A part for every need: Hard parts supplier listing 2024
One of the earliest signs that an industry was forming was a transition to specialty transmission hard parts suppliers emerging from general salvage yards to create the efficient flow of those parts to every shop in the nation. As the automatic transmission became the dominant powertrain option from automakers, some salvage yards specialized in supplying
Ford 8F24 mechanical diode failure
Mechanical diode failure in automatic transmissions is not uncommon. As far back as the AODE/4R70 shops have seen this type of failure. In April 2022 an article was published in Transmission Digest called, “The ins and outs of the Hydraulic Selectable One-Way Clutch (SOWC).” This article provided photos of the type of damage this style
Back with force: ATSG is back in full swing to educate the transmission industry
“Everywhere you turned, there was something amazing. It’s probably the coolest man cave I’ve ever been in,” says Wayne Colonna who, as president, heads up the technical team at the Automatic Transmission Service Group (ATSG). Wayne is describing the host venue for his company’s inaugural 2024 seminar that was held at the John Force Racing
Ford 8F35 maintenance tips: Planetary failure and no-pressure conditions
Our shop has had several vehicles come in with the Ford 8F35 transmission having planetary failure. Apparently, there was a run where the pinion needle bearings had a hardness problem (see Figure 1). Ford has a bulletin out (bulletin number 22-281), which provides a part number for this planetary assembly: the part number is JM5Z-7N473-C and
Don’t fear customer complaints about CVTs
Continuously Variable Transmissions, or CVTs, are more common than you think. Audi, Subaru, Nissan, Ford, GM and many other automakers use CVT transmissions in cars and SUVs. There is no way to avoid them. Chances are there is one in your shop right now. What does CVT mean for technicians? On the maintenance side, a
2024 State of the Powertrain Industry
The Transmission Digest Annual Survey of Retail Shops has served as benchmark and planning tool for the industry now for the past 38 years. Charts and tables in this study are based on a survey of subscribers that was conducted early this year. Where differences are obvious, we separate the responses of transmission specialty shops
Powertrain industry directory and buyer’s guide 2024
This is the latest in TD’s annual series of directories for the powertrain industry. Companies that supply products to the powertrain aftermarket are listed in alphabetical order. Because data changes frequently, only organizations that have updated information with Transmission Digest in the recent past are included. Every precaution has been taken in the preparation of these listings; however,
Shift Pointers: A Chrysler 300 no-shift complaint
The case study has to do with a 2009 Chrysler 300 C 5.7L Nag1 RWD with 71,923 miles on it (see Figure 1, above). It is based on a second opinion where a customer’s instinct combined with family member’s urging to seek a second opinion saved this customer a significant amount of money. First, a
A guide to common GM, Ford and Nissan programming issues
One of the most common complaints I hear from shops when trying to install a new GM TCM is, “The module will not communicate.” While that might be partially true, by design they won’t communicate until they are programmed. If programming fails, there will be an “E” code set which will help you get to
Shift of the shaft: Diagnosing Chrysler 48RE manual shaft issues
The TorqueFlite transmission has been around since mid-to-late 1950s. There have been many changes surrounding the manual shaft and rooster comb through the years. This transmission shaft controls the position of the manual valve that directs oil for the gear ranges, but it also is used for a Reverse light control as well as Park/Neutral
Sometimes, a diagnostic code is all you need
With ATSG having the opportunity to help shops solve problems, sometimes we get faced with some real doozies. A shop will call and give us a laundry list of DTCs, leaving us to think someone must have a bulkhead connector unplugged. We then go through the arduous task of deciding which codes prompted other codes
10L80 and 10R80 pump gear differences
You may have seen an article in the August 2023 issue of Transmission Digest called “GM 10L80: A new kind of pump noise,” which goes over how the front cover housing in the 10L80 is fitted with a converter drive gear and idler gear. The idler gear drives the pump’s driven gear, and is press
