4l60e solenoides

8/19/2019 4l60e solenoides

1/766 GEARS August 2003

The fact is that they are not all

bad nor all good. The bottom

line is the only one who can

answer the good or bad question is

YOU. I know what you are thinking.

ME! I don’t want to take a chance.

Why should I reuse a solenoid if itcould be bad! Did I mention the prize

to you?

Most every car you guys work on

has solenoids in them. Most of them

have shift solenoids, lock-up solenoids,

and pulse width modulated solenoids.

What do you do when you rebuild these

units? Do you take a chance and reuse

the solenoids? Replace just the ones

that wear; or do you say: “what the

heck I’m gonna fix this baby once and

for all. They’re all used and all worn;

I’m gonna replace them all”!

So …you are probably thinking.

What does this have to do with a

prize? Isn’t this just something else we

got to worry about? Where is the prize?

Where is it? If you really want to

know where your prize is look directlyinto your waste can for used solenoids.

Spend a little time looking at your parts

bill. Think about the time and material

wasted pulling solenoids only to find

out it was something else. Think about

the oil, the seals, the boss, the waiting

time and the customer!

What’s the prize? The prize

varies with the job. If you are dealing

with an AXODE for instance the most

you can win is $182.52 That’s my local

Ford Dealer’s list price. On the other

by Chuck Hansen

Do you honestly

believe that every

solenoid removed

from every trans-mission is totally

worn out? Every

single solenoid?

Figure 1

4L60E Shift Solenoid –

Metering ball against

plastic seat shuts oil off.

Total travel .050 inches.


2/7GEARS July 2003 65

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3/7

hand if you are doing a 4L60E you can

win $240.48 That’s the local GM deal-

er’s list price.

Some of you will probably say I

pay less than that. This is just an exam-

ple. Only you can determine the actu-

al costs and savings. However you

look at it there is absolutely no denying

it is a significant part of the job. It real-

ly doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see

that the numbers keep adding up and

up.

But how does this help you? Think

about it. Say your shop does 20 jobs a

month and only 1/3 of them need

replacement solenoids. Now take theaverage cost of solenoids per job lets

call it $150. 20 jobs at $100 savings

each (2/3rds of $150). That’s $2000 per

month. That’s the prize! Imagine

$24,000 per year! Out of the trash can

and back into your hands.

Whoa! You say. Solenoids wear

out! I gotta worry about warranty and

when should I replace them. Besides

we use new solenoids and mark them

up. Good point.

Lets see. . .

New Solenoids: $150 marked up,

say 30% that’s $45 you make each job.

Your happy but is the customer?

Used Solenoids: You charge the

customer $95 to flush and test their

solenoids. You save the customer $100

and you make $95 dollars!

That’s enough about the prize.

Now some serious discussion about

Solenoids.

It is no secret that some of you

believe solenoids wear out and should

be replaced. After all they contain

moving parts and can get contaminated

with metal. The pulse width modulated

ones really get a workout being pulsed

million and millions of times.

It is important for you to really

take a hard look at how a modern sole-

noid operates. You really need to

understand what moves and what

wears. With that thought in mind I have

chosen the 4L60E as an example.

Types of Solenoids:Lets take a look at 3 types of sole-

noids. Sticking with the 4L60E we willexamine the simple on/off shift sole-

noid, the 3-2 solenoid which is a pulse

width modulated type solenoid and the

force motor which is a balanced spool

valve type solenoid.

Shift SolenoidsSimple on/off solenoids: Figure

1 shows a GM 4L60E SHIFT solenoid.

They have a GM list price of about

$23.91 each and are extremely simple

in operation. Apply current and thesolenoid stops oil flow. Take away cur-

rent and the oil is allowed to flow.

