Transmission Traumas?

far198

My 1991 volkswagen passat sometimes shifts hard, is this normal?

Mr_Shiftright

Those of you having shifting problems on a manual transmission might try a transmission oil change and the addition of MTL, which is a moly compound that often improves the situation. Usually a crunch on upshift is a synchro problem that will continue to deteriorate with time, but occasionally an oil change and additive will clear this up or make it much better. It's worth the $50 bucks or so to try.

If an automatic is shifting hard, it could be lots of things depending on how the trans is regulated by the car's systems, but everyone should keep in mind that a trans service is always worth the money. An auto trans' worst enemy is heat, and degraded fluids cannot handle heat as well as fresh oil.

xl_1228

Katmandu,

Obviously, those Crown Vic police cars are doing well, or the cops wouldn't keep buying them.

Neither one of my Fords have problems with the transmission, and that includes a Crown Vic...

Anyways, I think all makes have a bad design every once in a while, like GM's 5.7 liter diesel...

rdeschene

Katmandu. I tend to agree with you: drivetrain problems are those that cost the big $$$, and can leave you stranded to boot!!! For example, I look at the C.R. predicted reliability for the Malibu, and take note of the excellent drivetrain reliability and the poor "overall reliability" prediction by C.R.. Thanks for gathering the data guys, but I'll draw my own conclusions!!! :-) Loose trim or a "squeaky strut" isn't comparable to a transmission rebuild or a broken timing BELT.

Yours in grumbliness,
Rick D.

windowphobe6

One of the cars that is regularly reviled for automatic-transmission failures is the fourth-generation (1993-97, but especially 1994-95) edition of the Mazda 626. Incredibly, Mazda makes *no* recommendation for changing out the ol' Dexron in this slushbox; the manual suggests only that you peek at the dipstick once in a while. Did they really expect this to last forever, or even just for the three years/50k miles of the manufacturer's warranty? And is there anything to that old story about how new fluid will cause an old, relatively neglected transmission to fail that much faster?

emale

on the subject of chrysler front drive 4speed trannies. according to a local chrysler service mechanic, the transmission in question no longer has a failure rate any higher than normal. but, he stresses that you need to explicitly follow these rules to keep your tranny in good working order for the life of the vehicle:

1. follow the severe service guidelines in your owner's manual.

2. only use mopar tranny fluid. even tho some dipsticks say dexron...don't use it. if a mechanic puts dexron in to top off the fluid...immediately change the fluid and filter and use only mopar 7176 fluid. therefore be especially wary of quick lube joints who might not use the correct fluid.

just following these two rules should greatly enhance your transmission's life. he also mentioned that this transmission is very sensitive to the quality of the transmission fluid and that many people have eliminated problems with their units just by replacing the fluid and filter.

araz

I changed the filter and what ever transmission fluid drained out in my 96 Dodge last year. When I went in search of a fluid with the "Chrysler 7176" number, all but one place didn't have it. They recommended every other type, stating that the 7176 was only on Mopar fluid. I wonder if this could be responsible for the early demise of many Mopar Transmissions in the last few years? One place, like an "AutoZone" or "AutoPalace" said that no one used 7176 anymore.

yaman

At around 55,000 miles I had the transmission fluid changed on my 92 chrysler lebaron. At 59,000
miles the transmission went.I am wondering now if
there was a correlation.

emale

araz and yaman,

i just checked the owner's manual for my 98 intrepid and it states that i'm only to use mopar atf+2 type 7176 transmission fluid. it went on to say that use of any other fluid could shorten the life of my transmission and also affect shift and torque converter lockup smoothness. that seems a pretty strong argument to stick with the 7176 fluid if you ask me. now that i think about it, use of improper tranny fluid may have contributed to quite a few of those tranny failures that chrysler is so famous for.

917

Have any of you folks heard about possible problems with Acura Automatic Transmissions? I was warned by a car wholesale buyer that they avoid high mileage Acuras, because they could get stuck with a big $ repair. I am curious, because I am in the process of maybe buying a Honda Odyssey, which may or may not have the same trans as the Acura...??? Thanks, 917

inky

I am confused. My owners manual does not say I have to change tranny fluid unless severe driving.
Should I change it anyway at 40,000 miles?
Thanks
INKY

current

I am thinking of buying a 92 Mazda MPV. The owner says she had the transmission replaced at the dealer. Does this mean it's fixed, or might I have continual trouble with it? I haven't heard really good things about the MPV transmission on this site.

dad47

I have a 94 ford taurus that the transmission went out on at 58000 miles. The warranty covered it which I was happy with. I bought a 95 v6 mustang with another automatic transmission and now I'm told that ford has a lot of problems with their transmissions. Is this true? Will I have the same kind of problems with the mustang since It't a rear wheel drive? I was also thinking about a used explorer. Would it also have the same problems. Is there a solution to the transmission problem?

