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Car Transmission Questions
Question: 1994 Pontiac
GP 3.1L that is giving me fits, specifically with the transmission. The car progresses
1-3 gear acceptably. When the ambient temperature is above 40-45F, the car
will not shift into 4th gear. Below that temperature 4th will engage appropriately.
When driving down a hill in third such that the car is being held back just a bit,
you can shift to 4th, the car feels as though 4th engages, but when you begin to
accelerate, its obvious the car is still in 3rd gear. Given that the car operates
in 4th in cold temperatures, I figure the problem is not mechanical, that it is
likely sensor related. I have had the car connected to a computer twice, no
codes are stored. Any suggestions?
Answer: Your transmission may be ready for service.
Replacing the filter and fluid may correct the problem. If not the valve body
will have to be removed and cleaned paying special attention to the TCC solenoid.
The TCC solenoid may have to be replaced.
Question: 1985 Toyota Camry 4-cylinder mileage: 136,785. I mailed
you before about my car, which is apparently having transmission problems or something
of that sort. My car makes a clunking sound when in (Drive) at a stoplight
and also in reverse. I had a mechanic flush out the current trans fluid and
replace the filter and a gasket. Now the thing is that the filter was very
dark and the fluid that was drained was not reddish like it is supposed to be but
almost silver. He even said that the fluid had little pieces of metal in it.
He told me that my transmission needed to be replaced...can you guys give me a second
opinion? And how much does a rebuilt trans usually cost? Roughly...thanks.
Answer: The silver color to the transmission fluid
is metal particles from inside the transmission. Unfortunately It is extremely
likely that you will need your transmission rebuilt which could cost anywhere between
$1,500.00 and $2,000.00
Question: 1991 Toyota Land cruiser v6 mileage: 115,000. When I put
my auto transmission in 3rd gear to increase my passing ability on smaller roads
and save wear on the engine, it often jumps into 4th gear anyway, even though my
speeds and Rpms are low enough to not warrant this change. How can I repair
this problem, and what causes it?
Answer: The transmission in your car is controlled by a computer.
If you scan the computer, it will give you the fault codes of the malfunctioning
component.
Question: Renault 19 TD mileage: 109,000
km. My gearbox moves a lot. What can I do?
Answer: Check your motor and transmission mounts as one may
be broken or separated.
Question: 1992 Ford Aerostar 3.0L mileage: 140,000. As the vehicle
is accelerated from 40 to 50 mph, there is a jerking motion. It feels
as if the transmission is having a hard time decided whether or not to shift.
It starts around 45-47 mph and eventually shifts to the next gear by 50 mph and
all is fine. Also occurs when decelerating through this zone. This is
an intermittent problem. Some days it is very bad and others, you barely recognize
it.
Answer: Your transmission may be ready for service. Replacing
the filter and fluid may correct the problem. If servicing does not fix your
problem after several days of driving, you may be in for some major transmission
repairs.
Question: 1995 Ford Escort mileage: 56,000. The automatic
transmission is very sluggish when I first start the car on a cold morning.
After about a block the transmission kicks in and seems to drive fine after the
initial sluggishness. Any ideas?
Answer: Your transmission may be ready for service.
Replacing the filter and fluid may correct the problem.
Question: 1990 Buick, Skylark 4 cylinder mileage: 113,000. After
driving car for short period of time transmission stalls engine out and car will
not move until after it sits with engine off for a half an hour to an hour. Transmission
seems to be locking up. Engine will run in park or neutral. What could it be?
Answer: Your car has a lock-up torque converter in the transmission.
It locks-up only in high gear. It is supposed to disengage at lower speeds.
Yours is not disengaging. There is probably a valve in the transmission “hanging
up”. Having the transmission serviced with new fluid may help the problem.
The cost is approximately $75.00 (Southern California Prices). Next step,
the valve body will have to be removed and cleaned. The cost is approximately
$200.00.
Question: 1994 Saturn SC2 1.9L mileage: 40,500. While driving, I
did not notice the alternator idiot light being on and continued driving until the
battery went nearly dead. When I discovered the alternator light being on,
I attempted to park the car. Upon stopping, the engine was really revved
up and would not "kick down". I proceeded to shift the automatic transmission
into reverse to back into a parking spot. I then had to pull forward, meanwhile
the engine was still revving. Both times, I shifted the transmission made
a load clunking sound. The next day I had the alternator replaced, but now
upon shifting into reverse, every time, I hear a clunk and feel a jerk and a kind
of a growling sound. I know I broke something, but what? I presume whatever
is broken is internal to the transmission. Would this be an expensive repair?
Does it hurt to continue to drive it? Forward works fine. Your
help would be greatly appreciated.
