Transaxle Outputs

There are five solenoids which have normally open valves. With no voltage applied to the terminals, a return spring holds the valve open and the solenoid allows oil to flow from the supply port to the control pressure port. When current is applied through the coil, the magnetic field is energized pulling the sliding armature against the return spring. When the armature is in this position, the valve is closed, the pressure supply port is blocked and the control port is connected to the exhaust port.
The solenoids are located in the transaxle valve body and may be completely energized (closed), de-energized (open), or pulse width modulated (PWM). When a solenoid is being modulated, the valve opens and closes up to 70 times per second. This allows a percentage of the oil pressure available at the supply port to pass to the control port. The actual percentage is determined by an electrically controlled duty cycle from the powertrain control module (PCM). This is the ratio of the length of time the valve remains open (pulse width) to the total length of time of each cycle (one on and off cycle). These solenoids are the:
- Pressure Control (PC) Solenoid
- Torque Converter Clutch (TCC) Solenoid
- Shift Solenoid 2
- Shift Solenoid 3
- Shift Solenoid 4
Under normal transaxle operation, the PCM will only pulse width modulate the TCC and PC solenoids. The shift solenoids will be either On or Off.