CD4E
1994-2002:
The GF is still being installed in the V6 cars, but the four-cylinder models get a new transmission, sourced from Ford. Designated the LA4A-EL by Mazda and CD4E by Ford - we will call it by its Ford nomenclature hereafter - it first appears on Ford of Europe's Mondeo in 1993, which made its USA debut in 1995 as the Ford Contour/Mercury Mystique. The CD4E is also put to work in the front-drive Mercury Cougar, built alongside the 626 at Flat Rock after Probe/MX-6 production ends, and, reworked for 4wd use where needed, in the Mazda Tribute/Ford Escape SUV twins. The CD4E is manufactured in Batavia, Ohio under the auspices of ZF Batavia, a joint venture of Ford and ZF Friedrichshafen AG.
Are Ford's service recommendations for the CD4E the same?
Ford says this:
"Under normal vehicle operating conditions, transmission service (transmission model CD4E) is not required unless 5,000 mile fluid inspections reveal either contamination or discoloration of fluid, or transmission exhibits functional concerns."
Definitely sounds like you ought to look at the fluid every 5,000 miles.
http://www.dustbury.com/626/trans.htmlIs Ford getting out of making automatic transmissions?
published: 06 December 2000
Robert Lane
date of revision:
source:
Ford Motor Company employees are beginning to accuse Ford management of selling off the companies automatic transmission division - piece by piece. Ford recently entered into a joint venture with ZF of Germany to produce the upcoming CVT transmission at the former Ford Batavia transmission plant. Ford management proclaimed the joint venture with ZF as a win because Ford would gain immediate access to superior technology and high quality manufacturing.
Sources at Ford Motor Company have told BlueOvalNews that Ford itself had the opportunity and technology to improve the AX4S transmission used in the Taurus/Windstar. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, the AX4S transmissions are failing at an unprecedented rate. During the past few years Ford engineers may have been able to solve problems with the AX4S with several upgrades by developing working prototypes of five and six speed designs that would improve fuel economy, reliability and durability; however, Ford Motor Company may have killed the projects because of their alleged position to abandon the development small automatic transmissions.
A theory that's being kicked around by Ford employees is that the company wants to rid itself of the automatic transmission business all together by arguing that the entire division is not and cannot be competitive.
Ford employees contend that the company has good transmissions and that they can make them even better - providing Ford management invested in them. Case in point? The 5R110W transmission that is a successful revision of the 4R100.
But the status of the CVT's development has Ford transmission employees on alert. Some believe that the original deal with ZF was to transfer all Ford automatic transmission operations to ZF over several years. But Ford and ZF may have hit a snag in the road as ZF could not acquire enough funding so the deal was watered down with Batavia being sold first.
Sources familiar with ZF's acquisition of Batavia claim that the plant was worth at least $500 million but Ford under valued it at $20 million to entice ZF to go along with the deal.
Since the ZF deal Ford has virtually stopped the development of all front wheel drive transmissions. Some within Ford management claim that they couldn't develop the technology needed for the next generation of transmissions required for fuel economy improvement without ZF's assistance. Some Ford employees say that's not true and that Ford over estimated ZF's technological superiority. Sources have noted that after several years into the joint venture, ZF is having developmental problems with the CVT's belt drive. So serious are the problems that it has even been reported that the high torque CVT version has been scrapped all together. The high torque CVT was expected to replace the AX4S. Even the smaller CVT cousin is in peril having failed multiple durability tests, according to sources.
The former Ford Batavia plant that makes the CD4E are claiming that the quality has diminished and that ZF cannot meet cost cutting program targets. Sources have told BlueOvalNews that ZF has had to raise the price of the CD4E by $300. each to keep operating in the black.
But some Ford managers insist that the program is viable and they might even extend it further by buying 6 speed automatic transmissions from ZF to replace both the 4R70W and 5R55 transmissions currently in service. Ford was anticipating on paying between $1050. and $1100. for each transmission while ZF's figure was closer to $1,600. Ford has reportedly agreed to ante up and pay the $1,600. ZF demanded.
