This is a great five minute breakdown on how a transmission works. The transmission shown in the clip is called a 4T45E. The 4T45E comes in several, light duty GM and Saturn, front wheel drive passenger cars.
The factory assembly of the unit as seen here, is the only time that the transmission will be new. Even if the transmission fails under warranty, the dealerships will either repair the existing transmission in the vehicle, or swap it out with a factory remanufactured transmission. Remanufactured transmissions, commonly called remans, are built just as they would be in a Peoples Transmission Certified shop. The transmission is removed from the vehicle, dismantled completely (even more than what this video shows), damaged or worn parts are replaced with new, rebuilt, or used parts, cleaned, then reassembled.
Mo's Magnet
Our previous posting talked about servicing Honda transmissions. Honda recommended that aftermarket flushing machines not be used on their vehicles. What's the alternative? Simply unscrew a drain plug at the bottom of the transmission. That will let out about a third of the fluid which is all that's needs to be changed if done at the correct service intervals. In the case of Mo, she had not serviced her Honda in 130,000 miles! Did that hurt her transmission? It definitely knocked some life out of it, but lucky for her, it's still OK. The magnet on her drain plug had a normal amount of material on it (see picture) and the transmission seemed to shift fine. We're going to have her come in after a few thousand miles to do another drain and fill which will help get some more of that old fluid out and help make sure that her transmission is in working order.Honda of North America Recommends NOT Flushing Honda Transmissions
Yes, Honda is against the flushing of their transmissions using flushing machines. This comes as a big surprise to a lot of people being that transmission flushing is such a popular service offered by transmission repair, general automotive and express lube shops. Below is copied text from two Honda factory bulletins. These bulletins are given to Honda technicians as guidelines when servicing Honda vehicles at the dealerships. These bulletins are also provided to general automotive and Peoples Transmission Certified Shops that use proper repair software. This is why Peoples Transmission makes sure that the repair shops that we certify are up to date with training, so that you can be assured that procedures offered for your vehicle won't affect warranties or damage your vehicle.
The second bulletin offers a procedure to "flush" the transmission without the use of aftermarket flushing tools.
Consult your owners manual or contact Peoples Transmission to find out when you should service your vehicle.
Here is the first bulletin titled: Flush Systems: A Big Taboo
Here is a copy of the second bulletin titled: Check Out the Latest Word on A/T Flushing Service News
not listed in the S/Ms, and ifThe term "flushin" refers to repeatedly draining and refilling the2,500 rpm .won't shift past 2nd gear, keep the engine speed at 2,500 rpm and shiftfour more times .two more times .
The second bulletin offers a procedure to "flush" the transmission without the use of aftermarket flushing tools.
Consult your owners manual or contact Peoples Transmission to find out when you should service your vehicle.
Here is the first bulletin titled: Flush Systems: A Big Taboo
FLUSH SYSTEMS: A BIG TABOO
HONDA SERVICE NEWS
Reference Number(s): HSN0206-07, Date of Issue: February 1, 2006
HONDA: All Models
CATEGORY: Honda Service News
APPLIES TO:All Models
Related Ref Number(s): HSN0206-07
ARTICLE BEGINNING
SERVICE INFORMATION
In Honda vehicles, the transmission, as well as the systems that handle lubrication, cooling, fuel,
and power steering, are designed to give thousands of miles of trouble-free service if you follow
the maintenance schedule to the letter.
Flush systems are a popular aftermarket offering these days. These products look impressive and
make lots of claims, but American Honda strongly recommends you avoid using them on any
Honda vehicle. Here's why:
The maintenance schedule neither requires nor approves of aftermarket • flush systems.
• Flush systems take time to do; this adds to your service customer's wait time.
• Flush systems haven't demonstrated an improvement in vehicle performance or reliability.
Flush systems using solvents may leave solvent in the system you're flushing. This will
dilute the fluid or lubricant and degrade its performance.
•
Flush systems using filters can filter out vital additives and degrade the fluid's or lubricant's
performance. This is particularly true for coolant.
•
• Any damage caused by flush systems isn't covered by warranty.Here is a copy of the second bulletin titled: Check Out the Latest Word on A/T Flushing Service News
not listed in the S/Ms, and ifThe term "flushin" refers to repeatedly draining and refilling the2,500 rpm .won't shift past 2nd gear, keep the engine speed at 2,500 rpm and shiftfour more times .two more times .
