Revista de Transmisiones

VOLUME 30, NO. 3 NOVEMBER 2010

The Automotive Powertrain Industry Journal

D I G E S T

09G 4F50N RE4F04B 6T70/75 T56 Magnum

Automatic Drive, P.O. Box 440, Bellows Falls, Vermont 05101-0440800.843.2600 802.463.9722 F: 802.463.4059

www.sonnax.com Join the Sonnax community on Facebook & Twitter

7RXJKYDOYHERGLHVGRQWVFDUHXV

The valve body is the brains of a transmission.

That transmission isnt fi xed until the valve body is right. And that means getting to the root cause of the problem, not just treating the symptoms.

Nobody knows valve bodies like Sonnax.TM

TIME TESTED INDUSTRY TRUSTED

Circle No. 13 on Reader Card

PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.

Transmission Digest (ISSN 0277-8300) is published monthly by M D Publications, Inc., 3057 E. Cairo, P.O. Box 2210, Springfield, MO 65801-2210. Advertising inquiries are welcome, by mail or telephone,(417) 866-3917; Fax (417) 866-2781; [email protected]. Advertising rates furnished upon request. Advertiser and agency agree to indemnify and protect the publisher from unauthorized use of anypersons name, photograph, statement or copyrighted material. Copies available by subscription: One year (12 issues) United States and U.S. possessions $39; Canada $48; all other countries via IPA $81 inU.S. funds only. Single copy price $4.75 plus shipping for current or back issues (as available) except the Annual Buyers Guide which is published as the March issue. Copyright 2010 by M D Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Advertisements and Signed articles do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Transmission Digest or its management. Editorial contributionswelcome, but return of manuscripts, models or other artwork not guaranteed unless accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. Information contained in Transmission Digest has been carefullycompiled from industry sources known for their reliability, but M D Publications does not guarantee its accuracy. Other M D Publications: Undercar Digest, Tech/Talk, and Short Line. M D Show Division: TRANSMISSION/UNDERCAR EXPO 2011, March 17-19, Indianapolis. Periodicals Postage paid at Springfield, Missouri, and additional entry offices. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Transmission Digest, P.O. Box 2236, Springfield, MO 65801-2236.

VOLUME 30, NO. 3 NOVEMBER 2010

D I G E S T

News & Previews

From the Publisher .............2

Catalog/Product Showcase ...................38-39

Information Source ......48-49

Powertrain Products ....54-56

Industry News Highlights ........................57

Marketplace................59-64

Index to Advertisers..........64

Satisfaction at Every LevelMaking customers happy involves more than just fixing the problems with their vehicles, says John Parmenter, owner of Centereach Transmission on Long Island.

Page 4

Technical

Technically Speaking: . . .10Speed-sensor confusion complicates diagnosis of shift problems in a Nissan RE4F04B.

R&R Tech . . . . . . . . . . . .22Listening to the customerhelps solve a problem with the turbine-speed sensor in a Ford 4F50N.

Shift Pointers . . . . . . . . .24Diagnosing a malfunction ofthe Tiptronic signal in a VW 09G

Tech to Tech . . . . . . . . . .28Tips for troubleshooting intermittent failures and no-starts

Torque Converter Tech Tips . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Converter-pilot issues causevibration and/or leaks in theGM 6T70/75.

Up to Standards . . . . . . .42Investigating the cause of acatastrophic driveline failure

Business

Its Your Business . . . . . .36How easy is it for customers todo business with you?

On The Cover Customer FriendlyRob McCarthy says American Torqueis a family business that considersits customers to be a part of the family.

Page 14

Features

Revenue Streams BeyondAutomatics . . . . . . . . . . .41

Tech Tips

Jasper Engines & Transmissions . . . . . . . . .40

November 2010 1

CERTIFIED

2 Transmission Digest

As 2010 draws to a close,the transmission market-place marks the final daysof a couple of iconic representa-tions of our industry.

Frank Slocum will be retiringfrom Raybestos Powertrain.During the 1970s, Frank was wellknown throughout the Northeastas a representative for KeyTransmission, a regional distribu-tor of transmission parts. And,Frank took an advisory role toChuck Hansen, who developedone of the first transmission diag-nostic machines, leading to theformation of Zoom Technologies.

At Raybestos, Frank estab-lished a reputation with all for in-dustry and product knowledge;his support of rebuilder educa-tion; a quick, irreverent wit; andan absolute belief in the productshe was responsible for selling.His Frankly Speaking columnin the Raybestos High Gearnewsletter has been a great read.

Frank could make any story in-teresting! I recall picking him upat our local airport back in the1990s. As we headed to the officehe was relating one of his indus-try stories as I alternated between

From thePublisherBy Bobby Mace

mirthful laughter and apprecia-tion for the mans knowledge ofpeople and companies. As he fin-ished, I realized that hed had meso rapt that wed gone two exitspast the office.

Ill miss Franks annual lobby-ing for Transmission Digest topublish an April Fools parodyissue.

This year we also say goodbyeto operations at General MotorsWillow Run Transmission plantadjacent to the Willow Run air-port near Ypsilanti, Mich.

That facility is steeped in histo-ry. Both the plant and the adja-cent airfield were built by HenryFord for production of B-24Liberator bombers during WorldWar II. At the height of the war,that facility turned out one of thestoried planes every hour.

Post-war, the site became anassembly plant for Kaiser Motorsbefore being acquired by GM,originally as an assembly plantfor Chevy trucks and the Corvair.Over the years, GM assembled anumber of vehicles there, and theplant became synonymous withHydra-Matic, later GMPowertrain, transmissions. TD

Ends of Eras

ExecutiveCarol Langsford

PresidentMichelle Dickemann

Vice PresidentBobby Mace

[email protected]

EditorialGary Sifford

[email protected]

Wayne ColonnaTechnical EditorTerry GreenhutBusiness EditorMike Weinberg

Contributing Editor

Art DepartmentJay Young

Creative DirectorLonnie Bolding

Art Administrator

CirculationDudley Brown

Circulation ManagerMike Turner

[email protected]

Advertising SalesMike Anderson

[email protected]

Accounting/CreditMuriel Lincoln

Credit ManagerDonna Blackburn

SHOWPOWER 2011March 17-19

Indiana Convention CenterIndianapolis

Bob JacobsmeyerExhibit Manager

[email protected]

FounderLes Langsford,

19281993

TRANSMISSION DIGESTM D Publications, Inc.

(417) 866-3917


Many Transmission Digest readers knowJohn Parmenter because of the technicalseminars he presents at Showpower Expoand his service with the Precision InternationalTechnical Advisory Board. When hes not provid-ing tips to fellow rebuilders at a seminar or on thetech line, though, hes at the bench rebuildingtransmissions in the shop he owns and operates onLong Island.

John has owned Centereach Transmission for 25years. The 5,000-square-foot facility, which waspart of a transmission-repair franchise when hebought it, has five lifts and a four-man crew.

Part of his role with the Precision advisory boardis providing technical assistance to rebuilders hav-ing a problem with a rebuilding kit or a transmis-sion theyre working on. Members of the board alsomeet monthly to discuss how they can improve theproduct to help rebuilders. Because he rebuildstransmissions every day, he can offer a real-worldperspective to a fellow rebuilder, he said.

Centereach Transmission on Long Island

Owner John Parmenter does all the transmission rebuilding.continues page 6

We have atransmission solutionfor any vehicle.

(Well, almost any)

As the technological leader,Precision Internationals repair kits are truly state of the part.

Name any year, make or model. Give us any transmission problem. Chances are weve got a solution. Not just anysolution, but one that will really work and keep on working backed by solid engineering, the latest specs and ourreputation for giving you and your customers reliable performance and the utmost peace of mind.When you see thePrecision International name on one of our transmission repair kits, you can feel confident youve got the very best.All are cross-checked against OEM specs. All changes are noted andmade. And we always use OE parts or better.Plus, our huge inventory virtually assures immediate delivery.

Spaceships? No, we havent helped repair one of those yet.But who knows what tomorrow will bring. For moreinformation, give us a call.

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The best advice on the planetAs the technological leader in transmission repair for over30 years, you can also count on Precision for outstanding techassistance and support, including our hot new websitewww.transmissionkits.com. Just a mouse click away is awealth of information, including continually updated videoseminars from leading transmission expert John Parmenter,

question and answer forums,complete parts informationand much more that canhelp you troubleshoot andsolve virtually any transmissionrepair problem.

The Problem Solvers.14 Todd Court Extension, Yaphank, NY 11980(631) 567-2000 Fax (631) 567-2640 Toll Free: 800-872-6649Florida Office: 6790 Hillsdale Point, Boynton Beach, FL 33437(561) 734-2332 Fax (561) 734-2375E-mail: [email protected] www.transmissionkits.com



If I worked at the company andI sat in an office, you wouldnthave that same kind of feeling.And when I talk with the guys onthe tech line, talking with a fellowrebuilder, its not somebody in anoffice. Its Hey, listen, I did thislast week; try this.

