OUR SPECIALTY SINCE 1978
Transmission rebuilding has been our main focus since 1978. We rebuild most units in house. The term "rebuild" and "overhaul" get thrown around a lot. We use the terms interchangeably to describe the process we go through to remove, disassemble, inspect, reassemble, and reinstall your transmission. So what do we mean when we say it?
COMPLETE DISASSEMBLY
Many shops offer "repairs" where they go into your unit and only disassemble what they assume to be "problem" sections, effectively patching your transmission and reinstalling it. While this may sound more cost effective, the reality is that by the time the transmission is removed and placed on the bench, most of the cost has already been realized. By attempting to patch the unit, they cannot completely disassemble the unit, which means that it cannot be cleaned. This means that the risk of contamination from dirt and debris from the previous failure is impossible to prevent. Not taking the unit completely apart also means that parts that are 80-90% used up and costs tens of dollars by themselves to replace while you are already in the unit, are reused. Thus, in an effort to save $20, parts that are mostly used up are left in your transmission because they haven't quite yet failed today.
We don't do things this way. We ask the question, "what about tomorrow?" Every rebuilt unit is fully disassembled and cleaned to allow complete inspection and replacement of worn and damaged parts. We replace all soft parts (clutches, bands, rubber components, etc.) and most solenoids on every overhaul. Our goal is to build your unit back better than it was when it left the factory.
FIXING ROOT CAUSES
Experience isn't something you can just Google, but over 45 years in the business (actual experience, not "combined") provides a lot of it. We use that experience, coupled with constant and continuing education courses, and involvement with industry contacts and tech services to stay abreast of the root causes of your transmissions failure. This analytical approach even lead us to the creation of our SF-99 Servo Pin Bore Repair System. Rest assured that when you hire us to fix your vehicle, we've done what we could to address the root cause(s) of failure, not just patched it back together.
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MACHINE WORK
The honest truth about factory machine work on most parts is that the parts are mass manufactured with an emphasis on how many parts were produced that day, not how far out of tolerance the machine drifted in between adjustments. The other truth is that every day you use your vehicle the whole powertrain is warmed up from ambient (that can range from -40 to 100 above) to 200 degrees, than cooled back down again. Twice. After 100000 miles of this, things aren't quite as straight as they were when the inspector sampled one or two parts from the bin of parts yours was in.
To address the cross leaks caused by these facts, we have several machines in-house and a close relationship with a local machine shop. This is a standard part of most overhauls. Ask us for more information about your application.
COOLER FLUSHING
While it's not possible to flush an automatic transmission, when a transmission fails it contaminates it's external cooling system. While many believe that these coolers can be cleaned with some brake cleaner and a couple puffs of compressed air, we've seen different.
We have machines that run heated transmission fluid through the cooler circuit. These machines automatically reverse direction and inject air. All the returning fluid passes through a 28 micron metal screen. This extremely fine screen shows us how much debris is coming out of the cooler and allows us to verify that the cooler is actually clean. This way we don't contaminate your new rebuild with debris from your failure.
Running the machines until the screen stays clean is standard procedure on all overhauls.
FACE TO FACE WARRANTY
We live here. We're here, in person, Monday to Friday. No email dodging, no endless phone tag with someone you've never met, you can find us and speak to us in person. We've built our reputation on over forty years of standing behind our product.
CUSTOMIZATION AND OPTIONS
Have a tuned diesel? Maybe looking for someone to make your hot rod work right? Our baseline builds for most units include many performance upgrades with other options available, and we have extensive experience swapping transmissions into project vehicles. We actually drive our product when it's done, so we understand the difference between "it works" and giving you back a car that works the way you imagined it would. Also, because we sign off on it when it's done, in person, you can rest assured that when you pick your car up, you're driving away with a valid warranty backed by someone you can find. Not a piece of paper with a bunch of fine print and an email address.
While much ink and many pixels have died on these subjects, nothing beats the in person knowledge and input of someone who's actually built transmissions for your toy. Give us a call and we'll be happy to discuss what we can do for you today.