Have you checked the fluid level since your tranny service 10k miles ago? The symptoms your van is having sound like clasic symptoms for a low fluid level, and that would be my first check. When you check the fluid level, a few things to remember: Make sure the engine is fully warmed up, Make sure you are on a level surface, Check the level while the engine is running.
If your level is low, which I highly suspect, a few things to consider, The probable cause is that when you had your tanny serviced, they didn't get a good seal on the tranny pan gasket, and you now have a small leak. If this is the case you are essentially going to have to have the tranny service done again, to place a new tranny pan gasket in place. In the meantime, yes you can do some damage if you drive with an extremely low fluid level, so keep the level filled, but do not overfill, that can also cause damage. The marks on the dipstick from low to full usually only represent 1 pint, not a quart, so it is easy to overfill if you are not careful. My guess is from your symptoms that your tranny is well over a quart low. Make sure you use the correct tranny fluid to refill, it should be Dexron III, but check your owners manual. If your level is topped off already and you are having these symptoms, then there are a number of possible causes, most of them pretty bad. Electronic controls are one possible cause that would be easily repaired, ie sensor replacement. However, more probably, it would be an internal tranny problem, and you are looking at an overhaul or replacement. Good luck, and hope for a low fluid level.
Thanks The oil level actually is just above the upper limit of hot-sided notch, so oil is not low. The oil was checked after drving it for 32 miles. It could be even an overfill case. Since the dealer did the flushing job, I imagine they used correct fluid, but do not think they changed the filter. Thanks again.
I have a 1993 GMC Jimmy 4-door with the electronic transfer case. I can get into and out of 4 Low without any problems. But when I try to get 4 High nothing happens. If I put the Auto Transmission into Neutral and press 4 high, both the high and low lights in the switch flash a few times and then both go out. I suspect the Transfer Case Control Module, but I don't want to buy one unless I'm sure.
My 1999 Honda Prelude, at 42,000 miles, left me stranded 2 hours from school and stuck in 2nd gear. It is the 4 speed auto with tiptronic type option. Honda service tells me the 3rd and 4th gear clutches werent working and that 2nd was very weak. Not only that but the new transmission is going to cost me a minimum of $4500. Can you believe this? Being a college freshmen, i don't have that money and should my parents have to pay for this? Honda warranty dept. is "looking" at the case, who thinks they should cover it?
i asked the honda tech about converting to a five speed...he said it would cost $10,000-$12,000. I knew it was perhaps complicated, but could it be 12g's difficult? Just wonder if thats true. And no, i dont drive my car agressively at all, it has been babied everyday of its life, and it isnt lowered, it does however have an aftermarket intake.
Finally got enough ambition to change filter in my '92 Corsica trans. I always shudder anytime I have to do something to this vehicle. Nothing is ever simple. Sure enough a couple of the back bolts had some interference with a crossmember frame brace. Fortunately I was able to find a shorter socket with a 1/4" inch drive extension that managed to do the dirty deed. I'm always amazed how this vehicle can have so many gremlins inside it.
This is the first time I have done this rather messy job on a GM trans. Actually a piece of cake and the filter/gasket set was only $8.43 including tax. What a deal. But I'll throw $25 away on Mobil 1 ATF to make up for it. I believe the next time I do it its a 1 hour job including careful cleaning.
Sentra is doing fine. I have done 4 drain and fill's now so I should have close too 100% syn in there now. I also used Lubeguard the last time. I should be done now with that for a while. Again thanks for sterring me in the right direction on that one. When life gets boring I can be mentally and physically challanged by working on the Corsica. Water pump is next.
Thanks for the reminder. I got to do another drain and fill for my Camry. Done it twice so far with 18KMiles. One more time, it should be closer to majority Mobile1Syn.
PRELUDE---there will always be a certain number of statistical failures on any man-made object. In theory, if you are out of warranty you are out of luck, but hopefully Honda will make some sort of goodwill gesture.
You might consider the idea of a low mileage used transmission from a wreck.
