March 2010 Issue
In This Issue
Ford 4R70W /4R70E/4R75E, 2003-Up: No speedometer reading, or reading slow
5R55W/S: 2003 & Later Ford/Lincoln: No plug for ATF refill
41TE/42LE: 1996 & Later Dodge/Chrysler Vehicles: PRND3L lights malfunction
4T60-E/4T65-E: Torque-converter clutch stuck off
Issue Summary:
After overhaul or transmission exchange, Ford Motor Co. vehicles equipped with the 4R70W/4R70E/4R75E transmission may exhibit either no speedometer reading or a slow speedometer read-ing (below).
A Ford/Lincoln vehicle equipped with the 5R55W/S transmission may have no fill plug (page 3).
In 1996 and later Dodge/Chrysler vehicles with 41TE/42LE transmissions, a malfunctioning ignition switch may cause all the PRND3L lights to be illumi-nated in Park and Neutral (page 4).
Installation of a 4T60-E stator-support shaft in a 4T65-E will prevent TCC application (page 7).
01J CVT: Diagnosing and Repairing Code 17090
A 2003 Audi A4 with an 01J continuously variable transmission (CVT) came to our shop. The customer complained that the vehicle was sluggish in forward and had no reverse and that this would take place only when all the lights in the gear indicator “lighted up and flashed.”
A Fly on the Wall
When transmission parts fail or have problems, I often think about the decisions made along the way that resulted in the problematic part being used in production. A common sight at many transmission benches these days is a “cracked” separator plate found in 2001 and newer 4R70W/4R75E units. There is more to this story than just the cracked plates discovered during the rebuild, and it started long ago when the decision was made to eliminate a valve-body stiffener plate. I would love to have been a fly on the wall back then, listening to the reasons why it was OK to eliminate the stiffener plate.
GM’s 2ML70 Hybrid Two-Mode Transmission – Part 2
As promised, we are back to take a look at the inside of this 2ML70 hybrid two-mode RWD transmission. When you look at the front of this transmission it almost appears to be receiving input torque from the gas engine through a conventional torque converter (Figure 1), but that is not the case. Power from the engine is delivered through a torque-damper assembly that is bolted to the crank and splines to the input shaft and pump. The reason for the front seal is that cooler return oil is supplied to the assembly through the pump to keep its damping parts lubricated.
Serviceability Report: Volvo S40
In the summer of 1995, the first S40 was built in a Dutch factory that originally produced the DAF (Van Doorne’s Aanhangwagen Fabriek). This was a joint venture among the Dutch government, Volvo and Mitsubishi. In 1999, Ford Motor Co. – the world’s most-profitable carmaker at that time – bought the automobile operations of Swedish-based Volvo for $6.45 billion. This is a figure slightly less than Ford’s 1998 profits of $6.57 billion. As of this writing, Volvo is for sale and may end up in the hands of the Chinese automotive company Geely – so Ford can get back to basics.
The Latest Models of Transfer Cases from Magna Powertrain
In the ever-changing world of automotive technology, we must keep up with an endless supply of new car models and their components. We will look at a new family of transfer cases manufactured by Magna Powertrain.
Don’t Forget the Basics
Instead of choosing just one success story that applies to one vehicle, how about writing something that applies to all vehicles? The thought that I want to convey is to pay attention to the simple things and small details alike, both when diagnosing a problem and when removing and reinstalling a transmission.
More Torque-Converter Forensics
Try to imagine the difficult job tech-line technicians have. They are asked to decipher bits and pieces of information that may not be accurate and then come up with the correct answer. The information the technicians collected for the following two scenarios seemed to be as different as night and day. The information even originated in different countries. The amazing thing about these different complaints and symptoms was that they all had the same root cause.
Shop Owners Are in the Driver’s Seat
It wasn’t very long ago that finding employees, especially technically skilled ones, was somewhere between difficult and impossible. If you ran an ad hardly anyone called other than possibly some misfits who were truly unemployable because of any one or a combination of the following…
