NEWS

Volume 2, Issue 3 / Third Quarter, 1994

REBUILDER

from

As a result of warped cases and valve

bodies due to excessive heat and the large

size of the aluminum parts, cross-leak

problems have been reported by

rebuilders on certain Ford applications.

TransTec is responding by offering

thicker valve body gaskets for these

applications.

The new gaskets, made of new

DuraTec

TM

material, are twice as thick as

standard material. A full .015" thick, they

make up for irregularities in the valve

body or the case. The thicker gaskets are

optional - the standard gaskets are also

still available.

The thicker gaskets are now offered in

bulk for the following applications:

TransTec rebuild kits for the Chrysler

41TE (A-604) now contain the low/

reverse piston housing. This housing is

stamped steel and is susceptible to

distortion, especially around the screw

holes. Therefore, the housing should

always be replaced during a rebuild. In

fact, ATRA recommends using a new

housing in their recent technical bulletin

#231.

The piston housing is fastened to the

back of the case with three screws.

When rebuilding, it is very important to

tighten these screws to factory specs - 40

inch pounds. Improper torque of the

screws may result in a leak. A leak will

cause a loss of low/reverse clutch

pressure, resulting in delayed forward

and reverse engagements, harsh or slide-

bang downshifts to first, and defaults to

“limp in” mode when hot.

There is a gasket between the piston

housing and the case, which seals the

apply oil route for the low/reverse clutch.

We have received reports of leaks due to

failure of this gasket. The theory is that

low/reverse clutch pressure forces the

low/reverse piston housing against the

case, compressing the gasket. This

leaves a space between the piston

housing and gasket where low/reverse

feed oil can escape.

Chrysler 41TE (A-604)
Piston Housing Now Included in
TransTec Kits

TransTec Offers
Thicker Valve Body
Gaskets for Ford
Transmissions

®

Although TransTec has already

upgraded this gasket to a higher density

material, we were not convinced that the

gasket itself was the problem. In all the

calls we have taken from rebuilders, we

found the suspect gaskets to be only .001"

thinner than a new gasket. Again

improper torque of the housing screws

and distorted housings may be a large

part of the problem. So in order to

eliminate all possible causes of failure,

we are including a new piston housing in

all TransTec gasket & seal kits and

overhaul kits. The TransTec part number

for this housing is #81638 (OEM

#4431648). All TransTec kits with a

date code of H94 and later will include

the housing.

In addition, we now offer an E40D

'89-Up gasket & seal kit which contains

the thicker valve body gaskets. TransTec

#1287 is an optional kit; the E40D kit

with standard gaskets is also still avail-

able.

*TransTec #12705 for 1980-89 only.

ATX

12737

12742

A4LD

12703

12704

AOD

12705*

12706

E4OD 1989

12739

12738

E4OD 90-Up

12740

12741

Transmission

TransTec

Part Number

Lower

Upper

© 1994 Freudenberg-NOK General Partnership. All rights reserved.
Reproduction without prior written permission is prohibited.

2

OEM seal, manufactured by NOK in
Japan. It is available in bulk from

TransTec # 29805 (OEM # 83504055).

4L60-E Filter & Seal Change

In August of 1993, General Motors introduced a new filter and
filter seal in its 4L60-E transmissions. The previous design seal
had a metal case completely enclosed in rubber, and was shaped
like a round sleeve. The inside and outside diameter had multi-
ple ribs molded into the rubber. This seal was installed on the
filter neck, and then the filter was installed on the transmission.

The new design seal looks more like a flanged metal clad
seal. This seal must be installed into the transmission first, and
then the filter is installed. The new filter and seal used together
will work on all 4L60-E transmissions, however, the filters and
seals cannot be interchanged. The old seal must be used with
the old filter, and the new seal with the new filter.

Volvo Speedometer
Gear Seals

TransTec has added the Volvo speedometer gear seal to the
Toyota A40 series gasket & seal kits and overhaul kits.
These kits also cover theAW70 series transmissions found in
various Volvo models. Until now, these kits contained only
the more popular Toyota speedometer seal.

The TransTec part number on the Volvo seal is 29406
(OEM #380192-5). It is available for bulk sales and will be
in all kits listed below with a date code of F94 and later.

The new filters do not come with the seal as the old ones
did. Therefore, TransTec is adding this seal to all gasket sets
and overhaul kits starting with date code F94. The new seal is
also available in bulk -TransTec # 32654 (OEM #8685775).