The key to the success of hisshop has been looking to achievecustomer satisfaction at everylevel, John said. The retail publicare really picky about things, buttheyre also really smart aboutstuff now. Listening to the cus-tomers complaints and addressingthem and explaining things tothem, that really works out well.

For example, a customer mayneed a transmission rebuilt andwill mention that he never likedthe way it shifted. Does the guywant it to shift a little bit softer or alittle bit harder, and you try to ad-just the shift according to that, andthe customer-satisfaction level getsto the next step. Besides just fixingthe problem and getting the carmoving again, now youve fixedthe car and made them happy.Theyll talk about it at parent-teacher night, theyll talk about itat barbecues, and theyll raveabout you.

Because of the reputationCentereach Transmission has de-veloped, the shop does little adver-

Technician Ray Shannon, who was a NASCAR technician for five years,owns this stock car that Centereach Transmission sponsors. Advertisingwith NASCAR brings in customers year-round, John said.Ray installs a rebuilt transmission.

Technician Dan Peluso and John use a meter to check out a problem on aFord pickup.

tising except for a presence in thelocal newspapers, John said. Atthis point, the word of mouth is sostrong that we schedule work innow. I trimmed the crew downfrom eight guys to four, and wepick and choose our work now.

In addition to automatic trans-missions, the shop repairs manualtransmissions and differentials.R&R technician Ray Shannon is thedifferential specialist.

Customers will come to usfrom almost 100 miles away tohave differentials rebuilt becauseno one around here will do differ-

entials anymore, John said. Theywont change the ring and pinionor the gears or the bearings; theywont get involved in it. Thats abig part of our business now.

John has spent his whole work-ing life in automotive repair. Whilein high school, he studied auto me-chanics in vocational trainingschool and attended DenverAutomotive & Diesel College fortwo years.

Back in the 70s when you gotspecialized in a trade it was worthmore money. At that time trans-

continues page 8


missions were starting to get morecomplicated and that was the wayto go to make more money. Being ageneral mechanic and a repairshop would yield only so muchmoney, but when you became spe-cialized in something you were indemand then. Thats how I got intothat niche.

I was working out of my par-ents garage for about three yearsdoing transmission work and thendoing general-repair work in a re-pair shop until I got it down towhere I needed to get it. Thatswhat was the jewel of this, that Istarted out doing that and mymom would come to a lot of theseminars, my son would come tothe seminars, and my motherwould remember me doing stuff inthe garage on the weekend, tryingto get stuff figured out, and thensee me teaching 500 guys in aroom. That was pretty cool for mymom to see that.

Because proper diagnosis is crit-ical to a successful repair, the shophas dedicated factory scan tools forall the vehicle makes, John said.Weve invested heavily into thescan tools. We have enough diag-nostic equipment to dissect some-thing pretty severely.

You have to really diagnose itproperly, you have to drive the lifeout of it to see whats going onwith it, to find the problem. Thats

Ray and technician Dan Demateoteam up on an installation.

Connecting with People

Although some shop owners and technicians see the trans-mission-repair industry as a brutal business that can behard on a person, John Parmenter says he has seen the otherside of the coin as a result of the friendships he has devel-oped.

Ive made friends with people through the years. You dontrealize how deep the friendship goes. My mom passed away inMarch, and I got phone calls and flowers, cards and lettersfrom people in the industry as far away as Australia andPuerto Rico. You dont think of it as family, and youll go tothese seminars and have coffee and sit down and have some-thing to eat, but you dont realize the connection you makewith people. This industrys full of good people. Its just amaz-ing.

Among those he mentions specifically are Ed Lee, formerowner of Deltrans in Newark, Del., and now a Sonnax technicalspecialist, and Jim Dial of ATSG. After Johns mother died, Edcame down from Delaware the next morning and stayed threedays. Jim is a friend whos always willing to listen when Johnneeds to talk.

There are people who sit and listen, and people dontunderstand that thats of more value than money, John said.I didnt really get that until my mother died. Everyone knewthe deal with me, that Im a single guy with my son, John III,and my mom would help me out a lot. You dont get that untilsomething earth-shaking happens in your life.

Thank you to the industry for all your consideration. I wantto literally thank the industry for their support for my son andme through our trials the last couple of years.

the biggest thing right now. Andwere getting a lot of associatedwork with that. Well have a carcome in and the mechanic toldthem it needed a transmission,then we drive it and find its got aclogged fuel filter or a bad fuelpump in the tank, and then the

customer is begging us to fix thecar. And instead of getting a $2,000tranny, its getting a $500 fuelpump, and now I have a customerfor life. The biggest thing is to havea customer leave here knowingthat you know what youre doing.

TD

A higher level.

Thats what you get with Ford gas engines and transmissions.A higher build level means youre getting engine and transmission assemblies built to the exacting speci cations of Ford Motor Company. So you not only get the quality build you expect in an assembly from Ford, but also one thats built by using parts that keep it speci c to year, make and model as well as emissions calibrations.

Introducing the all-new 3-Year Unlimited-Mile Warranty No Commercial ExceptionsFord gasoline engines and transmissions are covered by a three-year/unlimited-mile warranty.* All warranties are backed by Ford Motor Company. Theyre also supported by more than 3,500 Ford and Lincoln Mercury Dealerships nationwide as well as at their originating place of service.

Plus, unlike some competitors, the warranty is good for eet vehicles. That means you get the same advantages and coverage for commercial use, no exceptions.

For technical questions, contact the Powertrain Assistance Center at 1-800-392-7946 or visit FordParts.com.*See dealer for limited-warranty details. Remanufactured diesel engines are covered by a two-year/unlimited-mileage warranty.


Getting Up to Speedwith the RE4F04B

The RE4F04B transmission is no stranger to ourtechnical hotline, for a variety of reasons. Thisarticle is about a self-inflicted injury that occursevery so often and, when it does, makes for a very badday.

After work is performed that required the removaland reinstallation of the transmission, a complaint ofno upshift occurs. As a result, code P0720 is stored forloss of an AT Revolution Sensor (OSS) signal. This isnot to be confused with a P0500 VSS code and CANcommunications codes U1000 or U1001.

Using a 2003 Nissan Altima as our example, theP0720 is referring to the three-wire Hall-effect revolu-tion sensor, which sends a vehicle-speed signal direct-ly into the TCM. The P0500 is referring to thetwo-wire AC-voltage speed sensor over the axle,which sends a vehicle-speed signal into the combina-tion meter (instrument cluster) first. The combinationmeter then sends this signal to the ECM over the net-work.

One error is misunderstanding the difference be-tween these two codes and the sensor to which eachrefers. P0720 has been misinterpreted to mean thetwo-wire VSS, and the sensor is replaced with no pos-itive results. It is then checked with a meter, whichshows a good signal, so the instrument cluster is re-moved and may even be replaced, yet the P0720 re-mains. We have even seen this error go as far ashaving the ECM replaced, all because of misunder-standing the code and its related sensor. When thistwo-wire sensor does fail, or the instrument clusterbecomes faulty, the VSS signal in the cluster will notwork properly or will not work at all. The instrumentcluster no longer provides a speed signal to the ECM,causing the communication CAN codes to store alongwith the P0500 code.

When code P0720 is properly understood, what

usually occurs is the sensor is quickly replaced and, ofcourse, the problem remains. The next step that mayoccur is checking the sensor signal with a scope ordigital graphing multimeter at the sensor itself. Thisbeing a Hall-effect sensor, one wire is a power supply,one wire is ground and the center wire produces a 0-to 5-volt pulse to the TCM. So its an easy-enoughsensor to check. Just place the negative lead toground, probe into the middle wire and run thewheels on the lift. If there is no signal and the sensorhas power and ground, either the sensor is bad or thesignal wire is shorted to ground. But in this scenario,a good signal is observed at the sensor, suggesting theTCM is faulty. The next step in this case would be tocheck the signal at the TCM. If this step were per-formed, it would reveal that this signal is not gettingto the TCM. Could this mean that the signal wire isopen?

In Figure 1 you will notice that the revolution sen-sor is alongside the turbine sensor. When looking at

1

Subject: Confusion regarding speed sensors

Unit: RE4F04B

Vehicle Applications: 2003 Nissan Altima

Author:Wayne Colonna, ATSGTransmission DigestTechnical Editor

Essential Reading: Rebuilder

Shop Owner

Center Manager

Diagnostician

R & R

Technically SpeakingT

EC

HN

ICA

LT

RA

ININ

G

Revolutionsensor Turbine-speed

sensor

continues page 12

As a dedicated transmission professional Rick Basta, owner of Transmission Kings, knows the secret to a successful shop is dependable performance and satised customers. Thats why he rebuilds with TransTec.

