Dealing with the increasingly common pin-fit problem
I want to talk a little bit about a common diagnostic misstep or overlooked problem that is prevalent in the automotive repair industry and seems to be on the rise. Pin-fit or tension can deal us a fit sometimes (pun intended), especially if we do not have the proper tools to determine if this mode
Back to square one: When a transmission replacement doesn’t fix the problem
The subject of this article is a 2002 Ford Ranger with a 3.0L V6 engine and 5R44E transmission. There were 191,622 miles on the vehicle when it arrived at our shop. The owner said that the transmission was not shifting correctly and the OD lamp was flashing. I performed the initial evaluation and road test,
The technician’s duty to the customer
I want to talk about some of the recent trends of particular cars and trucks that we see showing up at repair shops for work to be done. It seems to be a perfect storm of high used car prices, lack of new car inventory, and a bit of economic uncertainty that brings us to
Diving into electrical testing and wiring with the 948TE
We had a 2014 Jeep Cherokee come into our Bellevue, Neb. facility with a transmission that would not shift. This all-wheel drive vehicle was equipped with a 3.2L engine and a 948TE nine-speed transmission. I was informed when the vehicle was dropped off that they previously brought it to a different shop for this same
Potential causes of an overheated transmission: It’s not always what you think
If a transmission starts overheating, the root cause must be something to do with the transmission itself, right? Not always. The following are a few examples where the transmission was not to blame. Exhibit A: GM 6L80/90 The first overheating case comes from GM 6L80 and 6L90 transmissions equipped with a thermal bypass valve in
A mysterious shudder: Locating a problem with no fault codes
It was a dark stormy night… well, not really; it was just an ordinary Tuesday. On that ordinary Tuesday, a customer came into our store very distraught. He had been to several shops with concern of feeling a shudder while driving his vehicle uphill. None of the other shops or the Toyota dealership could give
TCM trouble and the importance of being certain about parts replacement
It’s a tale as old as time. A vehicle comes in and, despite having been recently repaired by another shop, the vehicle owner’s concern is still present. In the case of this story, the vehicle came from a local shop we work closely with. The truck in question is a 66,000-mile 2006 Chevrolet Silverado 2500
Scope testing the Ford 10R80
Recently, we at Certified Transmission had a chance to do some work with the Ford 10R80. We have easy access to test vehicles since our owner also owns a used car dealership. For our R&D testing we used a 2019 F-150 equipped with a 5.0L engine and the 10R80 transmission. I got to play around
Diagnosing an unusual problem: A slow-to-respond solenoid
A 2001 Chevrolet S-10 pickup came into our shop the other day. This job started with a concern of the engine revving high and not shifting correctly. With the truck being equipped with a 4L60E transmission, I expected to find non-functioning third and fourth gears, which is a common failure for these transmissions. I scanned
The Nightmare on Oak Street: A hunt for 4L30E electrical problems
This story begins with a 4WD 1998 Honda Passport equipped with a 3.2 V6 engine and 4L30E transmission. The shift indicator in the cluster was not functioning correctly and transmission was shifting hard. The shift indicator showed ‘P’ in Park, and ‘1’ in D3, D2, or D1. The indicator didn’t light up in any other
How do you know if a car is lying to you?
Sometimes a vehicle comes into the shop with a code in memory and a concern, and it is quick and easy to follow the code and find the source of the problem. But how do you know if a car is lying to you, trying to throw you off the trail with some false information?
Putting what you learn in training into practice
We all have those family members and loved ones who need our help and expertise when it comes to cars, and I am no exception. I purchased a 2001 Honda CRV AWD with a possibly bad transmission for my daughter to replace the worn-out vehicle she was driving. After determining that the transmission was indeed
