Reverse Pattern Valve Bodies

Is there any difference in reverse pattern valve bodies with and without a trans brake? I've rebuilt a Jackson Racing Trans that had a transbrake. I've installed a reverse pattern body in a E2AP case and have no forward gears. I suspect a problem with the valve body.

Thanks,
428Dave

E2AP

its a C5
[addsig]

The valve body should be fine in either a C4 or C5 as long as the converter and bell has been changed to C4 it is the same.
Are you sure that you engaged the manual valve with the linkage when you installed the valve body? Is Park and Neutral where they should be and do they operate? If you have no forward gears but reverse works then you should check the Forward clutch pack for operation. did you install the sprague clutch correctly? Did you install new seals in the apply piston for the forward clutch? Did you check it for operation with air? What was the pack clearance?

Park and neutral work fine. I've added new seals to everything. I installed teflon rings throughout. I added a 6 pinion front planetary gear set, Torington bearings in place of the #9 thrust washer and #4 thrust washer. Clutch pack clearance is .035 for both the reverse/high and forward clutch packs. I air operated assembled and had some leakage past the pump seals; however you could hear some engagement of the clutch pack pistons.

I've had this trans in and out of the car several times with the same results. The piston in the reverse/high clutch pack has the bevel on the sealing surface and I thought I may have had that in backwards. I faced the lip seal towards the bevel and I believe that is working as the trans does have reverse.

Is it possible there is an internal leak in the case? This trans originally purchased from Jackson Racing and put behind a 408 cu in small block. It first split a forward clutch drum that was replaced with a billet one. It worked fine for awhile then broke a forward drum return spring. After that the trans would never work in any of the forward gears. I've replaced the forward drum with a welded reinforced one from Broader Performance with the same results. I was thinking that there may be something wrong with the valve body. That had been changed out with several different ones to no avail. The trans originally had a trans brake that we never really used.

Again, I've got the trans out and am thinking about replacing the case with a C-4.

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Wouldn't worry too much about the air leakage past the teflon seals. Here's a post from a while ago to explain.

http://www.fordmuscle.com/forums/c4-...ngs_52743.html

You need to isolate.I would air test each clutch sitting on the stator support so you look into each drum and see what's happening. Mainly the forward drum. If it checks out ok and upon assembly can feel it engage it does come back to the valvebody.

The problem ended up being a missing snap ring on a planetary 6 pinion gear set I got from someone from the DFW Stangs web site. Apparently the outer hub would move off the gear set in forward but would be OK in reverse. Jay with Broader Performance found the problem for me. This guy knows his business. The trans is working fine now.

Dave E