Is Ford's plan to shed their automatic transmission division good for shareholders? That depends on who you ask. Some would contend that Ford runs the heavy risk of relying too heavily on ZF and Ford could lose out if design and reliability issues arise. GM sourced out their all new truck transmission to Allision; although, it's a GM subsidiary. GM also supplies automatic transmissions for the BMW 7-Series. GM's hanging tough with their automatic transmission development and some Ford employees feel Ford management's continued cuts in engineering are getting too close to the core of their operations.
00-T07 What's New With The CD4E?
TotalTech's Greg Catanzaro takes an inside and outside look at the CD4E including diagnostics, rebuilding tips and parts interchange. What works with certain model years and what doesn't.
ORDER BY:
Phone: 417-866-3917; 800-274-7890 (U.S.) 8am-5pm CST
Fax: 417-866-2781
Mail: PO BOX 2210, Springfield, MO 65801-2210
email:
editor@transdigest.com Ford CD4E
Vehicles: Contour, Mazda 626, Mondeo, Mystique
Batavia plant caught up in a world of change
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Mike Boyer
The Cincinnati Enquirer
BATAVIA - From the outside, little appears to have changed at the sprawling former Ford Motor Co. transmission plant near here.
The familiar blue Ford oval signs outside the 20-year-old plant have been replaced with a blue ZF circle, reflecting the fact the building is now owned by a joint venture between ZF Friedrichshafen AG, the German auto parts maker, and Ford.
But inside the 1.8-million-square-foot plant, a world of change is occurring.
Eighteen months ago, Ford and ZF - which traces its roots to Graf Ferdinand von Zepplin - created a partnership at Batavia (51 percent owned by ZF) to produce a new automatic transmission, called a continuously variable transmission (CVT), for small and medium-size vehicles.
Unlike the past, when the Batavia plant took direction from Ford and supplied front-wheel-drive transmissions to only it and its affiliates such as Mazda, ZF Batavia is an independent business and needed to develop many of the functions previously supplied by Ford.
"It's been a major challenge, figuring out how to do all of that locally," said David Adams, ZF Batavia president.
The plant has had to develop its own sales force, purchasing and quality control units and financial and accounting departments.
As an unusual marriage of automaker and auto supplier, Mr. Adams said, "This project is being watched at the highest levels of both companies."
Among the changes introduced at ZF Batavia:
� To produce CVTs for Ford and other automakers starting in 2002, the plant is preparing for a massive capital investment next year approaching three-quarters of a billion dollars.
The investment in new production machinery to produce CVTs is expected to be one of the largest capital projects in Ohio. In preparation for that investment, a vast area on the east end of the plant has been cleared for the machinery.
� The plant has already invested $60 million and is producing a beefed up version of a four-speed automatic transmission, called the CD4E, for the new Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute small sport utility vehicles debuting this summer.
� Reflecting the plant's new ownership, there's a new diversity among its workers. Its work force is an amalgam of Ford workers, new hires by the joint venture and engineers and others brought in by ZF.
The mix is designed to bring a new corporate culture to ZF Batavia.
"What we're trying to do here is bring a sense of the world to Batavia," Mr. Adams said.
The plant, which employs 1,100, has added about 150 new workers. In an unusual move, Ford allowed Batavia employees to decide whether they wanted to stay with Ford or become part of the new joint venture.
Many who didn't want to work for the joint venture were allowed to transfer to Ford's Sharonville plant. At the same time, new hourly employees hired by the joint venture are members of the United Auto Workers, like their Ford counterparts. Their labor agreement, while separate, mirrors that between Ford and the UAW, Mr. Adams said.
"The UAW has been extremely helpful to us," he said.
CVTs like those ZF Batavia will begin producing in a couple years have been around for about 20 years, but are getting increased attention in the auto industry because they promise increased fuel economy and better performance.
Unlike traditional transmissions that use a series of gears to transmit the engine's power to the wheels, CVTs use two variable diameter pulleys that continuously adapt to road conditions without gear shifts.
CVTs are expected to achieve about 10 percent improvement in fuel economy, an important consideration for Ford and other automakers as they work to achieve government-ordered Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, targets.
