Update:
After driving 1308 miles with ARX in the tranny, there was no improvement. If anything it may have become worse, but in all honesty I didn't expect the ARX treatment to solve this problem. Based on the claims on the ARX web site, cleaning out the contamination of deposits, gums, and varnishes with their product should help with future longevity so I figured it was worth a try.
Saturday's forecast as a very nice day was perfect for dropping the pan and getting the shift kit installed. As advertised by TransGo and verified by several online sources, this kit may solve exactly my problem and is not a performance shift kit. The install was pretty straightforward, but a few forums have some nice write-ups highlighting a couple things to look for and sciphi was helpful with some advice as well.
Misc. notes, thoughts, and ramblings...
After successfully removing the pan without taking a shower in ATF, I pulled the magnet off the pan and cleaned it. It was covered in a thin layer of very fine, light gray, sediment. The rest of the pan was clean.
Is the old, apply-hammer-to-screwdriver method the generally accepted procedure to remove the filter seal? The aluminum tube gets mangled to the point that I can grab it with my needle nose pliers and yank it out, but it just seems like there should be a better way.
Once I had the accumulator out and opened up, I noticed some damage to the cover which seemed like it would be from the piston slamming against it when it was in max line-pressure mode. I don't fully understand the inner workings of automatic transmissions, so this is just a guess, but there was obvious damage from the pistons, and my terminology will most likely be inaccurate. The inside of the cover has three lobes that protrude out from the OD of the bore and appear like they may be positive stops for piston travel. Several of them were mushroomed, and one in particular was mashed enough to have a burr sticking out. I was able to pick part of it off with my fingernail. Figuring I didn't want any of that to get loose, I used a stone to file it down smooth. I have several files, but I didn't want to get too agressive on the soft aluminum casting, and it didn't take much with the stone to remove about .015 of material to get it nice and smooth. Of course, a good rinsing was in order to remove any chips and swarf when I finished.
I replaced the stock springs with the ones provided in the kit, added the spacers, and put everything back together. I was told years ago that there is no difference in quality with regard to ATF so I've always purchased whatever was the least expensive. However, after hearing good things about MaxLife, I used a code for a discount at my local AAP and filled up the trans once everything was buttoned up.
After driving it this weekend and today, it shifts as I would expect a good healthy transmission to shift, quick with no slippage and somewhat firm but not hard at all. I can't say what part the MaxLife has in this, since I replaced the fluid at the same time as the shift kit, but it does shift well so I may continue to use it. I'm considering a 30k filter and fluid exchange interval.
Later, I opened up the old filter, it was marked Filtran Microfiber. Inside there were a couple small pieces of aluminum flakes, presumably from the accumulator cover. Not much else inside.
I have a bottle of LubeGard red I purchased a few months back, but am unsure if it will make much difference with the premium
ATF. Either way, I'm happy with the outcome so far. I'll contribute to the forums as much as I can, but may not be too active even though I lurk almost daily. Most of my knowledge is based on my own experience and am not nearly as qualified as a lot of the posters here. I guess there's always the off-topic forums lol.
