TRANNY PROBLEMS:
ON THE OUTSIDE
LOOKING INBY WAYNE COLONNA
Several external factors can produce
symptoms that seem to point to a possible
internal transmission problem. Before you
pull the trigger on a costly transmission
R&R, use these tips to determine whether
the trouble’s on the outside or the inside.
C
ustomers who come in
with apparent transmis-
sion problems may not
be as bad off as they
think. The tranny may
not need an overhaul;
faulty or failed other components may be
masquerading as transmission problems.
Yesterday’s approach to solving trans-
mission problems was certainly less
complicated because the majority of
transmissions were fitted with either an
electrically controlled or nonelectrically
controlled torque converter clutch sys-
tem. The big question then was, “Is the
surge or bucking I feel during cruise the
engine or the converter?” Several diag-
nostic methods were employed to an-
swer that question, but the one I enjoy
most came from a driveability guy who I
respect greatly. His approach was,
“When an engine has a miss, engine
rpm drops. But during a torque convert-
er clutch release, engine rpm goes up.”
That’s a very simple and logical starting
point in narrowing down the cause of
this type of driveability complaint.
But today’s transmissions are fitted
with far more than just a torque con-
30 June 2008
verter clutch system. Now, besides
torque converter clutch control, a large
variety of inputs used for both transmis-
sion shift scheduling and shift transi-
tions are shared equally with engine
management and, in many cases, via a
variety of computers. The complexity of
today’s systems has certainly raised the
bar—especially in vehicles introduced
within the last 15 years or so.
So what is today’s approach to dealing
with troublesome transmissions? It’s al-
ways best to begin by retrieving and correctly. That refers
identifying all diagnostic trouble codes to connectors whose
(DTCs), checking to see that system locating tabs become
power and grounds are good, looking brittle and break, al-
for pinched wiring and inspecting all re- lowing the connector
lated connectors for corrosion, folded- to be incorrectly con-
down pins and burnt cavities, and mak- nected, such as on Ford
ing sure that connectors are fully seated E- and F-Series E4OD trans-
and plugged in correctly. These steps missions, where the solenoid vehi-
alone could handle a good portion of cle harness connector could be plugged
the tranny problems that come up. in 180° wrong due to a broken locating/
One addition to these simple and logi- locking tab. Another example is GM’s
cal procedures to consider is what I call 4L30-E transmission in Isuzu Rodeo and
the “three Cs”—the connector cross-con- Honda Passport vehicles that have a
nect scenarios. This is not what I was re- round pass-through case connector for
ferring to when I said to inspect the con- the pressure control solenoid, converter
nectors to see that they’re plugged in clutch solenoid and transmission fluid

temperature sensor in the overdrive
case. One of the connector’s case-holding
tabs also acts as the internal harness lo-
cating tab. When this tab breaks, it al-
lows the internal wiring harness to be
plugged in incorrectly. And since the
connector is round,
you have a one in five
chance of plugging it in right.
The phrase connector cross-
connect scenarios refers to connec-
tors that are configured alike and are in
close proximity to each other, like those
on late-model four- and five-speed
Honda transmissions. Not only can the
external wiring harness allow for cross
connection between solenoids, the sole-
noids themselves can be placed in the
wrong location in the transmission,
causing a crossing of signals.
This cross-connect possibility needs to
ble be in your diag-
d Kim
avi nostic approach. This
:D
tion is especially important af-
a
str ter in-shop repairs when
Illu
you’re fighting a problem that did-
n’t exist previously, or when handling a
problem inherited from another repair
facility. Not incorporating this possibility
in your diagnostic thinking makes this an
elusive, time-consuming, nonpaying
problem to repair.
Our comments regarding power,
grounds, connectors and wires refer to
all vehicles and many model years.
They’re also the leading cause of trans-
mission malfunctions when the trans-
mission itself is operational. Beyond
these items, it’s helpful to become fa-
miliar with the basic inputs a
PCM/TCM needs to control an elec-
tronically shifted transmission and the
negative effects they can have when
these inputs malfunction.
Engine load, vehicle speed, gear shift
position and temperature are very basic
but very much needed inputs to the
PCM/TCM. Where it becomes compli-
June 2008 31
 TRANNY PROBLEMS: ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

Photos and illustrations: Wayne Colonna

The GM 4L30-E round female case connector (left) is located in the front overdrive case housing. If the locator tab
on the corresponding round male harness connector (right) has been broken, the connector may be in correctly in-
stalled. And since the connector is round, you have a one in five chance of getting it plugged in right.

