2017 Archives - Page 5 of 10 - Transmission Digest
New-Employee Orientation: Inspect What You Expect

Hiring a new employee begins a relationship with someone who was, more than likely, a total stranger to you not very long ago. Even if you conducted a very well planned interview process you still don’t know very much about this person and he or she probably knows little about you and the way your company functions. Without many preconceived notions, this is a great time for you to make a strong impression on your new hire.

Are We Speaking the Same Language?

If you are repairing transmissions for a living, you will invariably spend some time on the phone ordering parts and speaking with technical hotlines to assist in your diagnosis of problems. Having been on both ends of a tech line for over half a century and an equal amount of time buying parts, I have learned a whole new language. To be successful communicating with those entities, one must understand the language and be speaking about the same correct topic with whoever is on the other end of the conversation.

Read This and Reap

I realize that I’ve cared more about what fuel I put in my car than what fuel I put in my head. Bad mistake. What you feed your mind is the single most important element of your success – or failure.

Best & Brightest: Questions & Assessment

In the previous installment we discussed the hiring interview. I mentioned that it would be best to have a set routine and agenda for the interview with questions that will paint a general picture of the prospect for you and more specific questions tuned to the position for which you are hiring.

Genuine! – Ford Powertrain throughout North America

“Our goal is to be very competitive with the aftermarket in all aspects of all service products that go into Ford and Lincoln vehicles,” explains Lisa Fournier, the team manager for powertrain and collision products. This includes a very substantial product assortment available to shops engaged in powertrain repair and rebuilding. The local Ford and Lincoln dealerships serve in the role of parts distributor to literally thousands of shops throughout North America.

An ASE Quiz (Not an Official ASE Test Question)

A 1998 Mustang GT shifts good through all gears and has converter lockup, but the speedometer is dropping out after driving a short distance. The scan tool shows that there is a VSS signal and reads correct speed when the speedometer drops out. There was a code in history for the VSS but after clearing it did not return.

Electronics In Dual Clutch Units

This article is the final segment of our exploration of the dual-clutch transmission, or direct shift gear box (VW and Audi) or DualTronic in BorgWarner’s brand. We have included several schematics from a VW Touran model, as VW has the largest amount of these transmissions in use. VW using its VAS 5051 diagnostic system provides for, as they say, “guided fault finding,” which means that a test schedule is available for the unit and provides testing for sensors, actuators and the mechatronic (computerized) valve body.

July 2017 Issue

In This Issue
GM ‘L’ body vehicles: Stuck in fifth gear
Ford 5R110W Torqshift transmission slips in forward and reverse
Ford 4F27E drive engagement gear rattle

Updated 6L80/90 Output Shaft Assembly

During model year 2012, Chevrolet and GMC trucks equipped with the 6L80/90 transmission received an updated output-shaft assembly. The previous output-shaft assembly was comprised of a separate output shaft, output carrier ring gear, ring-gear spacer, output carrier internal front gear and snap rings as seen on the left in figures 1 through 3. This required the use of a specific style output transmission speed sensor also shown on the left in figures 4 and 5.

Identifying Converter Components

Whether you are searching through a core pile or looking for a specific part to complete a rebuild, sorting out the various identifying features of Ford E4OD, 4R100 and 5R110W converters can drive you crazy. A six-stud version of each converter that happens to have the same K factor (impeller blade angle) will look almost identical. If you have not educated yourself on the subtle contour differences where the impellers mate to the impeller hubs, or cannot recognize the 0.200″ difference in the relationship of the pilot to mounting pad difference in the 5R110W compared to the E4OD and 4R100, you can become easily frustrated. The following are part-by-part differences, as well as some hints for identifying each one.

The TCC Shuttle

A 2001 Dodge 2500 5.9L diesel with a 47RE transmission comes in to Donald Holliday’s Covington Automotive shop with intermittent and erratic bumps that seem to clear up once the vehicle has reached 60 mph or greater.

Under the Lift

As one being involved with diagnosing transmission issues, developing technical information for seminars and bulletins as well as writing technical repair manuals, the one aspect of the transmission business I rarely think about is the R&R process. In Canada I hear them say “Ree and Ree” which is a nice quick way of describing the process of removing and re-installing the transmission. The lack of attention on this aspect of the transmission business does not indicate that it is insignificant. In fact, removing and re-installing transmissions is a critical aspect of the business. It is hard work and requires talent to do the job right.