Sorry for the confusion, too many posts going on. Agreed it sounds like the VB.

Quote Originally Posted by zhandax View Post
Jeff, I have the 5HP30 which -sure seems like- got its fame from valve body failures. bubba966 is driving a 540 now, but he didn't say it was the car with the broken circlip holder. When I mentioned the circlip to Kirt, he said that sounds more like a 5HP18 and he couldn't remember one on a 5HP30. Add in the fact that my car has not thrown a single code (eliminating the trans ECU?) and it almost has to be the valve body, or at least that sounds like the way to bet. I did tell my tech if he sees metal in the pan, call me and don't even bother installing the VB. Just in case I'm the first.

As far as doing it myself, if it were a 4-barrel Holley that I could stand on both feet to remove for a rebuild, no problem. Since I started getting junk mail from AARP (knew I should have stayed away from that Foreigner concert they sponsored) I find I would rather get a root canal than work underneath a car. The last time I changed the trans filter on the Mercedes I got an oil shampoo. Long arms, a 12" deep ribcage, and jackstands make for pretty miserable working conditions on a crawler. Maybe I need to throw the jackstand boxes away. Seeing "Made in China" every time I have to trust my life to them doesn't help any.