cated is in the manufacturer’s choice of
how these inputs are provided. Let’s
consider these sensor inputs and the
types of negative effects they can have
on transmission operation.
Sensor Sensibilities
Throttle position sensors, MAP sensors,
mass airflow (MAF) sensors and crank
sensors make up a basic list of engine
load devices the PCM/TCM uses to in-
fluence line pressure control, shift tim-
ing and converter clutch strategy. It
stands to reason, then, that these items
could cause harsh and/or flared shifts,
bumpy coast downshifts, a sensitive
passing gear, early or late shift points, no
converter clutch apply or converter
clutch cycling complaints. Keep in mind
that not only could these sensors fail
and cause these symptoms, restricted
fuel filters and catalytic converters and
fuel volume issues directly affect engine
load and performance, also producing
these late-shift complaints. Failed coil
packs in early Isuzu vehicles have
caused enough of an engine perfor-
mance problem to force drivers much
deeper into the throttle than normal,
causing delayed shifts. This also keeps
the converter clutch unlocked for too
long while in 4th gear, which causes the
converter to overheat and severely
damage the transmission.
There are three different types of ve-
hicle speed sensors in use today: reed
switches, AC generators and Hall Effect
sensors. Each influences shift timing
and converter clutch strategy. No up-
shift out of 1st gear, no upshift into high ence shift scheduling and converter
gear, sudden downshifts, slipping into clutch strategy. If any of these sensors
false Neutral or converter clutch cycling malfunctions, we could expect to have
are some of the main complaints to be complaints of late shifts, loss of high
expected with failed speed sensors. gears and/or no converter clutch apply.
There are a wide variety of types, How a manufacturer chooses to get
styles and locations for gearshift posi- an input signal to the PCM is impor-
tion switches or sensors. They inform tant. Take, for example, an engine rpm
the PCM/TCM what gear range the sensor on large GM trucks that use the
transmission has been placed into. De- Allison 1000 transmission. The sensor
pending on style and strategy, they can reads dimples on the torque converter.
cause a no-start, no reverse or forward Should any of these dimples become
movement, delayed or harsh garage disfigured during repairs, it will cause a
shift into gear, no upshift, sudden noisy rpm signal and produce an erratic
downshifts or slipping to false Neutral. converter clutch apply/release or surge
Transmission fluid temperature sen- complaints. Of course, if you were to
sors can influence line pressure and scope the signal, you’d see a repeated
converter clutch strategy. The engine dropout pattern. This pattern would be
coolant temperature sensor can influ- the key, indicating a faulty input and
This is the five-speed Honda transmission showing the connectors for shift
solenoid B (SSB), the TCC solenoid and clutch pressure control (CPC) sole-
noids A and B. The SSB and TCC solenoid wiring harnesses will cross-connect
with CPC solenoids A and B. Additionally, the SSB and TCC solenoids can be
put in the wrong location in the case, causing a cross signal.

32 June 2008
 TRANNY PROBLEMS: ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

On the Allison 1000 transmission, dimples on the torque converter (left) are used to excite the rpm sensor for an engine
load signal. One or more damaged torque converter dimples (right) will cause an erratic signal and TCC cycling complaints.
not a problem with the sensor itself.
Many Dodge vehicles have their rpm
sensors excited by flywheel rotation in a
location where the sensor ring could be
bent or distorted during repairs. Anoth-
er possibility is a torque converter bal-
ancing weight that was mounted too
close to the edge of the converter,
which could cause signal interference.
Vehicle speed sensor input signals are
a real doozy in terms of how this signal
can be routed to the computer. Ford
has used the familiar Programmable
Speedometer Odometer Module
(PSOM) located in the instrument clus-
ter in some of its E- and F-Series vehi-
cles. It receives an AC voltage signal
from the Rear Antilock Brake (RAB)
sensor and conditions it before passing
it on to the PCM. A bad PSOM could
cause the engine to stall when the trans-
mission is placed into gear, behaving as
though the converter clutch were stuck
on when it’s not. It could also cause a
no-shift or erratic shift scheduling com-
plaint, yet display an operational vehicle
speed in the instrument cluster.
For several years, GM used a Digital
Ratio Adapter Controller (DRAC), oth-
erwise known as a speed buffer. On
1991 C/K-Series vehicles, this buffer
was located in the instrument cluster it-
self. Later, it was placed independently
in various locations, depending on the
year, make and model of the vehicle. It,
too, received a raw AC signal, which it
conditioned for the PCM. Some of
these buffers were configured in such a
way that an independent vehicle speed
sensor (VSS) signal was provided to the
instrument cluster, and a separate signal
went to the computer. The buffer could
fail in such a way that the signal to the
instrument cluster was fine, yet the sig-
nal into the computer was either erratic
or nonexistent. This would cause either
no upshift or erratic shifting complaints.
And since the instrument cluster was
providing a good vehicle speed signal,
the buffer was often overlooked as be-
ing the cause of the problem. Nissan
also likes to send a raw VSS to the in-
strument cluster, where it’s buffered for
the PCM/TCM.
Vehicle speed sensor signals are
sometimes shared with other devices
like the windshield wipers, power win-
dows or the radio. The logic obviously is,
the faster the vehicle accelerates, the
faster the windshield wipers should
sweep while it’s raining. The same with
the power window control and road
noise for the radio. I worked on a 1999
Mercury Cougar that was equipped with
the Luxury Comfort Package. The vehi-
cle speed sensor signal was provided to