They could also be attractive to car buyers too, if gasoline continues to hover around $2 a gallon.
"If these (gas) prices continue we won't be able to build enough (CVTs)," Mr. Adams said.
As it is, ZF Batavia expects to eventually produce about 1.2 million CVTs annually from the plant, about four times the plant's annual production of about 300,000 units.
Achieving that production will mean more jobs at Batavia, but Mr. Adams cautions that employment won't increase by the same magnitude as production because CVTs contain fewer parts and thus less labor than the plant's current front-wheel-drive transmissions.
CVTs are produced now by Honda and some other automakers in small quantities, but the key to ZF Batavia's success will be reaching high production volumes quickly to justify the massive capital investment required, Mr. Adams said. To do that, he said, the plant will add production capacity in small increments. Initially, it will produce about 250,000 CVTs annually.
"We'll run this facility with a great degree of flexibility to produce a broad spectrum of products," he said.
Before the CVTs come on line, ZF Batavia is the sole source for the beefed-up CD4E transmission which will be used on both four-cylinder and V-6 versions of the Ford Escape and Mazda Tribute SUVs debuting in September.
Batavia has produced the front-wheel drive CD4E for the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique, Mazda 626 and Ford's European-built Mondeo since those vehicles were introduced. But Ford is phasing out the Contour and Mystique. It stopped assemblying those vehicles at its Kansas City, Mo., assembly plant in January, so the plant could retool to build the Escape.
Stanley F. Meyer, a Ford product planning manager who is now director of sales and planning and ZF Batavia, said when Ford and Mazda, which is partially owned by Ford, began planning a new small SUV about three years ago, Mazda proposed building the transmission at one of its plants in Japan.
Engineers at Batavia, which wanted to retain the Kansas City plant as a customer, developed improvements to the CD4E such as a new differential and the capability to be used on either front-wheel- or four-wheel-drive vehicles to make it compatible with the new SUV.
"Because of the improvements proposed here and exchange rates and other economic issues, this facility basically got the business," Mr. Meyer said.
Production volume for the Escape and Tribute is critical to the Batavia plant because without it there wouldn't be sufficient CD4E volume to support the plant's operations until the CVT production begins.
Batavia began producing the transmissions for the Escape and Tribute in November. The plant has been operating one shift, producing about 800 units a day since then, but will go to two shifts, producing twice that number when the plant returns from its two-week summer shutdown in mid-July.
Automatic (ATX) Gearbox Critical Maintenance
Primary Cause of ATX failure
o Insufficiently frequent ATX oil changes & overheating are the primary causes of automatic gearbox failure.
o ATX oil (ATF) should run at 175oF, every 20oF above that halves its lifetime - coolant temperatures quarter its lifetime. The gearbox oil is continually contaminated by the circulation of clutch-pack abrasive particles throughout the gearbox.
o Factory change intervals (600hrs) are too long compared to the high temperature service life (300hrs) of ATX oil.
o In slow moving traffic there is little or no airflow over the tiny factory cooler, and at the same time the thermal input into the ATX oil will be at it's greatest through normal torque-convertor slippage. At a minimum the factory should have implemented a slightly larger cooler with it's own temperature switched fan.
o The CD4E is a poor transmission, the 4EAT/GF4A-EL is a better transmission (fitted to V6s) but both have overheating problems.
Solutions
o Stage-1 - Improve Contaminant Removal
-- Annual ATX fluid changes
The factory specified interval of 2yrs/24,000 miles is too long.
An average speed of 40mph for 24,000 miles requires 600 hours of running, yet ATX gearbox fluid will degrade in GM THOT tests under 300 hours.
Thus the ATX fluid change interval should instead be 1yr/12,000 miles.
A Synthetic ATX fluid is available and withstands higher temperatures, but in view of the abrasive material contamination in ATX gearboxes it is better to use a non-synthetic oil annually than be forced through expense to leave a synthetic oil in for two years: clean oil is best. Clean oil can also markedly improve shifting & fuel economy.
