Common Problem #2: Front Transmission Band
Another common 47RE problem is a loose band on the front planetary gear set (which controls shifts into and out of second gear), which causes delayed shifts from first to second gear, and also from second into third. A hydraulic servo pushes the band to tighten it in the process of selecting the next gear. Unfortunately, the 47RE transmission has a very sensitive band that cannot withstand any wear. In turn, when the adjacent screw is misadjusted, the band can be too tight or too loose. A tight band wears away more quickly and gains clearance around the gear set, eventually making the band too loose for the next gear to engage and causing the transmission to slip. An already slightly loose band causes the anchor piece to fall out, exacerbating the problem. Band slippage happens especially when applying a bigger burst of throttle, as the gear set spins faster and makes engagement of the loose band more difficult. This problem can be serious, as when you need to accelerate quickly, your natural instinct is to apply more throttle pressure. To best prevent these problems from occurring, it is important to take off the transmission pan and valve body every 24,000 miles or 24 months (whichever comes first) and check the adjustment of the screw, held by a nut on the exterior. The nut should be adjusted to 72 inch-pounds and backed off a 1 7/8-inch turn.