A4BF2/A4AF3 SPEAKER

Problems Before
by Mike Souza

and After Rebuild

I t’s Monday morning: A
customer arrives at your
shop in a 2000 Elantra
and a harsh 4-3 coastdown
and kickdown shift com-
plaint. It uses an A4BF2 and
was used in 2000 and 2002
Elantras and Tiburons. The
2000 and later Accent also
has a version of this unit; the
A4AF3.
Both the A4BF2 and
A4AF3 are equipped with six
solenoids (figure 1) instead of
four like the earlier A4AF1
and 2, and the A4BF1. Dennis
Madden wrote three articles
(2006 August, September and
October issues of GEARS)
that go into great detail on
how this unit functions with
the addition of pressure con-
trol solenoid B and shift sole-
noid C.
The August article, along or forced downshift into third with No Forward in Drive;
with the hydraulic diagrams (figures no codes could indicate a mechanical
2–4), explains in great detail how pres- problem with pressure control sole-
Manual Low and Reverse
sure control solenoid B controls the for- noid B, without causing any noticeable Okay
ward (rear) clutch when shifting from upshift issues. Since these solenoids are Other problems after a rebuild may
fourth gear back down to third in three hard-wired to the connector, the repair include no forward in drive while man-
phases. As Dennis mentions in his arti- requires replacing all six solenoids. ual low and reverse are working fine.
cle, we’ve heard no complaints on the A more practical solution would be With the selector in drive, 1st gear,
HotLine of any downshift issues on the to cut and splice in another solenoid. shift solenoids A and B are energized,
earlier, four-solenoid version, in which Pressure control solenoid A, which moving the shift control valve to the
the forward clutch was controlled by has the black wire, controls shift feel 1st gear position. Pressure control sole-
the line pressure control solenoid. (line pressure). Along side of pressure noid B is cycled by the computer, con-
control solenoid A is pressure control trolling the apply rate of the forward
Harsh Downshift solenoid B, which has the blue wire (rear) clutch via pressure control valve
In the last couple years, quite a (figure 1). These two solenoids can be B. Once the forward clutch is fully
few of these harsh downshift com- interchanged as a direct replacement. applied, pressure control solenoid B
plaints have surfaced on the new, six- remains off until the clutch releases and
solenoid version. A harsh coastdown then reapplies.

12 GEARS July 2009

 Freudenberg-NOK

THE QUALITY OF OUR

TRANSMISSION KITS IS LEGENDARY.
There’s a reason why more rebuilders install TransTec® kits than all other kits combined. TransTec® transmission and power steering kits
are produced by CORTECO, a division of Freudenberg-NOK, the American partnership between Freudenberg & Co. in Germany and NOK
Corp. in Japan. Together the companies make up the world’s largest producers of sealing products.
Our globally integrated supply of products from 85 automotive operations in 27 countries ensures that we produce the best gaskets
and seals. These are the same seals we manufacture for every major automaker in the world. Manufactured to meet the strictest O.E.
standards, TransTec® kits contribute to a faster rebuild with virtually no comebacks. We offer more parts, have the broadest coverage of
vehicles, and give you value-added features like clearly labeled subpacks, more technical information and impressive product support.
Better parts, better performance, better coverage and better support. That’s a hard combination to beat, and only available from CORTECO.

4s&
-ILAN/(

www.transtec.com

transtec new.indd 13 6/15/09 10:57:20 AM

A4BF2/A4AF3 Problems Before and After Rebuild

Shift solenoid A is turned

off, moving the Shift Control
Valve to the 3rd Gear position.
This drains the oil holding the
Rear Clutch Exhaust Valve
and 2-3/4-3 Shift Valve. But
because of the difference in
valve diameters and the forces
working to move these valves
(spring and hydraulic),
the 2-3/4-3 Shift Valve
strokes first. This
applies the Front Clutch
and releases the Servo.
As with the other shifts,
shift feel is controlled
by Pressure Control
Solenoid A is turned off;
the Front Clutch and the
Kickdown Servo apply
and release receive full line
pressure. About this time,
pressure on the right side
of the Rear Clutch Exhaust
Valve drops enough to
allow the valve to move.

Recall that Pressure Control

Solenoid B controls the apply
rate of the Rear Clutch, and
the Rear clutch reapplies
during the 4-3 downshift. In
4th Gear, Pressure Control
Solenoid B is off, providing full
line pressure between
the two parts of the
Rear Clutch Exhaust
Valve. During the 4-3
downshift, Pressure
Control Solenoid B
reduces the pressure to
the Rear clutch Exhaust
Valve. If this pressure is
above about 45 PSI, the
two valves in the Rear
Clutch Exhaust Valve
train will split apart. Rear
clutch apply oil seats the #3
checkball. The apply rate of
the Rear Clutch is controlled
by the orifice next to the #3
checkball. This is also the
sequence used if Pressure
Control Solenoid B fails
closed (failsafe).

14 GEARS July 2009

life-smartblend.indd 27 4/30/09 10:37:40 AM
A4BF2/A4AF3 Problems Before and After Rebuild

Recall that Pressure Control

Solenoid B controls the apply
rate of the Rear Clutch, and
the Rear Clutch, and the Rear
Clutch reapplies during the
4-3 downshift. In 4th Gear,
Pressure Control Solenoid B
is off, providing full line
pressure between the
two parts of the Rear
Clutch Exhaust Valve.
During the 4-3 downshift,
Pressure Control Solenoid
B reduces the pressure to
the Rear Clutch Exhaust
Valve. If this pressure is
below about 45 PSI, both
parts of the Rear Clutch
Exhaust Valve train will
stroke. Now the apply
rate of the Rear Clutch
is controlled solely by
Pressure Control Valve
B and Pressure Control
Solenoid B.

Shift Solenoids A and B are

energized, moving the Shift
Control Valve to the 1st Gear
position. Pressure Control
Solenoid B is cycled by the
computer, controlling the
apply rate of the Rear Clutch
via Pressure control Valve B.
Once the Rear Clutch is fully
applied, Pressure Control
Solenoid B remains off until
the Rear Clutch releases
and then reapplies. The sole
purpose of Pressure Control
Solenoid B is to control the
apply rate of the Rear Clutch.
Pressure Control Solenoid
A is on, which keeps the
Low/reverse Brake off. Shift
Solenoid C is off.

16 GEARS July 2009

 The hydraulic
diagrams (figures
6 and 7) show
why this would
cause no forward
movement in
drive.

The sole purpose of pres-

sure control solenoid B is to
control the apply rate of the
forward clutch. Pressure control
solenoid A is on, which keeps
the low/reverse brake off. Shift
solenoid C is off (figure 5).
As mentioned before, pressure
control solenoids A and B are
identical and located next to
each other. The only visible dif-
ference is the wire color, so it’d
be easy to accidentally swap
them during a rebuild, without
setting any codes.
The hydraulic diagrams
(figures 6 and 7) show why this
would cause no forward move-
ment in drive. When placed in
the correct locations, pressure
control solenoid A is on and the
low/reverse clutch is released,
while pressure control solenoid
B is off and the forward clutch
applied.
If installed incorrectly (fig-
ure 7), when pressure control
solenoid B is off, the low/reverse
clutch applies, and while pres-
sure control solenoid A is on,
the forward clutch releases. The
solution? Switch the solenoids
back where they belong, and the
transmission should start work-
ing properly.
This mistake can really have
you pulling your hair out, with
no codes or obvious failures to
guide you. Hopefully this infor-
mation will help prevent dealing
with the problems before and
after a rebuild.

GEARS July 2009 17