No surprises. Buy a TransTec kit and you can bet the bank that all the parts required for the job are there and that they all t. Its no accident; our engineering department, product development and technical staffs, plus a proven QA system, combine to give you the assurance you cant get anywhere else.

Manufactured to meet the strictest OE standards, TransTec kits contribute to a faster rebuild with virtually no comebacks. And detailed technical inserts reinforce what the technicians learn at various seminars. These are just a few reasons why transmis-sion rebuilders request the kit in the gold and black bag.

TransTec kits are produced by Freuden-berg-NOK, the American partnership with more than $6 billion in resources. Yet it is the close, personal support that impresses transmission shops like Ricks.

TransTec makes it easy.

Rick Basta, Owner of Transmission Kings

Cleveland, OH

MY GUYS ALWAYS REQUEST TRANSTEC.

A Division of Freudenberg-NOK

4s&sWWW4RANS4ECCOMs-ILAN/(



Technically Speaking

get them connected right the first time. If the vehicleharness is not deteriorated, the revolution-sensor har-ness is identified with white (Figure 4).

Since the subject is getting up to speed with theRE4F04B, it may be a good idea to mention that thereis a difference between the RE4F04A and RE4F04Btransmissions with regard to the forward-clutchdrum. The low/reverse-clutch lugs on the drum ex-cite the TSS, and these lugs are shallower in the A ver-sion and taller in the B version. If the A-style drum isused in a B-version unit, the air gap will be too greatand you will get continuous P0717 TSS codes. This is adefinite hair-pulling experience.

Another self-inflicted injury that comes up everynow and again is a complaint of a good drive engage-ment but as soon as the throttle is depressed the vehi-cle stalls. The TCC solenoid is replaced (whichincludes all the other solenoids) and, of course, the

problem re-mains. A com-mon practicewith theRE4F04A is toput in a firmerspring on thepilot valve, likethe one seen inthe RE4F04B inFigure 5. Thisworks well in theA version to firmup the shifts, butin the B versionit causes the con-verter clutch toapply. The rea-son for this isthat the TCCcontrol valve in

the connectors for these two sensors (Figure 2) youwill also notice that they are of the same configura-tion. This then allows for these two sensors to becomecross-connected. When the sensor was being checkedwith a meter at the sensor itself, the signal coming outof the sensor was good but it was going into the tur-bine-speed input at the TCM.

But wait a minute; if these two sensors were cross-connected, why wasnt the turbine-speed sensor (TSS)sending a signal into the VSS input at the TCM? Goodquestion. The answer is that the TSS is reading theforward drum, which is held stationary in first gear.There is no signal until a shift into second occurs. Asimple swapping of the connectors is all that is need-ed to resolve the P0720 dilemma. Figure 3 identifiesthe color of the center signal wire for both the turbine-speed and revolution-sensor connectors to help you

3

42

5The turbine-speed-sensor connector usuallyhas a red or green signal wire in the center.

The revolution-sensor connector usuallyhas a white signal wire in the center.

The vehicle-harnessidentification for the

revolution sensor

continues page 18

I bet my dad I could get four new distributorsin 2010, and Im halfway there! We welcomedSniders West in The Quad Cities area of Illinoisand Iowa to the Certified family. The CertifiedTransmission Program is unique, designedexclusively for professional transmission shops(or: auto and truck repair shops) looking toincrease capacity, sales and profits. More thanjust another reman unit, Certified transmissionsare installed by the people who build and testthem and by professional shops throughoutNorth America.

A designated territory 200 of your fastest moving transmissions

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Im Halfway there Dad2 new distributors!



This is our family business. We work withand know our customers to the point thatthey are almost a part of the family, ex-plains American Torque Inc.s Rob McCarthy.McCarthys mother, Marcia, started the business inQueens, N.Y., in 1996, and he joined the companysoon after. The two, with insights and consulting fromRobs father, Bob, have grown the business, they say,year after year.

Initially the company focused solely on rebuildingtorque converters. During the past couple of years,the product assortment has grown to include used au-tomatic-transmission and differential hard parts aswell as a line of rebuilt valve bodies.

Marcia explains the roots of the company: We hada friend who owned a transmission shop where theybuilt their own torque converters. The owner suggest-ed that there was a need for a torque-converter sup-plier in the area and thought we could learn thatbusiness. His converter rebuilder was the one who setus up and taught us the skills.

The CNC machinerydoubles for use inparts work and forremoving frictionmaterial.

Rob McCarthy oversees a shop operation that includesrebuilding torque converters and processing used auto-matic-transmission and differential parts.

November 2010 15

That shop had built most of their own equip-ment, Rob adds. As American Torque started grow-ing, we eventually invested in bonders, welders andall the other machinery we needed to bring up the ca-pacity of our operation. And, the manufacturers ofthose machines provided more training as well.

That was the beginning, and weve had consistentgrowth since then. As weve grown, we find we most-ly serve shop customers in the Northeast. Primarily,that would be New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts and Connecticut.We have a distributor in Philadelphia, too.

Converters and parts reach customers as willcall, by local delivery and by UPS shipment. We de-liver, too, in a 30- to 40-mile area that encompassesthe greater New York City area and northern NewJersey.

Noting that the number of UPS shipments has beenincreasing, Rob says, I think it has been the additionof the hard-parts line that has increased our customerboundaries beyond the Northeast.

Rob adds that the fledgling hard-parts businessalso spans most applications. He points out that it al-ready has grown to account for about 30% of sales.Were putting out a used-parts product that quality-wise is as good as any that can be found. At the sametime were able to keep those parts priced in a verycustomer-friendly manner.

There are some companies that specialize in exoticor very rare parts, but their prices tend to be highwhen it comes to the everyday parts that shops needday in and day out. We want to concentrate on beinga reliable source for all the hard parts that our cus-tomers require. At the same time, we typically willkeep those more-exotic parts on the shelf as well. The

product line weve assembled represents a completeoffering, a complete coverage of all automatic hardparts.

Marcia describes the converter product line simplyas everything. She says the company covers all do-mestic, European and Asian applications.

The small plant is largely used for the converter op-eration. Borrowing from lean-manufacturing methodstypically seen in the very large operation, AmericanTorques workflow for converters is a space-efficientproduction line that divides into individual workcells, each performing a major portion of the work re-quired. Each converter is dry balanced before beingboxed for sale.

Rob explains: Were running CNC machines onthe parts, a robotic welding cell and CNC turning cen-ters to remove the friction material. At each stationweve concentrated on developing total and special-ized expertise. Employees in each cell know whichparts are always discarded and which ones need to beinspected so they can decide whether or not to reuse.

As for valve bodies, John Hancock, formerly thevalve-body technician at Hardparts ForTransmissions, is heading up our operation. Johncame on board about a month and a half ago.

And, we brought in former Hardparts For

Visual inspections of each component are madethroughout the converter assembly process.

A crowded hard-parts area will soon expand as the com-panys offices are moved to a mezzanine to create addi-tional shop space.


Transmissions salesperson Jimmy DeShields at aboutthe same time. Both guys are people Id known ofthrough the years but never met. Again, mutualfriends put us in contact at just the right time for themto join American Torque.

McCarthy says the hard-parts business has openedup new opportunities to serve more-distant cus-tomers. Theres a greater sales area for the hardparts, and were taking advantage of cross pollina-tion where customers are buying both lines from usand picking up their transmission kits separately.Thats part of the business we havent been involvedwith yet.

The company buys transmissions from a variety ofsources, disassembles them and then mines all the us-able hard parts. Electrical components are kept aswell. McCarthy says the company does a brisk busi-

ness selling solenoids, wiring harnesses, sensors andother electrical parts.

A SolX tester is used to verify each solenoid. A fewspecific-application solenoids are rebuilt, but for themost part the company concentrates on supplying thetested, good used electrical components.

In the shop, we do a bit of machine work onpumps for specific applications, but primarily every-thing we sell is used. Nearly all the cores we utilizecome from working units. Ninety percent of the time Icould install one of those units straight into a car andit would run without problems. Because of our rela-tionships with so many places that sell inventory tous, were able to come across a lot of very high-qualityused parts.

The valve bodies in the American Torque rebuiltline include all the aftermarket updates. All valve bod-

Before painting, a rebuilt torque converter is dry bal-anced.

Marcia McCarthy started AmericanTorque in 1996. Most of the adminis-trative tasks that go with running abusiness remain her responsibility.

Salesperson Jimmy DeShieldsrecently joined American Torqueafter many years of selling atHardparts For Transmissions.

Jim Bartkus was an AAMCO storemanager before joining the compa-nys sales department.

After cleaning, used hard parts are inspected visuallyand measured before being approved for inventory.

