Shift By Wire
This article presents a situation that ATSG technical adviser Gerald Campbell handled regarding a ZF 6HP26 in a BMW with Reno Partipilo, Sal Scardina and Joe Russo from Continental Transmission in Bridgeview, Ill. But before we can cover it, we first need to present a bit of information that will help to make sense of the problem and what it was that corrected it.
Cleaning a difficult area
If you were raised in a religious family you probably heard that “cleanliness is next to godliness.” If you happen to be the parent of a 4-year-old, you’ve learned that cleanliness is next to impossible. In the transmission industry, cleanliness is a necessity. One small particle can stick a valve or cause a solenoid to malfunction and turn an otherwise perfect job into a nightmare.
A Word to the Wise Had Better Be Sufficient
In Hollywood they say that anytime you can get your name in the papers or other media it’s good publicity no matter how bad the incident. The idea is that even if you’ve done something horrible, the curiosity seekers will want to hear or read about it and then come to see the person who did it in their next public appearance. That may be fine for Hollywood, but it doesn’t work in the automotive business.
Volkswagen’s Direct-Shift Gear Box Part 4
Picking up where we left off last month, the remaining three solenoids to cover are two pressure-control solenoids – N215, which operates the K1 clutch, and N216, which operates the K2 clutch – and the N92 multiplexer solenoid (see Figure 1).
Crash and Burn
A few months ago I wrote an article about a transmission shop that was so poorly operated I didn’t know how it stayed in business. Well, guess what: It didn’t. I drove by yesterday, the signs were down and the place was locked up tighter than a drum. I was sad, but not the least bit surprised.
Understanding the Tremec 3650 5-Speed Transmission
The T5 was one of the most widely used transmissions in history. Ford replaced it for the Mustang with the T45, which was used in the Pony cars until 1991. Tremec then designed and got accepted by Ford the Tremec 3650, which replaced the T45 in Ford Mustangs in 1991 and is being used in 2007 production. Figure 1 shows other vehicles in which the 3650 is used.
Myth Busters
In the past three articles we looked at the evaluation of torque-converter modifications on a chassis dyno. The modified converters were compared with an OEM converter, and the testing was done by instructor Sean Boyle and three of his students at Southern Illinois University. An MD-250 Mustang Chassis Dyno was used for the evaluations, and a Dodge Durango RT, equipped with a stock 5.9-liter gas engine and 46RE transmission, was used as the test vehicle. All the converters were subjected to wide-open-throttle (WOT) horsepower tests. The vehicle was locked in third gear (direct drive) and TCC lockup was inhibited.
The Big Idea
In the transmission business, I too get to meet men and women who from time to time come up with a great idea and develop it into a salable product. I do not have a TV show, but at least I can present to you in this article three fellow technicians who saw a need and brought a solution into reality.
August 2007 Issue
Issue Summary:
Some V-8 BMW models equipped with the ZF 5HP24 transmission may exhibit a buzzing or droning noise coming from the bellhousing area.
A Cadillac or Oldsmobile equipped with a 4T80-E may exhibit a no-move condition in the D4 range after an overhaul.
During the 2005 model year Ford Motor Co. redesigned the low-/reverse-clutch retaining snap ring in the 5R110W for both diesel and gas applications, replacing the two previous designs.
Chrysler issued a safety recall concerning an out-of-Park alarm in March 2006 for 2003-05 Dodge Ram pickups equipped with the 5.9-liter diesel and the 48RE transmission.
A defective fill-tube seal can cause shift shudders and/or harsh torque-converter application in some 2005-06 Chrysler 300, Dodge Magnum and Charger, and Jeep Grand Cherokee models equipped with the Mercedes 722.6 or NAG 1.
Japanese Transmissions, American Cars
In the past, manufacturers of low-volume vehicles such as Rolls Royce and Jaguar used GM transmissions and A/C systems rather than design and develop their own. The trend has enlarged and continued so that the automakers looking to cut costs and increase efficiency are relying more on their tier-one suppliers to design and develop complete components such as transmissions and transfer cases. This has created a growth in units of a common design now showing up in many different vehicle platforms, from U.S.-built to imported brands.
Toyota Matrix U341F
In rebuilding today’s transmissions one has to be very careful with the small parts that come in these valve bodies, such as checkballs, solenoid filters, springs and relief valves. These small parts might seem insignificant, but they play a vital role in the function of the transmission. Many rebuilders dread rebuilding valve bodies with all these intricate parts that are so easily misplaced or lost. On the 50-42LE found in many Volvo, Daewoo and Saab vehicles, if the valve-body filters are installed incorrectly they can cause problems such as no reverse or lockup issues.
Volkswagen’s Direct-Shift Gearbox Part 3
Although the DSG 02E transmission contains 11 solenoids, they could be placed into three categories: gear actuator, pressure control and TCC. This article covers the first group and part of the second, and next month’s article will cover the rest of the second group and the third.