-- Avoid Incomplete ATX fluid changes
Changing the oil on an ATX involves dropping the ATX oil pan and replacing the mesh filter. Unfortunately this only changes 3.8L of oil with 5L of dirty oil and abrasive particles still remaining in the torque-convertor & gearbox.
To change all 8.8L of oil requires the following procedure: two large 20L buckets, one with 10L of oil, the other empty; hoses to the ATX oil cooler are removed and extended into the empty bucket; the engine is started for 1 second and the hose ejecting oil is left in the empty bucket whilst the now identified oil-intake hose is moved to the bucket containing fresh oil; the engine is restarted and run until only clean oil exits. Two people are required and Dealers do not perform such a service as routine - it must requested. Complete oil changes will greatly extend the life of the ATX.
Complete oil changes as per the procedure above are DIYable, with a cost of 30$US versus 2500$US for a gearbox repair they should be considered mandatory.
-- Inline ATX Oil Filter
The mesh filter on the 4EAT ATX oil pan filters only to 200 microns. Inline ATX-specific filters can be fitted which filter down to 50-10 microns and so remove abrasive clutch material as it occurs rather than circulating it around torque-convertor, clutches, valve-body, oil pump. Traditional "spin-on filters" & adapters are available.
The CD4E transmission has a filter, but it is embedded deep inside the transmission for some reason known only to Ford. Thus it is very advisable to buy an external inline oil filter (eg,
www.permacool.com) and do a complete fluid change annually. The transmissions are rated only slightly above the US AXOD Taurus transmissions, and so the use of cheapest-brand full-synthetic annually may be advisable since some problems are as much design as overheating related.
o Stage-2 - Improve Thermal Cooling
-- ATX fluid is used for lubrication, hydraulics (1,910 psi), cooling and actual transfer of power to wheels. With power transmission losses of 20% and 120kW available from the engine, up to 24kW largely in the form of heat must be removed by the ATX fluid & a tiny factory ATX cooler.
-- When ATX fluid is overheated or "burnt" it degrades to a brown colour and loses lubrication capability causing rapid transmission wear. Such breakdown of ATX oil through overheating can be sudden, is non-reversible and not readily obvious until catastrophic failure results.
o Oil Cooler Upgrade Choice
-- A) Hayden "Tube-&-Fin" Cooler
Avoid. The several pipe & U-bend tube-&-fin motorhome coolers offer inferior cooling in slow moving traffic, lower fluid flow. They are an old technology compared to even the stock factory oil-cooler. A tube-&-fin cooler must be much larger than the equivalent sandwich-plate cooler which has the disadvantage of reducing airflow through condenser & engine radiator hence factory radiators are of the sandwich plate design: greater cooling in a smaller package.
-- B) Hayden "Sandwich-Plate" Cooler
Appropriate. Brand names Hayden Trucool/Rapidcool. Near factory-grade cooler providing high efficient cooling in a small package to maintain airflow through condenser & coolant radiator.
---- Hayden 7134711, 8" x 11", 3/8"-NPT inlet, cooler, 60$US
----
www.bakerprecision.com/trucool.htm An alternative brand is B&M Automatic Transmission SuperCooler.
-- C) Setrab, Mocal, Earl "Sandwich-Plate" Cooler
Ideal. Whilst costing more, they are the factory grade solution chosen by marque the world over for their reliability, efficiency & compact size both in production & racing-team use.
---- Setrab # 616-6, 16-row, 4.75" x 13", 6AN fitting, cooler, 101$US
---- Setrab # 619-6, 19-row, 5.75" x 13", 6AN fitting, cooler, 115$US
----
www.bakerprecision.com/setrab.htm-- D) Setrab, Mocal, Earl "Sandwich-Plate" Cooler with Fan & Thermostat
The real solution. The problem with all coolers is that they requires air to be flowing over the radiator. Crawling along for an hour in summer heat produces least air flow over the radiator when most is needed.
The solution is an oil-cooler with Fan & Thermstat, so making the maintenance of cooled ATX independent of vehicle speed even in stop & go traffic.
