July 2003 Issue
Issue Summary:
On 1996 and newer Dodge and Jeep vehicles, deteriorated PCM connectors can cause a variety of diagnostic trouble codes.
Ford Escort/Mercury Tracer sedans have experienced a condition in which the transmission operates properly until the headlights are turned on, at which time the transmission is stuck in third gear and remains there until the headlights are turned off.
At the start of production for the 1996 model year, Nissan redesigned the throttle-position sensor and idle/full-throttle switch assembly.
Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable cars with the 3.0-liter, 12-valve Vulcan V-6 engine may develop a leak from the engine rear-main oil seal after fly-wheel replacement.
Where Do We Go From Here?
There is an old Chinese blessing that says, “May you live in interesting times.” As far as the auto-repair and automobile-manufacturing industries are concerned, these are very interesting times. The balance of this year and the next few years will bring about some profound changes in these interdependent industries.
Signal the Return of Weird
Believe it or not, the cause of all of this was a faulty signal switch, or what Ford calls a multi-function switch. Replacing the switch solved all the complaints.
Stepless Ratios in CVTs
Continuously variable transaxles use pulleys and a drive belt as the components needed to provide the vehicle with stepless gear ratios. The basic construction of a pulley is movable and stationary surfaces (see Figure 1). The drive belt Honda uses, constructed of about 280 elements held together by two 12-layer steel loops, is manufactured by Van Doorne Transmissie (VDT) of the Netherlands, with Honda giving it a little tweaking of its own (see Figure 2).
Close Counts Only in Horseshoes and Hand Grenades
Watch out when swapping stator shafts from one pump cover to another on 700-R4/4L60-E transmissions. We have all been there before. You have a unit with a good pump cover and a damaged stator shaft, and in your pile of parts there is a good stator shaft in a damaged pump cover. All you need to do is press the good stator shaft into the good pump cover and you will have what you need to get this car down the road today. Sounds simple, but how often are things that simple in this business?
