Dealing with Shift Adaptations
Shift adaptations are something we have to deal with in the transmission industry. More and more car manufacturers are making use of this function to keep their transmissions shifting like new as they wear. Part of the function of adaptation is to allow the transmission control module (TCM) to compensate for the gradual wear of clutches and bands and for internal hydraulic leaks resulting from use.
Adaptation and Shift Learning
Adaptation: One dictionary defines it as “the act of adapting or fitting one thing to another.” That very well describes what we have to do sometimes when we repair today’s modern transmissions. We have to adapt them or “fit them” to their new environment.
I was doing some testing for the research-and-development department of Valve Body Pro that required me to install different 09G valve bodies in a 2005 VW Jetta. Each valve body had different criteria to be tested, so I expected the transmission to engage and shift differently every time it had a different valve body.