November 2010 17

ies are fully tested before being put into inventory.We do carry a few aftermarket new hard parts.

Thats unusual for us and not what wed prefer, butwhere a used part just isnt available we need to beable to get the customer everything he needs for thejob.

I find that most guys in the shops would prefer tohave a quality used part as opposed to spending theextra money for a new one. Most customers are look-ing for the good used parts that still have plenty ofmiles of service left but will save them money.

I think the strength of American Torque comesfrom our speed to market. By that I mean to say thatwe have an unbelievable network of sources that sup-ply us with transmissions and parts. We can typicallystock even very late-model parts so that they areavailable when a customer needs them.

When we disassemble a transmission unit we tryto save everything, McCarthy says. If youre re-building a transmission and you dont have some-thing as simple as a snap ring, you cant finish the job.So we need to keep everything in stock in order to beable to deliver everything to our customer. We evensell a lot of bolts. Thats one of those parts that guysalways seem to lose and need.

With our core network providing so many top-quality units to us, we havent had the need to do a lotof machine work. We have the people and the equip-ment; its just that it isnt often that the parts require

any extra work. When we can find good used partsthat dont require that labor, were able to deliverthem to customers at the best price.

Robs father agrees, recalling: There was anotherhard-parts guy from the New York area in our shoplast week. He looks in the scrap-metal bin and says:This is a U140 planet. Are you throwing that out?

It wasnt up to our standards.He looked at it again and says, You can get $75

for this part.But, no, we couldnt. Were not going to sell it like

that because that would detract from our reputation.We let him take that planetary with him.

Marcia observes: The whole business continues togrow, but I think our parts sales are growing at aneven faster rate than the converters. What were see-ing is that the hard parts are growing at a rate of bet-ter than 50% while the converter business continues toexpand at a rate of around 25% each year.

Rob addresses the companys future: I think wewill increasingly compete nationally with our productlines. As we grow, were addressing infrastructureneeds as well as processing parts in the shop.

Were setting up inventory-control methods withbar coding in order to be able to track our inventoryand fill orders more efficiently. At that point we canfill and ship orders anywhere in the country.

It all comes down to a relatively simple philoso-phy: At American Torque, we want to sell the rightproduct, closely inspected for quality, at a customer-friendly price. Were not giving parts away, but werenot going to add unnecessary cost, either. Thats whatwe do here! TD

As converter tolerances have become less forgiving, agreat deal of checking and measurement is required.

Assembling the rebuilt torque converter

Technically SpeakingTechnically Speaking

the B version is configured differently from theone in the A version (figures 6, 7 and 8 on page20). Should a heavier spring be placed on a pilotvalve in the B version, as soon as the throttle in-creases pilot pressure increases. This floods theTCC solenoid, which causes it to stroke the lock-up-control valve, applying the clutch in the con-verter and stalling the engine.

One final and very elusive complaint that oc-curs quite infrequently is intermittent solenoidelectrical codes. I say it is elusive because I havehandled this only on the phone and have neverseen it for myself. There are two ground wiresthat come down to the transmission (Figure 9).It is the little ground wire that gets left un-plugged from the transmission (Figure 10),causing these intermittent solenoid electricalcodes. And again I say it is elusive, as I have leftthis wire unplugged purposely to reenact the

X

X

7

6

RE4F04ATorque-Converter-Clutch Control Valve

Torque-converter release

Cooler pressure

Line pressure from pressure-regulator valve

To torque-converter relief valve

Lockup-solenoid/pilotpressure

Pilot pressure

Lube

Torque-converter apply

Technically Speaking

Transmission Digest18

continues page 20

continued from page 12

Whatever It Takes Does!!!

BodyFront Cover Plate

777

778Stator

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507Input Clutch Hub O.Dr. / Reverse

PistonInput Clutch

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861 140 891 130110

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may be the combination of a poor main ground andthe backup ground left unplugged causing these in-termittent codes. Either way, its another lesson on theimportance of grounds. TD

RE4F04BTorque-Converter-Clutch Control Valve

Torque-converter release

Cooler pressure

Line pressure from pressure-regulator valve

To torque-converter relief valve

Lockup-solenoid/pilotpressure

Cooler checkvalve

Lube

Torque-converter apply

Technically SpeakingTechnically Speaking


crime and could never get it to set any codes. Fromthe few times I have handled this on the phone lines,the main ground wire was cleaned, in addition to thiswire being plugged in, resolving the problem. So it


Listen to the Customer

By listening to the customer,not only can we often learnwhat he needs but also wesometimes can pick up valuable in-formation that helps us solve theirproblem. In this instance, listeningto the customer helped us find anunusual problem that could havebeen overlooked, leading to an ex-pensive and unnecessary repair.

The customer brought his 2005Ford Taurus to our shop with acomplaint of an intermittent jerk athighway speeds. The customer hadgone through the trouble of docu-menting the times that this jerk ap-peared, the temperature at which itoccurred and under what drivingconditions he was feeling the inter-mittent condition. He also told methat another shop had recently re-built the transmission. I took thetime to listen to him and to askseveral follow-up questions thatwould help me correctly identifythe problem. It occurred only onceevery couple of days.

I started my troubleshooting byscanning and found a stored P0715code, for a turbine-speed sensor(TSS). This gave me a logical start-ing point. I checked all the wiringand the connector; they lookedgood. Next, I cleared the code andwent on my first drive. Everythingchecked out great, and during thenext two test drives the unit neverset another code. I decided to waituntil the next day and try it again.

At last, after a 15-mile drive Ifelt a jerk and the P0715 code re-

turned. I returned to the shop anddecided to pull the TSS for a closerinspection. The sensor looked andtested good, and its resistance waswell within specifications. I startedto wonder whether the other shopcould have used an incorrect reluc-tor wheel for this unit. I remem-bered reading a bulletin producedby our tech department that toldus of several instances in whichAX4S and AX4N transaxles werebuilt with an incorrect reluctorwheel. This causes the gap be-tween the wheel and sensor to beeither too large or too small.

This particular Taurus had a4F50N installed in it, as the AX4Swas not available in a 2005 Taurus.Could it be that the other shopused an incorrect reluctor wheel? Imeasured the depth of the reluctorwheel and, sure enough, it was outof spec for a 4F50N. This wouldhave been an easy fix on the older-model Taurus with an AX4N orAX4S because they use the samesensor connector, but because the4F50N uses a completely differentconnector the only less-costly op-

tion was for me to splice in anAX4S connector (part number3U2Z-14S411-VBA) from an early-model Taurus. It sure made thecustomer a lot happier than ourhaving to tear down the transmis-sion and replace the reluctorwheel.

After completing the repair Itook the car for several test driveswith no issues. We released the carto the customer and followed upwith him about a week later, andhe told us that the jerk was goneand that he was very happy thatwe had listened to him andworked together to solve his prob-lem. Thats what its all about; ahappy customer and one who actu-ally helped us help him. Alwaystake the time to listen to your cus-tomer; you just might learn how tohelp solve the problem morequickly and with less expense foreveryone.

Lee Cappen has been with Certified Transmissionfor more than 10 years. He is the head diagnosti-cian at Certifieds location in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

TD

R&R Tech

Subject: Intermittent jerk at highway speeds

Unit: 4F50N

Vehicle Applications: 2005 Ford Taurus

Author:Lee Cappen


Shop Owner

Center Manager

Diagnostician

R & RTEC

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AX4S 4F50N AX4S 4F50N

Genuine gets it right the rst time so you can do the same. This ACDelco 4WD actuator has been validated by GM engineers to ensure proper form, t, and function something knock-off parts makers simply cannot do.

Backed by a 12-month/12,000-mile limited warranty,* this actuator offers comprehensive GM late-model coverage, while

incorporating all up-to-date product enhancements.

ACDelco 4WD Actuator Motor (88962314) and Sensor (88962315)For use on 2003-2007 800/900 GM trucks and SUVs.

To find the closest GM dealer or ACDelco distributor, contact the Powertrain Call Center at 866.637.2787 today. *Whichever comes first. See retailer, ACDelco Distributor, or the Service and Parts Policy and Procedures Guide for details. 2010 General Motors. All rights reserved.


What Could It Possibly Be?

Many car manufacturers are designing gear-shift levers in the center console that incor-porate the tip up/tip down manual shiftstrategy in the assembly. Those that do usually sharea common problem of liquid spills onto the circuitboard in this assembly causing a variety of undesir-able effects. The Volkswagen New Beetle is no excep-tion, having its cup holders positioned in a way that

allows for these spills (Figure 1); might as well leavethe sunroof open during a good dosing of rain.Volkswagens code for a malfunction of thisTiptronic signal is 01045 (Figure 2).