The speedometer gear adaptor O-ring for Volvo transmis-
sions has been included in kits for some time, so these kits are
now complete for Volvo applications, as well as Toyota (with
the exception of Volvo rear seals, which may be purchased
separately).

For additional product announcement information, contact your local distributor.

NEW PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENTS

®

4/94

Mazda Valve Body Gasket Kits for G4A-EL & F4A-EL transmissions. Kits contain all valve body
gaskets required to service one valve body. G4A-EL 1986-89 TransTec #4825; G4A-EL 1990-92
TransTec #4828; G4A-EL 1993-Up TransTec #4827; and F4A-EL 1989-Up TransTec #4824.

5/94

Toyota FWD Valve Body Gasket Kits. These kits contain all the valve body gaskets required

to service one valve body. A240L, A24IL, A243L 1985-Up TransTec #4829

A240E, A241E 1986-Up TransTec #4832
A130L, A131L, A132L 1984-Up TransTec #4835
A140E, A141E 1983-Up TransTec #4836
A140L 1983-Up TransTec #4837

7/94

Low Spring & Roller Kit C-3 & A4LD Transmissions from 1974-on

TransTec #81464

7/94 Jatco JR403E 1988-on. Overhaul Kit TransTec #2281 Used in some medium duty trucks, such as:

• Fuso

• Mazda • Mitsubishi • Isuzu • Nissan • GMC Tilt Master

7/94 Overhaul Kits are now available for FWD, 4-speed Nissan Axxess (U.S.-made) & Ford Corsair &
Nissan Pintera (Foreign-made). RL4FO2A 1990-92 TransTec #2291.

7/94 Overhaul Kits are now available for RWD Infinity Q45, Nissan 300ZX w/turbo (U.S.-made) &
Nissan Patrol (Foreign-made). RE4R03A 1990- Up TransTec #2280.

Seal

Filter

New Seal
TransTec #32654
(OEM #8685775)

TransTec Kit #

Trans. Model Trans. Tag #

1058 (Gasket & Seal)

AW70

03-70

2058 (Overhaul)

AW71

03-71

1127 (Gasket & Seal)

AW70L

03-70L

2127 (Overhaul)

AW72L

03-72L

TROUBLESHOOTER

®

By John Wozniak, TransTec Transmission Product Manager

3

ZF'S 4HP22,
The Trans That Functions Wurst in Emission Tests

Now and then, someone asks why we
write so many articles describing pro-
blems with Japanese transmissions. We
try to explain that, like an 800-pound
gorilla, the problems with those trans-
missions are too much to ignore.

But stand back!

Here’s a bunch of great photos and
information you need to work on one of
the world’s Most Quirky transmissions
... the ZF 4HP22. This is the baby that
quits moving forward after an emission
test, which makes BMW owners froth
at the mouth. Since that froth is often
directed at the guy who last worked on
the trans, we figured that you’d like
some way to defend yourself.

The Ever-Popular(?) Diesel-Powered
Lincolns

BMW has always been ZF’s biggest
customer for the 4HP22 - and still is
today - although BMW has started to
use GM’s 4L30E in some vehicles.
Other ZF customers include Jaguar (6-
cyl. only) Range Rover, Audi, Volvo,
and maybe three Lincolns that have a
BMW diesel under the hood, along
with a ZF 4HP22.

Volvo used a ZF 4HP22 for a while
in the late ’80s, but they’ve gone back
to Aisin Warner for transmissions.

Right now, the Industry Gurus say
that there are some 250,000 late-version
ZF transmissions (4HP22s) out roaming
the streets.

Ask, And You Won’t Receive
(from ZF)

As you’ll see when you read the
“side-bar” that’s on page 5, getting
information on the ZF trans is a pain in
the asterisk. You sure won’t get help
from ZF, so if you expect to work on a
BMW (or the Jags, Range Rovers,
Audis, Volvos, and Lincolns that have
this transmission), best you keep this
little expose handy. Hey... it’s no
Jackson/Presley event, but then ... what
is?

In case you don’t know, ZF is a
German company whose name is so
long I won’t even try to spell it. Every-
body calls them “ZF”, and who am I to
go against S.O.P.?

ZF makes nothing but transmissions
and steering components for several
European car makers. Their first auto-
matic trans, the 3HP12, leaped to life in
1960. Later, their heavy-duty 3HP20
came along, but in 1976, both those ori-
ginal trans were replaced by the 3HP22.