Answer: From what you describe, you probably did do damage to the
transmission. Have a transmission repair center inspect it as soon as possible.
Without inspecting your transmission, it is hard to estimate the cost. However,
be prepared, it could be an expensive repair.
Question: 1993 Chrysler Lebaron 3.0 mileage: 189,000. Could you
tell me what the band adjustment and the kick down adjustment should be on the transmission?
Answer: There are no adjustments.
Question: 1993 Pontiac Bonneville 3.8 mileage: 125,000. Our Pontiac
is taking longer than usual to go into Drive from Neutral and it will lunge when
it finally does so. Additionally, if you leave the car in park and race the
engine, you can hear a popping noise from underneath the vehicle. My husband who
thinks that it may be the transmission has checked all fluids and belts. What
do you think?
Answer: The noise may be the transmission. Try having the
transmission services (new fluid and filter) and drive it for several days to see
if it clears up.
Question: 1999 Volvo V70 2.4l 5 cyl turbo mileage: 5,000.
A discussion is raging on automatic transmission fluid change intervals. Previously
(200/700/900 series) Volvo recommended a full AT flush every 20K miles. Now
(850/70 series) they do not call for any changes at all. Several owners feel
that this is because newer technology in the electronically controlled AT units
(with lock-up in 3 of the 4 gears) does not harm the fluid as the older AT units
did, hence does not need new fluid over the life of the car. Furthermore,
they claim that new fluid could actually be harmful, as the possibility exists that
microscopic dirt particles enter the AT and cause damage. With this
as background, my questions are about newer electronic AT units in general, not
just the Volvo units in particular: 1) Do newer electronic AT units need periodic
fluid changes? If so, at what interval? 2) Is it better to do a complete
flush and fill over a longer duration or a partial drain and top-off over a shorter
duration? (The question arises because a complete flush and fill may be quite
difficult to do, while a partial drain and top-off can potentially be done at every
oil change.) 3) Have you ever heard of dirt introduced via the dipstick or
with fresh fluid destroying a newer AT unit? Any comments would be greatly
appreciated.
Answer: Heat build-up is what shortens the life of automatic transmission
fluid. The newer transmissions with the lock-up torque converters eliminate
the heat normally caused by converter “slip.” Follow the car manufactures
service recommendations for servicing the transmission. They have research
staff that studies these things. If the dipstick is wiped clean before checking
the fluid, it should not add dirt to the transmission.
Question: 1992 Ford f150 302 mileage: 77,836.8. Transmission
Problem: transmission shifts erratic and bangs into gears, when coming to a stop.
I have to get the rpms to a high rate before it will engage and take off.
Transmission was serviced 8/1/99 - mileage was 76,211.6.
Answer: Check transmission lever position sensor, (on
the transmission). It may have failed. Also, double-check the
fluid level.
Question: 1999 Galant GTZ V6 mileage: 18,000. I have a new
Galant GTZ. Recently I noticed that after traveling a few miles at about 50 MPH
then slowing down, the car feels like it is having problems down-shifting.
Also, after slowing down then speeding back up again, the car revs real high and
when it finally goes into gear, the car jerks real hard then accelerates.
Could this be transmission problems? When I only had 5000 miles on the car
Jiffy lube said the fluid was rather dark.
Answer: From what you described, it sounds like you hit the
nail on the head. You are more likely than not having transmission troubles.
Question: 1993 Mercedes 190e 2.3 mileage: 58,000. Wow what a cool
website. Ok here’s the question. The car is in excellent condition, (or so
I thought) I stopped at a light one day and all of a sudden, the car would not drive
forward. The engine continued to run but would not go forward, there were
no sounds or warnings of any kind, so I pushed it off the road. What’s strange
is it still drives in reverse. Any idea what the problem may be? I don’t
have the money to drop a new tranny in the car but I can’t tell if this problem
is minor or major.
Answer: Check the fluid level in the transmission. If okay,
then you, unfortunately, have major problems. You are more likely than not
looking at a transmission overhaul or replacement.
Question: 1987 Honda/Accord standard mileage: 106,000. Every gear
I shift into, the car takes an extra second, before accelerating. I know how
car felt before, and when I shifted and hit the gas the car punched into gear right
away, now it hesitates, the rpm's rev up very slowly, and after a while it eventually
picks up speed. The only thing I did recently was change the air filter myself.
Answer: If a major tune-up has not been
done recently, this could be the cause of your problem. Replace the spark
plugs, plug wires, fuel and air filters, etc. Also, replace the oxygen sensor.
MORE: Transmission
questions
Repair Topics / Transmission-1
/ Transmission-2 /
Transmission-3 /
Transmission-4 /
Transmission-5
/ Transmission-6 /
Transmission-7
/ Transmission-8
/ Transmission-9
/ Transmission-10
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