October 2014 Archives - Transmission Digest
Back to (Sales) School

So what’s your plan? What will you do to maximize your sales opportunities during the remaining 68 business days of 2014?

I’ll get you started. These are the things you should be thinking about if you want to make the most of this year:

Transfer Cases and Tires: How RAM is changing the rules

Looking at the BorgWarner 44-44 and 44-45 transfer cases, we see an evolutionary change that started with the BW4405 and 4411 and has now reached this level of development. The design uses a wet-clutch pack in the transfer case to split torque between the rear and front axles.

GM Compensator-Feed System

There are a growing number of transmissions on the road that incorporate a hydraulic control feature many technicians are unfamiliar with, though they may have noticed the involved components during many builds. Variations of this system can be found in GM and ZF six-speeds, many Aisin AW units and some Ford models. If you haven’t already, it’s an easy bet you will encounter malfunctions related to it sooner or later.

The Best Defense Is a Solid Offense

Sitting back and watching your business shrink into oblivion is no option, especially when you’ve devoted a good portion of your life to making it this far. When faced with this type of situation you need to ask yourself, “What did I do to build up this business when I first started it? How did I get it off the ground? If I just opened it today what would I do to promote it?” Then go and do those things. Don’t ever think that you’ve been in the business so long that you are now entitled to kick back and not have to work as hard at building the business. It’s a never-ending battle. Those who become “too good for it” fail in the long term.

The Importance of Checking Grounds

The 5R110W transmission that is common to the 2003-2009 Ford Super Duty trucks and vans is a very reliable and straightforward transmission when it comes to diagnosis and repair. The subject of this article is a 2007 F-350 equipped with the 6.0L diesel engine and the 5R110W transmission.

October 2014 Issue

In This Issue
GMC truck with Allison 1000: no forward or reverse movement
Electric variable transmissions in hybrid vehicles

Shops Still Shy Away from Working on Hybrids

Troubleshooting takes knowledge and a great deal of hands-on experience, yet the payoff is worth it.

It’s been a busy time for hybrids in my shop. The training schedule has been hectic and the buying and selling is starting to get some movement. The Consumer Reports rating on the Prius as the best value in used cars sure hasn’t hurt either.

The ‘Just One More Job’ Challenge

I am challenging all transmission-shop owners across the country to increase production by “just one more job” a week and put an extra $104,000 in your pocket each year. There is a simple formula to success. If your shop’s average ticket is $2,000 for a transmission job and you can learn to be more efficient and increase production by one job a week, you can increase your revenue by $104,000 ($2,000 x 52). The challenge is to increase production by just one job a week – simple goal, big results. Now, this is “extra money” on top of what you are making now. That is when the shop owner makes his profit. That is a “special time” when one more job puts the most money in your pocket. Everybody else’s pockets get filled before the shop owner’s. This is your time, and you must make the most of it.

Aisin Warner 09G Electronics: Anatomy of shift controls

There has been much focus over the years on valve-body wear issues and other deficiencies of the 09G as well as the TF80/TF81 models. Once a repair had been made, shift or apply issues still existed at times, requiring more attention to the controls.

The experts at Rostra Precision Controls have devoted a substantial amount of effort to determine how all the aspects of Aisin six-speed transmissions (valve body, solenoids and TCM) work together to provide a well-functioning and durable transmission repair.