Volkswagen’s Direct-Shift Gear Box Part 4
Picking up where we left off last month, the remaining three solenoids to cover are two pressure-control solenoids – N215, which operates the K1 clutch, and N216, which operates the K2 clutch – and the N92 multiplexer solenoid (see Figure 1).
False Pretenses
A 2002 Ford Explorer with a 5R55W transmission came into a shop with a complaint of no 2nd or 5th gear. Gear-ratio-error codes P0732 and P0735 were stored, but so was code P0775, indicating a problem with pressure-control solenoid B.
We all know what gear-ratio-error codes are all about by now, but that P0775 code – that’s a humdinger.
Rescue Ranger
Many times after an initial scan of the computer system, you find an electrically related solenoid code. If you’re lucky, a new solenoid fixes it, or maybe there’s a problem with the internal wiring – not so bad to fix these problems.
But then there are the times that these items do not take care of the problem. That usually means these days that an external wiring problem is causing that solenoid code.
Honda & Acura – the New Generation
This has now become a very frequent question on the tech line: “Hey, what are all these solenoids, and what in the world do they do?” The questions started in the 1997 model year, when the Honda Prelude came out with the M6HA transaxle. This was one of the first vehicles to receive this new-generation 4-speed. This article, I hope, will clear up some of the questions on shift strategy, clutch-pack applications and solenoid application. After all, how can you fix something if you don’t know how it works?