gchernya1

In the matter of fact Ford do have problem with their front wheel drive transmission. On the older cars it is worse, because of possible leaks from the seals, cooling lines. If you stuck with older Ford - the only reasonable thing to do is keep an eye on the fluid level - not only in tranny, but in power steering and radiator. In my old Merqury Gran M I had to top off every 2-3 days until I sold sucker to unsuspected stranger. Police cars olso having tranny problems, but they just got budget for it. When you buy Ford you buy more luxury features but not a longer lusting car.

rdeschene

gchernya1. My experience with an 87 Taurus was: a leaking transmission fluid hose led to fluid loss and a friend tranmission. Of course, this happened within a few months of my having paid for the car. So my experience reflects yours.

I would disagree that the only course of action is to check the fluid level daily, however. Replacing the hose (and probably metal line) and transmission pan seal is a reasonable course to take, too. Interestingly, I did not feel any transmission slippage until I went to accelerate from a dead stop - all highway driving that day, until then. I have now adopted the habit of checking all fluid levels the morning of any highway trip. I'm also driving a GM now with a "bulletproof" 3.1L V6 and 3spd auto, and pampering it.

K9Leader

I have had some experience with Acuras -- I've owned two 1987 Integras with automatic transmissions. I sold one six months ago at 126K miles and still have the other one at 89K miles. Both transmissions are still strong and in good shape. However, they are both clunky in shifting, particularly from R to 1st and 1st to 2nd, and have been for many thousands of miles.
My research and reading confirms that Honda and Acura automatic transmissions do tend to be clunky in shifting, but they are durable. The Honda/Acura manual transmissions, however, are both snick-snick wonderful and durable.
Did the wholesale buyer you spoke to specifically say the problem was transmission failure? One reason some buyers may avoid high mileage Acuras/Hondas is due to the need to replace the timing belt at regular 60k intervals. The Honda/Acura engines are OHC engines with very little clearance between the valves and the piston. If the belt breaks, some of the valves will stop in the open (down) position and the pistons will smash into them, resulting in an engine rebuild or a new engine. This arrangement is much more power and fuel efficient, but does pose this problem in the event the timing belt breaks. Many engines, mostly used by the domestic manufacturers GM, Ford, and Chrysler, have greater clearance and if the timing belt or chain breaks the engine stops but there is no contact between pistons and valves so no permanent damage was done. Honda/Acura recommends that the timing belts be changed at 60k, 120k, etc. These timing belts can go well beyond 60k but it is felt that 60k is a safe recommendation to avoid breakage and the resultant damage. However, it is an expensive job ($500 - $700) so many people don't do it. I believe it is extremely rare for a belt to break short of 90k and many go well beyond 100k. The risk with high mileage Acuras and Hondas is that the timing belt has never been replaced and who knows when it will go.
If you are interested in the Odyssey, don't let this deter you. The auto transmissions are not the smoothest, but they are durable. Regarding the timing belt, it is a far more powerful and efficient engine because of this design. Just look at it from the perspective that at 60k this van will still be worth putting the money into it, while its competition (Caravan, Venture, Windstar) will be ready for the junkyard by 60k or at least worth virtually nothing in resale value.

dad47

I recieved a recall on my 94 Ford Taurus with a 3.8 liter engine. The recall was on the head gaskets. Has anyone had problems with these? I think it may just be on this engine.
On the transmission problem I had, the fluid level was kept up and was good when the transmission failed at 58000 miles. I had the fluid changed three times in the 40000 miles that I have owned it-before it failed.
Anyone else with that problem?

gchernya1

rdeschene Unfortunately, replacing everything what might leak in the Ford very expensive,and list of lines, hoses and seals to long. As of your case, yes,daily check helps to spot lines that really ready to go, but what an annoying routine to start your day dealing with violation of common sense and laws of enginering for profit by somebody within second largest automaker.

rdeschene

gchernayl. If you re-read my response, you will find that I specified transmission seals, lines, etc.. Yes, it is a pain in the butt. And one best avoided, if you can. Unfortunately, the reality of the used car market is you make the best choice among what is available - and possibly adapt your behaviour to suit.

rosie8

we have a 94 explorer xlt. the egr valve and sensor are supposedly bad. does anyone have experience with removing the sensor and not replacing it? wouldnt this improve mileage and maybe performance?

chris1

1988 Taurus LX. Transmission broke then fixed approx. 20,000 miles ago. Car now has 96,00 miles. Shifting from first to second gear is very rough(more of a bang). Anyone know what the problem might be? Fluid is always full. Shifts fine when cold, seems to slip then bang into gear when hot.
Thanks.

chris1

already found the answer, no need to respond

Mr_Shiftright

Dear Rosie,

Your EXplorer will run better with the EGR valve and sensor in good working order.

venkatb

I have a 86 Integra with about 155K miles - the transmission has been slipping for the past 3+ years and I confine the car to a 10 mile radius.

