Family Business
It wasn’t always the case but considering the past 15 years, in today’s aftermarket, the story of a family-owned, single location transmission specialty parts distributor stands out amid a consolidated industry. Transmission Digest recently made its first visit to the people of Mid States Transmission Parts in Davenport, Iowa. By way of geography, Davenport joins Bettendorf and, reaching across the Mississippi River border between Illinois and Iowa, Moline and Rock Island to form the Quad Cities. The John Deere Corporation is headquartered in Moline and the area. Deere’s sponsorship results in the area hosting the annual PGA Tour stop aptly named the John Deere Classic.
Staff, Reputation Move into Next Half-Century
Lansing (Michigan) Transmission, founded in 1963, has built a reputation as the best and most reliable transmission shop in town.
Honda CR-V: Which Model Year Easier to Service: 2011 or ’16?
This month, we look at the evolution of the Honda CR-V through the eyes of a tech. Is this little SUV getting easier to service, or did the engineers forget about us? Full disclosure: Honda Research & Development and Honda Manufacturing are Automotive Career Development Center (ACDC) customers, and as I stated ealier, I have had a love affair with Honda for almost 50 years.
But I won’t let that keep me from reporting the truth as I see it.
Cranky: Diagnostics yields no solution to misfire
A 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0L 4×4 comes into the shop for transmission repair. After installing a rebuilt transmission the vehicle exhibits a misfire. Upon inspection, I find the vehicle has stored a P0352 code for an ignition coil #2 primary circuit fault. So I perform the diagnostics related to this code and do not find any circuit problems.
Checking on Accuracy of Dyno Tests
The focus of this article is the Toyota AB60, as it has a nice balance of five on/off solenoids: S1, S2, S3, S4, and SR. In addition to those, there are 4 PWM solenoids: SL1, SL2, SLT, and SLU, which all operate at about 335 Hz. The test vehicle is a 2008 Toyota Tundra equipped with a 5.7L engine.
Failure’s Place in Goal Logic
These people work their collective tails off and are not afraid to set the bar high. However, with lofty goals comes an increased chance of falling short.
August 2016 Issue
In This Issue
Ford Pickup Downshift Apply Issue
45RFE/68RFE Input Retainer Update
GM 6T40 Ongoing Model Changes
A Little Solder Does the Trick
A 2006 Mazda 3 with a 2.3L engine using a front-wheel-drive five-speed automatic transmission (FS5A-EL known as the FNR5 in Ford) comes into Bebes Transmitech shop in Puerto Rico. The A/T warning lamp is illuminated so codes were immediately checked. Only P0791 was stored in memory. It was logged and cleared before going on a road test where the code set immediately after take off.
TASC Force Tips: ZF6HP19/26/32
In-depth instructions for checking the serviceability of valve bodies.
Real Data, Real Dollars
Data analytics. Sounds scary (or boring), right? Spotting trends isn’t as tricky as you might think and you’re probably already using insights from the numbers you look at every day.
Ford 6R60/6R80 Component Upgrades, Part 1
Ford released the “kissin’ cousin” to the ZF6HP26 a decade ago and like the 6HP, changes have certainly occurred to the 6R60 family of transmissions during that time. Although as part of the agreement with ZF, Ford did use the actual 6HP for a short time, but the game plan from the start was to produce a home-grown unit, which Ford did in 2006.
Problem-Free Pickup, Now This: Why?
This month I’m addressing the common complaint of intermittent and erratic torque-converter clutch cycling between 45-60 mph experienced in Dodge Cummins Diesel pick-ups from years 1998-2003. After 60 mph, the issue seems to go away. This has been a well-documented problem over the years with many bulletins published from the manufacturer.
