Fixing a U140E that won't reverse

April 30, 2015
During an overhaul of a U140E transmission, it was determined that the original valve body needed replacement. After installation the vehicle had no reverse engagement unless the selector lever was moved around.

During an overhaul of a U140E transmission, it was determined that the original valve body needed replacement. After installation the vehicle had no reverse engagement unless the selector lever was moved around. When drive was selected, a severe delayed engagement was present.

When the selector lever was moved one detent lower, engagement was immediate. When the technician compared the experienced valve body to the original, he noticed that the manual valves were different lengths (Figure 1). Upon further investigation, all U140E transmissions have the same length manual valve.

What had happened was, the experienced valve body had a U151E manual valve in it which is a different length than the U140E valve. The technician then put the manual valve from the original valve body into the used valve body and the transmission performed flawlessly. The dimensions for the U140E Manual Valve can be seen in Figures 2 and 3 and the U151E manual valve is shown in Figures 4 and 5.

About the Author

Wayne Colonna | POWERTRAIN PRO Publisher

Wayne Colonna is president of the Automatic Transmission Service Group (ATSG) in Cutler Bay, Fla., and a frequent speaker/instructor for transmission training around the globe.

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