The water pump will be fun if it is the same design as my parents 88 Cuss-atcha...man I bet we could trade some real stories about this piece of crap..but after 150 some odd thousand miles it is still running, thanks in part to me giving to the blood gods might I add. The water pump on my parents Corsica was at the top of the engine, but had A/C lines going in front of it. Makes for very exciting times trying to get this assembly slid out of its area when you cannot move the A/C lines far enough out of the way. I was amazed that it didn't look like a normal water pump (one that bolts to the engine block), it was like rebuilding a GM power steering pump where the pump assembly slide out from the resevior...anyway it is hard to explain the joys and troubles I had while doing the water pump, but like I said if it is anything like my parents setup, you will have a challenge!! By the way I had it done in about an hour and a half, so not too bad! Bob
Rather than buy the stuff you would be better off by mixing pure syn with the regular (IMHO). Keep in mind though, almost half of the stuff stays in the torque converter when you drain or drop the pan. So even if you use the straight syn you are only up to 50%.
I have a 92 auto EX with 110,000 miles. I had brought it in the shop about 5 months ago to repair the transmission. It would not stay in gear and would jerk violently. It had my torque converter replaced. It seemed fine at first but would shift hard into gears, and the engine would seem to rev really high in 2 and 3rd gear like it couldn't find it. I have a 6000mi/6mo. warranty at this place but I feel I got ripped off the first time ($1000 to just replace the torque conv. inc. labor) Should I bring it back? Is it going to be covered, i.e. is it the same issue or part? Or should I burn my bridges, cut my losses and try someplace new? Please reply soon. Thank you.
If you want the benefits of syn in a tranny then put in a full synthetic. At least on an automatic. Unless you spend a lot of money to drain the torque converter as well when you put in 100% syn it will blend with the conventional anyway. Syns are great in transmissions because of their slipperiness, high heat resistance, and anti sludging properties.
I use a blend in my motor oil. It is better on engine seals and still provides a large share of the anti-wear protection.
I have "heard: that Royal Purple is not 100% syn. Can't say for sure though. Personally, I would feel more comfortable with a bigger name product. Think about it . Whose product is more thoroughly tested Mobil 1 or Royal Purple. Just an opinion. I have used both Mobil 1 and Amsoil with no problems. Royal Purple has a lot of claims-but then so do informercials.
When you get your transmission fluid changed I thought it was standard practice to have the torque convertor drained as well. Isn't that the usual service?
If you have a transmission flush done, as opposed to a drain and refill, all the fluid in the transmission (including the torque converter) is exchanged. Depending on how the hoses are done between the transmission and cooler (in the radiator) it can be pretty simple to do yourself. Just remove the return line (from the cooler to the trans) put the end of the hose (easier with an extension hose put on) in a container, start the engine, let it idle until 2 qts pump out, shut it off, refill & repeat until the fluid coming out is bright red.
How much fluid is held in the torque converter? I know this varies by make & model, but approximately what percent of the trans fluid remains in the tc after the trans pan is drained?
On most transmissions, when the pan/sump is drained, only about 1/3 of the fluid comes out (you can check this in the owner's or service manual and compare the amounts need on a refill compared to total fluid capacity). The rest is in the passages of the transmission, lines running to/from/in the cooler and the torque converter. If the fluid color isn't close to bright red, you need a full fluid exhcange.
A 91 Probe was given to me because the tranny would not engage. It has a light that flashes back and forth from manual to auto. Will this be a tranny rebuild or is there a relay or module that might be the problem?
Both GM and Nissan trans leave about 3.5 quarts or less in the torque converter and 4 in the pan for Nissan and 5 in the pan for GM. Remember transmission oil lasts lots longer than engine oil because of the service conditions. Very little outside dirt and water. Transmission oils are very high quality hydraulic oils. They can go 100K. Draining the vehicle and then filling it and running it and then draining, etc is easy to do especially with a plug. GM makes it a little harder, but if you are slightly mechanically inclined and patient, its no big deal.
