Are You Easily Understood?
People are focused on what’s important to them at the moment. If what you’re saying either doesn’t have enough significance for them or they don’t fully understand it, you lose them. They can look you right in the eye and go “Uh-huh, uh-huh” and not be getting a word of it. When you use words that people can’t understand either because they are technical terms or they’re just above the grade level of education that the average person has, again you can lose them. If you try to use acronyms or abbreviations to shorten up your questions or statements, you need to know for sure that the other person knows what they mean or again you will lose them. In other words, it’s so easy to lose their attention and so hard to keep it. You can keep it, however, by simplifying your terminology and by showing them how what you’re saying benefits them. People always listen when they think they are going to derive a benefit from it.
Diagnosing Valve Bodies with Vacuum Testing
Valve and bore wear occurs when valves repeatedly stroke in a pump or valve-body casting (figures 1 & 2). This wear will eventually increase clearance beyond what is necessary to maintain a proper hydraulic seal, making it impossible for the valve to function properly. Computer adaptive strategy will attempt to compensate for poor performance in some units, but failure ultimately results, codes are set and drivability complaints occur.
Work Status
When I was a young manager, I went to work for a shop that required me to manage work flow. At that time in my career that was unusual, because everywhere else I had worked they did not want me to even entertain the idea of managing work flow.
June 2013 Issue
In This Issue
Rebuilding the Mercedes 722.9
6L80 shift issues caused by checkballs
Nissan CVT malfunction caused by throttle body
Inside the Tremec TR6070 7-Speed Manual Transmission
Last month we looked at the new C7 generation of Chevrolet Corvette, which brings the famous “Stingray” name back into use. GM has invested tremendous amounts of labor and capital to create a real world-class new model, which will be the first to use the new Tremec TR6070 seven-speed manual transmission. The new Stingray’s advanced computer controls will enable the driver to tune the vehicle to a number of driving modes, and Tremec did a really first-class design to provide seven speeds in a package that is only slightly different in size from the previous TR6060.
Compliance or Commitment: Which Do You Want on Your Team?
You are completely in control of your attitude. And, as a leader, you can influence the attitude of your people (and, therefore, their performance) by creating an environment in which positive attitude is revered and people with negative or toxic attitudes are voted off the island.
IMA (Integrated Motor Assist)
In an effort to improve fuel economy, drivability, durability, and cost, many changes have occurred to automatic transmissions over time. In the last decade however, the proliferation of new models has been unending. Step-type transmissions have ratcheted up the gearing from old-time three- and four-speeds to five- through seven-speeds.
Information, Equipment & Experience
When a vehicle comes into your shop for repair you need to determine whether you have access to service information, the equipment needed to make the repair and the experience to repair it. As you read this article you will see just how challenging a transmission replacement sometimes can be. In this particular situation the service information was misleading and special equipment was needed to make the repair. This was one job that turned into yet another learning experience for me.
Magna Powertrain Transfer Case, RPO Code NQF
We finally had a big-enough snow this year to bring out the people with 4WD problems. This one was a 2008 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD.
It was from a tire distributor that has a number of these particular trucks. Their technicians had been trying to fix the issue of having no 4WD by putting various parts on it. They said that they had replaced the transfer-case motor and buttons.
I started out with the usual road test, scan and lift check to verify the problem. Sure enough, there was no 4WD and the transfer-case control module (TCCM) had every code possible stored. I thought I’d clear the codes and start out fresh.
Saturn VT25-E Ratio Error
A 2005 Saturn Vue experiences erratic ratio control (gear position) and ultimately sets a trouble code P1882. Once the code is cleared, the transmission starts to shift again, for a short time. The code then reappears and the unit returns to a fixed gear position.
After it was determined that the issue was not computer related or valve-body/solenoid related, the transmission was removed and disassembled. Damage was found in the drive variator (pulley), and there also was seal damage.
The New 7-Speed Tremec TR6070 Manual Transmission
This is truly a world-class vehicle. It features new technology, design and manufacturing methods that go way beyond the familiar C5 and C6 Corvettes. These cars have come a long way from the older fiberglass models, using an aluminum space frame and many carbon-fiber body parts. GM has invested a fortune in development and design in a totally new LT1 aluminum-block engine (Figure 3) that produces 450 horsepower and 450 lb.-ft. of torque from the 6.2-liter displacement. Zero-to-60-mph times are in the four-second range, and this is from the stock motor. Higher-performance versions of the new LT1 will be released for the top-of-the-line Corvette models. The most-striking feature of these vehicles is a seven-speed manual transmission, the TR6070 (figures 4 and 5).
Becoming More Mobile, Diagnostically Speaking
I have enjoyed reading the Generationally Speaking column in this very magazine (AutoInc.), and I noticed an interesting trend. It seems there is a thread connecting the Generation Y’ers, Gen X’ers and Baby Boomers: They all seem to be unable to live without their smart phones. I can understand why! A Baby Boomer myself, I have found my foray into the iPad and iPhone world truly exciting, and there are many reasons why I am happy I decided to purchase these two powerful, portable devices.
