How to Keep the Check Balls in Place in Your Transmission

Check balls inside the valve body of your automatic transmission help control oil flow to activate the different pistons, servos, bands and clutches at different speeds. If you have to remove the valve body, you need a way to keep the check balls in place so they do not roll out and get lost during the installation process.

Instructions

Removing the Valve Body

1

Raise the front and rear wheels off the ground using a floor jack and support it on four jack stands.

2

Put on your safety goggles, crawl under your vehicle and position a large drain pan under the transmission drain pan.

3

Gradually unscrew the transmission pan mounting bolts using a socket, large ratchet extension and ratchet.

4

Remove the side and front mounting bolts from the transmission pan and allow the transmission fluid to drain into the drain pan.

5

Finish removing the rear mounting bolts as you hold the transmission pan with one hand. When ready, lower the pan over the large drain pan, tilt the transmission pan and finish draining the rest of the transmission oil.

6

Remove the transmission oil filter from under the transmission. Depending on your particular vehicle model, you may pull the filter off the transmission or unscrew a single mounting bolt using the socket, ratchet extension and ratchet.

7

Unscrew the transmission valve body from under the transmission using the socket, ratchet extension and socket. Make a note of any bolts of different size so that you replace them in their original position. When you are ready, hold the valve body with one hand, remove the last three bolts and carefully lower the valve body straight down without tilting it.

Installing the Valve Body

8

Take the valve body to your workbench, locate the check balls in the valve body. The check balls are similar to the BBs used in air guns. Make a note of their position and remove them with a telescopic magnet or standard screwdriver.

9

Replace the check balls into their respective places after servicing the valve body and apply a dab of transmission assembly lube to each check ball to keep them in place. The lube is thick enough to keep the check balls in place but will dissolve during transmission operation.

10

Crawl under the vehicle and replace the valve body, filter and transmission pan using the socket, ratchet extension and ratchet.

11

Lower your vehicle off the jack stands and refill the transmission with the type of transmission oil and amount recommended by your vehicle manufacturer.