PLAYING WITH FIRE

by Jon Rodriguez

4L30E Pump Interchange pressure and converter charge

issues.
2. Torque converter clutch regulator
valve wear. The pulse width modu-
lated apply of the converter is con-
trolled through the converter clutch
regulator valve. You’ve probably

W
elcome to the first edition
of Playing with Fire. In this
new series, we’re going to
cover the most common interchange
questions that we receive on the ATRA
HotLine.
Interchange is an important subject
because of the risk verses reward factor
that comes into play. Sometimes a dif-
ferent style part can be less expensive,
more plentiful, and in some cases such
as this one, improve the durability
of the transmission. All of which can
make the job more profitable. The risk?
Virtually none… as long as you handle
the interchange correctly.
In this edition we’re going to look
at how to use a two-valve, on/off-style
lockup pump in place of the four-valve,
PWM-style lockup pump in 2000-2004
Trooper and Axiom 4L30E transmis-
sions.
There are two common reasons for
pump failure in the PWM-style pumps:
1. Pump gear and cavity wear. Any
galling or clearances above 0.003”
between the outer pump gear and
pump body, or between the inner
pump gear and crescent, aren’t
acceptable. Using a pump with
wear in these areas will reduce
pump volume and cause line Figure 1

4 GEARS July 2008

 experienced code P1811 — trans-
mission component slipping — in
both front- and rear-wheel drive
GM transmissions, and the 4L30E
is no exception. The cause is wear
in the regulator valve bore, which
reduces clamping force on the deli-
cate woven carbon converter clutch
material.
Parts Differences
This isn’t going to be an in-depth
look at the theory of both pumps.
Instead, we’re going to focus on how
to identify the two systems’ parts, and
what you need to change. For those of
you who want the “whys” answered,
we’ll discuss that at the end of this
article.
CAUTION: Never attempt to cross
the bellhousing, pump plate, and pump
body. When making this conversion,
all three of these components must be
the non-PWM style. These components
are completely different; mismatching
them will damage the transmission.
Refer to figure 1 to identify the differ-
ent parts.
The one part that can be modified
to work with either system is the input
shaft. The fluid passages in both shafts
are identical (figure 2). The one differ-
ence is the PWM-style shaft doesn’t
have an orifice check valve at the con-
verter end (figure 3). If possible, you
should use the on/off-style shaft with
the valve already installed, but if it isn’t
available, you can install a new valve
into the PWM shaft. The check valve is
the same as the one in a 4L60E and is
available from your transmission parts
supplier.
Never use a shaft without the
valve; that will cause extremely firm
TCC apply and will damage the TCC
clutch material.
One final difference involves the
torque converter itself: The PWM con-
verter uses a woven carbon clutch; the
on/off style uses a standard paper clutch
(figure 4). Since we’re going to convert
lockup apply to an on/off style, there’s
no need to spend the extra money on
the woven carbon-style clutch. In fact,
the woven carbon is more delicate than
the paper, and could be damaged if used
with a firm, on/off apply. The paper
clutch style converter can be ordered
by using the Rodeo Application with a
GEARS July 2008
3.5L engine. The spring behind the TCC con-
The other part of the system is the trol valve applies 4.5 lbs at working
TCC solenoid. Since an on/off-style height. With the valve’s signal land
lockup solenoid has a resistance of 18- being 0.12”, it’ll take about 38 lbs of
20 ohms and the PWM solenoid has a signal oil to switch the valve.
resistance of 9.5-10.5 ohms, always use With the help of G&S Transmis-
the PWM style solenoid or the computer sions in Garden Grove, CA, we moni-
will set code P1860 (TCC solenoid elec- tored the TCC solenoid duty cycle in
trical circuit). a 2000 Trooper with the PWM-style
An important consideration is how pump and converter. The computer
lockup will feel after the changeover. started to signal the solenoid at about
TCC apply will be firmer than it was 40 MPH, and quickly rose to 50% duty
