78 Miles

[csx4910]

Either Way Voss performance should pay for the cost of transport and make it right or I would warn all others to stay away. Unfortunately, my dealer/installer went out of business so they were off the hook for having to deal with all the problems I had so make sure they stay in contact with you of waht they find. Dont assume they will call you. Good Luck

[65SC]

Originally Posted by csx4910

Either Way Voss performance should pay for the cost of transport and make it right or I would warn all others to stay away. Unfortunately, my dealer/installer went out of business so they were off the hook for having to deal with all the problems I had so make sure they stay in contact with you of waht they find. Dont assume they will call you. Good Luck

same here, spent $$$$ to get 4970 sorted out

[tin-man]

I do thank you guys for the morale support, yes, it’s more than a major disappointment for me after waiting so long, travelling half way around the world, driving 1600 miles and then to have this happen after only driving the car for 27 miles in Phoenix. Yep, it’s a horror story ok and does not say too much for the engine and transmission manufacturers involved to allow such a condition to exist. I am using very kind words here since it will be interesting to learn what caused the failure to occur. I am concluding Voss will be able to peel this one back and discover the root cause of the failure.

After talking to several people however there is much focus on the linkage between the Roush 511 engine and Bowler automatic transmission, the high idle rate and the methodology of assembly. While this is just speculation at this time and I must wait for confirmation, it does have credibility and merit given there were issues associated with these linkage components having incorrect bolt hole patterns discovered during the installation process as corroborated by several emails between Voss and Roush.

After reviewing these emails and endeavoring to make sense out of what happened, I cannot help but wonder why Roush failed to provide the correct components when the engine was first shipped to Voss and only after discovery by Voss of the bolt hole mismatch did Roush supply a second set of components. I am a reasonable person, but it makes me just wonder how this could have been allowed to happen.

While these events make a compelling argument for speculative judgment about fit and function and probable cause, I need wait until Voss finalizes the root cause failure analysis sometime next week.

I will keep you informed.

tin-man

[RET_COP]

I never really thought about the problems an auto trans could cause in these cars but BUZZ gave some great advice on manually controlling the possibility of up shifting and downshifting automatically at the wrong time !!!

Tin, the smoke is throwing me off here. Where, what kind of smell, how long??
I was ready to say the coupling between the engine and the trans until that clue. Engine and trans at the same time?? no way. Flexplate break loose and cut the back of the oil pan? Was the smoke a transmission oil smell?
I hope this fix goes smooth and please keep us posted.
Lou

[Tom Wells]

Buzz,

You said

One thought - have you considered (if it's even possible) putting a manual valve body in the slushbox? You'll still be clutchless and at least you won't have to worry about unpredictable up and down shifts. In a high powered Cobra, you want to make sure you're in full control. With all that torque, a surprise shift while negotiating a sharp turn, changing lanes to pass or accelerating on a damp off ramp could ruin your day in a real big hurry my friend.

Is this based on experience, or is it speculation?

I've run my automatic at Sebring, Daytona, Gainesville, Roebling Road and others for literally hours at my limit without any difficulties induced by a "surprise shift."

I have had, um, unexpected directional excursions but none could in any way be linked to the trans - only to my lack of skill!

I'm curious as to what experience(s) you may have had that prompted you to make this remark. Seems to me the incidents you propose as dangerous could also be accomplished with a stick shift, and seem to involve accelerating in inappropriate circumstances not related to the type of trans.

Can you enlighten me?

Tom

[Car Nut]

Nice meeting you last night Tinny and as others have said, we feel your pain.

I see the transmission you used started out life as a 4R70w which is a computer controlled Ford automatic overdrive. These transmissions come with an intergral torque converter housing that mates to late windsors or modular motors and require a modfication and an adapter to fit the FE motor.

The internals really need to be worked over too to handle the additional power as in stock form are supposedly good for a maximum of 400 hp.

Finally a computer control operates the transmission which controls up down lockup firmness and all other aspects of the transmission.

They can be made to handle over a 1000 horsepower.