Just bought a Honda Odyssey and the transmission is less than stellar - my wife and I feel that our other minivan (93 Mercury Villager)shifts smoother after 85K miles than a new Odyssey.

guitarzan

Honda's shift harder. Didn't you notice this on the test drive?

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah, you'd really hate a Mercedes then!

mikesimmons

I have a '93 Toyota Camry with 66,000 miles on it.
The transmission fluid has been changed at 30k and at 60k. The fluid is black, not dark red or brown, but black. The dealer says that this is normal for Camrys with over 30k miles but everyone else is as surprised as I am. Have any of you heard of black transmission being "normal" ?

The car has had all of the recommended servicing and seems to shift normally but I think the dealer may be too shifty.

gus

Dark, dark, dark red, yes. Black is unusual. I've seen it come out grey. Smell the oil. If it smells burnt, then you've got a problem.

Mr_Shiftright

Yes, burned like burning cork...not a good sign...I'd change it and the filter or screen pronto and inspect the inside of the pan, too. I mean, logically, what could discolor the oil except clutch material and/or overheating?

I feel there's too much at stake here to let it go with the old "oh, they all do that..." routine.

ratdaddy

I have a 92 4wd Explorer with Automatic transmission. The transmission started "slipping" on me and I ended up having to replace the whole ball of wax to the tune of $1800.00. I had 68000 miles on the odometer when this happened. As this is the first Ford I have ever owned, is this a common fault of this model? I have owned numerous GM cars and trucks and although I was nickel and dimed with water pumps, brake pads, etc. I never had a repair that was in 4 figures. When I buy a vehicle I usually keep it for 10 years. I now have 79000 miles on my Ford. Are there any other high dollar cost I may be looking at down the road with my Ford?

gchernya1

AC lines and power steering lines next.

Mr_Shiftright

There's really no way to predict component failure...if you talk to fleet managers they'll tell you that a certain percentage of transmissions will fail prematurely and a few will go way beyond expectations. 68,000 seems premature to me. Type of use, driving habits, dealr competence, service intervals...there's a lot of variables here. I have friends who are quite happy with their Explorers, although they have all had little and medium problems down the road...what comes to mind is electronic switching of the 4WD and something wrong with the front hubs.

You might check this site for latest recall information;

http://www.alldata.com/consumer/index.html

benu2

anybody know where to get a good deal in tampa bay on a honda civic ex gold edition

Mr_Shiftright

Benu2---you're in the wrong conference...go to this link:


Smart Shopper

gus

Thanks, Mr. S.

michael359

Hello everyone,

I have a '92 Maxima SE w/5spd and 96K miles on it.
Recently (last couple months) I've noticed a slight "vibration" during acceleration at certain RPMS - ~3600, ~4100, etc. etc. It's detectable in all gears, but at the same RPMs then goes away quickly just to come back again at another certain RPM (my wife can't even tell it's there when she drives it - it bugs me a lot). With the car in neutral, I can rev the engine and there is no vibration through the gas pedal. If I coast in neutral, I of course don't feel the vibration either. When the car is first cold in the morning it doesn't seem to exhibit the vibration till it's fully warmed up.

Could this be a sign of a clutch problem? It's still got the original clutch. Any ideas? At the 90K service the dealer didn't find anything wrong other than fixing the CV joint and finding the exhaust manifold cracked.

Thanks!

Michael

spokane

The clutch would not be my first guess. If the vibration occurs at several discreet narrow bands of engine speed, I would check for something loose on the engine....or even in the engine compartment or under the dashboard. It doesn't have to be a rotating part; perhaps something such as a sheet metal shroud that is slightly loose and therefore vibrates when stimulated at it's natural frequency or a harmonic of that frequency. If the Maxima has a "heat riser" valve in the exhaust manifold, suggest you check it.

gus

Also have someone bang on the exhaust with a mallet while the car is up in the air.
Also, although you said the car had been checked thoroughly, make sure that the motor mounts have been checked--make sure that the rubber is intact, and that any bolts/nuts securing the mounts to the frame or motor are tight.

michael359

Thanks Spokane and Gus for the suggestions. I'll have another looksie to see if there is anything obvious that I see that you guys mentioned. Then it's off to the mechanics.

hopper1

Have a 1995 Plymoth Neon auto transmission. In Jan. daughter hit patch of ice and went in ditch. Tried to get out of ditch and some spinning of tires. Could not get out and called recker. Car had damage to bumper and was realined. Car was drove until last week (April) about 400 miles, now has 39000 miles,is off warranty. Took car in to replace head gasket Chrysler covered even though off warranty.
Next day, started to hear funny sound took back to dealer. Were told the transmission is gone. Needs new transmission. Reason "because you hit ice went in ditch and were spinning tires back in January. This caused the transmission to fail. Talked to State Farm Insurance re: accident, transmission. State Farm will not cover transmission and Chrysler will not fix. What do you think. Can a transmission completely fail from this after it has been driven over a period of time after this happened.

