Help!
Danny3.0 and anyone else who has done the Wave Spring replacement, please provide any tips/hints.
It seems it will cost around $1000 to get it done (in which case I ahve to let the car go). I have done things like engine overhauls. manual box overhauls, timing belts, Heater core replacement etc, so this would be just another challenge. However, have never worked on Autos before, except to replace end clutch pack on TS.

When I drained auto fluid yesterday 2 pieces of wave spring each 35 mm long came out. Last time i drained was 20 000km ago, so who knows. Auto shifts beautifully and I have a cooler fitted. Interesting that a $2200 rebuild was done on the box at 45 000km, just before I bought the car, so i though all would be sweet.

Does one access the box via left hand side wheel opening. Which engine mounts need to be 'disengaged' to drop engine low enough. Can the internal oil filter be replaced at the same time. It seems brake retainer oil seal should be replaced at same time. Do any parts have to line up from a rotational point of view? I assume once one gets into the guts of it, it is just a case of careful removal with notes and photos.

Part numbers I have found are:
2741A007 "Spring -A/T L-R"
MD7557211 "Second Brake Retainer Oil Seal"

Cheers,
John

There's a thread somewhere here from someone who had the spring replaced with the gearbox still in the car.
If you think a cost of $1K is too much and will force you to let the car go, why not just do nothing other than drive it? If the box is changing ok, chances are no harm has been done and the box will be fine for years. When it stuffs up properly, then let the car go.
I read somewhere that changing the wave spring requires most of the internals to come out, and lining everything up on reassembly has to be done perfectly, otherwise the pump self destructs quickly. Sounds like a job beyond a DIY exercise, frankly.

Sorry to highjack thread

But this wave spring thing has always fascinated me......seems to be about the most common failure in these autos, yet some go for years with a broken wave spring no problems.....

Which begs the question....what on earth is the wave spring even for?, what purpose does it serve?

http://etereman.com/blog/transmission-care/every-reapir-shop-should-know-about-these-common-problems-with-the-f4a51-automatic-transmission

Read and Learn!

It is a cushioning spring, ie one of the drums gets moved about and the spring ensures it has a soft landing. Presumably so you don't get a loud CLUNK.

There is a fairly detailed thread on the VR4 transmission wave spring replacement. The process is the same:
http://www.ozvr4.com/threads/8035/

If it is a 4 speed auto, my suggestion is just keep driving it. These are not hard to find second hand.

I was told by the transmission shop that did my wave spring replacement with the transmission in the car, that if I brought the transmission to them (ie, removed it myself) they would only charge 2 hours labour for the wave spring replacement