Transmission issue

2000 SATURN SL2
73,000 MILES • 1.8L • 4 CYL • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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DMS88
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  • 3 POSTS
I just bought a one previous owner (car listed above) not even a week ago. Once I started driving it I noticed there is something going on with the transmission. It hesitates to shift through all the gears with third to fourth being the worst.

It also sometimes rough shifts so I can physically feel it shifting and the car also shakes briefly before shifting but only sometimes. I honestly have no idea what's going on and I don't really have the money to bring it to a transmission shop to have it looked at. Any help would be appreciated. thank you.
Sep 11, 2019 at 6:41 PM
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JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR CONTRIBUTOR
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Welcome to 2CarPros.

The first thing I suggest is to check the transmission fluid. Confirm it is clean and full. There is a dipstick used to check it under the hood. When checking, make sure the engine is at operating temp, running, in a level surface, and in park. Let me know what you find and the fluid color.

Also, let me know if the check engine light is staying on when the engine is running.

Take care,

Joe
Sep 11, 2019 at 6:48 PM
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DMS88
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Thanks for the reply. The transmission fluid is full and it's a light pink color. There is no check engine light on.
Sep 12, 2019 at 8:54 AM
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DMS88
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That is the color of the transmission fluid. I tried to get the picture as best as I could.
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Sep 12, 2019 at 1:06 PM
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JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR CONTRIBUTOR
  • 110,190 POSTS
Welcome back:

That looks and sounds normal. Now, it could be several other things. It could be related to a partially plugged transmission filter reducing line pressure, a pump issue, a shift solenoid issue, or even a problem with the transmission control module (TCM). Since the check engine light isn't on, most likely there are no diagnostic trouble codes stored. At this point, it becomes a guessing game. When I say guessing, I mean which thing do we check first. The easiest would be to drain the fluid and check for contaminates in it such as clutch material or metal shavings. Next, transmission line pressure would need checked to make sure it is within spec. And the list goes on.

If you want to walk through it, let me know. Honestly, without a trouble code, it makes things much more difficult.

Let me know.

Joe
Sep 12, 2019 at 6:06 PM
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