Category: Hard Parts

Shift Solenoid Keeps Fluids Running Smoothly

Wednesday, 16 May 2012 11:08 Written by car-guy 0 Comments

With an automatic transmission there are so many small parts that can wear down that it is oftentimes hard to tell what has gone wrong.  What may seem like a total transmission failure may just be one small part that has failed.  Once such trans part is the shift solenoid.

The shift solenoid is one of the components in your automatic transmission that is so small but oh so important.  The solenoid regulates the amount of transmission fluid that flows through your transmission.  It basically opens and closes the valves that allow the fluid to flow into and out of your transmission.  Without the solenoid working properly you may and most probably will experience poor shifting in your transmission.

This is a computer-controlled unit that operates by computer sensors and automatically regulates the flow of fluids. It is most often located on the transmission’s internal valve body or on the outside of the transmission case.

If it fails then you will not be able to shirt properly in low gears or overdrive.

What causes the shift solenoid to fail?  Most often it is because of corrosion or loosely-connected cables on the battery and as such is a pretty simply repair.  Many times it is simply a matter of correcting the cable problem on your battery; worse case scenario is replacement of the shift solenoid itself but still not a major repair, certainly not like replacing the torque converter or the planetary gear set.  It may seem like a big deal but in reality it is a quick fix.

Modern transmissions are marvels to behold and as such they are intricate machines made up of quite a few hard parts.  As with all machinery there is always the possibility that one of these hard parts will fail and repair is needed.  Wear and tear, friction, heat generation, they all lead to eventual replacement and that is when you need a pro who is schooled in these machine parts to handle the problem.  Unless you are highly skilled in transmission maintenance you are much better off turning to the experts to handle your transmission problems.

At PDQ transmission part the world of transmissions is our world.  We are here to answer your questions and handle all of your transmission needs.  The automotive pros call us for their transmission problems and that is all the recommendation we need.  Give us a call for shift solenoids or any other hard parts that you may need.

Manual Transmission Sales Suddenly Increase

Wednesday, 09 May 2012 12:18 Written by car-guy 0 Comments

According to a report by Edmunds.com as printed in USA Today, sales of manual transmissions are increasing for the first time since 2006.  6.5% of new cars sold in 2012 had manual transmissions, a figure that is double that of 2007 and a reversal of a trend that has been going on for decades.

One has to wonder why this trend has taken an abrupt about-face suddenly.  What happened to make the buying public change their minds in 2012?  Several factors are probably combining to change perceptions in the minds of the buying public.

In a struggling economy the fact that the average cost of a car with a manual transmission is $1000 less than a similar model with an automatic transmission.  Add to that the fact that maintenance on a manual is normally less expensive and it is also perceived that gas mileage is better with a manual transmission.  As money remains scarce and disposable income is less and less people are trying to find the least-expensive means of transportation and their perception is that manual is cheaper than automatic.

Another item worth noting is that in the smaller car market manuals are more common than in the bigger market and the SUV market.  Sales of compacts and subcompacts are increasing as the economy remains shaky and so by extension it is only natural that an increase in manual transmissions would occur.

On an ethereal level it has always been believed by car purists that a manual transmission is just more fun to drive and affords the driver a better driving experience.  So now we have car purists who have an economic reason to return to the transmission of their youth.

The car manufacturers are taking notice of this shift in public demand.  Ford is increasing production of the Focus and Dodge has announced a 20% increase in stick-shift production.

How long can we expect this market trend to continue?  It appears that the economy will be the determining factor; as long as gas prices remain high and dollars are tight we can expect people to look for ways to save money.  If that means returning to the transmission of their roots then so be it.

At PDQ Trans Parts we are all about staying on top of the latest news.  Our business is transmissions and hard part, from torque converters to planetary gear sets, and we like to know what the public is up to as well as car manufactures.  Transmissions are our business!

Dual Clutch Transmissions Are Here To Stay

Wednesday, 02 May 2012 09:54 Written by car-guy 0 Comments

Some of you are already shaking your head because you have no idea what in the world this article is about.  What, there are two clutches for some transmissions now?  How can you possibly shift a car with two clutches?

Well relax because in a dual clutch transmission there is no clutch pedal at all but there are dual clutches in the automatic transmission.  They have actually been around for quite some time, most commonly seen in high-performance racing cars but they are slowly making their way into the passenger car scene, especially in fuel economy models like the Ford Fiesta and Ford Focus.

Because of this technology gears are automatically chosen by the car’s computer so that as you increase speed the transmission shifts effortlessly; in fact, the shifting can occur as quickly as eight milliseconds and that, my friends, is fast.  Many of these transmissions also come in manual mode so that if the driver chooses they can use buttons to select gears, thus giving it the feel of an old manual transmission.

The whole point being that the shifting is much faster, much smoother and provides better gas mileage as well as providing better driving performance.  The button shifting seems to be catching on as Volkswagen has sold 3.5 million vehicles to date with the dual clutch transmissions, most notably in their Golf series.  BMW and Ferrari are also switching to the DCT’s so this definitely seems to be the wave of the future in automatic transmissions.