For both my Maxima and Ford trans, only 1/3 of the fluid comes out when the drain plug is pulled. This is OK if you do it every 30K miles, otherwise you need a full exchange. Most shops do full fluid exhanges/flushes with a machine that gets attached to the cooler return line of the transmission. Not all dealers have the machine (you can to it without one, but shops probably don't want to be bothered), and if they don't will tell you you don't need it. Now, how easy it is to do drains/flushes on a transmissions depends on the particular transmission and car. Not all transmissions have drain plugs. Pans can be on the top, bottom or side of the transmission. Some transmissions have replaceable filters, and some only have wire mesh screens. Some cooler lines are slip-on with hose clamps, others have threaded fittings. Some fittings are easy to get to, and some are a PITA. Some transmissions don't even have dip sticks! Before you get the transmission serviced, you should find out the particulars of your car.
When you are in the repair business any preventative maintenance you promote takes revenue away in the long run! Most PM takes a 30 minutes - 1 hour per system. Most repairs allow a 30% profit on parts plus 4-24 hours of labor......so doing 8-24 years of PM would be required to net the same money as a system replacement! At best a $120 flush makes $30 gross profit [the machine cost $4800 and needs quaterly maintenance] plus it takes 1 hour of a $50k per year tech, a 4 speed AT replacement is $2,000 to $3600 [Lexus] yielding over $500-$750 in gross margin. The Question is how long do you have to wait to get the $500 vs $30 today.
Now a shop that doesn't get much transmission replacement business should promote flushes.
on the car owner being ignorant of how and why the transmission are designed to fail. There are lots of things owners can do if they only knew!
If transmission life doubled half these people would be unemployed. Most shops are small business <7 employees. Do you want this responsibility of hurting the economy?
The most neglected part of a vehicle is the transmission. So many people don't do ANY service that there is no danger of transmission shops going out of business.
By the way my shop loves to see me, since between 3 cars that I take in regularly, they see me at least twice a year. Not once have they complained about the annual service.
for a flush [every 30k since new] or pay $2,000 to $3,000 earlier than you should. Most owners wait and start too late after the damage has been done but many new owners dump a car after the warranty expires. It's the second, third, fourth owners who get to spend big.
Unless you happen to buy certain Ford or Chrysler products which have had serious reliability problems of late.....then new owners get the thrill!
have a 01 XG300 HYUNDAI with about 9000 miles on it, whenever i shift into DRIVE it takes about ONE SECOND to engage, in very cold weather first time in morning it sometimes takes about 2 seconds to engage into DRIVE, called dealer and he sais this is perfectly "normal", no problem going into REVERSE, just when i go into DRIVE, anyone else having this problem??????????????
When an auto tranny is slow to engage it is usually the sign of a problem. The #1 and most likely problem is a low fluid level. Check that first. If that is not it, you need to keep close record of the problem, and make sure your Hyundai dealer has documentation. You are (I repeat are) going to have more extensive problems down the road.
Oh, I don't know, you may be a pessimist (definition of a pessimist is a person who listened to too many optimists). Sometimes it's just a valve that's a little lazy in the morning. Could be a fluid flush or a different type of oil would help. I'd be more concerned with a rough or hard shift and of course any slippage, which really is the kiss of death.
I did a change of trans oil in my '92 Corsica the other day. The vehicle has 126K on it and other than a solenoid the trans has never been touched. The fluid was changed at 40K and 80K. The oil was clean and clear and there was a very small amount of buildup on the magnet. Pan was spotless. Both changes were Mobil 1. I guess my point here is that the syn fluid apears to have been a good thing and probably worth the $6 per bottle.
I used the Lubeguard as additional preventive medicine. It appears to go into the torque lockup a little sooner now. Might be my imagination.
I might add (Alcan will appreciate this) the auto trans on this car is the only thing that has given me no trouble. I nominate this vehicle the most troublesome vehicle ever built!!
on my transmission fluid dip stick when I checked the level. Is this something to be concerned about? I spoke to a service manager and he said not to worry as long as level is within max-min mark.
If you check it after high speed or highway miles it will have bubbles. Check it after a lesurily drive of say 5 miles (engine up to operating temp) let it idle for a few minutes, slowly move the trans through all the gear positions and then check it. If it continues to foam, there could (I believe) be a problem. Hopefully Alcan will post here.
