Serviceability Report: Ford Fusion Hybrid
Ford Motor Co. saw the light in hybrid technology with the introduction of the model year (M/Y) 2005 Escape hybrid. Since then, they’ve made many improvements and gained market share.
Critical Wear Areas & Vacuum Test Locations
Critical Wear Areas & Vacuum Test Locations
Recruit People Best Suited to Work For You
My ex-partner, who had been in the business more than 30 years when we teamed up, described the auto-repair business as a constantly revolving door in which employees continually came and went. In training me to become a good manager of business and people, he stressed that I had to learn how to accept that fact of life and move forward with my business plan no matter how many employees I had to hire and train only to see them eventually go their own way. He taught me that I had to, as much as possible, leave my emotions at the front door. I wasn’t supposed to feel bad about losing an employee who I had put a whole lot of time and effort into. I was just supposed to go on to the next one. Although I understood that he had been burned so many times over the years that he trained himself not to care or show it if he did, I had a problem with it. I wanted to know why they left and if there was anything about my management style that was making them go and, if so, how could I fix it.
Dartco: Big Units – Big Business
“Dartco serves about 2,500 different customers over the course of a year. Of that we have 300-400 who are consistent customers; those who are ordering on a daily or weekly basis from us,” explains the company’s CEO, J.R. Sellars.
The 8 Things I Learned from the 7 Things Your Team Needs to Hear You Say
I recently swiped a copy of David M. Dye’s “The Seven Things Your Team Needs to Hear You Say” from Captain Reman. It got me thinking about my interactions with coworkers and what I can contribute to foster an even better team than we already have. And after reading and thinking about the key points more, I wanted to share them with you.
Transmissions, Nothing Else
“I rebuilt my first transmission when I was 15 years old, and I pulled my first one out when I was 9, an old Powerglide. My dad might have helped me a little bit, but for the most part I did it myself,” David said. “So I’ve been around the shop. That’s all I’ve ever done.” David said.
March 2017 Issue
In This Issue
Mercedes 7G-DCT FWD Dual-Clutch Transmission
6T40 / 6T50 Pump Metal Clad Seal Design
Finding & Developing Your Personal Management Style
You are a unique individual. There is no one else exactly like you in the entire world. The way you look and act, the way you think and feel, they are all yours. You have certain strengths and weaknesses that have helped and or hindered you your whole life. One of the keys to being a successful manager of people and business is to recognize and build on those strengths and work toward eliminating as many weaknesses as possible.
Verifying Repairs: This is Where We Dropped the Ball
For this installment of R&R Tech I would like to take some time to discuss how engine performance can affect the transmission operation. We have all heard it before; the engine must be running properly in order for the transmission to function correctly. What does “properly” mean in this scenario? We all use different terms when we tell the customer, “You need to get the engine running properly” or good, correct, better, whatever terms we use; in our minds it all means the same thing.
Ford TorqShift 6 Component Upgrades
Unlike the 6R60 / 6R80 models that were a carryover from the ZF6HP26, Ford started with a clean sheet of paper in the development of the 6R140. To say that this unit is a beast would be an understatement due to the fact that it weighs more than 300 pounds.
Dual Clutch Transmissions: Are They the End of the Torque Converter?
We have enjoyed two major designs of transmissions for many years. The manual transmission where the driver disconnected the power flow from the engine to the transmission by stepping on the clutch pedal and manually moving the shift lever from the present gear to the next gear to be selected.
CVT Success: In-Vehicle Isolation of Common Problems
All transmission models have unique problems that are common to that model; Jatco CVT units are no exception. Technicians are facing an uphill battle when it comes to diagnosing and repairing CVTs if they don’t have the right information on hand. Knowing what the common issues are and understanding the options available to isolate and fix problems are the keys to CVT success.