Will these ever replace the standard transmissions for fun and enjoyment?  Not likely since pushing a button can’t compare to depressing the clutch and shifting manually at the proper RPM’s, but there is no doubt these are highly efficient and that seems to be very important to the buying public who are willing to ignore fun for efficiency.

This is just one more step in technology that we at PDQ need to be aware of because if it’s a transmission then we will be expected to be on top of it.  Transmissions are our business and whether it be a torque converter or a planetary gear set, we need to learn as much about it as possible.

That’s why PDQ Transmission Parts is the leader in trans parts in the Fort Worth area.  Give us a call the next time you need some help with a transmission or hard parts.

Transmission Parts: Really Just Basic Physics

Tuesday, 24 April 2012 10:31 Written by car-guy 0 Comments

U-140 GEAR SETSIf someone offered to pay you a thousand dollars if you could name all of the transmission parts in a normal transmission could you do it?  Go ahead, give it a try, but if you don’t come up with twenty-five of them then don’t even bother trying.  What this writer has always found fascinating about the modern automatic transmission is that it is nothing more than a compound machine made up of the basic simple machines that we are taught in physics classes.  It’s like when we were kids and we had Tinker Toys, just a bunch of random pieces that by themselves didn’t serve much purpose but when you combine them you get something really cool.  Well that’s the modern transmission.

So, shall we name the parts and see how many you got right?

  • Throttle lever and bracket assembly
  • Pump rotor
  • Gasket, spacer plate
  • Spacer plate
  • Gasket and spacer plate
  • Drive sprocket
  • Case cover
  • Torque converter
  • Manual valve
  • Case
  • Manual detent lever
  • Manual shaft
  • Input planetary gear set
  • Low and reverse clutch housing
  • Roller clutch
  • Reaction planetary gear set
  • Final drive internal gear
  • Differential assembly
  • Speedometer drive gear
  • Governor assembly
  • Reaction internal gear
  • Parking lock pawl
  • Parking lock pawl
  • Low and reverse clutch plate assembly
  • Input internal gear

Put it all together and we have an automatic transmission, but it’s in the putting together that we have the marvel of modern engineering.  From the earlier transmissions over one hundred years ago to today with the eight-speed automatics, the transmission and transmission parts have undergone a miraculous transformation.  It is the natural progression of inventions as man learns from past inventions and then improves and expands on them.

The six simple machines of physics are of course the lever, inclined plane, pulley, wheel, wedge and screw.  From these simple machines, which have been around for centuries, all other compound machines have been made.  Take apart that transmission and you will see that each and every one of those transmission parts is one of these simple machines.  Pretty amazing don’t you think?

We at PDQ have no doubt that in the years to come there will be more and more improvements on the modern transmission, but we also have no doubt that each and every improvement will consist of a different application of the same simple machines we have always had to work with.

Allison Transmissions Are Heads and Shoulders Above the Rest

Thursday, 19 April 2012 11:35 Written by car-guy 0 Comments

The words Allison Transmission are like saying “The Bible” to car enthusiasts. Do you need proof?  Can you say the Indianapolis 500?  How about the Indianapolis Motor Speedway?  Well, in case you were not aware, the raceway was founded in 1909 and the race itself began in 1911 and both have James A. Allison to thank.  By 1915 Allison was a giant in the race car industry but in addition he was considered a leading innovator in automotive technology.

When World War I began he switched over this company that produced machining parts and began making tools and masters for the Liberty airplane engine, the main engine used during that war.  Eventually Allison became Allison Engine Company and they invented a 12-cylinder aircraft engine that was used in World War 2.  They then moved to a new field and eventually developed the first automatic transmission for heavy-duty trucks like delivery trucks, city buses and locomotives.  Chances are excellent that you have ridden in public transportation that included an Allison transmission.  You have probably seen an Allison Transmission drive by in a fire truck or garbage truck and you certainly have seen one drive by in a military vehicle.

Allison Transmission Company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana and also has regional offices all over the world and another manufacturing facility in Szentgotthard, Hungary as well as Indianapolis.

If the conversation has to do with transmissions then the name Allison will soon be mentioned.

What this writer finds remarkable about people like Allison is the resourcefulness they used, starting out from nothing with just a basic knowledge of simple machines and then creating a compound machine that had so many applications in the world.  All of us have, at one time or another, worked with the same basic machines that Allison started with, the pulley, lever, wheel, inclined plane, wedge and screw, but very few of us could take those basic machines and create an engine and then a complex transmission that served so many purposes.  That, my friends, is the ingredient known as genius and for a man like James A. Allison that word, genius, certainly applies.

The rest of the world has piggybacked on the shoulders of a few who had the vision of something greater and then used their skills to make something astounding.  We at PDQ transmission parts take our hats off to that genius; without men like Allison the rest of us would be searching for answers blindly as we stumbled through out daily routines.  The torque converters and planetary gear sets that we work on daily were the product of some incredible thinking a century ago.

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