The presentation we made in ATSGs 2010 seminarconcerning this problem came from an incident JimDial dealt with in a nearby shop. This vehicle wouldgo to immediate failsafe with all the PRNDL lights litup, and it had this 01045 code stored. Clear the codeand it would return immediately upon startup. Whenthey removed the assembly from the vehicle they dis-covered that half of the plastic strip guard that coversthe slot where the selector-lever shaft passes throughhad deteriorated. Pieces of it lay on the floor in asticky substance that may have been soda along witha pile of matted cat hairs. It was the kind of job youreally needed plastic gloves for just nasty. No doubtwhatever spilled on it contributed to its failure.

Recently, a local Lee Myles shop was dealing witha vehicle that had this 01045 code but didnt go intofailsafe right away. The symptoms it producedseemed to indicate a bad Multi-Function Switch(transmission-range sensor) on the transmissionrather than the Tiptronic assembly in the console. Sothey brought the vehicle to our facility here in Miami.

I hooked up our Vag-Com (VCDS) to get a betterlook at the system. When it arrived it was in failsafewith code 01045 stored. I then cleared the code andstarted the vehicle, and everything was good (Figure 3). I thought to myself, maybe that means I

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Shift Pointers

Subject: Malfunction of Tiptronic signal

Unit: 09G

Vehicle Applications: VW New Beetle

Author:Wayne Colonna, ATSGTransmission DigestTechnical Editor


Shop Owner

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continues page 26

Think

INSIDEINSIDE The Box

Trust the quality of Trust the yellow box www lukclutch comwww.lukclutch.com

5370 Wegman Drive, Valley City, OH 44280800 274 5001 www.lukclutch.com

Certi ed to ISO 9001:2008without Design

These days, it seems that everyone is telling you to think outside the box. When it comes to clutch replacement, thats just not good advice. Many clutch marketers mix and match parts from various sources, a practice that creates quality and installation problems. The parts may bolt up, but can fail prematurely, resulting in a comeback for you. When you install a LuK RepSet, you get the same flawless performance as the original equipment parts.

Designed and engineered to work together. Why risk your time and reputation with anything else?


Shift Pointers

and the code set. The Vag-Com selector-lever displaywindow read ERROR (Figure 7). I then placed the se-lector lever into the Tiptronic mode (Figure 8), andthe Tiptronic display window remained empty as itwas in Figure 7. After I moved it in and out of the

Tiptronic mode several times it finally began to read(figures 9, 10 and 11 on page 35). I erased the code,repeated the test and had the exact same results.

The question then arose, is it the Tiptronic assem-bly or the transmission-range sensor? The numbersdisplayed in the Multi-Function Position Switch win-dow provide a binary number representing the posi-tion of the switch: Park = 00001001, Reverse =00001100, Neutral = 00000101 and Drive = 00000110.The numbers being displayed in this windowthroughout the different ranges confirmed that theMulti-Function switch was working correctly, verify-ing that the fault was in the Tiptronic assembly.Should the transmission-range sensor be at fault,these binary numbers would reveal it and a code

will not be dealing with a sticky substance mingledwith matted cat hairs as Jim had to, and I smiled. Ishifted it to reverse and then to neutral and all wasstill good (figures 4 and 5). But as soon as I selecteddrive (Figure 6), the transmission engaged harshly

4 7

8

6

5

continues page 35


Deal with High Current andIntermittent FailuresTips for troubleshooting intermittent failures and no-starts

What is your knee-jerk re-action when a vehiclerolls into your bay withthe following concern: intermittentno-start? Personally, I usually liketo know the make and model ofthe vehicle so I can tag it with apattern-case failure (and I will re-visit this point a little later), butthis can often lead me to danger-ous and time-wasting conclusions.

Case at hand: This 97 SaturnSC1 sitting in my stall with an in-termittent no-start concern startedup each time I cranked it, and itran well on a subsequent testdrive. It took many attemptsthroughout the day before I dupli-cated the customer concern, butthe no-start was brief and it didntrecur enough to dive into a diagno-sis. Finally, when the enginewould not fire up, I caught it in astate of no spark, and then I begannarrowing my diagnosis fromthere. When I also found that I hadno fuel pressure, I looked for com-mon causes, and that led me to dis-cover that I had no key-on,engine-off power to several criti-cal fuses in the underhood junctionblock, including those for the pow-ertrain control module (PCM) andthe fuel injectors!

At this point, the first thing thatpopped into my head was the pos-sible demise of a main power relay you know, like the ones forChryslers or Hondas that deprive

unique troubleshooting opportuni-ties for you and me.

Ignition-switch failures How many of you have experi-

enced this failure on a vehicle?What form did it take? I have re-placed two of these in as manymonths, which is a lot for me, andboth had separate symptoms. Thepreviously mentioned vehicle wasdead in the water, and the othercar simply lost its HVAC andaudio systems.

After disassembling the ignitionswitch outlined in the failureabove, I discovered a set of worn,pitted, darkened contact points(Figure 1). It was then, while star-ing at these contacts through amagnifying glass, that I wondered:Should we replace such high-cur-

1

2010 AutoInc.

Tech To Tech

Subject: Intermittent no-start condition

Vehicle Applications: 1997 Saturn SC1

Author:Brian Manley


Shop Owner

Center Manager

Diagnostician

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Failed Saturn ignition switch withburned contacts

their respective PCMs of powerand render the engines dead.However, scrutinizing theschematic revealed no such relay.Power supply for the PCM andfuel injectors flowed as follows:battery to 30-amp ignition fuse inthe underhood junction block, thenthrough the ignition switch, andthen to a 10-amp fuse in the instru-ment-panel fuse box, then back tothe underhood junction block,where a single, 10-amp fused cir-cuit fed the PCM, fuel injectors,electronic ignition, exhaust-gas re-circulation and backup lamps!Wow, I thought. Why do somemanufacturers use a relay to han-dle this much current flow, andsome dont?

When my Saturn stayed deadlong enough to allow me to funnelmy diagnosis to conclusion, Ifound the culprit: a defective igni-tion switch. Specifically, what hadfailed were those overworked con-tacts that feed the circuits de-scribed above!

In a recent Tech to Tech article, Iexplained the perils of fretting cor-rosion: The tendency for somemale/female connections to devel-op excessive resistance over time.My focus this time is the burning,pitting and metal transfer thatoccur each time a set of high-cur-rent contacts is switched on andoff, and specifically how excessiveresistance in these contacts creates continues page 30

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rent-carrying contact areas as amatter of scheduled maintenance?Should we be preemptive with re-gard to replacement of these im-portant electrical parts that canleave our customers stranded? Theignition switch and the vehicle had170,000 miles on them.

I remember a time when we re-placed timing belts all by them-selves at 90,000 miles; now manyof us up-sell the kit that includesall the idler pulleys. A kit for a re-cent 1999 Subaru with a 2.5L en-gine came with timing belt, waterpump with gasket, timing-belt-ten-sioner assembly, right timing-beltidler (smooth), left lower timing-belt idler (smooth), cogged timing-belt idler, two accessory drivebelts, front crankshaft seal, fourcamshaft seal kits, thermostat,thermostat gasket and miscella-neous needed hardware.

Why are we more comprehen-sive regarding timing-belt replace-ment? Were looking out for ourcustomers safety and peace ofmind. Along this line of thinking,does replacing an ignition switchon a high-mileage car before it failsseem ridiculous? What about re-lays?

Main-relay failuresOther high-current devices that

can leave our customers strandedare relays, especially main relaysthat control the PCM, ignition andfuel delivery. A Tech Night dis-cussion on iATN (the InternationalAutomotive Technicians Network)revealed how some techniciansdeal with this subject. Several tech-nicians talked about the symptomsof failure for the Ford electronic-engine-control (EEC) relays andthe main relays on Hondas, sayingthat when the vehicle acts a certainway they replace the relay (basedon pattern-case-failure diagnos-tics). As you and I know, this oftenworks and saves a lot of diagnostictime but sometimes backfires. Thediscussion soon revealed a greatpoint that I had not thought of: re-placing relays as a matter of main-

wont go up or down. If the causeis a bad switch (Figure 3), thenthe contacts can often be cleaned tomake it work again. I will do thisfor customers who need their win-dow working today but their partwont be in until next week.

What have I learned?Following my last ignition-

switch replacement, on the Saturn,I am not comfortable recommend-ing the replacement of this partuntil it fails. However, I am nowmore apt to use a digital volt/ohm-meter or a lab scope to test the in-tegrity of this power source tocritical components, especially if Iam in the middle of an intermit-tent-failure diagnosis.

After learning about technicianswho replace main relays as preven-tive maintenance, I have to say thatI will recommend relay replace-ment on some vehicles to some ofmy customers who have the finan-cial means and the foresight tosupport such a decision.

Brian Manley is a vocational automotive instructorfor the Cherry Creek school district in Aurora,Colo. He is an ASE master certified automobiletechnician and a former member of the NationalAutomotive Technicians Education Foundation(NATEF) board of trustees. You can reach him [email protected].

