got the kit, a new filter, gasket and 11qts of Toyota Type - IV fluid.
Tools:
all sorts of sockets, small torque wrench, plenty of paper towels, brake cleaner and oil/water free compressed air

pics and details to follow (uploading pics right now)

 

cay on ramps for draining


pan removed:



metal slush off the magnet:


particles in the pan:




all clean:

 

new filter vs old:



notice the metal film on the old one... by all means, change the filter...


shift kit contents:
solenoid caps, drills, valve parts



valve body mounted:


some of the connectors were a bit a pain to get off, but ultimately, i got them all off without braking one.




the tarp underneath was too thin, i now have oil spots on the concrete... next time i will use 2 sheets of thick tarp


this is the shift rod guide , taken off the VB - that allows access to the valves.



solenoids removed:




keep things in order! all parts have to go back in their original location:



resistance was all in acceptable range...

solenoid with collar ground off, next - plate has to come off:




tapped the plate in the center, to bend up on the outside (armature inside will not get damaged by this, it travels further down)



bent up plate right next to it...

 

plate coming off:





armature inside:




armature removed:



you will have to measure the diameter of the shaft precisely, in order to choose one of the two drills to rework the bushings (move drill inside bushings for 15 seconds, turn both directions)





afterwards i filed the top to allow an easier install of the new caps>



after this it was ~ 1/4 bottle of brake cleaner (per soleniod) and a lot of compressed air to get them clean again.
clean the caps as well, mine had metal dust inside!

then one line of red loctite around and put on the cap:




you can see the top of the housing ground flush with the inner step (according to instructions)


a socket and light touches with the hammer:





on to opening the valve body:


plate in between: be careful, there are moving parts and the manual doesn't specify exact locations...






old versus new:


installation bores: plates are spring loaded and blocked by small bars, for removal press against plate and pull out bar with a magnet.


overview:

back together: (tray in back with old VB parts)


all VB bolts torqued:


installed with fresh filter:


oil fill hook made from a pencil:


connecting durametric:


tranny fluid: it took almost 11qts - i also opened the tranny cooler nuts, to drain the oil up there, since i had the bumper off anyway
that hand pump was worth the $10

tranny temp:



here we flow in; car level: on the ground (will do the level / refill this weekend with all wheels up in the air and shifting through all gears)





lessons learned:

- 2 tarps under car
- sill a lot of fluid gets spilled
- in the summer heat, latex gloves let your hands sweat and soften up too much, it might be better without gloves
- brake cleaner will permeate latex gloves, sweaty hands will start burning - not healthy at all
- when taking the VB apart, take a lot of pictures and move very slowly, look in between the plates for moving / stuck parts that might fall out while you lift the top plate
- prepare to take plenty of time
- stay hydrated
- ventilate the area where brake cleaner is used


would i do it again?
sure.

 

Great write-up. I would have done the trans go if I had this DIY. As it is my daily driver I had to minimize the chance of errors or failure. Instead I went with the revmax rebuilt valve body. Let us know how it shifts. I sent the kit I had off to 69gaugeman. Hope it works for him.

 

Whoa - that looks pretty intense.

Do the tires have to be off the ground to do a proper fill? Or can you just have the car sitting level, and shift it through P R D while the car is standing still?

 

I have always just run through the gears while on the ground. Drive it for a bit and check the next day and add a little if need be. Always worked for me when my 05 had a leaking torque converter seal and had to add about every 5-6 weeks.

 

Thanks for the kit! Got it yesterday. In my Touareg I wasn't aware of the kit and went to Revmax as well, but for 700+ dollars I can spend a lot of time rebuilding the valve body.

 

Glad you got it. I always get a great pleasure from fixing things rather than just replacing with a rebuilt part, not to mention the coin that stays in the pocket.

 

Outstanding post,thank you

 

Ive been following this with interest

I`m a hands on kind of guy but this looks pretty advanced - how good are the instructions that come with the kit?

 

I also can't get my head around why the filling procedure is so complicated (run the vehicle/correct temperature etc etc) - I somehow just imagine there would be a fill hole at the correct level (i.e. fill on a level surface until you can't get any more in and you're good)

I don't doubt there is a reason I just can't work it out

 

Such a great write up. Thanks for taking the time to document and share.

 

Many modern transmissions are like this. I think it is because they are closed systems??? I would drive on to 2x6's and put it to the highest setting. Remove the plastic guard, crack loose the filling plug, hook up the durametric and run it up to about 35C running it through the gears every so often. Then I would remove the fill plug and have the tranny fluid ready in an oil hand syringe. When it got to 39C I would pump it in till it flowed out the fill hole. I would keep flowing a little more as it got to 40C and I would put the plug back in. Not like the old way at all, but it is what it is.

 

they are not too bad. they tell you what to do, but not exactly how. mine are a little dirty, but let me snap some pics and post them here.

i'm no professional wrencher by any means, but with structured work and reflection on what you are doing you can get it done.

as mentioned, the only hard part is splitting the VB - where things can fall out. just be very careful here. have somebody take pictures for you since different cars supposedly have different ball and reed valve placements....


oh, and on the VB there is a bar that holds the pins that keep the 5 solenoids in place.... i removed it and had the pins drop in the oil catch pan. a strong magnet came in handy to find them...