A ‘Guess Why’ Tech Article
A 2006 Ford Focus 2.3L with a 4F27E transmission comes into a shop with a complaint of a harsh garage shift into gear (drive and reverse), as well as harsh lift throttle coast downshifts. All forward upshifts are perfect. There are no codes stored in the system. In some cases, the transmission had been rebuilt, which included a different valve body and solenoids in an attempt to resolve the problem.
Hot Head
A 2000 Mercury Grand Marquis with a 4.6L engine using a 4R70W transmission is at a general-repair shop for weeks. The problem is an intermittent engine surge on top of the 1-2 shift when hot. The perception is an engine problem. Eventually, the idea of the converter clutch coming on was being considered. Without much testing, the valve body and solenoids were replaced yet the problem persisted.
Connector Blues
Wayne Colonna focuses on water contamination of the C134 connector in an FNR5.
A 2009 Ford Fusion 2.3L coupled to an FNR5 transmission comes in to a shop with a host of solenoid codes, gear ratio codes and speed-sensor codes…
Solenoid Differences: Ford 6F35 Gen 1 vs. 2
Looking back on the history of the Ford 6T40, the cousin to the 6F35, we recall a second generation of this transmission coming out in 2012. There were many control-valve changes to this valve body as the pressure switches were eliminated and the top cover of the valve body had damper and spring assemblies added to it to provide miniature shock absorbers to each of the solenoid output circuits.
It’s the Little Things
The phrase, “It’s the little things,” is often times pared with “that count” or “will get you.” Both are true when it comes to a loss of reverse after rebuilding a 4F27E. It is easy to overlook the little things that count and it will be the little thing that gets you.
Ford TorqShift 6 Component Upgrades
Unlike the 6R60 / 6R80 models that were a carryover from the ZF6HP26, Ford started with a clean sheet of paper in the development of the 6R140. To say that this unit is a beast would be an understatement due to the fact that it weighs more than 300 pounds.
GM 6T30 Six-Speed Automatic – Junior Addition – Part 1
During development, the GM 6T70 and Ford 6F50 basically fell off the same sheet of paper resulting in a noticeable amount of interchangeability of various components. One key difference between the two models is that GM chose to go with a mechatronic (TEHCM) valve body design, whereas Ford stuck with the traditional external TCM (PCM). Another variable between the GM and Ford transmissions were the dreaded cushion springs that have been tweaked over the years. Both designs accommodate the larger vehicles equipped with higher output engines and both have received continuous changes and upgrades.
Rats! Foiled Again!
We had a 1998 Ford Contour come into the shop with a transmission wiring harness that had been completely chewed up by mice. I mean every wire in this harness had exposed copper running the length of the harness for at least two feet in one spot, and I can recall at least 10 wires shorting out against each other, causing multiple codes and drivability issues. I asked myself why this mouse (or these mice) would choose to feast on this poor, unsuspecting wiring harness?
Another Case of Brutality
Our technical help line is now experiencing a different transmission that can have a variety of severe shifts complaints. It is with Ford’s 6R60/80 transmission. We received one such call from Mr. Transmission in Louisville, Ky., with a 2007 Explorer Sport 4.6L that had 65,000 miles. It shifted fine until you went for passing gear out of 4th. The shift was so brutal that it felt like the transmission went into reverse. There were no codes present. An entirely different call was a complaint of firm shifts and during full throttle kickdowns the vehicle speed signal would drop to zero. It too did not have codes. Yet another call received, all the shifts were extremely severe and it had a variety of CAN BUS codes stored.
Ford 6R60/6R80 Component Upgrades, Part 1
Ford released the “kissin’ cousin” to the ZF6HP26 a decade ago and like the 6HP, changes have certainly occurred to the 6R60 family of transmissions during that time. Although as part of the agreement with ZF, Ford did use the actual 6HP for a short time, but the game plan from the start was to produce a home-grown unit, which Ford did in 2006.
Oh, the Joy of Being a Technician!
One recent adventure involving intermittently inoperative headlamps on a 1996 Ford Explorer had me accessing multiple resources en route to the repair. Our customer reported that both headlamps would go out now and then, often for long periods. On occasion, a bump in the road would “jar” them back to life.
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.
