Technically Speaking
- Subject: Checking solenoid resistance through the case connector
- Unit: JF011-E/RE0F10A
- Vehicle Applications: Dodge, Mitsubishi and Nissan
- Essential Reading: Rebuilder, Diagnostician
- Author: Wayne Colonna, ATSG, Transmission Digest Technical Editor
The Technically Speaking article in the May 2011 issue of Transmission Digest regarding some tips related to valve-body removal, exchange and installation has brought about a question related to checking the solenoid resistance through the case connector. There are two points to address this concern that will clear up confusion when you’re doing solenoid resistance checks.
The first point is to know that there are two different types of internal wiring harnesses among Dodge, Mitsubishi and Nissan vehicles. Mitsubishi and Nissan provide an internal ground for all their solenoids and the stepper motor (Figure 1); Dodge provides an external ground for three solenoids (Figure 2).
Dodge accomplishes this by internally splicing together the ground wires for the pressure-control solenoid, the secondary pressure-control solenoid and the lockup solenoid. This splice is joined to one wire that exits the transmission through pin 6 in the case connector. It is then routed to the left side of the engine compartment, where it is fastened to the firewall by a bolt and eyelet called the G301 ground.
By understanding this difference, you can use terminal 6 in the case connector as a ground path with a meter when checking the resistance of these three solenoids in Dodge vehicles (Figure 3). In Nissan and Mitsubishi, the negative lead of your meter will need to be fastened to the transmission for ground.
The second point is to know that Nissan numbers the case-connector terminals differently from Dodge and Mitsubishi. The actual pin functions remain the same as Mitsubishi, and you could use the pin-out provided in Figure 3 for Mitsubishi. But if you are going to use a Nissan wiring diagram, then you will need to refer to Figure 4, which numbers the terminals accordingly.