This copyrighted article is reprinted with the per-mission of AutoInc., the official publication of theAutomotive Service Association (ASA). To learnmore about ASA and its commitment to independ-ent automotive-service and repair professionals,visit www.ASAshop.org or call 800-272-7467.

TD

tenance based on vehicle mileage. After contemplating this for a

while, I see the logic. Relays arerelatively inexpensive comparedwith a tow, and some vehicleshave only one or two critical re-lays. The exception to this rulemay be in the form of Fords con-stant-control module (Figure 2) of

the 1990s engines that containedthe fuel-pump, PCM, air-condi-tioning and cooling-fan relays.During a recent repair, I discov-ered that these modules can run asmuch as $200.

Starter-motor relays/solenoidsA friend of mine has been re-

placing the contacts in Toyotagear-reduction starters for yearsinstead of replacing the entirestarter motor, which can run up-ward of $400. These NipponDensostarters, which fit manyMitsubishi, Toyota, Chrysler andHonda vehicles, are repaired bysome technicians by installing anew solenoid plunger and con-tacts. These are the highest-cur-rent-carrying contacts on thesevehicles, and Im often surprisedthey last as long as they do. Is thisthe right thing to do? I offer cus-tomers an informed choice, andsome will opt for an entirely re-built or new starter-motor assem-bly, which is my choice as well.

Accessory contactsI think we have all been faced

with a drivers power window that

2

Failed 1993 Ford Mustang constant-control-relay module (containing thefuel-pump and PCM-power relays)

3

Failed power-window switch withburnt contacts

Tech To Tech


Indianapolis, INMarch 17-19, 2011

Indiana Convention Center

Displays & DemonstrationsManagement SeminarsTechnical Seminars


www.showpowerexpo.com

The world-class Westin Indianapolis connects by skywalk to Showpower events in the adjacent Indiana ConventionCenter. As host and headquarters hotel, the Westin offers the deeply discounted rate of $110 for Showpower participants.

The Westin provides Showpower guests with restaurants, lounges and a spa. In-room amenities include 10-layer pillow-top mattresses, dual showerheads, workdesks, dual-line speakerphones, WiFi and wired internet access, and in-room safes.

Enjoy Your Stay at the Westin Indianapolis

Transmission University Technical Seminars

Professional, No-Hype Technical Training

Mazda RX8 JR405E/RC4A-EL:This one is similar to the Subaru Phase 2 until it comes to the valve body and solenoids.ATSGs Wayne Colonna spotlights the operating strategy and what to look for whenbuilding this unit.

F.R.E.D. = Frustrating Ridiculous Electronic Devices:Dave Hobbs, an OEM trainer, explores GM electronics covering both late-model andaging TCM and PCM problems. Problem identifications and fixes range from chafedwiring to bad software.

Advanced Diagnostics:John Thornton, AutoTrain, has become a Showpower favorite for his well- documentedcoverage of diagnostic issues, procedures, tricks and pitfalls. John covers a variety ofunits in his presentation.

TR60/09D VW 6-Speed:Jim Dial from ATSG explores a unit that is deployed in the Touareg, Porsche Cayenneand Audi Q7. Jim covers mechanical and hydraulic operations, important variations ofthe pump and torque converter and a number of common failures.

Mastering Hybrid Vehicles:From Automotive Technician Training Network, G Jerry Truglia covers detailed testingand repair techniques using meters, scopes, scan tools and amp clamps. Included are casestudies with known problem hybrids.

Technical Issues Buffet:Looking at common rebuilding concerns and advanced diagnostic checks, John Parmenter brings hands-on knowledge from his Long Island transmission shop to theShowpower classroom. John appears courtesy of Precision Internationals Technical Advisory Board.

Jatco JR710E (Nissan RE7R01A):Nobody has more years inside of transmissions than Dale England. Dales been research-ing the Jatco 7-speed JR710E (Nissan RE7R01A). Dales coverage includes solenoidand valve-body operation and tips on disassembly and reassembly.


6T70/75 Converter-Pilot Issues

General Motors introducedthe 6T70/75 transmission in2007. This transmission is afully automatic six-speed unit thatfeatures clutch-to-clutch shifting. Itis available in both front- and all-wheel-drive vehicles. It was firstused with the 3.6-liter V-6 enginein the 2007 GMC Acadia andPontiac G-6.

The torque converter is a four-element unit: impeller, turbine, sta-tor and clutch. A collaborativeeffort by Ford and General Motors,it is manufactured by ZF Sachs.The converter is available with ei-ther three, four or six mountingpads. The Ford influence explainswhy you can find a unit with fourmounting pads (Figure 1) in a GMvehicle.

To date most of the convertersseen at converter-remanufacturingfacilities have had vibrationand/or leak complaints. After tak-ing a closer look at the attachmentbetween the pilot and cover, it iseasy to see why (Figure 2).

Welding the pilot on in thismanner creates a weak point. If thepilot is already cracked or brokenwhen it arrives at your shop, youwill need to install an alignmentfixture before re-welding. Thealignment fixture is necessary toensure that the pilot is restored toits proper centerline prior to weld-ing. Even if the pilot is still firmlyattached to the cover, you willwant to run a bead of weld aroundthe seam that joins the pilot to thecover for added insurance.

The problems associated withthe 6T70/75 converter are a goodreason to maintain communicationbetween the converter and trans-mission shops. In most instanceswhen the converter pilot is crackedor broken, the flex plate is alsocracked or broken. The transmis-sion shop must be made aware ofthis because on this unit, a crackedflex plate is difficult to see. Thecracks are often hidden becausethe flex plate has a thin (0.035 to0.040-inch) shim permanently at-tached at the mounting-bolt area.This thin shim will cover mostcracks until the flex plate eventual-ly breaks into two pieces (figures 3and 4).

Also, it is not possible to do asatisfactory flex-plate inspectionfrom the transmission side of thisflex plate. Proper checking proce-dure requires removal of the flexplate and a thorough inspection asyou view it from the engine side.

Ed Lee is a Sonnax Technical Specialist whowrites on issues of interest to torque-converterrebuilders. Sonnax supports the Torque ConverterRebuilders Association. Learn more about thegroup at www.tcraonline.com.

TD

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Sonnax 2010

Torque Converter Tech Tips

Subject: Vibration and/or leaks related to converter pilot

Unit: 6T70/75

Vehicle Applications: GM front- and all-wheel-drive vehicles

Author:Ed Lee


Shop Owner

Center Manager

Diagnostician

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November 2010 35

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Remanufactured Torque Converters High quality components Meet or exceed OEM specifications Domestic or importHard Parts New Used Remanufactured Stock Heavy Duty Performance

800-783-9699 Email: [email protected] www.americantorqueinc.com

Knowledgeable, experienced staffQuality Products Competitive Pricing Immediate Shipping

17089 would be stored.There have been several instances on ATSGs tech

lines in which this code 01045 has come up and test-ing confirmed a faulty Tiptronic assembly. The as-sembly is then replaced with a new one from thedealer and the vehicle goes into immediate failsafewith all the PRNDL lights lit up and code 01045stored. This signal is sent to the computer over thenetwork and there are no CAN communicationcodes present. What could it possibly be? The assem-bly is new. Could it be a bad computer? A bad rangesensor?

A bulletin issued by VW (37 07 07 Feb. 2, 20072013850) for 2003-2007 New Beetle convertible and2005-2007 New Beetle explains that the magnet in thenew Tiptronic assembly is mispositioned. The bul-letin provides a step-by-step procedure for reposi-


tioning the magnet to its correct location. Need I saymore? TD

Shift Pointers


How User Friendly Is Your Business?

The level of service providedto customers is usually man-dated by a business owner orvery high-level manager. Most ofthem have lofty ideas as to howthey want their customers treated.The problem is that as the cus-tomer-service message filters downthrough the ranks theres a goodchance that it will become diluted,sometimes to a point where it isntservice at all. When that happens abusiness is doomed unless it can beturned around, and that can bevery difficult after customer trustis destroyed.

Heres an interesting case tomake the point of just how ridicu-lous customer-service situationscan become and how if you donthave a service representative whocares and has the authority to dowhat it takes to help customers, sit-uations can go from bad to uglyreal quick.

I had a ticket in my hand for akind of crazy trip that I bookedlast-minute on a major airline thatshall remain nameless. It doesntmatter, though, because as far asIm concerned theyre all horribleto one degree or another, so just in-sert the name you want. Normallywhen I fly to Denver from NewYork I go non-stop. Its one of thefew perks of living in a big city likeNew York that you can still gonon-stop to several locales. Thistime, because I booked so late, all Icould get was a one-stop throughDulles International inWashington, D.C., on the way outand a flight through Salt Lake Cityon the way back, and that was on adifferent airline.

