2001 Buick Regal transmission won't shift

rudy1959

Can anyone help me? I have a 2001 Buick Regal GS it doesn't seem to shift, it sounds loud like holding back but it gets up n goes. No problem there it just almost seems like it's in a low gear runs great but won't shift at any speed. Hope some one can help me or give me an idea. Thanks

imidazol97

@rudy1959 said:
Can anyone help me? I have a 2001 Buick Regal GS it doesn't seem to shift, it sounds loud like holding back but it gets up n goes. No problem there it just almost seems like it's in a low gear runs great but won't shift at any speed. Hope some one can help me or give me an idea. Thanks

Two things first on my list would be to determine if it is shifting at all. When driving at 50 mph with light throttle does it shift into 4th as shown by the tachometer dropping? Does it shift when you put the car down into "2"? If not, it sounds like it's in limp-home mode. I would have to read but that may be 3rd gear or possibly 2nd. It's using the torque converter slippage to start from a dead stop so it's really labored.

It could be a stuck valve that controls the shifting. It could be a failed solenoid that does the shifting. It should turn on the service engine or vehicle light.

Next would be that you have a catalytic converter that's stopped up. The back pressure loads the engine and might explain it's working hard. The noise comes from the high pressure on the engine working to try to push exhaust out the pipes through the catalytic converter. A test for this is to remove the O2 sensor in front of the catalytic converter, on the downside of the exhaust pipe on the back of the engine. That relieves the pressure some and the engine runs more normally. This is only for testing, not for driving because the hot exhaust is coming out through that hole.

The back pressure may be making the engine work so hard the transmission is staying in lowest gears and if it shifts it may not be typical unless you're watching the tachometer.

rudy1959

thank you, n yes the service engine light is on, I though of catalytic converter but I'll try what u advised. Thank you so much, I didn't think of cking tachometer n I'll do that also. Again Thank u.