Sonnax, any thoughts?

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02blue

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Thanks Luke. Still reading that Ram thread as it is a ton of info. Sounds iffy to me especially after reading "page 10" of the Ram thread, but I'm going to put one on when I service my ****** next weekend. I'm about due and have a new pan to install. I'm really getting tired of the mushy shifting. Seems to be getting worse. I'm used to those solid Ford shifts in my truck. Seems harmless at least and less than a tank of gas in price.
 

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02blue

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You can do the same thing with $2 resistor from radio shack.

That was my first thought too when I first read about it. They don't hide the fact it's a simple resistor but when I started looking at doing it I wimped out and went with plug and play. Several descriptions out there if anyone wants to rig their own, but I just don't have the time so I'll pay for the 2 minute install. And I can uninstall it as easily. Actually have a compatible resistor in my collection but already spent the 49 bucks. At least shipping was "free". :emotions34:
 

jeeptorino68

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tried to make my own, it didnt work out for some reason, the resistor size is listed online, but it didnt work out for me for some reason...
 

02blue

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Good to know. I was real close to trying it and then the lack of time won again. Maybe I'm lucky after all. Should get it on on Saturday when I drop the pan and change the fluid and filters.
 

02blue

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Okay, Sonnax in place and shiny new trans pan too. I always make sure it is full before starting and then refill with the same volume I removed. I took it for a gentle ride to heat things up to get a good fluid level check and felt very good. A few places where I'd notice a bit of a flutter/slip prior to a downshift due to terrain were all better. Not to say the fresh fluid didn't help but seems like better shifting overall. She still doesn't shift like a Ford but a bit better. I Didn't notice the sporadic rough downshift when slowing either. I'll update when I drive it a bit more tomorrow.
 

jeeptorino68

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i had the rough downshift thing for the first like 3 down shifts, then it went away as things adjusted
 

02blue

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I'll be taking it to work tomorrow. Many conditions to see how it works. Didn't get to play with it today as I had to do oil changes and general checks on my Avenger and my daughter's Subaru.

By the way if anyone knows what "side" Bank one is on a 3.6L pentastar I'd really appreciate it. The Avenger forum is a waste and I can't find a good diagram on my Alldata. I keep getting a sporadic P0132 which (I believe leads to a P1128 and P0300). I just want to change the 1/1 O2 sensor and can't figure out what side is Bank one on that engine.
 

CactusJacked

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By the way if anyone knows what "side" Bank one is on a 3.6L pentastar I'd really appreciate it. The Avenger forum is a waste and I can't find a good diagram on my Alldata. I keep getting a sporadic P0132 which (I believe leads to a P1128 and P0300). I just want to change the 1/1 O2 sensor and can't figure out what side is Bank one on that engine.

Bank one is the side that cylinder #1 is on.
 

02blue

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Bank one is the side that cylinder #1 is on.

I did know that but I can't even figure that out from the info I have. There are no diagrams in the "FSM" available through alldata. These darn transverse engines always screw me up. I'm almost positive bank one and hence cylinder one is to the front of the car but I'd like to get a decent diagram to validate this. It would actually be consistent with the KJ configuration with #1 being front D side.
 

02blue

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Ouch just found the firing order diagram buried deep in the minutia and bank one is against the firewall. That ***** bigtime. I'm gonna have to go on a diet to get my chubby arms in there. Murphy's law of auto repair lives on.
 

02blue

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Alright back on topic. Sonnax made a noticeable difference. 80 mile round trip to and from work and definite improvement. Shifting is firmer and no flutter when on slight incline on highway. It seemed to be slipping a bit but I'd say slipping has been eliminated. Not a huge difference but I can tell it is better for now. I'll update in the near future with a longer term test.
 

ltd02

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Another update. About 500 miles now and still working great. Apparently the KJ hasn't "learned" anything as she's still shifting great. Overall I'd say a good investment if your 45rfe is getting a bit spongy.

Oh I should clarify. I gave up on the password reset since whoever is the technical genius (webmaster) behind this website apparently is not all that capable. So I just reregistered.
 

jeeptorino68

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yea, ours does not appear to have really re-learned much at all
at first it was a bit firm and kind of a jolt, but that settled down quickly. great ever since.
ultimately i think the transgo shift kit is probably best, but this is good if you dont want to dig into the internals
 

ltd02

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Another update. Still working great. Put another 3-4k on it and still firm shifts with no flutter like I had before.
 

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