I have a 2001 Sunfire. I am getting vibration or metallic noise in transmission when shifting from 1st to 2nd or 2nd to 1st. This noise does not happen all of the time seems to be when the car is revving low. This has been like this since I purchased the car. I have brought it to the dealer and they say they cannot find anything wrong. One dealer said it was a known issue with 2001 5 speed Sunfires. If anyone can give me any information it would be much appreciated.
I have a 1998 Chevy extended cab Z-71 pickup that I bought brand new off of the showroom floor. I have not mistreated this truck and always make it a point to have all fluids changed and maintenace completed as the manual recommends. I have had several problems out of this truck in the past and the other day my transmission went out at 86,000 miles. I always heard that these trucks transmissions go out at about 75 or 80,000 miles. Am I a loner or is this a common problem? I complained to the Chevrolet corporation and of course recieved no compensation. They wouldn't even give me any stats on the number of trucks like mine that have had the same problem. Any info?
I have a 98 Malibu with V-6 engine. 47k miles. Currently, it does not pull when cold.
First felt it this fall, and only when the outside temperature was freezing in the morning, 20-25F or less. Now it does not pull well even at mid 40-ths.
My driveway descends about 6-8 feet to the road for 100 feet length. The road itself slopes up with about the same incline for 300 feet or so, and is flat after this.
Without warming the car, it does not accelerate properly. It takes to the top of the hill to reach 10-15 mph, and extra 300-500 feet to reach 35 mph. I am pressing the accelerator as usual or harder, with the engine rpm reaching about 2500, and even more than 3000 rpm when it is freezing.
When the engine / tranny is warm, the car accelerates twice as fast on the same stretch of the road, on lesser rpm. I checked it.
However, it takes about 5 minutes to warm it up, depending on the outside temperature. Does not pull well even after warming it for 2-3 minutes,
Recently I had to back up on my driveway, just seconds after starting engine. The car did not move at all in right direction. Even on 3000 rpm, it rolled down the driveway, instead of backing up.
I had impression that I put it accidently on neutral instead of reverse. Re checked - it was on "R". Shifted couple of times from "R" to "D" and back, to "P" and back - it did not help.
It even was not cold outside, just 46 degrees. After warming, the car behave right. As soon as the temperature gauge shows 100F, or even a bit earlier, the transmission works fine.
I brought the car to my local Firestone. They checked computer codes and did not find anything wrong. However, the shop does not do serious work on transmissions.
The mechanic told me the car is OK, as long as warm, and suggested to simply warming it up for 5 minutes before driving. Or to bring it to a specialist, if it bothering me. Sure it is bothering!
I had serviced the car last spring at the Firestone. The manual recommends to service the transmission at 50k miles for severe conditions, including hilly terrains. I did it at 40k miles.
Put in the Mobil 1 ATF. Bought it at Pep Boys and brought to Firestone. Also, a new $80+ filter was installed. The manager told me to bring 15 quarts for good flushing, but only 9 quarts were used in reality. A whole box was left.
A small fluid leak was developed after the service, stopped by tightening the pan screws. The mechanic told the leak was so small, there is no need to add ATF.
Mechanic told me that they checked the liquid level. I have some doubts: Would they really drove the car for 30 miles before checking, as needed in the theory, it would not be for free, right? Could not recheck it myself, though, because the Malibu transmission is not user-serviceable. Cannot find a dipstick, and probably it does not exist.
What do you think, are the symptoms looking as low liquid, or something more serious?
BTW, I have extended warranty on the car. I bought it used, with unknown history, and decided to insure myself. Aftermarket warranty by WG. It is very difficult to reach the service by phone, but they already paid for two repairs without objecting.
fully warm up the transaxle (this requires approximately 15 miles of highway driving), engine running, shift through all ranges then transaxle in Park, remove the check plug and add fluid in 1/2 litre increments through the filler hole until fluid begins to run out the check plug hole. The level is correct when it's is at the check plug hole. Reinstall the check plug. Do NOT remove the plug with the transaxle cold or with the engine shut off, or shut the engine off with the plug removed.
