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.

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.

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.

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