The rpm sensor on Dodge trucks (left) is excited by a flywheel sensor ring. If distorted or damaged, the flywheel
sensor ring (right) will cause TCC cycling complaints, hard starts and/or a rough-running engine. If a balance weight
has been added to the torque converter too close to the outside edge, it, too, could cause similar complaints.

June 2008 37
 TRANNY PROBLEMS: ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
the radio to increase volume as speed in- equipped with the A4A/B or F4A40/50 clutch apply. In some cases, such as
creased. It shorted the signal to ground, series transmissions. The malfunction- Volkswagen vehicles with the 01M
causing the instrument cluster and the ing TFT sensor produces harsh engage- transmission, this malfunctioning sensor
PCM to lose that signal. This in turn af- ments, a hard 1-2 upshift, a flare on the will not produce a trouble code, yet
fected transmission shift scheduling. 2-3 shift, no 4th gear and no converter could cause harsh and flared shifts.
Without a comprehensive Another possibility to con-
wiring diagram, this would’ve PCM Connector sider is the installation of the
been a very difficult problem Black/Orange wrong transmission. Dodge
Green/Red
to solve. Ram trucks and other vehi-
VSS
As stated earlier, gearshift POWER PCM cles equipped with the rear-
position switches or sensors White/Blue or
White/Violet Pin
drive RE-Series transmission
come in different designs, Bulkhead 58 had a fluid temperature
configurations and locations, Connector INSTRUMENT strategy change that took
Pin 13 CLUSTER
making it necessary to under- White/Blue or
place during the 2000 model
stand their individual opera- White/Violet year. The transmission itself,

White/Blue
tion. We worked on a Mit- Speedometer including the pass-through
subishi Galant with the Radio Center 1 14 case connector, is the same
F4A41 transmission that de- Connector for models both before and
Instrument Cluster Junction
veloped a no-move-forward RADIO Connector Connector C141 after the 2000 model year.
condition only when the Only the computer strategy
headlights were on. Our di- White/Green and the fluid temperature
agnosis indicated that a sensor changed. If a 2000 or
ground path for the parking SPEED later transmission is installed
CONTROL
lights in the trunk had been MODULE in a 1999 or earlier vehicle,
compromised. As a result, the computer will interpret a
voltage was seen by the com- Speed Control “too cold signal.” If the op-
Module
puter through the reverse Connector posite occurs—installing a
light circuit via the gear posi- White/ Blue ’99 or earlier trans in a 2000
tion switch, which was also or later vehicle—the com-
providing the computer a puter may interpret the sig-
Drive signal. Because the Fig. 1 The 1999 Cougar with the Luxury Comfort Package nal as being too hot. The re-
computer was seeing both routes the vehicle speed sensor signal to the radio to in- sult would be no 4th gear
Drive and Reverse signal in- crease the volume as road noise increases. If the radio and converter clutch apply,
puts, it purposely energized a shorts the vehicle speed sensor to ground, the instru- and TFT codes displayed. If
solenoid to release one of the ment cluster and PCM also will lose the signal. This, in you were unaware of the
clutch pack assemblies, plac- turn, affects ship scheduling decisions. sensor change and the possi-
ing the transmission in Neu- Mitsubishi and bility that you actually in-
tral as a safety precaution. Power From Fuse Block Stratus Only stalled the wrong transmis-
This example shows the IGN Fuse No. 5 10A sion, these symptoms could
unique way in which the Re- To Starting
System
drive you batty.
verse light signal splices at Similar installation errors
the switch to both the Re- View Looking Into Transaxle occur with transmissions that
Black/Orange PRNDL Switch Connector
verse lights and the comput- use either a Hall Effect
er. In this case, there was a Park/Neutral speed sensor signal or AC
Position Switch
computer strategy prepared pulse generator sensors. One
for a double signal in Drive. such trans is the ZF5HP19
Many other vehicles are not installed in Volkswagen and
Yellow/Blue

