5R110W Upgrades
Beginning with the launch of the 5R110W in 2003, the number of tweaks has been unending. Some of the item upgrades had been limited to the item itself, whereas others resulted in rather expensive and heavy packages.
AB60E 6-Speed (A750/761E big brother)
With all the changes swirling around the transmission world today, it’s no wonder that manufacturers look to benefit from “economy of scale.” Millions of dollars and much time are devoted to developing a completely new transmission platform. Once a new transmission design is implemented and proven successful, it only makes sense to enhance and expand upon it.
Take the case of the Aisin-produced A750E five-speed RWD, which was launched in 2003 for Lexus and Toyota. The Aisin handle for that model is TB-50LS. The A750E was a departure from not only the A340 family of transmissions but even the A650E five-speed. This new design was developed with an eye on the future.
Subaru Lineartronic: Not all CVTs are east/west
The CVT that was developed for Subaru is a major departure from all other transverse-mounted CVTs. This new-design unit, called a Lineartronic, hit the streets in 2010. To say that a Lineartronic is a monster would be an understatement. The unit could probably fit right into a Sherman tank. There is also a difference in design between gas and diesel applications. In addition, to understand the power flow would be akin to “the ankle bone is connected to the shin bone, the shin bone is connected to the …” etc.)
Lepelletier Planetary System
When it became apparent that four speeds weren’t enough, the games began by adding more gears. ZF stepped up to the plate in the early ’90s by launching several new-design five-speeds that involved a lot of stuff. Ford took a simpler approach by turning an A4LD (4R55E) into a 5R55E, mainly by computer strategy cycling the OD section on twice.
Without a significant change in thinking, though, stepping up to six or more speeds would have resulted in a transmission weighing a ton. The answer to the problem was the Lepelletier planetary system.
Dual-Clutch Transmission: Wet or dry?
Even though manual (standard) transmissions had evolved ever since motor vehicles were created, the greater focus of the OEMs has been toward automatics. Automatic transmissions have received more speeds, pulleys (CVT), improved converter strategy and electronics to help keep pace with an ever-changing motor vehicle. Hybrid-vehicle transmissions also tend to be automatic in nature.
TF60SN (09G) Shift Complaints
Almost every transmission family ever produced has had weak spots or difficult areas to deal with, whether it is operation, diagnosis or assembly. The Volkswagen TF60SN (Aisin produced) is no exception.
One area of the TF60SN (09G) that has surfaced as troublesome is the valve body. In addition to the normal valve-body issues is the electrical concern. Today’s valve bodies not only have a ton of electrical do-dads to deal with, but the complexity of the items has also increased.
IMA (Integrated Motor Assist)
In an effort to improve fuel economy, drivability, durability, and cost, many changes have occurred to automatic transmissions over time. In the last decade however, the proliferation of new models has been unending. Step-type transmissions have ratcheted up the gearing from old-time three- and four-speeds to five- through seven-speeds.
Saturn VT25-E Ratio Error
A 2005 Saturn Vue experiences erratic ratio control (gear position) and ultimately sets a trouble code P1882. Once the code is cleared, the transmission starts to shift again, for a short time. The code then reappears and the unit returns to a fixed gear position.
After it was determined that the issue was not computer related or valve-body/solenoid related, the transmission was removed and disassembled. Damage was found in the drive variator (pulley), and there also was seal damage.
CFT30 Variator Repair
Today’s CVTs are a fact of life because of the number of them on the street. In addition, the flavors (variety) of CVTs have also increased.
One of the more popular CVTs being rebuilt today is in a now-defunct vehicle, Saturn, whereas other CVTs are used by Nissan in vehicles like the Murano. The Nissan CVTs are produced by Jatco, which is the dominant CVT manufacturer in the marketplace today. Jatco has recently released a variation of a CVT that actually has an auxiliary gearbox, making it a partial step-type trans. It almost seems like a “step” backward from a pure CVT.
Fretting
The ASM Handbook on Fatigue and Fracture (Figure 1) defines fretting as: “A special wear process that occurs at the contact area between two materials under load and subject to minute relative motion by vibration or some other force.”
Fretting wear is usually associated with electrical contacts rather than non-electrical things, but fretting and fretting wear occur with both.
Temperature Rising
Temperature rising could be a title for an article related to “global warming,” but this article is not about melting snow caps. This is about a temperature meltdown that can happen to a shop owner and/or technician dealing with a transmission problem that will not go away – specifically with a 01M in a 2001-03 VW Jetta or a 01P in a Eurovan.
Don’t Blow It
The JF506E in VW, Land Rover and Jaguar applications experiences a condition of no upshift out of first gear when cold due to mechanical malfunctions of the 2/4-brake timing and duty solenoids (Figure 1). And there are times when this transmission may also experience a no-reverse condition due to a mechanical malfunction of the low-clutch timing solenoid (Figure 2). This information has been in our past seminars as well as in our bulletins, and since the cold season is upon us it’s good to keep this in mind.
