Solenoid and Valve Body Testing Articles

by Hydra-Test USA Team

The Hydra-Test SOL solenoid testing machine allows complete testing and adjustments of solenoids from all major automotive manufacturers. With our growing list of available adapter blocks, we have coverage

for the models you are servicing today and those you will be servicing tomorrow. Combined with our solenoid testing version of our HTC-S Controller and our unique solenoid testing software platform, you

have the ability to record, compare, and verify solenoid functionality with unparalleled precision and accuracy for tests and results you can be confident in.

HYDRA-TEST HT-VBT DELUXE CLIENT REFERENCE REVIEW

There are some common processes used regardless if you are a shop rebuilding a transmission on the bench or are a large reman with assembly lines for high volume production of units. In either case, there is a process of disassembly and determining what parts are good and can be reused, and which ones are bad and must be replaced. Many hard parts that can simply be inspected for wear, cracks, or other damage and determined very quickly if they are useable or not. Many soft parts are automatically replaced as they are not reusable. Between these two types of parts are the ones that require some level of testing to determine if they can be reused or if they need to be replaced. Solenoids are a prime example of such a part since a hydraulic test is required to determine if they are still functioning properly.

LINK to GEARS

In the last couple of articles, we used terminology relating to pressure control solenoids such as PWM, Frequency, and Duty Cycle. In this article, I thought I would go into depth on what these terms really mean and how they relate to solenoid control. As transmissions have gone from only a few pressure control solenoids to many or even having all of them as pressure control solenoids, a good understanding of these terms is critical for diagnosing error codes and testing components when vehicles come into your shop.

LINK to GEARS

The variety and shape of solenoids used in modern transmissions change with each new model. On any rebuild, solenoids are a suspect part and should either be tested and verified for proper operation or replaced. Some shops opt to just replace all the solenoids on the valve body. On some models, that makes sense as the replacement solenoids are fairly inexpensive. For other models, the cost of the solenoids makes it worthwhile to test and only replace the ones that are worn or faulty.

LINK to GEARS

In our last article we talked about frequency and how it relates to the mechanical response of a solenoid when Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) is used to control a solenoid. We discussed some of the theory, but what does this look like with an actual solenoid? How does frequency affect the response of a solenoid and how critical is matching the OEM frequency when driving a solenoid, especially when we start talking about testing and reclaiming solenoids.

LINK to GEARS

Mechatronic and TEHCM Testing Options

by Hydra-Test USA Team

have the ability to record, compare, and verify solenoid functionality with unparalleled precision and accuracy for tests and results you can be confident in.

Every automatic transmission specialist has their own method of dealing with Transmission Control Modules and mechatronics units issues. Some rebuild them, some replace them, but most curse this complex part of the gearbox. However, do we all know them well? To begin, let us review on what we know about valve bodies.

LINK to GO4TRANS

As people with scarce hands-on experience in the field of valve body rebuilding and testing we sought experience of specialists who have profound knowledge of both rebuilding technology and testing equipment production process. Alan Smith, Managing Director and Alexey Shihov, Hardware Engineer at Cottingham Engineering / Hydra-Test shared their thoughts with us during preparation of material for this article.

LINK to GO4TRANS