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…
Water Contamination in Torque Converters
Opening up a torque converter and finding what looks like a strawberry milkshake inside is fairly common in the rebuilding industry. The strawberry-milkshake appearance is the result of ATF being contaminated by water. A small amount of water mixed with transmission fluid will change the appearance of the fluid dramatically. Since many shops have limited areas available for storing cores, some cores are open to the elements. Transporting cores in open vehicles also increases the opportunities for water contamination.
Coolers and Contaminants
Most of us have been battling cooler and contamination issues for years. We may not realize it, nor care to look for it, but it does manage to rear its ugly head.
First we need to look at the sources. Mike Steen (technical director at Certified Transmission) has spent considerable time on finding these sources. Along the way, I have found a few as well. Hung valves and stuck governors have plagued us for years. We thought the contaminants came from coolers. We bought flushers and flushed coolers, and the problem went away – well, not quite. We still have problems.
