Under the Lift
As one being involved with diagnosing transmission issues, developing technical information for seminars and bulletins as well as writing technical repair manuals, the one aspect of the transmission business I rarely think about is the R&R process. In Canada I hear them say “Ree and Ree” which is a nice quick way of describing the process of removing and re-installing the transmission. The lack of attention on this aspect of the transmission business does not indicate that it is insignificant. In fact, removing and re-installing transmissions is a critical aspect of the business. It is hard work and requires talent to do the job right.
TCC Vibration, Judder or Shudder Misdiagnosed
Malfunctioning mounts are notorious for causing a wide variety of vibration complaints including what is often thought of as a converter clutch vibration, judder or shudder; particularly so with vehicles that perform cylinder deactivation for fuel economy.
Surprise! Get the Right Tool for This Job
With the challenges we face with today’s cars, unexpected surprises are not usually welcomed to the party. It’s a Friday night and you’re staying late to rebuild a 4L60-E from a 2010 4.8L Silverado that must go Saturday morning. So you go to have a bite to eat first. When you return, the shop is nice and quiet. You are alone and thinking to yourself, I could bang this out in a few hours and still be home in enough time to watch a show.
Erratic & Harsh Shifts: A Part Update
A 2012 Hyundai Sonata using a 2.4L engine and an A6MF2 transmission comes in to Covington Automotive with erratic and harsh shifts. When the vehicle was scanned for codes, transmission-fluid temperature-sensor codes P0711 and P0713 were stored. P0711 is a rationality check code while P0713 is a circuit high- input code.
Double Jeopardy
A 2002 Highlander 3.0L using the U140 transmission comes back to Pedro Seda’s shop in Puerto Rico. He had rebuilt it two years prior to its return where it had worked flawlessly during this time. Then, in an instant, it went from flawless to faulty. The transmission suddenly lost reverse and would no longer shift into fourth gear. When reverse was selected an engagement was felt yet the vehicle did not move in reverse.
Doesn’t that Suck!
He recently was involved in the rebuilding of a ZF6HP transmission in a BMW vehicle. When it was installed and road tested, it ran perfectly and the vehicle was delivered to the customer. A few days later it came back in a failsafe condition. A scan tool retrieved several DTCs, all related to a slipping condition. After the codes were cleared, the vehicle drove well on a road test. However, a slight pump whine type of noise was heard. When they checked passing gear, the transmission slipped and aborted to a failsafe condition. Again, slip codes were retrieved.
Shock on a Clutch Release
The DL501-7Q is the manufacturer’s designation of Audi’s 0B5, seven-speed, dual-clutch transmission. It’s a real beast of a transmission weighing in more than 300 pounds, which is certain to hurt your back if you do not handle it correctly. There are quite of few of these running around on the streets here in the U.S. and many more worldwide. A code set for a transmission range sensor is one reason a vehicle will find its way in for repairs. Another more common reason is shifting issues related to the double clutch drum assembly.
Hot Potato
After vehicle tossed from one shop to another, TCM replaced and vehicle returned to owner.
Another Case of Brutality
Our technical help line is now experiencing a different transmission that can have a variety of severe shifts complaints. It is with Ford’s 6R60/80 transmission. We received one such call from Mr. Transmission in Louisville, Ky., with a 2007 Explorer Sport 4.6L that had 65,000 miles. It shifted fine until you went for passing gear out of 4th. The shift was so brutal that it felt like the transmission went into reverse. There were no codes present. An entirely different call was a complaint of firm shifts and during full throttle kickdowns the vehicle speed signal would drop to zero. It too did not have codes. Yet another call received, all the shifts were extremely severe and it had a variety of CAN BUS codes stored.
Lambast by the Past
Anthony Nuzzo, the owner of Accord Transmission & Differential, originally gave us a call on a 2003 Saab 9-3 2.0L Turbo, using the AW50-40LE transmission that was experiencing a harsh engagement into reverse when hot. His tech Pete Morreale was out on vacation so Anthony was handling the diagnostics, making him quite a busy man.
Cranky: Diagnostics yields no solution to misfire
A 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0L 4×4 comes into the shop for transmission repair. After installing a rebuilt transmission the vehicle exhibits a misfire. Upon inspection, I find the vehicle has stored a P0352 code for an ignition coil #2 primary circuit fault. So I perform the diagnostics related to this code and do not find any circuit problems.
A Little Solder Does the Trick
A 2006 Mazda 3 with a 2.3L engine using a front-wheel-drive five-speed automatic transmission (FS5A-EL known as the FNR5 in Ford) comes into Bebes Transmitech shop in Puerto Rico. The A/T warning lamp is illuminated so codes were immediately checked. Only P0791 was stored in memory. It was logged and cleared before going on a road test where the code set immediately after take off.