Because there might be a wear issue and subsequent failure due to clutch slippage when cold caused by a low fluid level, I would recommend you have the check done by the same shop which serviced the transaxle and have them document how much additional fluid was required to fill it.
Comments
The symptoms your van is having sound like clasic symptoms for a low fluid level, and that would be my first check.
When you check the fluid level, a few things to remember:
Make sure the engine is fully warmed up,
Make sure you are on a level surface,
Check the level while the engine is running.
If your level is low, which I highly suspect, a few things to consider,
The probable cause is that when you had your tanny serviced, they didn't get a good seal on the tranny pan gasket, and you now have a small leak. If this is the case you are essentially going to have to have the tranny service done again, to place a new tranny pan gasket in place.
In the meantime, yes you can do some damage if you drive with an extremely low fluid level, so keep the level filled, but do not overfill, that can also cause damage.
The marks on the dipstick from low to full usually only represent 1 pint, not a quart, so it is easy to overfill if you are not careful.
My guess is from your symptoms that your tranny is well over a quart low.
Make sure you use the correct tranny fluid to refill, it should be Dexron III, but check your owners manual.
If your level is topped off already and you are having these symptoms, then there are a number of possible causes, most of them pretty bad.
Electronic controls are one possible cause that would be easily repaired, ie sensor replacement.
However, more probably, it would be an internal tranny problem, and you are looking at an overhaul or replacement.
Good luck, and hope for a low fluid level.
The oil level actually is just above the upper limit of hot-sided notch, so oil is not low. The oil was checked after drving it for 32 miles. It could be even an overfill case. Since the dealer did the flushing job, I imagine they used correct fluid, but do not think they changed the filter.
Thanks again.
Thanks.
This is the first time I have done this rather messy job on a GM trans. Actually a piece of cake and the filter/gasket set was only $8.43 including tax. What a deal. But I'll throw $25 away on Mobil 1 ATF to make up for it. I believe the next time I do it its a 1 hour job including careful cleaning.
When life gets boring I can be mentally and physically challanged by working on the Corsica. Water pump is next.
Al
I got to do another drain and fill for my Camry. Done it twice so far with 18KMiles.
One more time, it should be closer to majority Mobile1Syn.
You might consider the idea of a low mileage used transmission from a wreck.
Bob
What are the pros/cons or is it a marketing thing playing off the popularity of synthetic oil?
Does anyone have experience with this product?
I use a blend in my motor oil. It is better on engine seals and still provides a large share of the anti-wear protection.
When you get your transmission fluid changed I thought it was standard practice to have the torque convertor drained as well. Isn't that the usual service?
Now, how easy it is to do drains/flushes on a transmissions depends on the particular transmission and car. Not all transmissions have drain plugs. Pans can be on the top, bottom or side of the transmission. Some transmissions have replaceable filters, and some only have wire mesh screens. Some cooler lines are slip-on with hose clamps, others have threaded fittings. Some fittings are easy to get to, and some are a PITA. Some transmissions don't even have dip sticks!
Before you get the transmission serviced, you should find out the particulars of your car.
Most PM takes a 30 minutes - 1 hour per system. Most repairs allow a 30% profit on parts plus 4-24 hours of labor......so doing 8-24 years of PM would be required to net the same money as a system replacement!
At best a $120 flush makes $30 gross profit [the machine cost $4800 and needs quaterly maintenance] plus it takes 1 hour of a $50k per year tech, a 4 speed AT replacement is $2,000 to $3600 [Lexus] yielding over $500-$750 in gross margin.
The Question is how long do you have to wait to get the $500 vs $30 today.
Now a shop that doesn't get much transmission replacement business should promote flushes.
If transmission life doubled half these people would be unemployed. Most shops are small business <7 employees. Do you want this responsibility of hurting the economy?
http://www.atra-gears.com/gears/janfeb02/survey.html
By the way my shop loves to see me, since between 3 cars that I take in regularly, they see me at least twice a year. Not once have they complained about the annual service.
Most owners wait and start too late after the damage has been done but many new owners dump a car after the warranty expires. It's the second, third, fourth owners who get to spend big.
