Will not go into gear

KHALIDW22

MEMBER
2008 MAZDA TRIBUTE
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
92 MILES

Car slips gears and will not stay in drive nor reverse. No check engine light is on. And gives off a smell through the radiator after being dormant for at least three weeks. We start it every now and then and see if the transmission fluid smells burnt and it does not. Still does not but does have the very beginning smell of smelling burnt. The fluid is still a reddish color with some black spots when wiped onto a napkin.

Car has 93,000 miles on it and the transmission has not been serviced. Looking up videos and asking around; a lot of people say it could be something simple. I am hoping there is someone that could possibly steer me in the right direction or at least let me know if my car is no good.

1 Reply

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
108,230 POSTS

Hi and thanks for using 2carpros.com. Honestly, it could be many things; however, I am a bit concerned when you say there are black spots in the fluid. What I would suggest is to try a simple service. If the filter is blocked or partially blocked, it can cause this type of a problem.

To start you off, here is a link to help possible problems:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/automatic-transmission-problems

Here are general directions to service a transmission:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-service-an-automatic-transmission

Here is a video of a transmission being serviced:

https://youtu.be/FglBsUEOSEk

If you decide to service the transmission, make sure that it is clean and dry when you replace the pan and gasket. I have attached a picture specific to your vehicle which identifies the torque sequence. Tighten the bolts and studs in the indicated sequence to 13 N-m (1.3 kgf-m, 10 ft-lbf).

I hope this helps and you are able to resolve the problem.

Cheers,
Joe

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