 or even close to $300 is a deal even though I consider that a large sum.

 

I've had 4 other shift kits in 4 vehicles and had really good results, this is the first one I've had trouble with. Need to do more debugging to determine root cause. Actually I am hoping it its the shift kit, easier to fix! : )

At this point I would suggest spending the extra bucks and get the valve body, especially if your in a colder area, sounds like a bit of trend since it isn't only me. Sometimes I think it acts like it is hesitating to shift even at warmer temperatures...... could just be me being paranoid!!! : )