with the PWM system. Always discuss cycle. The duty cycle remained at 50%
this with the customer before the conver- through third and fourth gears.
sion; don’t wait until you’re finished to
explain the difference. If you explain it
beforehand, the customer will expect the
difference and appreciate your efforts;
waiting until later, your explanation
starts to sound more like an excuse for a
condition you weren’t expecting.
Why It Works
Figure 5 shows the differences in
the pump gasket area. The on/off pump
is missing the additional machining
groove for the enable valve in the PWM
pump. This won’t affect gasket sealing
or hydraulic operation.
The other difference is the addition
of a front seal drainback hole that leads
straight to exhaust in the overdrive sec-
tion. This is actually a better design,
because there’s less wormtrack area
for crossleaks to allow pressure to get
behind the front seal and cause front
seal popout.
Now let’s look at the hydraulic
operation: Figure 5 shows the TCC
solenoid signal hole is in the identical
location in both pumps. The difference
is instead of the solenoid signal oil
actuating the enable valve, the torque
converter clutch control valve, and the
isolator valve, it now has only one
responsibility: to shift the on/off con-
verter clutch control valve to the apply Figure 2
position.
Figure 3
5
4L30E Pump Interchange
50% is low,
because the freshly-
built transmission had
a solid lockup and the
computer saw that
the clutch was fully
engaged at 50%. The
computer will con-
tinue to increase the
duty cycle until the
slip drops below 50
RPM. On the PWM
application, the clutch
is designed to slip no Figure 4
more than 50 RPM,
but usually slips under 5 RPM. computer will only set code P1811 with the pump area.
Second gear oil provides TCC when the slip is between 250 and 800
solenoid feed; basically it’s mainline RPM for seven seconds, and it has to I hope you enjoyed this first edi-
pressure. Using our solenoid dyno in occur three times in a row. tion of Playing with Fire as much as
the shop, we found that at 90 PSI — The other code is P0742 — TCC I did researching and writing it. If you
which would be a light throttle cruising stuck on. This code will only set if TCC have an interchange question you’d like
pressure — it takes a 45% duty cycle is commanded completely off and TCC to see addressed here, drop us a line
to achieve 50 lbs of signal oil to the slip is between –20 and 40 RPM for and we’ll see about presenting it in a
actuating side of the TCC control valve. two seconds, while throttle opening is future issue.
That’s plenty of pressure for our 38-lb above 20%. That isn’t a condition that Until then, remember: If you’re
valve to stroke. Voila! Lockup. From this modification should affect. going to play with fire, make sure you
that point, as line goes up, the duty That’s it. Lockup will work beau- pay attention and know exactly what
cycle will need less signal to engage tifully and line pressure will run the you’re doing. That way you won’t get
lockup. That’s okay; we still end up same as it did with the original pump. burned!
with lockup fully applied. As always, good rebuilding practice “A Special thanks to Raffi at ITC
The computer has two codes for dictates that all mating and mounting of Fresno, CA for his help with this
lockup ratio problems, and duty cycle surfaces be flat and torqued to specs. article.”
isn’t involved with either one. The You shouldn’t have any other problems

Figure 5

6 GEARS July 2008

 The Choice is Simple.
Genuine ZF.

ZF 6-speed (6HP)
automatic parts,
kits and fluid
now available!

800.451.2595
www.zf.com/na

A quality product, a seamless installation, and a satisfied customer – the results of a genuine
remanufacturing process and the reasons why ZF makes the choice simple when it comes to
choosing a product that will exceed your customers’ expectations.

Mile-for-mile, Genuine ZF remanufactured automatic and manual transmissions last longer,

perform better, and are of greater value in the long run. Genuine ZF products are remanufactured
by expert technicians to exact factory specifications, utilizing only genuine parts and exclusive
testing technology.

For a ZF Authorized Distributor in your area, visit www.zf.com/na.

Driveline and Chassis Technology