Red/Blue

Blue/Yellow

wired in this fashion. Yet oth- Audi vehicles. Again, the

Brown
Yellow

Red/
Green

White

To Starting Blue
ers have their own unique System change took place with the
arrangements, which could Connector C-123 sensor and the computer, yet
cause a variety of different TCM L 2 3 D N R P Backup the pass-through connector
Input Input Input Input Input Input Input Lamps
transmission malfunctions. and pin assignments remain
The profound effect a mal- NOTE: Wire colors may vary identical, allowing for the
functioning transmission flu- Fig. 2 This diagram illustrates the Mitsubishi Galant wrong transmission to be in-
id temperature (TFT) sensor gear position switch wiring. Although it may seem totally stalled. This will cause an
can have in some vehicles is unrelated, a faulty ground to the parking light circuit can immediate fail-safe with gear
seen with Hyundai models confuse the TCM and affect transmission operation. ratio error codes.

38 June 2008
 TRANNY PROBLEMS: ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

The transmission fluid temperature (TFT) sensor in Hyundai A4A/B series transmissions (left) can cause harsh
engagements, a hard 1-2 upshift, a flare on the 2-3 shift, no 4th gear and no converter clutch apply.
A similar TFT sensor is used in Hyundai F4A40/50 series transmissions (right).

Volvo and GM both use a 4T65-E
front-drive transmission, but the Volvo
input shaft speed sensor is a Hall Effect
device, while GM uses a pulse genera-
tor type. They both look almost the
same and will interchange, adding to an
easy potential misapplication.
Scan tools are necessary and helpful,
but they can also be misleading. For ex-
ample, say a 4L60-E transmission used
in GM vehicles exhibits harsh engage-
ments and shifts. A line pressure check
with a gauge confirms that line pressure
is high. The scanner reveals that the
pressure control solenoid amperage is
changing with throttle opening (1 amp
closed throttle to .1 amp wide-open
throttle). The solenoid is changed and
the problem persists. The pressure reg-
ulator valve is then checked to see if it’s
stuck and is found to be free. What’s
happening here is that the computer is
indicating to the scanner that amperage
is changing when in reality it’s not. If an
amp check is made with an amp clamp
on the solenoid’s high side, it will show
approximately a .1-amp reading at all
times, exposing a malfunctioning com-
puter as the culprit. Scan data is inter-
preted by the computer; it’s not the ac-
tual values.
One final point that must be men-
tioned is use of the proper transmission
fluid. Using the wrong fluid could lead
to shift shudder, shift shock and/or con-
verter clutch shudder. If just the con-
verter clutch has been affected, this
symptom can be—and has been—mis-
diagnosed as an engine miss.
Shift- or drive-by-wire strategies, as
well as engine torque reduction strate-
gies, also can have an adverse effect on
engine or transmission function. A
clogged catalytic converter may cause
an engine management system to run in
limp mode, reducing engine rpm, retard-
ing timing and cutting engine cylinders,
all to prevent transmission damage.
When dealing with transmission prob-
lems on vehicles produced within the last
15 years, your best bets are to check
power, grounds, wiring and connectors,
and to have a scope ready to check basic
inputs. You’ll also need a clear under-
standing of how the transmission oper-
ates and how input signals are delivered
to the PCM/TCM. Additionally, you
should know what the common malfunc-
tions are and what’s likely to happen if
the wrong parts (or transmission) are in-
stalled, and recognize the important role
transmission fluid type can play.
This article can be found online at
www.motormagazine.com.

Volvo and GM both use a 4T65-E front-wheel-drive transmission. The unit features a turbine shift pulse generator
(left), while the Volvo speed sensor is a Hall Effect (right). They look very similar and will interchange.

40 June 2008