gus

Hopper, there are certain transmissions, on certain cars, where, if you rev the engine high enough, for a long enough period of time, you can do damage to the transmission. The place that people have really noticed this is at smog inspection stations, where the smog inspector does a high-idle emissions test. The inspector will do a 2500 rpm test, and within a matter of days or weeks, the transmission in the car will be shot because the transmission was revved improperly. The solid example I can give you is the 700-series Volvo with a ZF transmission. The ZF transmission, when revved too high, for too long a time period, will fail. Now, I don't know if your car has a similar style of transmission, but it might be worth it to ask at the dealership.

guitarzan

Gus, what is the proper way to do those smog tests where the drive tires are on rollers?

Mr_Shiftright

RE: Maxima....Michael, I think the problem is in the driveshaft/u-joint/velocity joint (I forget, is that a FWD?)...whatever...or a rear tire imbalance...

Neon Transmission---the biggest enemy of automatic
transmissions is HEAT--someone certainly could have fried the internals of that transmission pretty badly while spinning the wheels in a ditch...not meaning to blame anyone in a distressing situation, but sometimes people don't give up and call a tow truck like they should.
By the way, the pan on the transmission could be dropped and evidence of burning should be quite apparent. If there isn't any evidence of abuse, perhaps Chrysler should jump in, at least partially, on such a low mileage failure. You might have the pan inspected at an independent shop and have them write down the results, should they show no burning of clutch plate material.

gus

#92: I've seen people raise these cars on the lift, stick them in neutral and then rev the engines. I try to avoid working on these cars, myself.

redharmonica

I have a 95 Volkswagon Jetta with 23,000 miles on it that I bought from a private owner. I like the car but in neutral, 1st, 3rd, and 5th the gearshift feels loose. In other words, I can wiggle the gearshift left to right and up down in these gears but I can't do this in 2nd and 4th gear. Is there an easy way of tightening the gearshift so that it is not loose in these gears? Also, the transmission on the car seems to feel
a lot smoother when the temperature is 30 degrees or below. Does anyone know why?

ddysart

Ok, here's my horror story, I'm looking for some advice. I have a 95 Mazda Millenia with just under 60k on it. At about 58k I had the 60k maintenance done on it. About this time it started shifting harder and harder when downshifting into passing gear at highway speeds. Finally the other day, it shifted real hard and then started sticking in gears. I pulled off the highway and sure enough the engine had been bathed in what I would later find out to be tranny fluid. Roadside assistance got the car to a Mazda dealer where they confirmed the transmission was shot. They quoted me $2700 for a replacement. My normal mechanic is quoting me about $2100. Also worth mentioning is the EGR Sensor needs replacing (to the tune of $400)

What I'm try to determine is whether or not to hang on to this car or get rid of it. I still owe about $8400 on the thing, so with the approx. $2600 in repairs (tax, towing, etc.), I'd need to get almost $11k for it just to break-even (Edmunds is telling me trade in value is about $12,500, so it might be possible).

I'd be looking at trading it in for a new car, and would be definitely "trading-down" from the Millenia to a more affordable vehicle. Even so, knowing I'll have payments either way and piece of mind of the new car warrantee make it very tempting.

Any ideas?

Mr_Shiftright

You'll have to fix the car, I'm afraid, or you'll take a worse loss trying to sell a cripple. One alternative might be a good used transmission, which should cost about half of what you're planning to spend for a new one...if you can find one. I'd say fix it and drive it until it's paid down, or to a lower balance.

Sounds like this whole problem was due to a leak of some sort. It would be interesting if someone didn't tighten something properly, but alas, it may be too late to find out...the coincidence is interesting, though.

isellhondas

With Mr. S.

Millenia's are very good cars and I really think the trans problem was unusual. Get pricing from a good local tansmission shop also. I would stay away from the chains.

A good used one would be smart also,

pneely

I have a 1987 Acura Integra with an auto trans and 185K miles. The trans occasionally slips between shifts and it shifts very hard between 1st and 2nd especially when cold. The fluid level is normal w/good color and no burnt smell. The throttle linkage functions normally. The transmission appears to shift near the correct points so the internal governor seems to be functioning. The shifts between the higher gears are smooth. A local transmission shop diagnosed the problem as internal wear - options incl rebuild @ $2k or drive it til it dies. Do I have any other options? Dare I try a rebuild myself? Install a used or rebuilt?

gchernya1

There are plenty of dead Hondas of this age out there and you might get lucky with it. Just make sure that transmition wasn't a cause of death.