It Was Follow-The-Pack Time

In 1984 ZF cranked out their first 4-
speed overdrive unit, and named it the
4HP22. Not feeling particularly inven-
tive, ZF used the same tactic that every-
body else was using to make a 4-speed;
they just added an overdrive section to
their 3-speed 3HP22.

But the fabled German engineering
genius couldn’t let this opportunity go
untouched. ZF stuck the overdrive unit

on the back of the 3HP22, instead of on
the front like everyone else. Now that’s
what high technology is all about!

Gimme an E! ... Gimme an H!...

Around 1986, ZF introduced their
electronic 4HP22-EH. Try to remem-
ber that “E” means electronic and that
“H” means hydraulic. At least ZF is
dealing here with the real world... every
so-called “electronic-controlled” trans-
mission still uses hydraulics. The
solenoids just tell the fluid where
to go.

In 1990, BMW needed a heavy-duty
version to work behind their 12-cylinder
engines so ZF engineered the 4HP24
(I’ll fill you in on the differences later).

About that time, Audi needed a
front-wheel drive, so ZF stuck a final
drive on the front of their 4HP24, and
Audi stuck the combination on
their Model V8.

ZF also produces some true FWD
versions, the 4HP14 and the 4HP18.
The “18” is available in both inline and
transverse models. In this article, we’ll
stick to the rear drives, but some infor-
mation here applies to both types since
the basic design is the same.

Who Needs Hi-Tech to Chase
Elephants?

Since sometime in 1990, all vehicles
wearing a 4HP22 are running the “EH”
(Electronic/Hydraulic) version. That’s
all, except for Range Rover, who is still

using a hydraulic version, even these

days. As a Tech friend of mine says,
“Range Rover is on the trailing edge

of technology.” Sarcasm may not be
dead, after all..

Before you strain your eyeballs, all

the photos you see here were taken of

an early, hydraulically-controlled
4HP22. There are a lot of similarities

between this 4HP22 and other models,
so most of the information with these

photos will also apply to other models.

5) Here's what just a tiny bit of stator and ring wear

produces. It sure surprises me that the “huge” - 3.94"

O.D. - friction will burn so easily. This friction is the main

thing ZF changed when they came up with their “heavy

duty” 4HP24. The frictions on that one are 4.92".

Apparently, the European Wizards finally realized that

they needed something bigger than motorcycle-sized

frictions to handle a 12-cylinder engine.

Who To Thank For This

Think nice thoughts about Karl

Seyfert and Import Service Magazine
for the photography and use of their

darkroom.

PS: Whatever you do, don't show this

information and photos to the folks at
ZF of North America. Management

there thinks that independents like you
must be treated the same way farmers

grow mushrooms...kept in the dark and
covered with manure.

1) This O-ring provides the seal between the filter and

valve body. Somewhat untamed, this O-ring tends to

“walk” when the filter is removed. Since the pump

likes to suck up fluid, not air, your day will be much

brighter if you make sure you put this O-ring back where

it belongs.

3) After you wear out your impact wrench taking off

the bell housing, you get to remove the pump assembly.

Pay attention to the way the pump gasket goes on. If

you install the pump gasket backwards, you'll have a

lovely bind in reverse. The I.D. marks on the pump gears

face up.

6) Make sure that you install the O-ring on the input

shaft. Otherwise, the forward (A) clutch fluid leaks past

the spines, and you learn to swear in German.

7) When you install the reverse and direct (B) clutch,

don't forget to put this O-ring under the metal washer.

This O-ring provides the same protection against leak-

ing fluid that the O-ring on the input shaft provides.

2) Those ZF guys must have been frightened once by

a bell housing that fell off. They've put enough bolts

on this hummer for three transmissions.

4) Always look for signs of ring grooving (see arrow) on

the inside of the stator shaft. Ring grooves are also the

reason the trans loses forward movement during an

emission test. Most States let you rev the engine (to

relight the catalytic converter) before you take emis-

sion readings. But if the stator shaft and sealing rings

are worn, running the engine at 2,000 rpm in Park or

in Neutral lets the converter oil partially apply forward

(A) clutch, instantly destroying it. The quick thinkers at

ZF have finally started to harden the inside of the stator

shaft; if the one you're looking at looks perfect, chances

are it's one of the new hardened shafts. You can get the

complete stator assembly from only two places; from the

car dealer or from ZF direct. But you can get replace-

ment shafts from aftermarket suppliers.

8) Here on the back of the drum is an easily-forgotten

sealing ring. Don’t forget it.

Continued on page 6...