-- Smaller Mocal 115mm x 16-row Sandwich-Plate Cooler - 46.82
-- Fan housing for 115mm x 16-row - 20.05
-- Fan 119mm square, 12V - 22.05
-- Electric fan thermostat - 7.00
The cost-benefit is simple: 95.92 versus 1,800.00.
Costing little more than an oil change service, comparable to the many junk automative "improvement" products out there, and also
goes a long way to negating the need for 8.8L of costly Synthetic ATX fluid.
-- A UK Supplier of Oil Coolers is
www.thinkauto.co.uk. o Oil Cooler Comparative Sizing:
-- To underline the undersizing of the stock ATX cooler, the Ford 1.8-engine uses a 24" x 4" ATX cooler, whereas the Mazda 2.5-engine ATX cooler is approximately 70% smaller yet must handle a nearly 50% bigger engine with 60% greater torque & thermal dissipation, and an ATX which is known to have overheating problems in itself.
-- The compact sizing of the sandwich-plate design can be seen.
Following this sizing the Mazda unit should be 12" x 10" in sandwich-plate, or an enormous 28" x 12" in the inefficient tube-&-fin design. Fitting a tube-&-fin cooler will reduce the cooling performance of the engine radiator & air-conditioning condenser.
Cooler Installation
o Hose clamps
-- Minaba hose clamps should be used on oil lines, particularly where maintenance for complete oil changes requires their removal & re-use. Minaba clamps use a double-band rolled-edge construction, no sharp band tails; never leak, clamp all around the hose without cutting it; re-usable. Stainless steel version are available.
o Cooler mounting bracket
Situate the ATX cooler in front of the coolant radiator to ensure low temperature air in slow moving traffic. Where a cooler is not mounted by pass-through plastic tags, it may be more ideally mounted to an aluminium L-angle from a hardware store or
www.aircraftspruce.com. Aircraft Spruce offer 12"-multiple lengths of 2"x2"x1/8" 03-48400 at 2.20$US, 03-48500 1/4" at 3.60$US, T6061T6 aluminium.
Mazda Factory-Remanufactured Automatic (ATX) Gearbox
Mazda Factory-Remanufactured Automatic (ATX) Gearbox
A factory remanufactured unit is available from discount Mazda Dealers such as
www.trussvillemazda.com. Trussville are ~2500$US with old unit as "core". Their benefit is that factory parts such as new cases are used if the original is out of spec, and the considerable design improvements from 1993-2000 are implemented. If sourcing a gearbox from elsewhere, ensure all updates are performed so you gain the (greater) reliability of the 2000 gearbox and enquire whether updated parts are available (stronger torque-convertor & Raybestos Blue clutches for example). Annual oil changes should be effected on any Probe/Mazda automatic gearbox as their cost vs repair is minimal.
Upgraded Automatic Gearbox Parts
o Upgraded parts for reliability & performance such as torque-convertors, clutch-packs, oil-pumps are available from Level-Ten or ProTorque.
o Obviously before such upgrades, the first upgrade is cooling.
PranQster I do not like your ramps for I have heard that those are prone collapse over time with repeated use.
-- Smaller Mocal 115mm x 16-row Sandwich-Plate Cooler - 46.82
-- Fan housing for 115mm x 16-row - 20.05
-- Fan 119mm square, 12V - 22.05
-- Electric fan thermostat - 7.00
Electric Cooling Fans (for oil coolers, water radiators, a/c condensers in 5 1/2, 6 1/2, 7 1/2, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 16 inch diameters)
Importer/Distributor - BAT, Inc.
7630 Matoaka Rd.
Sarasota, FL 34243
(941) 355-0005
Fax (941) 355-4683
Tru-Cool transmission coolers, Hayden transmission coolers
I did list two Hayden ATX coolers,both speced for Contour(so they fit!), one of those has side entry lines, or use a cooler that takes 90deg screw in unions and then Parker 'quick-Loc barbs......BTW, 1/2" bore is a little large for the ATX cooler, most are 3/8" bore...
reason for ATX oil cooler
Temp Miles Life/ E Conditions
315 degF 800 Seals & clutches burn out, oil forms carbon
295 degF 1,500 Plates slip
260 degF 5,000 Seals Harden
240 degF 10,000 Varnish forms
220 degF 20,000
195 degF 50,000 LOW HEAT = HIGH MILEAGE
175 degF 100,000 Bingo!....fit a trans temp gage then a cooler!!!!
