Transmission Misdiagnosis

 

By: Roger Osterholt

11/05/2018

 

One of the most common gear related misdiagnoses in the trucking industry is "the transmission or a differential has a bearing going out". While this can sometimes be the case, often the cause can be found elsewhere on the truck. The shift stick coming into the cab acts as a 3 foot long "tuning fork" that brings stray vibrations straight to the driver.  

 

We reached out to one of our experts, Roger Osterholt, who is an ASE Certified Mechanic here at Vander Haag's, Inc. Roger told us about a situation where one of our customers ended up dumping several unnecessary parts into his truck when all he needed was a few minor adjustments to solve the problem he was experiencing. This customer, who we will call "Bill", bought a reman transmission from VHI last March because his longtime mechanic "Dave" said he had a bearing going out. His mechanic installed the reman transmission and about a week later, Bill called VHI back saying the reman was defective and he will be at the shop with the transmission in hand for warranty. After VHI employees began dissecting the returned reman, our team informed Bill there was no defect with the transmission and the cause of the problem was elsewhere on the truck. Over the next month, Dave continued to try different parts on Bill’s truck such as differentials, U-joints, hanger bearings, and tires. The "tune" in the cab changed with each new part replaced, but never fully disappeared. Bill finally brought his truck to a VHI shop for diagnosis and warranty, since he and Dave still believed the cause of the problem was a defective reman transmission. In an attempt to resolve the issue, the ASE certified mechanics at VHI replaced a broken cross member and adjusted the ride height of the drive axles to put the driveshaft angles within specs. Once these adjustments were made, the problem was resolved. These adjustments were the only thing that Bill's truck actually needed - even before Dave installed the reman transmission!

 

At Vander Haag's, Inc., not only will you receive high quality products that are fully inspected, but you can also expect the highest quality of service. 

 

Here are a few tips to consider: 

 

Ride height is dictated by U-joint driveline angles between the transmission, PDA & the CRR. Most of these angles are non-adjustable measurements incorporated into truck design. However, a quick rule of thumb for adjustable ride height is that the U-joint angles between the front & rear diff should cancel each other out within 5 degrees on most truck models. Many different things can cause ride height to fall out of spec ranging from worn suspension components to incorrect adjustments. If you are struggling with a misdiagnosis or are having issues with your truck call Vander Haag’s, Inc.’s Service department today to have your truck inspected with our ASE certified technicians!

 


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While Vander Haag's, Inc still holds strong to its family focused values that have been at the core of the business since first opening in 1939, the company now features 11 Midwest locations selling quality used/rebuilt/new truck parts, selling commercial trucks & trailers, and providing full service heavy duty truck repair. 43.178044 -95.155024  Spencer, IA 41.640436 -93.584249  Des Moines, IA 43.594099 -96.709450  Sioux Falls, SD 41.158006 -95.826804  Council Bluffs, IA 39.065417 -94.498172  Kansas City, MO 41.033283 -86.596167  Winamac, IN 39.740696 -86.255676  Indianapolis, IN 39.960151 -83.366700  London, OH 38.176011 -85.750102  Louisville, KY 32.807028 -96.873557  Dallas, TX 38.751480 -90.470276  Bridgeton, MO

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