Unless you happen to buy certain Ford or Chrysler products which have had serious reliability problems of late.....then new owners get the thrill!
And I defy anyone to find anybody substantially more pessimistic than I.
I used the Lubeguard as additional preventive medicine. It appears to go into the torque lockup a little sooner now. Might be my imagination.
I might add (Alcan will appreciate this) the auto trans on this car is the only thing that has given me no trouble. I nominate this vehicle the most troublesome vehicle ever built!!
Al
transmission when shifting from 1st to 2nd or 2nd to 1st. This noise
does not happen all of the time seems to be when the car is revving
low. This has been like this since I purchased the car. I have brought
it to the dealer and they say they cannot find anything wrong. One
dealer said it was a known issue with 2001 5 speed Sunfires. If anyone
can give me any information it would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Paul
First felt it this fall, and only when the outside temperature was freezing in the morning, 20-25F or less. Now it does not pull well even at mid 40-ths.
My driveway descends about 6-8 feet to the road for 100 feet length. The road itself slopes up with about the same incline for 300 feet or so, and is flat after this.
Without warming the car, it does not accelerate properly. It takes to the top of the hill to reach 10-15 mph, and extra 300-500 feet to reach 35 mph. I am pressing the accelerator as usual or harder, with the engine rpm reaching about 2500, and even more than 3000 rpm when it is freezing.
When the engine / tranny is warm, the car accelerates twice as fast on the same stretch of the road, on lesser rpm. I checked it.
However, it takes about 5 minutes to warm it up, depending on the outside temperature. Does not pull well even after warming it for 2-3 minutes,
Recently I had to back up on my driveway, just seconds after starting engine. The car did not move at all in right direction. Even on 3000 rpm, it rolled down the driveway, instead of backing up.
I had impression that I put it accidently on neutral instead of reverse. Re checked - it was on "R". Shifted couple of times from "R" to "D" and back, to "P" and back - it did not help.
It even was not cold outside, just 46 degrees. After warming, the car behave right. As soon as the temperature gauge shows 100F, or even a bit earlier, the transmission works fine.
I brought the car to my local Firestone. They checked computer codes and did not find anything wrong. However, the shop does not do serious work on transmissions.
The mechanic told me the car is OK, as long as warm, and suggested to simply warming it up for 5 minutes before driving. Or to bring it to a specialist, if it bothering me. Sure it is bothering!
I had serviced the car last spring at the Firestone. The manual recommends to service the transmission at 50k miles for severe conditions, including hilly terrains. I did it at 40k miles.
Put in the Mobil 1 ATF. Bought it at Pep Boys and brought to Firestone. Also, a new $80+ filter was installed. The manager told me to bring 15 quarts for good flushing, but only 9 quarts were used in reality. A whole box was left.
A small fluid leak was developed after the service, stopped by tightening the pan screws. The mechanic told the leak was so small, there is no need to add ATF.
Mechanic told me that they checked the liquid level. I have some doubts: Would they really drove the car for 30 miles before checking, as needed in the theory, it would not be for free, right? Could not recheck it myself, though, because the Malibu transmission is not user-serviceable. Cannot find a dipstick, and probably it does not exist.
What do you think, are the symptoms looking as low liquid, or something more serious?
BTW, I have extended warranty on the car. I bought it used, with unknown history, and decided to insure myself. Aftermarket warranty by WG. It is very difficult to reach the service by phone, but they already paid for two repairs without objecting.
fully warm up the transaxle (this requires approximately 15 miles of highway driving), engine running, shift through all ranges then transaxle in Park, remove the check plug and add fluid in 1/2 litre increments through the filler hole until fluid begins to run out the check plug hole. The level is correct when it's is at the check plug hole. Reinstall the check plug. Do NOT remove the plug with the transaxle cold or with the engine shut off, or shut the engine off with the plug removed.
Because there might be a wear issue and subsequent failure due to clutch slippage when cold caused by a low fluid level, I would recommend you have the check done by the same shop which serviced the transaxle and have them document how much additional fluid was required to fill it.