Your gear hunting problem is most likely a matter of seperating your shift points and throttle position settings.

As far as the rest of whats going on I don't have a clue, but I would really suspect an issue with the fitment of the transmission, correct clearance between the torque converter and flexplate. Not enough clearance and it will eat the thrust bearing out of the motor and/or ruin the front pump of the transmission.

I am mentioning this because when the find the cause, you may have other damage that is not immediately apparent. I would be very insistant that you are properly informed of what they find and what they check for.

[Buzz]

Originally Posted by Tom Wells

Buzz,

You said
One thought - have you considered (if it's even possible) putting a manual valve body in the slushbox? You'll still be clutchless and at least you won't have to worry about unpredictable up and down shifts. In a high powered Cobra, you want to make sure you're in full control. With all that torque, a surprise shift while negotiating a sharp turn, changing lanes to pass or accelerating on a damp off ramp could ruin your day in a real big hurry my friend.


Is this based on experience, or is it speculation?

I've run my automatic at Sebring, Daytona, Gainesville, Roebling Road and others for literally hours at my limit without any difficulties induced by a "surprise shift."

I have had, um, unexpected directional excursions but none could in any way be linked to the trans - only to my lack of skill!

I'm curious as to what experience(s) you may have had that prompted you to make this remark. Seems to me the incidents you propose as dangerous could also be accomplished with a stick shift, and seem to involve accelerating in inappropriate circumstances not related to the type of trans.

Can you enlighten me?

Tom

Tom, first off, I don't want this to become a perceived issue of defending an affront to automatic transmissions in Cobras. I have owned and driven a few high powered auto trans cars but never in a light, short wheelbased car like a Cobra. I am no expert in the field and my thoughts are based on HIS experience with THAT transmission and engine combo.

I acknowledge your experience with your car but I stand by my position that unpredictable up and downshift hunting as well as "grabbing" - which I interpret to mean harsh or hard gear changes - in a Cobra with 572rwhp/566tq can land an inexperienced driver in serious trouble under certain not-so-far fetched circumstances. You are right in saying that the same problems can occur in a manually shifted car, but at least the application of power and torque multiplication are fully within the driver's control. Not so in a malfunctioning automatic.

Car Nut seems to know a lot about the 4R70W transmission and if he and others feel it can be tamed and made to function smoothly and predictably behind John's 511, then problem solved.

[tin-man]

Originally Posted by RET_COP

Tin, the smoke is throwing me off here. Where, what kind of smell, how long??
I was ready to say the coupling between the engine and the trans until that clue. Engine and trans at the same time?? no way. Flexplate break loose and cut the back of the oil pan? Was the smoke a transmission oil smell?
I hope this fix goes smooth and please keep us posted.
Lou

There was a hot smell of oil that I recall and the smoke was a lightish brown color and was fleeting, moving from left to right of this engine picture. Remember I was sitting in the drivers seat and it looked as though it came from the filter that sticks up on the left side of the long black header cover, but it could have come from the area near the rear.

tin-man

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by tin-man

There was a hot smell of oil that I recall and the smoke was a lightish brown color and was fleeting, moving from left to right of this engine picture. Remember I was sitting in the drivers seat and it looked as though it came from the filter that sticks up on the left side of the long black header cover, but it could have come from the area near the rear.

tin-man

But there were no "puddles" of anything left under your car, correct? That smoke might very well be a red-herring that was the result of the engine not cranking right because the trans is locked/jammed on it, maybe a backfire, oil spritz out the breather, who knows. I know you think your car is "trashed," but it very well could be something pretty simple once they pull the trans away from the engine and have a look-see.

[rodneym]

tinman,

So sorry to hear about the problems. As Patrick said, they're just cars. Small potatoes in the big picture of life.

This car is everything you wanted and it's special and unique. You could buy a sorted car (there IS a lot of value in that) but your car will get sorted out. And for who? The NEXT guy?

This is your baby. I know the build has been long and arduous, but you just got it. And realistically, this may be the first of a few issues. This was not a vanilla build.

Hang in there, tinman.