Focus Transmission Failure - Compatibility Question on Part Numbers

[Spanner_Man]

If someone out there knows some finer details about Focus Auto Trannys please Help! Help! Help! Wife's 2006 (Apr) 2.0L auto focus with 89.000km on the clock is now in a transmission shop due to going into "fail safe" mode and "transmission malfunction" indicator light coming on. Box pulled down to find metal on the pan magnet which has come from a bearing failure in the converter (or so I'm told). Advised shift solenoids will all need to be replaced as they are contaminated with metal from the bearing failure.....this was the cause of the initial warning light, apparently......Pretty peeved as the auto had actually been serviced regularly (new oil and filter 20K previous) despite what the service manual says.

Long story-short, rebuild/exchange converter and full set of solenoids plus other required parts = drive-away price of $5350 !!!! Nice one for a car probably only worth a little over $10k on the current market.

After picking myself up off the floor have promptly started looking for a suitable second-handy. Have found a low KM unit for a reasonable price interstate ($650 + $150 freight with 3 months parts & labour warranty). Box is supposedly out of a late 2005 model so assured that it should be fine as its the same model, HOWEVER.........

Checked transmission model numbers (stickers on the boxes) on mine and compared. Found one letter difference:

Mine: 5M5P-7000-AB PVAG
Replacement: 5M5P-7000-AA PVAG

Can anyone help in telling me what this slight difference is about? (AA instead of AB). Net search tells me that both boxes where put into 2.0Litre cars in Britain, but why? Was the AB box just a slightly updated version of the AA..............

Don't want to ship interstate, spend money having it fitted to find it doesn't work or there is some compatibility problem or other.

Anyone got any ideas????????????

[Yellow_Festiva]

Does Ford have a tech support section you can call? Do use a dealer for services? Perhaps go in and run it by the service / parts department.

[SpasticBus]

Think you'll probably find that AA/AB refers to a revision/mod. Won't think it would make any differece to fit and function.

Curious as to why you serviced it despite not being suggested to do so under manufacturer's servicing guidelines? Did you use the right oil?

[Spanner_Man]

As suggested by Mr Yellow_Festiva, checked with Ford Service Centre where I live and provided VINs from my vehicle and the vehicle the replacement box was removed from. Likely (as Mr SpasticBus has offered), the numbers refer to some minor difference as according to the Ford manufacturing records the Trannys fitted are identical in each vehicle.

Re the servicing issue. Had been advised by a number of transmission specialists that while the manufacturers state the box is "sealed for the life of the vehicle", the dacron filters that are used are extremely fine and ultimately do get clogged with residue from oil and other internal contaminants due to normal wear and tear. Changing oil and filter is good practice and will NORMALLY lead to extended transmission life and improved operation. Checked and used the correct oil on the last service.

Bearing failure in the converter was likely just bad luck.....transmission shop doing the work said that this wasn't the first one they'd seen fail in this way. Sounds like a design problem. Anyway, picking up the vehicle tomorrow so hopefully this sorry saga will be over (at a cost of approx $2,300 all up unfortunately. But with only 89,000KM on the car there was little choice but to get it up and running again)