The day before I was supposed

look up flights and make my reser-vations, I never before had a rea-son to call them. I wasnt veryhopeful as I dialed the 800 number.A friendly voice answered, onethat I could actually understand.When I told him the story he askedwhat flight I was interested inchanging to, then told me to hangon. In about a minute he cameback and said: Youre all set. Be atJFK International at 2 p.m.

Thats it? I asked? Yup, he said. Nothing to it. I asked how he did it. His an-

swer was: Pressure. Youre an in-dividual; the airline doesnt reallycare about the few flights you takewith them every year. We, on theother hand, do millions of dollarsworth of bookings with them.What they did to you wasnt right,because they did have a waiver inplace for that flight and shouldhave given it to anyone who askedfor it, but they do things like thatbecause they can and becausetheres no one to stop them. I guessthey dont value an individual cus-tomer; we do. Thank you so muchfor using Orbitz.

At the end of every flight thatairline has a flight attendant get onthe P.A. system and say: We real-ize you have a choice of airlines.Thank you so much for flying withus. Well, its time for me to exer-cise my choice, and while I willhappily continue to book on Orbitzbecause its customer service isgreat, I will do everything in mypower to avoid that airline in thefuture even if it means flying outof my way to do so. Theyve lost acustomer out of sheer stupidityand nothing else. How ridiculous.

to leave a major hurricane was inthe process of traveling up the EastCoast. I found out it was due topass through and aroundWashington the next morning justabout the time my flight was sup-posed to get there if, indeed, ithad gone at all. Knowing I was introuble I called the airline to seewhether it could reroute mearound the storm without chargingme an arm and two legs.

At first, a voice that I couldbarely understand and had to keepasking What? told me: Sure, noproblem. We have a flight leavingat 4 p.m. today that will take youto Los Angeles. There you willchange planes and fly back toDenver. You should get in about 11p.m. local time.

I agreed to the change and wastold to hold on while he confirmedit. After I waited on hold at least 10more minutes the agent got backon the line and told me he wassorry but he could not make thechange even though the airline hada hardship policy for these occa-sions. He said it was because onlypart of my trip was booked ontheir airline. I argued that the partthat needed to be changed was ontheir airline. I mentioned that I ama frequent flyer with hundreds ofthousands of miles. It didnt meana thing. I was told there was noth-ing they would do for me and thatI should contact the online site onwhich I booked the trip to seewhether they could do anything tohelp.

I proceeded to call Orbitz.Although I had been booking trav-el with them for the past severalyears and found it very pleasant to

Subject: Making it easy for customers to do business with you

Author:Terry Greenhut,Transmission DigestBusiness Editor


Shop Owner

Center Manager

Diagnostician

R & R

Its Your BusinessB

usin

ess T

RA

ININ

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November 2010 37

It wouldnt have cost the airlinewhether they did it for me or forOrbitz. They wound up doing itanyway and lost a customer in theprocess.

How hard or easy do you makeit for your customers to do busi-ness with you? I dont knowwhether any of you study busi-nesses as you deal with them. I do.I scrutinize every little thing theydo when I am a customer. Imlooking for an experience so enjoy-able that I will genuinely want toreturn over and over again. Itsdefinitely not easy for a business tomaintain such high standards,which is one of the major reasonswhy customers quit. They get usedto a certain performance level andwhen they believe they are nolonger getting it they go look for itelsewhere.

Dealing with customers is al-ways tricky, but there are somebasic rules that can keep you ontrack. The goal is consistency, pro-viding the same or very similar ex-perience every time. Here are somepoints to consider:

1) Try to keep employees with per-sonality disorders away fromcustomers. Bi-polar or de-pressed individuals go throughmajor mood swings. Theyregreat one minute and miserablethe next. Consistency, therefore,is not part of their repertoire.You need people who are up allthe time, who are enthusiasticabout dealing with customersand making them happy.

2) Understand that your primaryconcern is to make the businessa success and keep it that way.To do that it has to make money.A profit must be made on eachjob, other than the occasionalloss leader designed to bringnew customers in, so your levelof customer service cant takeyou to the point where you losemoney on jobs just to get themin the door. You must reach a

continues page 40Circle No. 3 on Reader Card


Transtar Differential CatalogTranstar launched an extensive line of rearend, four-wheel and all-wheel drive differential components in 2010. TranstarsDifferential Catalog covers more than 100domestic and import differential units withover 900 applications. With detailed drawings,exacting component specifications, installationrecommendations, and an application index,Transtar has your differential information,parts and installation needs covered.

SonnaxSonnax manufactures and distributes aluminum driveshaft components for after-market repair and custom fabrication. Sonnax 6061-T6 aluminum weld yoke

design maximizesweld quality andefficiency. Ourrepair bushingscan make up forlost tubing length,allowing buildersto cut off damagedyokes beyond theweld area.

Jasper Engines & TransmissionsJasper Engines & Transmissions has the right transfer case, at the right time, at avery competitive price. JASPER offers the following:

Four Wheel and All Wheel Drive Applications Most Popular Units in Stock 3-year/100,000-mile NationwideTransferable Warranty for On-highwayApplicationsGive your customers the quality, valueand performance of JASPER. CallJASPER at 1-800-827-7455. A fullwarranty disclosure is available atwww.jasperengines.com.

ETE RemanETE Reman brings you a new custom formula of fullysynthetic ATF! ETE Reman set out to come up with aformula that was not only fully synthetic but also sup-ports various vehicle applications. SynthETEc has beendesigned and formulated to meet ETEs precise speci-fications. Testing has shown using SynthETEc dramati-cally increases the life and improves overall perform-ance of automatic transmissions in various conditionsand applications. ETE Reman uses this fluid in all theirin-house dyno equipment and now offers it to alltheir customers. At this time, SynthETEc ATF can bepurchased only with an ETE Reman transmission.

Whatever It Takes Transmission Parts Whatever It Takes Transmission Parts (WIT) offers a full line of standard transmis-sions. Most popular units are in stock for immediate availability. WIT Prides itselfon the fact that every Standard Transmission built is completely Dyno-Tested and

comes with a 12 Month/UnlimitedMileage Warranty against parts &workmanship. Whatever It Takes canalso supply you with Rebuild kits,individual components and new clutchkits, & offers a full line of new andused standard parts for all yourStandard Transmission needs.www.wittrans.com, 800-940-0197

Precision International Precision Internationals latest parts Catalog is updated monthly, and has all the latest units available.The Catalog also contains ourfamous Foreign Applicationguide and our Transfer caseKit line. Please Contact PI @800-872-6649 [email protected] more information.


Circle No. 64 on Reader CardCircle No. 61 on Reader Card



November 2010 39

EVT Parts Automatic Hard PartsEVT-inspected goodused and aftermarketnew hard parts formost automatic applications. Takeadvantage of EVTsextensive on-the-shelfinventory. Torque con-verters too! Same-daydelivery (limited area)or shipment directly toyour shop.

LuK RepSet LineThe LuK RepSet line is a complete clutch replacement setline for import and domestic pas-senger cars, light trucks andsport utilities. LuK is NorthAmericas largest original-equipment clutch supplier withengineering, development andmanufacturing operationsthroughout the world.

Exedy Globalparts CorporationManufacturers of OEM Friction Materials. Transmission, wet friction products, automotive car and truck. Damper transmission systems for hybrid vehicles.Damper systems for DCT transmissions. Damper systems for manual transmissionfor automotive standard clutch systems and automotive automatic transmissions.Torque converters for automatic transmissions, automotive lockup dampers fortorque converters. Complete torque converters automotive car, truck, industrial

and industrial fork liftapplications. Completeautomotive transmissionsfork-lift and truck applica-tions. Co-Business Friction,Damper, Fluid Technology.

Valley Gear & TransmissionValley Gear & Transmission Inc.has more than 40 years of experi-ence in providing OEM-qualitytransmission and driveline prod-ucts from OEM suppliers. In addi-tion to new and rebuilt standardtransmissions and transfer cases,Valley is a distributor of transmis-sion and differential parts, U-joints, bearings and seals. 800-874-4408 www.ValleyGear.us

Certified TransmissionCertified Transmissionhas always been knownfor its high-qualityautomatic transmis-sions, but did you knowthat Certified also car-ries most makes andmodels of transfercases and manualtransmissions? Call forinfo: 800-544-7520.

Raybestos New GPX Honda Friction Plates Raybestos introduces the new GPXfriction plate for Honda transmis-sions. The Global PerformanceExtra, made in America, is supe-rior to any other friction plate forHonda. The GPX friction platesshifting performance matchesHonda perfectly with even greaterdurability. Engineered to fit rightand outperform any other Hondafriction plate, brought to you byRaybestos.



