Tools That Money Can’t Buy and They Pay You to Use
This article addresses special tools relating to 5R55E and 5R55W/S transmissions. If you have worked on these units, you’ve already discovered how difficult it is to isolate slip codes and TCC problems. These tools are specific to the 5R units, but you can use your design creativity, a cut-off tool and a drill to make test fixtures from other parts as well.
A Guide to the NV 246 Transfer Case
This transfer case is one of the so-called “automatic transfer cases,” or “active transfer cases.” This description results from the fact that the 246 has an “automatic 4WD function,” a 2WD position, a 4WD High function, neutral and 4WD Low position. Driving the vehicle in 2WD has all torque flowing through the transfer case to the rear driveshaft, and the vehicle operates just like a 2WD vehicle.
VW Controller Concerns
A 1999 VW Passat came to our shop. The customer said the car did not feel right sometimes. He left the vehicle for us to check out. Upon going on a road test, we noticed the Check Engine light on, wrong-gear starts and gear-shift indicator lights not functioning properly.
46RE/47RE: Power Circuit for Transmission-Control-Relay Coil
46RE and 47RE units (and some 42/44RE units after 1996) use an interesting method to energize the coil of the transmission-control relay. As we all know, the switch part of the transmission-control relay is what provides battery power to the solenoids when its coil is energized.
The Chain of Command
There are many parts that technicians take for granted and replace routinely without understanding the technology and engineering necessary to produce these parts. One of the most-common replacement items used by our industry is the drive chain. Once limited to transfer-case designs, drive chains were a natural way to transfer power between parallel shafts in front-wheel-drive automatic transmissions.
4L30-E: Slips in 2nd or Slips in 3rd
A 1995 BMW 325i equipped with a 4L30-E transmission came into a transmission shop. The customer was referred to the transmission shop by a technician at a general service facility because of a “check transmission” light and the torque-converter-slip code that he found during his inspection.
November 2004 Issue
Issue Summary:
Some 1996-2003 Ford Explorers, 2003 Lincoln Aviators and 1997-2003 Mercury Mountaineers have “neutral tow” capability.
4R70W units in 2000 & later Ford and Lincoln/Mercury vehicles may have a rattle or clicking sound until the 1-2 shift is completed.
Ford Motor Co. introduced a new rear-drive transmission with the designation 4R70E or 4R75E at the start of production for 2004.
Technicians may have difficulty translating the readings for transmission-fluid temperature, since most scan-tool data for TFT is represented in DC voltage but most manuals show only resistance charts.
A4LD/4R44E: Ford 4.0-Liter Crank-Spacer Puzzle
Sometimes gathering all the information about a problem is like fitting together the pieces of a puzzle. Finding out about differences in Ford 4.0-liter converter pilots was like putting a piece of a puzzle in place and seeing the whole picture a bit more clearly.
Where the Rubber Meets the Road
About 75% of the technical calls we handle are dealing with transfer-case problems, usually occurring after a transfer case has been disassembled and repaired, or another reman or new unit installed. The conversations range from, “I took the transfer case apart and can’t find anything wrong with it” to “This is the third transfer case we put in the vehicle and I still have the problem,” or “The reman transfer case I just bought from you is doing the same thing.”
October 2004 Issue
Issue Summary:
After overhaul, a 4L30-E in an Isuzu, BMW or Cadillac has no 3-4 shift; shortly thereafter the transmission is in failsafe and a gear-ratio-error code is stored.
A variety of drivability complaints can occur in Daewoo Lanos, Nubira and Leganza after repairs, possibly accompanied by codes including P1336.
In BMW M3, 530i and 320i with the ZF 5-HP-18 transmission, turning of the stator support in the pump cover may cause complaints of no power on takeoff, sudden neutralizing, bind-ups or failsafe.
Not using the factory-specified fluid in ZF automatic transmissions can result in damage to friction elements.
Audi or BMW vehicles equipped with the ZF 5-HP-19FL, ZF 5-HP-19FLA or ZF 5-HP-19 may exhibit a flare on the 2-3 upshift.
Damaged alignment dowel pins can result in damage to the torque converter in BMW 5-HP-18 and 5-HP-30 transmissions.
Ford 5R110W (‘TorqShift’)
Preliminary Information The new Ford 5R110W, referred to by Ford Motor Co. as the “TorqShift” transmission, is a redesign of the 4R100 with some previous strategy applied. This unit was introduced in model year 2003 in the F-Series trucks and Excursions equipped with the new 6.0L diesel engine. The TorqShift is a five-speed, rear-wheel-drive unit
Mitsubishi/Hyundai F4A41/42/51
Misassembly of the low/reverse and/or second-brake clutch packs in Mitsubishi’s F4A40 and 50 series transaxles can occur easily. Especially if you are the individual who answers phones, makes parts orders, road-tests vehicles, handles problems under the lift and rebuilds transmissions, all in a day’s work. And when a misassembly takes place, the transmission may slip through second, chatter in reverse, go to limp mode with a second-gear ratio code and/or a solenoid-performance code.
