Back to Basics
I know this much: Managers who sell on the phone make less money than managers who contact-sell. I have tried it both ways. When I call on the phone, the customer is sitting in his environment and all he has to do is hang up and I am finished. He may be distracted and not able to focus on my service recommendation. He may not be able to take personal calls at work. Bottom line, the customer has control of me and can easily postpone his decision. I don’t know about you, but when it is my money on the line, I like to be in control of the transaction. If you can do it over the phone, my hat is off to you. I just don’t get that warm and fuzzy feeling over the phone.
Unlocking Some 55-50 Valve-Body Mysteries
Let’s start with identifying the AW 55-50 valve body and the differences that matter when you’re choosing a replacement valve body. There are four castings, which can be identified by either a letter cast into the valve body just to the right of the S4 solenoid or a blank spot.
What Did You Expect?
When you’re hiring new employees it is extremely important to tell them exactly what your expectations of them are right from the beginning. There has to be some direction from the start or they can easily decide for themselves what this job should be, and that probably won’t get you the results you want.
Tests Confirm Uneasy Feeling about Diagnosis
When was the last time you had a customer bring you their vehicle – along with a part – and ask you to install it? On occasion, I have a customer ask me to do just that, and it is often large, used and costly to purchase new – such as an engine, transmission or differential. This was the case recently when my friend Jim had his 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix GT towed to our shop; he also had a used automatic transaxle delivered from a local, reputable used-parts supplier.
Understanding the 5R55S/W Initial Engagements
The 5R55S/W transmission has been with us for a little more than a decade. Its common complaints include harsh forward engagement; harsh reverse engagement; delayed, harsh initial engagements; flares on the 3-4 shift; and bind-up on shifts.
Getting Greased
In an ATSG seminar several years back we covered a noise problem with Ford’s 5R55W/S transmissions in 4×4 applications. The description of the noise was either a clank or metallic-type noise during any forward or reverse engagements. The noise was typically perceived as a differential or transfer-case problem.
Diagnosing Explorer’s Shift Complaint not an Easy Task
A 2002 Ford Explorer came into our shop recently with a shifting complaint. The customer said it slipped or felt bumpy under fairly hard acceleration.
Differential Basics
Differential is a term that stems from the word difference, and it applies here because of the difference in distance traveled by the vehicle’s drive wheels in a turn. In a straight line both wheels and, therefore, both drive axles travel at the same speed. When the vehicle is entering a turn, it is obvious that the inside wheel will travel less distance than the outside wheel during cornering. If the drive axles were hooked directly into the differential carrier, to which the ring gear is bolted, the driving wheels would crow-hop and bind up in the turn, and the tires would take a lot of excess wear and heat.
November 2012 Issue
In This Issue
Nissan RE5R05A: Solenoid gasket
Nissan RE5R05A: False code P1774
2004-up Subaru 4AT and 5AT: 2-3 flare and/or harsh downshifts
2001-03 Toyota RAV4: PCM warranty enhancements
Toyota: ECM check mode
TF60-SN, 09G, 09K, 09M: ISS-OSS codes
TF60-SN, 09G, 09K, 09M: Flared or harsh shifts
