Sonnax/Super servo question 4l65E
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From: Sugar Land
Sonnax/Super servo question 4l65E I got my truck back from the tranny shop this past Saturday. Drove it around and was not happy with the 1-2 shift, very lazy and slow. took it back to him and said something wasn't right, take a look at it and fix it. He calls me later that day and says come take a ride. We take off and it hits 1-2 like Tyson back in the day. He gets me back to the shop and proceeds to show me the Sonnax and Super servo set up I got, supposedly, has a problem. He tells me he was suspicious of the play between the spring and the C-clip (see pic 4). He claims that was causing the lazy shift. I asked what he put back in there and he said a corvette servo with his special modifications 
. I called the place i got the servo from and they said it sounds like he got an o-ring twisted when installing and that was causing the servo to bind up and result in the sloppy 1-2 shift. They also said the slack with the spring was not an issue. I was thinking about re-installing it myself but wanted to get an educated opinion on the slack issue and the pin end condition (heard that's kinda important). Hate for $200+ in parts to just be sitting around. He kinda dicked up the cover, not sure if that would be an issue but included a pic anyway for ***** and giggles.Tell me what you think.
. I called the place i got the servo from and they said it sounds like he got an o-ring twisted when installing and that was causing the servo to bind up and result in the sloppy 1-2 shift. They also said the slack with the spring was not an issue. I was thinking about re-installing it myself but wanted to get an educated opinion on the slack issue and the pin end condition (heard that's kinda important). Hate for $200+ in parts to just be sitting around. He kinda dicked up the cover, not sure if that would be an issue but included a pic anyway for ***** and giggles.Tell me what you think. that pin end looks messed up.....was the sonnax pin set up to their clearances? and that 4th gear cover is not a sonnax cover...so why not use theirs? i know of no "special" mods to a corvette servo.......enlighten us
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From: Sugar Land
The sonnax pin came with the kit, not sure what the clearances were.
"and that 4th gear cover is not a sonnax cover...so why not use theirs?"
Correct, it is a Superior 4th apply piston and cover. Not sure why he didn't use there's.
"i know of no "special" mods to a corvette servo.......enlighten us"
My builder did not elaborate on his "modifications". I was not aware of any that could be done either. I suspect shinanigans...... i think I may need to get my broom.
So is a new pin going to be needed? How about the slack in the spring?
Launching!
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From: south florida
Get another builder.First of all the spring with play is called a 1-2 apply spring and should always be replaced during a rebuild.And can cause lazy shifts or what i like to call slipping.The cover is superior cover with patc engraving.The pin needs to modified for your specific clearance which should be 1/16 to 1/8th of an inch pin travel.The sonnax servo is great but it is much thicker and causes clearance issues where it hits the floorboard on some vehicles.I don't know of any mods you can do to a corvette servo to get any more clamping force on the band that it already has.You are better off getting a new pin and starting over with that.
Last edited by 72blownvert; Jul 21, 2011 at 03:07 PM.
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From: Sugar Land
Get another builder.First of all the spring with play is called a 1-2 apply spring and should always be replaced during a rebuild.And can cause lazy shifts or what i like to call slipping.The cover is superior cover with patc engraving.The pin needs to modified for your specific clearance which should be 1/16 to 1/8th of an inch pin travel.The sonnax servo is great but it is much thicker and causes clearance issues where it hits the floorboard on some vehicles.I don't know of any mods you can do to a corvette servo to get any more clamping force on the band that it already has.You are better off getting a new pin and starting over with that.
I believe that spring came with the kit. So is that slack for the pin travel clearances you spoke of, or, is that spring supposed to fit tight in there? I'm just wondering if the parts place sent me a defective kit?
Launching!
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From: south florida
That spring should be tight on the pin.When you put that spring in you should have to put tension on the washer to get the e clip in.When it is loose you can burn the band up pretty quickly.Which by the way that spring needs to be replaced whether it is a stock rebuild or performance it does not matter which if he already does not know that its pretty scary.I get those springs from superior they come 3 to a box and are blue.I have never seen one come in a kit and be defective right out of the box.That spring does need to be tight to get your band clearance correct.
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From: Sugar Land
That spring should be tight on the pin.When you put that spring in you should have to put tension on the washer to get the e clip in.When it is loose you can burn the band up pretty quickly.Which by the way that spring needs to be replaced whether it is a stock rebuild or performance it does not matter which if he already does not know that its pretty scary.I get those springs from superior they come 3 to a box and are blue.I have never seen one come in a kit and be defective right out of the box.That spring does need to be tight to get your band clearance correct.
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Teching In
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Did you get only the 2nd gear Super Hold from Sonnax?
http://www.sonnax.com/system/instruc...911-03K-IN.pdf
Or did you also get the 4th gear Super hold servo as well?
http://www.sonnax.com/system/instructions/77767K-IN.pdf
It sounds like he might have mixed matched parts that didn't go together to me but i could be wrong of course.
Robert Moreau
Technical Marketing Support Coordinator
Sonnax Industries, Inc.
rmm@sonnax.com
http://www.sonnax.com/system/instruc...911-03K-IN.pdf
Or did you also get the 4th gear Super hold servo as well?
http://www.sonnax.com/system/instructions/77767K-IN.pdf
It sounds like he might have mixed matched parts that didn't go together to me but i could be wrong of course.