4

5

One morning in late July, just before
the last drifts melted in Ohio follow-
ing the Great Winter of ’94, my
phone rang. I set the Sports pages
aside without leaming who was ahead
in the Stanley Cup, because the voice
on the other end of the line said it was
attached to Karl Seyfert, one of the
editorial gurus who publish Import
Service magazine.

In case you haven’t seen it, Import
Service is a magazine that prints some
nifty articles about general repair work
and stuff like that, but once a year
they throw in an article about import
transmissions.

Lets Keep It Our Secret, OK?

Since they know they aren’t
experts in transmissions, they call me,
mistakenly assuming I can contribute.
Don’t let on that you know better,
because they give me copies of all the
photos they take, and I get to use
them in an article like this one.
Besides, we have a lot of fun tearing
down a transmission and ripping up
the transmission engineers who
design these things.

Back to the phone call. I let Karl
plead, beg and cajole me for at least
4 seconds before I agreed to work
with him again. His idea was to do
an article on “the BMW transmission
that quits moving after an emissions
test.” Identifying the culprit as the ZF
4HP22 was the easiest part; after all,
everybody has heard the war stories
about this German beauty.

A Nice Guy (not)

Finding a core was something else
again. Finally, a local hard parts
dealer said he’d loan one to me if I
brought it back disassembled. And
clean. It’s disappointing to see how
cruel hard parts dealers can become

With the Year 2,000 Just Ahead,
When Will ZF Climb Into the 20th Century?

when they know they’ve got you over
a barrel. But publishing deadlines
forced me to accept the dealer’s
outrageous demands, and the photos
in this article show how well we
followed his directives.

Next came the fun part ... trying to
find technical information about this
trans. I first looked through my per-
sonal ZF file, which contains every
last scrap of printed information I’ve
ever seen about a ZF.

Specifics Is Where You Find Them.
if.

There’s a lot of stuff in my file, but
not much hard, factual information
like exact dates when ZF changed
things, OEM supersessions, and for
that matter, OEM numbers of any
kind.

I used what little was there to
rough out the things that needed to be
covered in the article, but I wound up
with more questions than I had data to
answer.

My next brilliant idea was to call a
bunch of people I know in the
business. I figured that between
rebuilders, parts guys, and technical
guys, I’d get a lot of the answers I
needed. I tried asking such things as
“when did ZF change the intermediate
one-way clutch from a follower to a
sprag?” That and other easy questions
I asked of my industry cohorts were
greeted by a lot of whothehellknows?

The Sound of Silence

So, with more guts than brains, I
went straight to the source and called
ZF of North America. When I
explained to my contact at ZF what
technical information I wanted, all I
heard was a loud silence.

In a tone of voice that clearly
indicated that questions such as mine
could only come from an imbecile,
my contact advised me that it is the

“Official ZF Policy” to release tech-
nical information exclusively to the
dealers. No exceptions, no further
conversation.

It’s Soap Box Time Again

Friends ... when are companies
going to accept the fact that it is in
their best interests to cooperate with
the aftermarket?! When a transmis-
sion is incorrectly repaired because
the technician can’t get the technical
information he needs, who wins? The
car owner doesn’t. The technician
doesn’t. In the long run, it’s the car
maker that takes the rap.

GM, Ford, and Chrysler realized

that fact eons ago. Check theTechni-
cal Speaker list for the two trade shows
coming up this fall. You’ll see the Big
3 are again sending speakers, just to
help you fix their transmissions. Your
shop, any shop, can get all the techni-
cal bulletins and any book on every
transmission GM makes, just by
contacting GM.

ZF may not want to accept reality,

but a whole bunch of their transmis-
sions are going to be repaired in
shops like yours, not in dealer repair
facilities.

If a BMW owner has his car back

in a trans shop 3 or 4 times in a year,
what does he think of the BMW and
the transmission in it?

John Wozniak
Transmission Products Manager

6

12) You're looking at early and late input one-way

clutches. If I was working on one of these, I’d update the

roller style (the one on the left) with the sprag style, but

that's your call. To complete the update, you also have

to replace the ring gear (the top one).

13) This is what an intermediate one-way clutch looks

like when it's disassembled. Normally, you won’t take

it apart (If you must, it isn’t difficult; just remove the

three spring clips that hold the assembly together).

Look carefully at this photo and you’ll see that there are

no springs by the rollers. No springs makes the clutch

feel bad even when it is good. If you hold the assembly

in a horizontal, non-operating position, you can even

turn it both ways. Later units use a sprag; again, that’s

your call.

