Operation

OPERATING CONDITIONS





FUNCTION OF COMPONENTS

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

HYDRAULIC CONTROL SYSTEM



The hydraulic control system is composed of the oil pump, the valve body, the solenoid valves, and the clutches and brakes, as well as the fluid passages which connect all of these components. Based on the hydraulic pressure created by the oil pump, the hydraulic control system governs the hydraulic pressure acting on the torque converter, clutches and brakes in accordance with the vehicle driving conditions.

There are three solenoid valves on the valve body. These solenoid valves are turned on and off by signals from the ECU to operate the shift valves. These shift valves then switch the fluid passages so that fluid goes to the torque converter and planetary gear units.

(Except for the solenoid valves, the hydraulic control system of the ECT is basically the same as that of the fully hydraulic controlled automatic transmission.)

- Line Pressure
Line pressure is the most basic and important pressure used in the automatic transmission, because it is used to operate all of the clutches and brakes in the transmission. If the primary regulator valve does not operate correctly, line pressure will be either too high or too low. Line pressure that is too high will lead to shifting shock and consequent engine power loss due to the greater effort required of the oil pump; line pressure that is too low will cause slippage of clutches and brakes, which will, in extreme cases, prevent the vehicle from moving. Therefore, if either of these problems are noted, the line pressure should be measured to see if it is within standard.

- Throttle Pressure
Throttle pressure is always kept in accordance with the opening angle of the engine throttle valve. This throttle pressure acts on the primary regulator valve and, accordingly, line pressure is regulated in response to the throttle valve opening.

In the fully hydraulic controlled automatic transmission, throttle pressure is used for regulating line pressure and as signal pressure for up-shift and down-shift of the transmission. In the ECT, however, throttle pressure is used only for regulating line pressure. Consequently, improper adjustment of the transmission throttle cable may result in a line pressure that is too high or too low. This, in turn, will lead to shifting shock or clutch and brake slippage.

ELECTRONIC CONTROL SYSTEM



The electronic control system, which controls the shift points and the operation of the lock-up clutch, is composed of the following three parts:

1. Sensors
These sensors sense the vehicle speed, throttle opening and other conditions and send these data to the ECU in the form of electrical signals.

2. ECU
The ECU determines the shift and lock-up timing based upon the signals from sensors, and controls the solenoid valves of the hydraulic control unit accordingly.

3. Actuators
These are three solenoid valves that control hydraulic pressure acting on the hydraulic valves to control shifting and lock-up timing.