Making Money with Transmissions and Transfer Cases
At least 50% of the calls on the tech line are generated by shops that are not fully educated in the work they are doing or have not learned to look at the whole vehicle. The modern automobile is a combination of very complex interconnected systems that must function together correctly. Do not let the unit you are working on isolate your thought patterns from the whole vehicle. A knowledge of how these connected systems affect each other is a must for you to remain profitable.
AX4S or AX4N?
Their turbine-speed sensors look similar but won’t interchange.
At first glance you might think the AX4S and AX4N turbine-speed sensors are the same. However, a closer look will show you that the AX4S sensor is a little longer – which means you easily could install the wrong sensor in a unit by mistake.
Fast, Easy and Simple
It may have taken a while for transfer-case technology to catch up with the technology seen in transmissions, but it has, in fact, arrived and it shows no signs of letting up. The Sport Trac, Control Trac II, Active On-Demand 4WD operation and Progressive On-Demand 4WD operation are examples of the types of computer-controlled transfer cases on the road today.
March 2004 Issue
Issue Summary:
Mitsubishi’s onboard computer system presents transmission-related “P” codes that are misleading, causing needless, unproductive diagnostic routines and repairs.
The A4AF3/A4BF2 transaxles used in Hyundai Accent, Elantra and Tiburon since model year 2000 are nearly identical to the A4AF1/A4AF2 units they replaced but have some differences.
Solenoid locations, connector-pin ID and bench checks are provided for Mitsubishi F4A-41/42/51 series transaxles.
For the 1995-98 Mitsubishi Eclipse non-turbo 2.0-liter with the Chrysler A604 transaxle, you gain diagnostic access through the Chrysler partition of the Snap-on Scanner’s Domestic Primary Cartridge.
Fun with Fords
As almost all of us are aware, a technician can easily create a scary nightmare when trying to mix and match parts while making repairs to some of Ford’s automatic transmissions. A classic example of this is interchangeability of the lockup solenoid (LUS) for the 1991 AXOD-E (AX4S) transaxle.
The Tremec TKO Series of Transmissions
The business of doing business for our industry has become much more complicated in the past few years. The general advance of complex designs and electronic functions has made severe changes in the cost and volume of the work the average shop can produce. Add to this the competition for market share that the car dealers through reman programs and the centralized rebuilding centers have placed on the transmission shop, and it is easy to see how the industry is contracting.
February 2004 Issue
Issue Summary:
On a GM vehicle with the 4T65-E automatic transaxle, OBD-II service code P0742, “TCC Stuck On,” can be caused by a sticking TCC release switch on the pressure-switch manifold, a clogged TCC PWM solenoid or a short to ground of the TCC release-switch wire.
A squealing noise from the bellhousing and converter area of a Ford Escort with the F4EAT transaxle can be caused by a clogged pollution-control valve.
Repeat Catastrophic Lube-Related Failures
Most transmission technicians who work on rear-wheel-drive Chryslers are all too familiar with the devastation associated with poor lubrication. Galled governor supports, galled and/or seized output shafts, or rounded sun and planetary gears are all common failures (see Figure 1). Although towing a vehicle with the drive wheels on the ground will yield the same results, the vast majority of failures are caused by a simple lack of or insufficient lubrication.
What Is New at New Venture Gear?
New Venture Gear is a major supplier of transfer cases to the world’s automakers. A subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler, New Venture Gear began life as a marriage of the New Process Gear division of Chrysler Corp. joining with the Muncie transmission division of GM to manufacture transmissions and transfer cases. That joint venture has now been dissolved, with DaimlerChrysler retaining the New Venture name and continuing to design and manufacture transfer cases at its plant in East Syracuse, N.Y.
Simply Complicated
It is in these two vehicles (Tracker and Sidekick) that we find a TCC system distinct from that used in any of the earlier TCC-equipped designs. Figures 1 and 2 show the internal adaptation and description of the components used to control converter-clutch apply. There we see that a TCC solenoid is fitted with some plumbing. The bottom pipe coming from the valve body is band-release pressure, otherwise known as 3rd-gear oil. This ensures that the vehicle will never have TCC until 3rd gear. When the solenoid is energized, this oil is routed through the upper pipe to the pump cover (see figures 3 and 4), where it strokes the converter-clutch control valve into a lockup position.
Something Is Missing!
Remember, earlier in the article I mentioned that this was a fleet vehicle. You know what happens with fleet vehicles; they borrow good working components from one vehicle and put it in the vehicle that’s not working. Now, maybe the fleet mechanic had every intention of replacing the borrowed part, but it never happened. It was forgotten, and the fleet mechanic on a different shift ran into the transmission stuck in 4th gear and sent it to this transmission shop.
January 2004 Issue
Issue Summary:
The M6HA and BAXA family originated in the 1997 Honda Prelude and the 1998 model Honda Accord. Other members of this family include MAXA, B7XA, MDWA, B7TA, B7YA, M7ZA, B6VA and M7WA.