17) Every 4HP22 uses eight small rubber plugs to seal

the supports to the case. Remove the snap ring and

spring before you remove these plug-seals. All the

plug-seals must be removed before you even think of

removing the internal components.

14) The setup you see here won’t compress the Bellevue

spring enough to remove the retainer. You need

something that exerts pressure around the entire spring.

11) Check very carefully to make sure there aren't

cracks in the area shown by the pick. If you find any,

the thing is kaput.

10) Here are the overrun (C' is ZF's designation), the

intermediate (C), and the low & revers (D) clutch

assemblies. You must have clutch clearance in the

three areas shown by the arrows. If you don't have

clutch clearance, you've either swapped pistons or

stacked up the clutches in the wrong order. Both are

nein-neins. The pick in this photo shows where the thin

steel fits in the low & reverse clutch. Leave the low &

reverse fairly sloppy (.090").

9) “Oben” is the German word for “up”, as in the hearty

Teutonic drinking toast “Oben Yours” accompanied by

a great clinking of steins. Then the party gets rough.

16) Another place to be on the lookout for ring-

grooving is on the governor. At the left in the photo is

the early metal ring. On the right is the late Viton

rubber ring. Go with the Viton, every time.

15) I’m sure glad I didn't have to put this baby back

together!

7

20) Because both the early and late hydraulic gaskets

have fumf...er...five “bathtubs”, you have to look for

the hole shown by the arrow in the photo. If the plate has

this hole, use a gasket that has one, too. Otherwise, use

the gasket without the hole.

19) Currently, you need four different valve body

gaskets to service the 4HP22. Each gasket has been

updated several times, so the gasket you install will

probably not look exactly like the one you took off.

Don't fret, Liebchen. You can identify gaskets for an

electronic trans by counting the number of “bathtubs”

in the separator plate. Early models have one “bath-

tub”; late models have three. Just remember to use a

gasket that has the same number of “bathtubs” as the

one you're replacing.

18) Late models require a 9th plug-seal. Because this

plug is installed off-center in the case, it has a bevel

on one end to seal the support properly. This last plug-

seal was added to increase the lube oil in the O.D.

section.

21) Inside this valve body are a collection of orifice

plugs. The plugs are sized differently, depending on

which clutch they feed. You will not have a happy day

if you put them back in the wrong places. And,

remember, the crown is installed up...

always.

4T60-E Accumulator Cover Gaskets

In mid-1993, the GM 4T60-E went to an accumulator cover spacer plate with
bonded gaskets. Prior to this, the gaskets and plate were always separate. This
change was probably made to benefit assembly of the transaxles in production.

Unfortunately, what’s good for production isn’t always good for service. When
rebuilding one of these units, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to remove the
bonded gasket from the plate.

To make the rebuilder's job a little easier, TransTec is supplying the spacer
plate with bonded gaskets in all 4T60-E gasket & seal kits and overhaul kits. The
individual gaskets will no longer be available. This plate with gaskets, TransTec
#10016 (OEM #8682085), will retrofit all 4T60-E transaxles. It will be included
in all TransTec kits starting with a date code E94 and will be available in bulk.

Chrysler 47RH (A618) Low-Reverse Servo Lip Seal

Starting in 1994, Chrysler Corporation introduced a heavy-duty version of the
46RH (A518) transmission. The designation for this transmission is 47RH, some-
times called an A618. This transmission is used in Dodge trucks with the 8.0
litre V- 10 engine or the 5.9 litre diesel.

The 46RH and 47RH transmissions are almost identical. The 47RH has some
additional clutch plates for increased torque capacity. The other, and more obvi-
ous difference between the two units, is the low-reverse band. The 46RH uses a
single wrap band, the same band used in the A727. The band in the 47RH is
wider, and is a double-wrap design for greater holding capacity.

Along with the band change, the low-reverse servo piston was reduced in

size, as was the servo piston lip seal. The new lip seal, TransTec #28296 (OEM
#4531233) has an inside dia. of 1.87" and is easily identified by its orange teflon
coating.

The lip seal used in the 46RH, TransTec #28140 (OEM #4058741) has an

inside dia. of 2.18" and a blue teflon coating. All TransTec gasket & seal kits and
overhaul kits with a date code of G94 or later will contain both lip seals, cover-
ing the 46RH and 47RH transmissions.

Appearing Soon

A TransTec Representative

will be at the following

"Tech Seminars"

October 23

Wichita, Kansas

October 28-30

"Transmissions '94"

Las Vegas, Nevada

Bulletins