$30.00 MF R038M Magnefine External ATF Filter, 3/8" [wt 1 lb]
Magnetic filter with 3/8" nipples (replaces Ford kit)
B&M ATX Super Cooler
Magnefine External ATX Filter 3/8" with 3/8" nipples
Magnefine Power Steering Filter
Toll free:866-476-3455
Aeroquip water cooled Oil Cooler
Special "Internet Only Pricing" - Online Orders Only
Excellent Cooling With Low Pressure Drop
Available With Push On Hose Bead or -16 AN Fittings
Can Be Mounted Anywhere
Reduced Chances For Fire
Improves Aerodynamics
Easy cleaning
Designed for -12 Oil Lines
Part No. Description Price Click
To Buy
FBM2194 Beaded Tube Water Attachment Fitting $329.95
FBM2196 - 16 Water Attachment Fitting $349.95
http://www.laminova.se/products/indexprod.htmWhy is it so unique?
The heat exchanger consists of a housing and a core with fins, 0,2 millimeter thick. The distance between them is 0,3 millimeter.
The core has an almost infinite number of inter-connected laminar flow coolers. The area is about five times larger than a conventional heat exchanger of the same dimensions.
Advantages :
- Maximum heat transfer
- Low pressure drop
- Superior heat dissipation
- Maximum packaging flexibility
- Light weight aluminium design
- Cross-over leak proof design is possible
- Protected installation for increased safety
- 100% recycable
History & ownership
Background
In 1986 a Swedish engineer and inventor made some important discoveries concerning the heat transfer capabilities of fluids exhibiting laminar flow characteristics. The first product application based these findings is the patented LAMINOVA heat exchanger. This is widely regarded as a major technical breakthrough in liquid-to-liquid and liquid-to-air heat exchange technology.
LAMINOVA has been started in 1989 as a greenfield operation with limited financial resources. Since 1993 owned by the Jansson family, a swedish entreprenurial family with diversified interests. Along with existing co-operations and partnerships in terms of technology exchange and development, the company is also developing commercial partnerships within the industry.
LAMINOVA operates from modern facilities in Upplands-V�¤sby, Sweden, and in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, US. It has a strong management team and a flexible, dedicated workforce. It utilises modern manufacturing methodologies with an emphasis on quality and customer service.
LAMINOVA:s both facilities in Sweden and US has gained the QS9000/ISO9001 quality approval.
--- Setrab # 616-6, 16-row, 4.75" x 13", 6AN fitting, cooler, 101$US
---- Setrab # 619-6, 19-row, 5.75" x 13", 6AN fitting, cooler, 115$US
-- Smaller Mocal 115mm x 16-row Sandwich-Plate Cooler - 46.82
Hayden 7134711, 8" x 11", 3/8"-NPT inlet, cooler, 60$US
Hayden
ultra cool Tube and Fin style
401 3/4"X 5"X12-3/4" (thicknessXheightXlength) 9-3/4" core 3/8" push-on sub-compact cars,
403 3/4"X 7-1/2"X12-3/4" (thicknessXheightXlength) 9-3/4" core 3/8" push-on up to full size vehicles, towing up to 2500 lbs,
404 3/4"X 7-1/2"X15-1/2" (thicknessXheightXlength) 12" core 3/8" push-on up to classs "c" motorhomes, towing up to 5000 lbs,
rapid cool plate and fin style
676 3/4"X 11"X5-7/8" (thicknessXheightXlength) 4" core 3/8" push-on sub-compact cars,
677 3/4"X 11"X7-1/2" (thicknessXheightXlength) 5-1/2" core 3/8" push-on up to full size vehicles, towing up to 2500 lbs,
678 3/4"X 11"X9-3/4" (thicknessXheightXlength) 7-3/4" core 3/8" push-on up to classs "c" motorhomes, towing up to 5000 lbs
