Transmission Shops: Installation
Old Guy, Old Problem; Young Guy, Old Problem

Thus is the case with the 2000 Crown Vic that showed up at one of our installers. With the car having 190,000 hard miles and needing an exchange unit installed, the Young Guy (technician) quickly pulled the unit and dropped in a fresh 4R70W reman. It all went smoothly until the test drive.

Quit Dimpling Those Converters

This all started with my looking at multiple converter failures caused by the converter bolts damaging the backs on Toyota A245E/A246E transmissions used with the 1.8-liter engine. We also see this in other Toyota applications, maybe more so than with other vehicle manufacturers.

My intentions were to order some factory bolts to get the proper dimensions and possibly send these reman units out with new bolts, either OE or an economical replacement bolt. I was hoping this would eliminate any confusion for the R&R technician as to which bolts were the proper ones to go into the converter, hence eliminating unwanted warranty repairs.

Once More, Not the Transmission

It’s very simple to get steered in the wrong direction when you’re diagnosing a transmission complaint. There are so many different sensors and components that can cause transmission-like symptoms that at first it seems as if without a doubt you have a transmission problem, and from a customer’s perspective they are convinced it’s going to cost them an arm and a leg, which provides you the opportunity to be a hero and gain a customer for life.

All Plugged Up

In this particular situation, Dave had been working on a 2001 BMW 740i with a 5HP24 transmission. The vehicle originally came in with a complaint of leaking from the front. The unit was very low on fluid, was slipping and the fluid was burnt. The shop recommended that the transmission be overhauled because of the conditions mentioned and the mileage on the unit. Everything went normally with the rebuild, and the customer left with a properly working unit.

Understanding the AW 55-50 Neutral Control

A 2001 Volvo S60 come into or shop with a smoked AW 55-50 transmission that needed to be replaced.

The AW 55-50 transmission has a feature that Volvo calls “Neutral Control.” What is “Neutral Control” and what is its function? To tell you the truth, I wasn’t really sure, but below is what I was able to both find and figure out about it.

Sometimes Lucky is Better than Good

A mid-’90s Dodge Caravan came into the shop with the complaint of a rough noise/feel when driven above 45-50 mph. The van had been into a couple of other local shops in an attempt to find the noise with no success, and the customer was getting frustrated.

As normal, I started with a road test to see whether I could duplicate the customer complaint. Sure enough, upon reaching 45 miles per hour the van started to make a low growling sound and you could feel a little vibration through the steering wheel. It was time to get the van inside and do a visual inspection.

Hot off the Wire

My first appointment of the day was a customer with a 2001 PT Cruiser. The complaint was, “It feels like the gears are all slipping, and a light is on in the gauge panel.”

I started my evaluation with a fluid check and pulled the codes. The fluid was at normal level, and the code pulled up was P0750 for a solenoid error in the TCM. There were no ECM codes.

Simple Wire Problems

Wow, what a treat I was in for. I brought the Buick into the shop later that day to perform the preliminary checks and noticed that the information center flashed AWD DISABLED, and the message remained on through the entire check-out and road test. I instantly agreed with the customer that this was “bothersome,” to say the least, not really even caring whether the all-wheel drive worked. Just this annoying message on the instrument panel was enough to make a person not want to drive the car, a distraction from an otherwise nice drive.

Chrysler Transmission-Range Sensor

The transmission range sensor (TRS) has three primary functions:

1. Provide a Park/Neutral start signal to the engine controller and the starter relay.
2. Turn the backup lamps on when the transmission is in Reverse and the engine (ignition) is on.
3. Provide a transmission-range signal to the instrument cluster.

Cooler Bypass

External cooler bypass valves are becoming more and more popular, it seems. There are also many different variations of these bypass valves. It’s important that you check the cooler lines and cooler closely to see whether the vehicle you’re working on has one of these bypass valves. In most instances they can be removed and cleaned.

Verify the Systems Before Condemning the Transmission

A few months ago a customer brought in a 2003 Dodge 1500 pickup with a 5.7 Hemi engine and 545RFE transmission. The Check Engine lamp was on and the truck would not accelerate from a stop unless you put the transmission in second gear.

Under Pressure: Sticking solenoid inhibits reverse engagement

With the quantity and price of solenoids becoming a substantial additional investment in the price of a transmission reman, testing and reclaiming the solenoids has become mandatory.