2017 Archives - Page 2 of 10 - Transmission Digest
The Most Important Part

I met my supervisor for the day, grabbed a pair of safety glasses, and gloved up. After a few brief introductions to my new coworkers, I was ready for the challenge: Jennifer Porter, parts washer.

In my usual day-to-day, I’ve posted, updated, and promoted an open parts-washer position on an almost monthly basis.

Simple Routines Can Leat To Solutions

For whatever reason, the tech lines get an inordinate number of calls regarding a few specific is-sues. That such a high volume of calls is generated by just a few problems leads to the belief that we need to revisit and speak about the lack of understanding by the tech-nician that leads to all this wasted time and phone traffic, as well as failure to get the job right the first time. Let’s start out the year by get-ting to the nitty-gritty of why cer-tain issues seem to confuse so many people.

Connector Blues

Wayne Colonna focuses on water contamination of the C134 connector in an FNR5.

A 2009 Ford Fusion 2.3L coupled to an FNR5 transmission comes in to a shop with a host of solenoid codes, gear ratio codes and speed-sensor codes…

Expansion: To Open More Locations or Not

The excitement that comes with being successful at your first location is awesome. You feel like you can beat the world because it means you’ve accomplished something that most small business owners can’t. It’s something to be really proud of when we realize that about 80% of startup businesses go under within the first couple of years. That leads to the inevitable question that almost all successful small business owners ask: “If I can do this well with one location, couldn’t I make twice as much money with two, or three times as much with three?” The answer unfortunately is “no” in most cases, and here’s why.

Supporting an Industry

With a single and brief sabbatical, ATSG (Automatic Transmission Service Group) has been the engine behind Transmission Digest’s technical content for more than 30 years. Among other duties, the ATSG team of support technicians and technical instructors prepare articles in Transmission Digest Tech/Talk bulletin as well as Technically Speaking and Shift Pointers articles that appear in the magazine and its companion digital publication.

A Very Big Clutch Job for a Very Small Car

My article is going to be a little different this time, and geared more toward the R&R technician. It’s about a car that came to us from a large local dealership that has 13 different locations and works on 14 different makes of vehicles. The subject vehicle is a 2014 Mini Cooper Countryman AWD, with a six-speed manual transmission.

November 2017 Issue

In This Issue
Dodge Caliber CVT: Multiple solenoid faults
AS68RC: Early TCC apply & no PTO operation/no 5th, 6th, TCC apply

Fretting Revisited

Nonetheless, while conducting a seminar recently, an ATSG member who was there approached me with a manual transmission concern. The complaint he had with it was difficulty engaging the transmission from a standing start. It acted as if the clutch pedal was not fully releasing the pressure plate. Yet it seemed to shift through the gears OK once the vehicle was in motion. No work had yet been performed, and from all appearances, it seemed that the clutch pedal was functioning correctly.

Beware of Code P0720

Subaru’s TG5D9 transmission utilizes four different speed sensors, two of which are inside the transmission and two are externally located. When a code P0720 for a front vehicle speed sensor is set, the most-forward external speed sensor is replaced – yet the code remains. The wiring is checked and the signal is checked and all looks fine. The TCM then gets replaced but P0720 remains.

A Tale Of Two CRVs

Case studies illustrate diagnosing a vehicle’s misfire and a customer’s misfire

If your shop is like ours, Honda CRVs make an appearance weekly. Mostly for maintenance, but sometimes they need to be diagnosed. We’ve seen several lately with around 200,000 miles and still providing reliable service.

Be the Special in Specialization

What about your business? Is it a specialty shop, perhaps one that specializes in a certain “T” word we all know and love in the automotive industry – or perhaps not?

Finances: Dealing with the Money

No matter what the product or service might be, and no matter how large or small the company, the goal is always the same: to make a good profit. Profit dollars drive everything. They allow for employees to make a good living, for new equipment to be purchased, for expansion to take place and for the owner to make a good return on investment.