The moving elements of the GM

4L60E solenoid consist of a plunger,

spring and metering ball. It is actually

the action of the metering ball against

the polycarbonate nozzle seat that con-

trols the oil flow. This particular sole-

noid is a normally open solenoid. Oil

constantly flows through the nozzle and

around the ball while the solenoid is

open. When the solenoid is energized it

pushes the ball against the seat thus cut-

ting off oil flow. The entire process

takes a fraction of a second with total

movement of approximately .050 thou-

sandths of an inch.

With only a small amount of move-

ment and with the constant flow of oil

it’s easy to see why these solenoids can

last so long. Probably the most suscep-

tible part of this solenoid is the nozzle

and O-ring.

How can you judge when to

replace one of these solenoids? Do you

start by checking the cars speedometer

or perhaps look in the sump for metal.

That’s ok if you want but there isalways that gray area, isn’t there? You

can tell some things just by looking at

them, but how can you be sure?

Assuming there is no obvious dam-

age to the nozzle and O-ring. I would

start with a simple on/off test measur-

ing leakage (to make sure it works at

all), flow (to check that it isn’t clogged)

and the ability of the solenoid to ener-

gize under pressure (to make sure the

solenoid mechanically can hold pres-

sure when energized). It’s that simple.

GM 3-2 Downshift solenoid Next lets take a look at the 4L60E

solenoid in figure 2. This solenoid is a

normally closed PWM type solenoid

and lists for $25.58.

Examining figure 2 the moving

elements consist of a spring, plunger,

diaphragm and metering ball. In oper-

ation the metering rod is drawn from

the sleeve allowing the metering ball to

move. This allows more oil to get by it.

68 GEARS August 2003

Figure 2

Solenoids: How Big Is The Prize?


4/7

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This solenoid is electrically pulsed at

50 cycles per second. The PCM oper-

ates the 3-2 valve at 90% duty when the

transmission is in 2nd, 3rd and 4th

gear. During a 3-2 downshift, the sole-

noid duty is reduced to control the

exhaust of 3rd accumulator fluidthrough the 3-2 valve. This action

helped by the spring and diaphragm and

accompanied with signal oil causes the

ball to move smoothly in and out of the

seat (again the nozzle serves as the

seat). It is this smooth and almost

motionless action (the entire travel is

approximately .035 inches) that strokes

the much larger 3-2 control valve in the

valve body and ultimately exhausts the

3rd accumulator. By changing the

length of time the solenoid is actually pulsed (pulse width) the metering rod

and ball can be moved in varying

amounts thus changing the 3rd accumu-

lator exhausting times and ultimately

the downshift feel.

Remember, the maximum total

movement of the metering ball is only

.035 thousandths of an inch assisted by

both spring and a cushion of oil.

Operation is smooth and lubricated by a

wave of oil.

How can you check a 3-2 solenoid:

First inspect the solenoid physically.

Pay particular attention to the O-rings,

nozzle, connector and screens. This

solenoid depends upon oil and careful-

ly controlled electrical energy to oper-

ate, so you will need a tester to check it.

The following tests should be conduct-ed:

• Solenoid Off: Leak test under

pressure.

• Solenoid On (90%): Output

pressure = Input Pressure

• Output Flow check

• Dynamic Test: Carefully step

the solenoid from 90% duty to

0% duty monitoring the

change in output pressure.

Pressure should diminish in a

smooth fashion as the meter-ing ball moves in and out of

the seat.

Hint: Try comparing the used one

to a new one. They should both behave

the same.

Line Pressure Control Solenoid(aka:Force Motor, EPC)

Figure 3 shows a 4L60E electronic

line pressure control solenoid. This

solenoid, which GM lists for $119.29,

has some similarity to the 3-2 solenoid

we just discussed. It is also a pulse

width modulated solenoid, however its

coil operating frequency is 292.5 cycles

for second. It also controls oil flow

through the variation of pulse width.

Unlike the 3-2 solenoid the LinePressure Control solenoid utilizes a

spool valve to control oil flow and pres-

sure.

The way this solenoid works is a

small amount of actuator feed limit

(AFL) fluid is allowed to flow through

a small orifice into the spool valve.

