2013 Ford Focus 2.0 Automatic Transmission Problem.
Well Hello There Fellow Technicians And Hivers!
I am back people! I am back!
It feels crappy to have been gone for so long but today I am back with something, well with something that isn't a clients car!
It's my car! Just a few days before Christmas as we were going down to the seaside for vacation the car decided to break up on me! In what way? Well in a transmission sort of way! Of-course that is what'll happen to a transmission techie right!
I Finally Got The Time To Pull Out That Gearbox!
There she is! I left her at my uncle's house for the vacation and decided I can pull the transmission right there as well!
Of-course the uncle gave consent!
I think what hurts me more is the fact that it's so damn well taken care of! I clean her every other week I give her the mechanical attention she wants and yet she still broke down on me!
At-least I was able to get out of the sticky situation next to the roadside!
It's no fun being stranded!
I suppose I have to open her up now hey!
Starting with the easiest work of the bunch! Yeah you got me! I'm not really in the mood for this. Well not yet at-least!
I did start a little late on the gearbox pulling but I am great at making up lost time!
First thing would be to remove the airbox and the battery along with the battery box!
I usually remove those two wires connecting to some sort of computer box but it's not a computer box! Heck I don't know what it's called I know it relays power! Laughs!
Most people don't unbolt those wires and there's nothing wrong in doing that. I just like to work unhindered with as little wires and stuff in my way as possible so loose they will come!
Well this photo turned out really blurry, sorry for that!
While I was at it I decided to remove the battery box mount aswell, it does look like it's holding up the transmission as well but it doesn't. It's just placed over the transmission mounting and the mounting itself stays in place with gravity. Don't be stupid, of-course everything gets bolted down! Laughs!
It was finally time to jack her up and remove the wheels!
I tried doing as much as I can before lifting her up, I try to work as efficiently as possible and do as much in one area as I possibly can. Sometimes it works and more than often not! This time it worked relatively great!
The Origin Of The Problem!
For those who are keen to know exactly what went wrong, here you go!
What I am pointing towards is called an "Actuator" and that actuator works on one of the clutch forks. It has two since it's a dual clutch right! Now the other one is up top, somewhere beneath the battery box hidden away.
The clutch fork on which this actuator works has failed or rather seized up so I only had one of my clutches working and it was the clutch that works on the First, third and fifth gears! So I could still drive this in a emergency situation although it is not recommended at all!
This Went Easier Than Usual!
Strange, I didn't struggle nearly as much with getting that clutch nuts out holding it to the flex plate!
Seems like practice does make perfect!
As you can notice the space is minimal as it always is when it comes down to torque converter nuts or in this case the clutch nuts!
Fortunately I managed quite well, even better than I thought I would at first!
I noticed that I have a small oil sweat somewhere, although I'm not quite sure if it is actually leaking? Might be some old oil that spilled and now it just looks like it?
Nothing else pointing to a leak except for the oil. Strange!
Well while it's out I should check!
Next up was to remove the ball joints and then the CV-joints.
The ball joints proved to be a little of a challenge, I didn't have anything proper to wedge theme out with but in the end I managed. Determination is a strong thing, damn!
Believe it or not.
This was the second day. It's not that it took me so long to remove it but the fact that I needed one of these swivel necks for one of the bellhousing bolts. I had to wait for my uncle to bring one from work, since I had no transport myself to pick it up.
I did everything I could up until that point and the work I left for the day after wasn't that much at all. Only three bellhousing bolts and the top gearbox mounting, so it was fairly easy going after this.
Some Trust Issues Were Displayed.
Laughs you might say I'm a little spoiled with a whole workshop of tools, but they're at the workshop. Although I made good use with what I had at my disposal.
Even though I had some doubts in the "gearbox jack" it was old and rusty and I thought the seals might give in as I tried to remove the box. Would have been crappy! It didn't though!
That's All You Need.
Infact you might not even need that much, all you want to have is enough clearance to lower it. Once it's on the ground you can deal with how to get it out then. Which should be fairly easier!
That wasn't so hard was it?
It did it faster than I expected I would, I hope the fitting it back goes the same! Laughs it probably wont, they are a bitch to align with the studs on the clutch. A bitch, but we shall see who wins in the end.
I'm glad she's out and that what I've done so far is exactly that, it's done and that's how we keep moving forward. By just doing things, just do it as soon as the thought pops up!
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That's a great job, the good thing is that everything is very clean to work with, I wish I could get a job like that here 😃😃.
That is so! I try my best to keep it nice and tidy... although the transmission itself is a little muddy but atleast not that much😃
Taking care of things can really go a long way!
Wow you did an amazing work. This is the most hardest part to handle. Is not easy to see a mechanic that can solve the gear problem but you did it successful, weldone