Robert Moreau
Technical Marketing Support Coordinator
Sonnax Industries, Inc.
rmm@sonnax.com
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Teching In
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From: Sugar Land
Did you get only the 2nd gear Super Hold from Sonnax?
http://www.sonnax.com/system/instruc...911-03K-IN.pdf
Or did you also get the 4th gear Super hold servo as well?
http://www.sonnax.com/system/instructions/77767K-IN.pdf
It sounds like he might have mixed matched parts that didn't go together to me but i could be wrong of course.
Robert Moreau
Technical Marketing Support Coordinator
Sonnax Industries, Inc.
rmm@sonnax.com
http://www.sonnax.com/system/instruc...911-03K-IN.pdf
Or did you also get the 4th gear Super hold servo as well?
http://www.sonnax.com/system/instructions/77767K-IN.pdf
It sounds like he might have mixed matched parts that didn't go together to me but i could be wrong of course.
Robert Moreau
Technical Marketing Support Coordinator
Sonnax Industries, Inc.
rmm@sonnax.com
Teching In
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OK that explains it, those two don't work together. Well not that i know of anyway.
Did you get the Superior setup for 4th gear because ours would not allow enough clearance between the cover and the body of the truck?
Your pin being a tad damaged at the tip like that is not a problem by the way, the important things is that the clearance be adjusted properly which will be pretty difficult for you to figure out now that it is in the car.
Robert Moreau
Technical Marketing Support Coordinator
Sonnax Industries, Inc.
rmm@sonnax.com
Did you get the Superior setup for 4th gear because ours would not allow enough clearance between the cover and the body of the truck?
Your pin being a tad damaged at the tip like that is not a problem by the way, the important things is that the clearance be adjusted properly which will be pretty difficult for you to figure out now that it is in the car.
Robert Moreau
Technical Marketing Support Coordinator
Sonnax Industries, Inc.
rmm@sonnax.com
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 27
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From: Sugar Land
OK that explains it, those two don't work together. Well not that i know of anyway.
Did you get the Superior setup for 4th gear because ours would not allow enough clearance between the cover and the body of the truck?
Your pin being a tad damaged at the tip like that is not a problem by the way, the important things is that the clearance be adjusted properly which will be pretty difficult for you to figure out now that it is in the car.
Robert Moreau
Technical Marketing Support Coordinator
Sonnax Industries, Inc.
rmm@sonnax.com
Did you get the Superior setup for 4th gear because ours would not allow enough clearance between the cover and the body of the truck?
Your pin being a tad damaged at the tip like that is not a problem by the way, the important things is that the clearance be adjusted properly which will be pretty difficult for you to figure out now that it is in the car.
Robert Moreau
Technical Marketing Support Coordinator
Sonnax Industries, Inc.
rmm@sonnax.com
Will it be difficult for a tranny shop to install this without taking the tranny out? I'm not going to tackle it now having learned all of this. I'm pretty good with a wrench but it sounds like there is a little more to it than what people are telling me. I have too much invested in this tranny to have an error of 1/8" of clearance tear it up.
BTW, I loaded the tranny up with everything but the kitchen sink from you guys. So far everything is rocking! Love your stuff.
I think if I get this servo issue resolved and get it in, it should run like a scalded dog.
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I just saw your email in my inbox, i will communicate with you via email and help you with the setup no worries, it should work like a champ when we are done.
Robert Moreau
Technical Marketing Support Coordinator
Sonnax Industries, Inc.
rmm@sonnax.com
Robert Moreau
Technical Marketing Support Coordinator
Sonnax Industries, Inc.
rmm@sonnax.com
i have a sonnax servo ...pin...and 4th gear cover too.....but have not installed yet due to the fact that i will have to drop the tranny......if you go to the sonnax site you can download the instructions for the pin install........which also gives the clearance specs
The sonnax second will work with the superior 4th servo. That superior 4th servo is nothing more than a billet version of the factory 4th servo assembly using a G4 Mazda lip seal if I remember correctly. IMO the superior version is a waste of money and a $10 viton servo d-ring kit will accomplish the same results. I will say that if you are going to use those two pieces together you might want to install a washer on the 4th servo side of the "E" clip to help adjust 4th band clearance. Make sure that you also use the factory washer on the 2nd servo side of the "E" clip on the pin.
78blownvert said the spring on your servo pin is half collapsed. Well not sure if I agree with that. Reason being is the plate for the 2-3 accumulator and the springs are not in the sonnax second servo. It just looks like its collapsed IMO. I think what your builder might have done with modifying the vet servo was to grind slots in the 3rd accumulator cover. By doing this IMO you have just made a solid servo like the superior 2nd servo and removed the 2-3 accumulation. Hopes this helps some. Vince
78blownvert said the spring on your servo pin is half collapsed. Well not sure if I agree with that. Reason being is the plate for the 2-3 accumulator and the springs are not in the sonnax second servo. It just looks like its collapsed IMO. I think what your builder might have done with modifying the vet servo was to grind slots in the 3rd accumulator cover. By doing this IMO you have just made a solid servo like the superior 2nd servo and removed the 2-3 accumulation. Hopes this helps some. Vince
