February 2018 Issue
In This Issue
BMW SMG hydraulic pump unit: No clutch and shift control
Suzuki Forenza ZF4HP16: P0705 transmission range sensor fault
BMW ZF6HP family: Planetary noise also when stopped in drive
Working Technology
“We’re so proud,” says Dennis Erickson Jr., Vice President of the company his father founded, Superior Transmission Parts, Inc.® “We are a well-known industry brand name, and we are what we’ve always been, a family-owned leading-technology company that delivers parts of extreme high quality that are designed, tested and manufactured here in the USA.”
Get the Clip Instead of Getting Clipped
The pump shaft on a Subaru transmission is keyed to the converter and held into place with an inner circlip. Those who are familiar with this know to carefully pull the converter far enough out to clear the shaft from the transmission.
Replacing Valve Bodies Dos and Don’ts!
When you replace the valve body instead of rebuilding it, on one hand you gain by getting a valve body that has been refurbished with oversized valves, remanufactured or new solenoids, and tested to ensure it is working as designed. On the other hand, you don’t get the benefit of taking the original valve body apart to vacuum test bores, assess wear or find sticking valves or solenoids, and disintegrated checkballs and so on. You may even miss a host of other useful hints that can help explain why the transmission had the symptoms it came in with.
Programming: A Blessing or a Curse
To answer the question in the headline, we need to look at the programming of modules. Not the actual program, but the foundation on which it is based on.
Your Attitude Defines You
I often wonder how many people in our business are content with the trade they’ve chosen and are excited or at least happy about going to work each day. I know there are some, but I fear not as many as should be. After all, this is a very tough business. It’s one of the few that the job isn’t over when it’s finished. It isn’t over till the warranty has expired and for maybe some time after that.
Programming Can Be a Source of Profit
For those of you who perform J2534 programming, you may have noticed that there have not been any updates to the Ford Module Programming (FMP) since the last release of FMP 105. Although it had remained functional as long as your subscription was current (or at least up until the writing of this), it won’t be long before you will have to start using the new software that is labeled as FJDS (Ford J2534 Diagnostic Software).
Sorting Out the Technology
The two electric cars I’ve chosen for this article are the new Chevy Bolt (not to be confused with the Volt) and the new Tesla Model 3. They’re about the same price ($37,000 to $38,000 base, before incentives), have well more than 200 miles of range and both allow fast charging. The Bolt is available everywhere, but the Tesla Model 3 just came out as I was writing this article in July 2017.
Load and Launch
Mike “Hipster” Hohnstein, one of the creators of the transbrake valve body, built a distinguished performance-oriented business, and with two partners he recruited along the way, they have been drawing on their drag-racing expertise to lure daily drivers who like having racing experts working on their transmissions.
