Cooling Off the Pre-heater and After-Glow
The Isuzu/GMC Forward Tiltmaster truck (otherwise known as the NPR/W4/4000) with a diesel engine and the JF506E transmission has a setup for recovering engine coolant that has been known to cause hard starting or a no-start condition. And it always seems to become a problem after the transmission needs repair; at least, that is what the customer says until you finally figure out what is the real cause of the problem.
What’s the World Coming To?
You may be familiar with a transmission called the JF506E, which in the North American market can be found in the VW Jetta, Golf and GTI; the Mazda 6 and MPV; the Jaguar X Type; and the Land Rover Freelander. It is manufactured by Japanese Automatic Transmission Co. (JATCO). In Europe the JF506E is in vehicles such as the VW Golf and Sharan, the Land Rover Freelander, the Jaguar X Type and the Ford Mondeo, to name a few. And the company said something to this effect: “You build the car and we will make this transmission fit it. The transmission will be versatile enough to accept programming of the computer to meet various strategies desired by the car manufacturer using the transmission.”
Trunked
A 2001 Mitsubishi Galant with an F4A51 transmission came into a shop here in Miami with a complaint of no forward movement. The complaint was verified, and the unit was replaced with a rebuilt transmission that matched in gear ratio. After a thorough road test the car was returned to the owner.
Subaru 4AT Phase 2 Part 2
The first installment of this article, published in the July 2006 issue of Transmission Digest, provided information regarding leaf-spring locations, solenoid identification and specifications as well as the transfer-clutch solenoid update and its operation.
You Can’t Rely on the Relay
Chrysler’s 41TE transmission has been in use since 1989, the 42LE since 1993, the 45RFE since 1999 and the 42RLE since 2003. With each of these transmissions having similar electronics, they also have similar diagnostic codes and testing consistencies.
Zapped
There are many ways one could be “zapped” by electricity, and one way that it happened to Jesse Zacarias from Elec-Trans Diagnostics in Gilroy, Calif., goes like this. A 2003 Dodge Ram truck equipped with a 5.9-liter Cummins diesel and a 48RE transmission came into his shop with a complaint of taking off in 3rd gear. The park and neutral gear-select indicator lights were the only ones that would illuminate. With any scan tool, Jesse could retrieve a code P0700 (transmission fault present) from the engine-control module but could not communicate with the powertrain-control module for the transmission.
Subaru 4AT Phase 2
One of the more-frequently asked questions in calls ATSG receives regarding the Subaru 4AT Phase 2 transmission is, “Where do the leaf springs go for the 2/4-clutch and low/reverse-clutch-pack stack-up?” Figures 1 and 2 show the position and configuration for the 2/4 pack, and figures 3 and 4 show the low/reverse pack.
Missing You
Have you ever built a unit that went out running absolutely fantastic but came back with a problem only a month or two later? Maybe you were so good to that transmission that it was missing you and wanted to come back for a visit!
Brutality
Toyota vehicles using either the U140 or 240 series transmissions (see Figure 1) are known to produce a brutal 2-3 shift, to the point that the direct clutch disintegrates and spreads debris into the system, taking out the drum and cover (see Figure 2).
Switch Hitter
When the owner was asked whether this was a problem before the truck came in to have the transmission replaced, he said it wasn’t but that the alternator had been replaced recently. Hmmm, could there be a “connection?” (No pun intended)
New Does Not Mean Good
As if the transmission industry weren’t difficult already, technicians also have to contend with new or remanufactured products that malfunction right out of the box.
Hooked
We all know how important grounds are in an electrical system, and when it comes to our trade we can tell incident after incident of weird, unexplainable transmission malfunctions that are taking on “fish story” proportions. And, in fact, we have caught quite a few large ones over the years.
