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.
Managing the Manager
The word “manage” basically means to handle. It could be the handling of anything, but in the case of business it generally means people. Managers handle people. Some do it well, but others seem to make a career of barely getting the job done while seeing how many employees, customers and business associates they can alienate along the way.
September 2004 Issue
Beginning with the 1999 model year, Isuzu NPR, GMC Forward Tiltmaster, Chevrolet Forward, Nissan UD and Mitsubishi Fuso trucks no longer use the JR403E Electromatic transmission.
These trucks now are equipped with the Aisin Seiki 450-43LE transmission (see Figure 1), a Toyota-designed transmission that is almost identical to a 1993-94 Toyota Land Cruiser A442F transmission.
There She Blows!
Lately on the phone lines, we’ve had a rash of calls concerning transmission fluid spewing out the filler tube on trucks equipped with the JR403E Electromatic transmission once the transmission reaches operating temperature.
Subarus Have Their Own Set of Problems
The four-speed automatic Subaru is a first cousin to the RE4RO1A, RE4RO3A and JR403, but the Subaru version of this transmission has not been plagued by the converter-clutch problems that have afflicted other members of its family. The Subaru was the only one to offer an all-wheel-drive option, which has allowed it to have its own set of problems.
New Venture Gear Transfer Cases
In the manual-transmission market, stick-shift transmissions make up roughly 20% of the vehicle population, with automatic transmissions grabbing the lion’s share of the market. The transfer-case market has exploded with the variety of SUVs and crossover vehicles being added to the market and the fact that whether the transmission is manual or automatic, a transfer case must be involved to obtain four-wheel drive.
Dealing With Angry People
Angry with you? Not necessarily. When people are angry these days, many times it’s because they have higher expectations than ever before and those expectations somehow are not being met. It is funny, though, that not so many years ago people didn’t expect very much from anything – not from the products they bought nor from the customer service they received. But owing to such vast improvements in both areas, people now have grown to expect much-better and more-durable products. At the same time they also believe that good customer relations is nothing special anymore. It has become a given. They expect to get value for their money, and if for some reason that doesn’t happen they expect someone to rectify the problem with the utmost speed and the least amount of fuss.
An Optical Illusion
There is nothing more frustrating for any technician and/or shop owner than to encounter a late-model vehicle experiencing problems and have no diagnostic codes to go by. One well-experienced example of this would be with pre-1996 vehicles. Many different styles of electronic transmissions would not set a code for an inhibitor switch because there were no codes for the computer to produce. So when it would malfunction, it would leave the technician clueless as to the source of the problem.
Good Vibrations: 4T60-E Differential Problems
A customer comes into your shop in a GM vehicle with a 4T60-E transmission that’s making a lot of noise no matter what speed the car is going but is quiet as long as there’s no wheel movement, or possibly no movement at all. You do the basic diagnostics, pull the pan and discover that the pan is full of metal, and upon disassembly you find the differential parking-gear bearing is blown. Or, even worse, a unit you just repaired a couple of months ago comes back with one of these problems.
