Well Long story short I picked up my xkr with a transmission issue last year. Bad speed sensor. So I changed out the conductor plate and did the sonnax overlap valve sleeve upgrade. One of the sleeves went in tight so I tapped it in..Bad move. Ultimately I fixed the issue it originally had however now 4th gear would take awhile to engage. Rather then deal with his transmission which I know the original owner abused I went out and found a 20,000 mile unit from a wrecked xkr


Before I did the swap I picked up the overlap sleeve kit again, the AMG blue top solenoids, new conductor plate, filter, sleeve and 2.5 gallons of Amsoil fluid.


WOW. What a difference. I've read mixed reviews on the upgrade to the blue tops however IMO unless you are non performance orientated I cant see why you wouldn't want them. Upshifting is firm but not chirp your tire muscle car firm. The same can be said for the down shifting. It was well worth the $188 a piece for the solenoids. SO NICE...SO NICE!


If anything changes Ill make an update here but after about 50 miles of driving..I LIKE I LIKE!

 

Sloepoke


Glad to hear the bluetops selenoids are worth the investment.


I am confused on the Sonnax sleeves. Why on the MB Nag1?
Aren't the 5hp/6hp ZF's on the xk8 the ones that need the upgrade?

 

Do you think you could post a full sized picture of your car? I am curious what it looks like in flat black. The earlier pictures you posted were tiny.

 

Well I took one at the store today because I was so happy to be driving it again....I warn its VERY DIRTY now...Ill take some better ones once it gets nicer out. I really have no good photos of this car. In person everyone loves the look. This should come out full size

 

reflection is from glass

 

And JM. No these transmissions are known for not only the bad conductor plate and leaking sleeve..But the Overlap valve sleeves tend to scour the bores. The Sonnax kit gives you new sleeves with rubber o-rings. Check Youtube Plenty of videos on it. Transmission feels wonderful.


Check out Sonnax 722.6....It will show you. Id say if your transmission is reaching the 100,000 mile mark along with a fluid change Id do the Sleeve update and conductor plate ect. Cheap insurance.

 

Ok so I been driving this car way to much now.....LOVE IT!..Just a quick update and another 100 miles

 

can the sonnax kit and the blue top solenoids be used in the ZF6hp26 trans that are in the 2003 S type r's?

 

Totally different

 

Can the blue top solenoids be used on a 2004 XKR? If not, what is the equivalent to achieve firmer and faster shifts for a 2004? Any chance I CAN achieve the "chirp your tire muscle car" shifting, as that's what I'm used to...and I miss it.

 

The blue top solenoids are for the Mercedes 5spd box in the earlier cars.

Research what people do to the ford 6r80, which is basically a licensed copy of the 6hp26. Any of the physical mods should apply, but you may need to modify the TCM software to really get what you are after.

 

I bought the damn things and discovered they didn't fit. Sigh...




Wasn't a good week.

 

I'll buy them off you. Not sure how to do it? Pay pal?

 

Do the Sonnax overlap kit as well while you are at it...BEST MODS EVER!

 

I gave them to another forum member a year or so ago, he put them on his XJR and then sold it.

 

Oh. No worries. Have a great day.

 

Slowpoke,

Was this the master overlap sleeve kit 68942-05K? Did you need to buy any of the special reamers and jigs for instillation?

 

The reamers and jigs are only if the bore is severely worn. If you have that issue your transmission would likely be functioning very poorly. And yes that was the kit I purchased. The combo transformed the cars shifting in a positive way. Firm but not like an old chevy shift kit which snapped your neck

 

Thanks for the Info. I know some of the sonnax kits require the tools, not needing them makes that kit a great add-on for $50 or so. I just hate how you cant feel the Downshift at all (soo luxurious and buttery) and almost nothing on the up shifts. my 98xjr has the EGS51 tcm and will only kick down 1 gear at a time (no kick down switch either) so you can only tell by the RPM if the event happened. Not a horrible thing if your showing how refined you Connolly warped living room is, but a little something would be nice.

 

I've been in contact with Level10 regarding valve body modification for FASTER and firmer shifts, and albeit not as cheap as a typical shift kit or solenoid swap, they said, "Yes, We do offer ValveBody upgrades for your XKR. The Upgrade is $698 and will give you the shifts you are looking for. We do need the ValveBody to complete the upgrade and the turnaround is only 1-3 business days."

Level 10 Bmw Bulletproof Valvebody 4HP19,4hp22,5hp18,5HP19,5HP24,5hp26,5hp30,4l30,6l5 0

I thought others might like to know this as well.