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Are those Transtar valve bodies easy to find? I might just be proactive and change it since I want the car to last until 200k+ miles.
The valve body will give you plenty of warning when it fails. The most common form of failure is a "reverse slam," where the transmission will not shift into reverse normally and requires some gas before it'll shift into Reverse, usually with a loud "bang." Just replace the valve body immediately upon experiencing "the slam" or else you'll have to tighten the input shaft nut too...which is a 4+ hr job involving side cover removal. There's no point in replacing the valve body before it fails...seriously...it won't leave you stranded...and yours may have 20-30k left in it since the transmission has been maintained properly.
Two different updates exist to resolve the Saturn TAAT transmission's pressure regulator bore wear. The GM fix (similar to VBX fix) involves reaming out the bore and installing a hardened, oversized valve coupled with new springs. The Sonnax fix involves sleeving the bore and reusing the original valve. (http://www.transmissionspecialty.com/TB/TB-Vol02-03.pdf)
The Sonnax fix is superior as the sleeve used is of a much harder metal, thus reducing the likeliness of the problem reoccuring. There are three different ways one can obtain the Sonnax fix. First way is to go to Omega machine and buy the top half of the valve body for $150 (http://www.omegamachine.com/db/hard_parts.asp), and disassemble and reassemble the valve body yourself. Second way is to buy the reamer tool, sleeve, etc (www.bulkpart.com) and ream out and install a new bore yourself. Neither of those methods gives you the opportunity to professionally test the solenoids. Purchasing the tool to ream out the bore yourself is uneconomical as I can almost buy two remanufactured valve bodies for the amount of money, plus reaming out a bore is not a job for a backyard mechanic.
The third way to obtain the Sonnax fix is to buy a complete remanufactured valve body from Valve Body Pro for about $350. (http://www.valvebodypro.com) They incorporate the Sonnax fix into the valve body remanufacturing process and digitally test all solenoids as any remanufacturing facility would.
Still, I prefer using the Valve Body Express (http://www.valvebodyxpress.com/tech/saturn-taat.asp) remanufactured part despite it’s “lesser” update for the common bore wear problem. Why? I know of many transmission shops that use their parts without issues, and thus that’s greater reputability in my book compared to Valve Body Pro. Valve Body Pro may be very good, but I simply don’t have much experience with them. The fact that Transtar supplies VBX parts to its transmission shops gives VBX a lot of credibility in my book. Even if the part only lasts another 100k…its good enough in my book.
Anyway, Transtar has three locations in Texas...San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston, none in Austin though. Here's Transtar's website:
http://www.transtarindustries.com/default.asp
Just be sure to purchase a new top cover gasket and transmission spin-on filter from a Saturn dealership or
www.saturnparts.com as part of the job. Also check SaturnFans.com for DIY guides on valve body replacement, and obtain the necessary literature before beginning the job, as loosening the wrong bolts will cause parts to drop into the transaxle and warrant the need for transmission removal and disassembly to retrieve and dropped parts.
Probably more info than you needed…