CHECK OUT THE LATEST WORD ON A/T FLUSHING
SERVICE NEWS
Reference Number(s): 08010A, Date of Issue: January 1, 2008
Affected Models:General Information
Related Ref Number(s): 08010A
ARTICLE BEGINNING
SERVICE INFORMATION
Some A/T repair procedures call for flushing the trans using Honda Genuine ATF-Z1 (and no
substitutes). Problem is, where do you find the info to do that? It's
you do an ISIS search, you'll find a few ServiceNews articles on this subject, but they're rather
dated, and none of them say the same thing. Even the most recent one (see "Revised A/T Flushing
Procedure" in the December '00 issue) still mentions that old work horse-the PGM Tester-which
we stopped supporting when the HDS first came on the scene.
NOTE:
trans with Honda Genuine ATF-Z1. Don't confuse it with aftermarket
flush systems. American Honda still strongly recommends that you
avoid using them on any Honda vehicle.
The original procedure was written for simpler A/Ts that readily upshifted when you ran the
vehicle on a lift. But A/Ts have come a long way since then, and most of the newer ones balk at
shifting past 2nd gear when on a lift, unless you work the shift lever a certain way.
In light of all this, we thought it was high time that the A/T flushing procedure got a facelift. So
here's the latest word on flushing that works for all A/Ts:
Set the parking brake, and raise the 1. vehicle on a lift.
Drain the trans, and refill it with Honda Genuine ATF-Z1. Refer to the applicable S/M or to
ISIS for details.
2.
3. Start the engine, shift into Drive, and release the parking brake.
4. Push down on the accelerator pedal to raise the vehicle speed to
• If the trans shifts past 2nd gear, go to step 5.
If the trans
from Drive to Neutral and back to Drive. Then go to step 5.
•
Make sure that the trans shifts through all the forward gears and goes into torque converter
lockup.
5.
Let off the accelerator pedal, and press the brake pedal to drop the vehicle speed to zero.
Shift into Reverse and then into Neutral.
6.
7. Shift into Drive, and repeat steps 4 thru 6
8. Set the parking brake, and repeat steps 2 thru 6
10. Refill the A/T with ATF-Z1.
Peoples Transmission is in Business!
The day is finally here! I have been working with industry experts, friends and family, and everyday consumers for months to put Peoples Transmission together. What is my main goal? To find honest mechanics for honest people.
The automotive repair industry has earned a rough reputation amongst consumers because of dishonest mechanics. Studies show that you can avoid being ripped off by a mechanic by educating yourself about the job the shop is trying to sell you. But with the complexity of today's vehicles, especially transmissions, it's very difficult to educate yourself at a level that will give you confidence in who you are choosing to pay for your vehicle's repairs. That's where Peoples Transmission comes in. Peoples Transmission pre-screens all of the shops we recommend to make sure your money is spent wisely towards transmission repairs at no cost to you.
Go to Peoples Transmission right now and talk to me, Jon, about finding a quality transmission technician in your area today.
The automotive repair industry has earned a rough reputation amongst consumers because of dishonest mechanics. Studies show that you can avoid being ripped off by a mechanic by educating yourself about the job the shop is trying to sell you. But with the complexity of today's vehicles, especially transmissions, it's very difficult to educate yourself at a level that will give you confidence in who you are choosing to pay for your vehicle's repairs. That's where Peoples Transmission comes in. Peoples Transmission pre-screens all of the shops we recommend to make sure your money is spent wisely towards transmission repairs at no cost to you.
Go to Peoples Transmission right now and talk to me, Jon, about finding a quality transmission technician in your area today.
Peoples Transmission
Peoples Transmission is dedicated to help consumers find a competent, well equipped, and most importantly, honest transmission specialist to perform transmission repairs to their vehicles.
Today’s vehicles are complicated; strict emissions standards, driver comforts and cost savings have tremendously increased the complexity of vehicles when it comes to transmission repairs. Peoples Transmissions will take the guesswork out of finding a qualified transmission specialist in your area so that you can get your vehicle back on the road with a sense of security.
Jon Rodriguez has been in the transmission repair industry since 1994. Jon started as an entry level technician, and moved his way up in the industry as a rebuilder, diagnostician, shop foreman, office manager, and most recently, worked with the Automatic Transmission Rebuilders Association (ATRA) as a technical advisor. Jon has written several articles for Gears magazine and earned a gold and silver medal for two of his articles from the National Automotive Media Awards. His experience and notoriety within the transmission industry gives Peoples Transmission the connections needed to make sure customers will find the right shop for their transmission repair needs.