This fluid passes through the center of

the spool valve and is either applied

against the solenoid armature or

exhausted. Actuation of the armature

by increasing the coil current causes thespool valve to move smoothly up and

down floating in a constant wave of oil.

The entire spool valve is held in bal-

ance via an ingenious combination of

oil pressure, spring action and electri-

cally induced magnetic force. The GM

4L60E Line Pressure Solenoid also

contains a damper spring (actually a

diaphragm) that serves as a dashpot for

the armature to move against.

It’s easy to see all the moving parts

in an EPC solenoid assembly that with



Figure 3

4L60E Electronic Pressure

Control – Solenoid coil oper-

ates at 292.5 cycles per sec-

ond but mechanism moves

very slowly.


6/7GEARS August 2003 71

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7/7

all there is an increased chance for one

to “wear out”. In reality probably the

weakest item in the solenoid is the

diaphragm, spool valve and sleeve.

This solenoid is mainly influenced by

the vehicle’s throttle. Wear will be

more dependent on the type of driving

the vehicle’s operator has done as com-

pared to the miles on the odometer.

That’s to say that if a vehicle has

200,000 highway miles on it, chances

are the EPC is probably ok. You may

also find one with low mileage, a New

York Cab for instance, with high wear

due to constant starting and stopping.

I know you have all heard or read

somewhere or other that since this sole-

noid operates at 292.5 cycles per sec-

ond that its going to wear out really fast

but relax. It is physically impossible

for the solenoid spool valve and push

rod to move that fast. In reality its

movement is closely related to the vehi-

cle throttle movement and if you really

examine its operation it tends to float in

oil - balanced between oil pressure,

spring tension and its electromagnetic

field.

Some suggest that this solenoid

should be replaced when the unit ismetaled up or there is a lot of heat and

damage involved. If you examine the

last 2 PWM solenoids we have dis-

cussed you will quickly see that they

both utilize a 40-micron screen on their

input and output side. If you think a bit

of metal can get through these screens

then you probably have little to no faith

in planned parenthood.

Finally, you probably want to

know how to tell a good used EPC sole-

noid from a bad one. Here is how:

• Inspect the solenoid carefully

for damage.

• Check the coil resistance

Using a solenoid tester:

• Measure the solenoid for flow

and pressure regulation at var-

ious duty cycles to determinesmoothness.

• Measure the starting point

where the solenoid starts to

regulate.

• Measure stopping point where

solenoid starts to regulate.

Note: This particular EPC can be

adjusted by turning the torx screw ON

THE TOP. Adjustment should only be

made if you can measure the resulting

output pressure changes and verify thatthey are correct. I strongly urge you to

leave the adjustments alone if you

aren’t equipped to make these measure-

ments.



Conclusion:Every solenoid you pull out of a unit is not bad and doesn’t

have to be tossed away. Most modern transmission sole-

noids are designed to last a long time. Only YOU can decide

whether to reuse a solenoid or not. Strictly looking at miles

on the odometer or whether or not the transmission has had

a catastrophic failure isn’t a very scientific way to find bad

solenoids. The most accurate method is to employ a good

solenoid tester and carefully evaluate how well the solenoid

is operating under carefully controlled conditions.

The bottom line is that YOU can save your shop con-

siderable money by using carefully tested used solenoids.The amount of money your shop saves on each job will

allow it to be more competitive and for the shops earnings to

increase. This means more money for the shop and hope-

fully more for you. Don’t forget the jackpot is yours; all you

need to do is claim it!

Writer:

Chuck Hansen is the President of Zoom Technology, Inc. His company has been

manufacturing automatic transmission test equipment for 19 years. Chucks back-

round is in electrical engineering, manufacturing and marketing. He holds a BS in

Business Administration, an AAS in Computer Science and a Certificate of Pro-effi-

ciency in Electrical Engineering Technology.

In reality probably

the weakest item in

the solenoid is the

diaphragm, spool

valve and sleeve.

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4l60e solenoides