Circle No. 69 on Reader Card Circle No. 72 on Reader Card


Its Your Business

happy medium as to how faryou will go to keep a customer.The question: Is this customerworth what I will have to in-vest? In some instances youwont know on the first job ormaybe even the second or third.You might not make moneywith this person immediately,but you cant turn right aroundand cancel him out. It costs youtoo much to bring him in. Intime, if you find the relationshipto be one-sided, if you arentmaking money or getting the re-ferrals you need, dump him andmove on. The best way to dumpa customer is to simply pricehim out of your life. When theprice gets so high that he is nolonger willing to pay, hes done,and this type of customer proba-bly wont stand for the firstprice increase, so it wont takelong.

3)Be open when they need you.Although its nice to have week-ends off, we have to realize thatmany of our customers can getthings accomplished only onweekends. Their jobs prohibitthem from taking care of theirpersonal business during thework week. Some shops are inareas where there just isnt anyactivity on a Saturday. Othersseem to have it as their busiestday of the week. Your businesshours need to accommodateyour customers as well. Are youthere early enough and do youstay late enough to make it con-venient for drop-off and pick-up?

4)Most of us like to have cus-tomers drop off cars rather thanwait. If you want them to dothat you may need to have adriver on the payroll at leastpart time to take customershome or to work and bring themback later when their cars areready.

5)The word NO should bestricken from the company vo-cabulary. YES or some form of

it must be adopted: Yes, we cantake care of that for you. Yes,you can bring it in this after-noon. Yes, I can give you aprice on that just as soon as mytechnician has a look at it, asopposed to No, we dont giveprices over the telephone.

6) In a comeback situation act asthough you are thrilled that theybrought this problem to your at-tention, then take care of it asquickly as possible. Rememberthat this customer has alreadypaid you and deserves to havethe car fixed right and withoutdelay.

7)Have as many payment optionsavailable as possible. Eventhough some of the credit-cardcompanies take a little higherpercentage from you, refusingto accept a major credit card canbe a disaster, especially if its theonly card the customer has orhas enough room on it for thepurchase. Getting the money inyour hand without causing thecustomer grief is worth the extrapoint or two you might have topay.

The success of your business de-pends on how much customers likeand trust you and your staff. If yougive them a good job at a fair pricein a clean facility using a pleasantand caring manner, they will helpyou to become and remain as suc-cessful as you want to be.

In these challenging times Terry wants everyone to have acopy of his 450-page book, How to Market and SellAutomotive and Transmission Service and Repair. Foronly $98.32 you will receive two copies of the industrytextbook that will teach you all the techniques necessaryto make profitable sales and retain your customers forfuture business. Keep one and give the other to anemployee, a competitor or perhaps that account youvebeen trying to land or thank for their business. As a bonus(free of charge) you will also receive Terrys $ales HelpScreens computer software to use as a training aid orwhen you need instant answers to your customers tough-est price objections (may not be compatible with the new64-bit computers running Windows 7). Ordering will alsomake you eligible to buy additional copies of the book atonly $49.16 each. Please call 1-800-451-2872 or visitwww.TerryGreenhut.com to order any of Terrys trainingmaterials or take your 20-question self- and business-evaluation test. Although no one can see the results butyou, its a real eye opener.

TD


Standard Transmissions

Are you turning away manualtransmission repairs because youdont have a rebuilder specializingin standards? Standard transmis-sions have enjoyed a resurgence inrecent years, and Jasper Engines &Transmissions has been at the forefront in their remanufacturing.

Jasper has been remanufacturingmanual transmissions since 1957.Our extensive Do It Right processensures worry-free operation, and each unit carries JASPERS 3-year/100,000-mile warranty foryour and your customers peaceof mind.

For fleet and heavy-duty applica-tions, JASPER offers a full range ofmedium- and heavy-duty standardtransmissions from 5-speeds upto 20-speeds made by such man-ufacturers as Clark, Eaton, Fuller,Mack, Meritor (Rockwell), Muncie,TTC (Spicer) and ZF. Heavy-dutytransfer cases are also available.

As a supplier of the JASPER 4-Speed for a number of NASCARSprint Cup teams, we incorporatethe state-of-the-art technologygained through our NASCAR SprintCup Series involvement in the standard transmissions we build foryou. Call JASPER for the quality,value and performance that you andyour customers expect and demandfrom a standard transmission.Full warranty disclosure availableupon request.

800-827-7455

www.jasperengines.com

November 2010 41

The wonder of our industry is that, with few exceptions, every retailshop is different. Each has specialties and, on the basis of customersand traditions, a menu of services available. Included in our look atsome of the major areas beyond our commonality of automatic-transmissionwork are manual clutches, transmissions and transfer cases; differentials;and driveshafts.

At Transmission Digest, we strive to maintain coverage and support forthese many services and rebuilding endeavors that, although small com-pared with the scope of automatic-transmission service, remain viable andsubstantial contributors to the bottom line of so many of our readers shops.

Just as the retail players vary in these additional shop activities, so too domanufacturers and distributors differ in the scope of components or remanu-factured units they supply. In this section weve encouraged those respond-ing to our survey questionnaire to describe their product lines in hopes thatour readers will find new or alternate sources of products and, quite possi-bly, add to their profits from a better knowledge of who supplies what.

Up to Standards. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Investigating the cause of a catastrophic driveline failure

Suppliers of Manual Transmissions, Clutches & Components . . . . . 47

Damaged bellhousing and case


Every technician who rebuilds transmissions hasfailures, which we call comebacks. We get thefailed or improperly working unit back, diag-nose the cause and make it right.

The entire exercise we go through on a daily basismaking repairs is based on the same set of facts: Wehave to first diagnose the problem, understand thecause of the failure, correct that cause and then certifythat the unit is working correctly and deliver theproduct.

Rebuilding is not replacing parts that are broken orworn but is a concentrated effort to correct the design

Up To Standards

Subject: Catastrophic driveline failure

Unit: Tremec T56 Magnum

Vehicle Application: 2010 Camaro race and display car

Author:Mike Weinberg,Rockland Standard GearContributing Editor


Shop Owner

Center Manager

Diagnostician

R & RTECHNICALTRAINING

1

Damaged extension housing and cracked case at shifttower

2

Fracture of output shaft at bend line, gray flaked area

defects that are inherent in all manmade products, sothat all the new parts we are installing will not failagain. The defects can be internal to the unit we areworking on or external in other parts of the vehicle,such as computer control or electronic issues, which ifuncorrected will put us back to square one.

Any technician who understands the power flowand method of operation of the unit is by nature anaccomplished detective. This is not the pursuit of law-breakers but a need to do a root-cause failure analysison every unit you work on. The following case studyillustrates how important it is to thoroughly analyze

Whodunit?Whodunit?Whodunit?

November 2010 43

the causes of transmission failure on every unit youwork on and to be sure to verify everything you havedone on the repair whether it succeeds or results in acomeback.

We remanufacture manual transmissions, transfercases and differentials and sell them to the repair in-dustry wholesale. Our company also has a perform-ance and racing division that providesremanufactured and new units to professional andamateur race teams worldwide and to the automotiveenthusiast who wants to upgrade the factory unit hehas for better performance.

Most of our attention is on the six-speed units man-ufactured by Tremec. The factoryunit is an excellent design for theCorvette, Camaro, Firebird,Viper, Challenger, GTO,Mustang, Cadillac CTS-V etc.originally equipped for street use.However, when you are dealingwith the performance market,where people are operating withmuch-increased horsepower andtorque demands from the engine,you always end up reengineeringthe design to accept the punish-ment it will take.

To that end we manufactureour own brand of six-speed trans-missions based on the TremecT56, TR6060 or T56 Magnum de-sign. The brand name is Tranzilla,and within that brand we haveseveral levels of units that are allbased on the T56 and T56Magnum design, modified forhigher horsepower and torqueand designed to live in the rac-ing/performance environment.

The premium model is theTranzilla designed to handle upto 1,200 horsepower and 1,000 lb.-ft. of torque. These gears andshafts use 9310 alloy, and the en-tire gear set is redesigned to livein races like the 24 Hours ofDaytona, with continual shiftingat up to 8,000 rpm for prolongedperiods of three to 24 hours.

The next level of unit, againbased on the Tremec T56 and T56Magnum design, will handle 850lb.-ft. of torque for street andtrack, with the same engine-speed levels possible. These unitswill be found behind engineswith turbos, superchargers, ni-

trous-oxide systems, big-blocks instead of small-blocks etc. that boost demand on the transmissionover stock. A huge number of hot rods and early mus-cle cars out there are being converted to six-speeds tooffer the user a double overdrive for better mileageand more-enjoyable cruising on the highway.

The big issue on the racing side is reliability anddurability. The unit has to work for the purpose de-sired, and it has to last for the duration of the raceunder really high-speed abuse and sometimes driverpunishment. Nobody warrants a race transmission,

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