Ok - I'm a girl with little knowledge about cars so here goes. 95 Eclipse RS, 150K ,automatic, doesn't catch 3rd. Questions: rebuilt vs overhaul how much is reasonable how long should it take what qualifications should I look for?
Generally 176F is ideal and the design point for most ATF. Unfortunately excessive heat is generated at idle in drive and acceleration from torque convertor slip....where 230-300F is the norm, the in radiator heat exchanger tries to lower [raise] this to at least the coolant temp [+-20F] so in summer traffic you might be dumping 200-240-260F ATF back into the pan [whereas in winter maybe 176F].
There is a critical temperature where the seals begin to harden allowing ATF to go where its not supposed to go [bypass leaks] and the glue that hold the friction material and the insulation around the wire in the solenoids starts to fail. It only takes once [or a few overheats] to start this downward spiral!
To save money the best cooling is not designed in since the bulk of the vehicles [pop density by state vs climate] are sold in areas with temperate short summers and little severe traffic.
Almost all transmissions would benefit from adddition external ATF coolers to keep the ATF from rising above 176F, but in cold winters the ATF needs to be warmed for highway use to maximize mileage.....gets a bit complicated to control. Many electronic controlled trannys measure the ATF temperature because the viscosity gets thinner as the temp rises so the pressures need adjusting, the converse cold as the tranny won't allow overdrive [4th] until safely warm.
Trannys are designed for just so many shift cycles [100,000 - 200,000] at x amount of torque, so low output steady cruise for hours on end [expressways can double/triple their life].
Count the number of redlights/stop signs in you average day [20?] x 2 [up and down shifts] and multiply by 6 years [2200]= 88,000 shift cycles. Every wide open throttle series [like a drag race] should be multipled by 10 [average torue shifts vs peak torque shifts]. Every hour of idling in Summer traffic is roughly the eqivalent of 5 hours of 70 mph AC on highway use! Not counting all those 1-2-3-2-1 shifts as you move a few feet at the time!
Easy to see why there is such a variance in tranny life in years miles.
Important to measure your ATF return from heat exchanger temp or pan temp to see if you need to lower it for your location and driving style! Important to make sure your stablized cooling temp is as new because as radiators age they become less efficient [dirty bent fins leaves] and a 10-15F rise [in coolant and thus ATF] will be unnoticable to most but the tranny doesn't like it.
On August 28, I received an unpleasant surprise that morning, when I discovered my car ('94 Honda Passport, auto transmission) would not go into low gear. I had to shift manually to accelerate, and the "check transmission" light kept flashing. It ran fine in 4th gear and reverse. I circled around the block and came home.
Having NO clue, I contacted the local installation of Big Transmission Repair Chain, who offered me a free tow to their station. To cut to the chase, they wound up doing a rebuild on the tranny, including solenoid and clutch fan replacement.
Parts and labor = just under $3K. Out of curiosity, I contacted a local Honda dealer and learned the same service there would have cost around $5K.
Returned from short vacation the day before yesterday, picked up my car in the afternoon. It shifted just fine, and I ran a few errands close to home.
Saturday morning: First day on a new job... I got in the car to go to work, and discovered the original problem had returned.
My boyfriend followed me in his car, while I managed to drive back to Big Tranny Chain shop. There was one mechanic on duty, who just happened to be the guy who did the work. When my boyfriend began asking questions, the mechanic stammered excuses about some OTHER part of the tranny that might be malfunctioning (air sensor?)
Like I'm going to pay MORE money to this place to keep replacing parts until they find the cause of the original problem by process of elimination??
Since there was no charge to recheck the repair, we left the car there until the shop reopens on Monday.
So what are my options here? Do I put a hold on my credit card for the repair charge? If they want to replace anything else, can I make them do so at their expense?
This is a great site...thanks in advance for advice!
cause of trans failure is poor design,the THM350 rarely failed.The 4L60E fails all the time. When all the manufactures went OD they all had trouble,poor design.A trans failure will sometimes cause fluid to overheat.Change your fluid at regular intervals and heat will be no problem.
Actually, the biggest causes of transmission/transaxle failure are CAD and the obsession with weight reduction. With the advent of computer aided design, engineers can input the torque requirements of a transmission and the program will respond with the required total clutch friction surface area, fluid pressures, clutch drum wall thickness, etc, etc. Earlier designs had much more built in overload protection, but they were heavy. Open up a current unit, it uses stamped steel (thick sheet metal) clutch drums vs the cast steel ones used in older units, variable capacity vane pumps which reduce parasitic horsepower losses but have up to 27 moving parts vs the old gear or rotor pumps with 2 moving parts, and the list goes on.....
When no one was smart enough to check your designs you always over built to cover your rear. Now every 2nd year engineering sudent can run the simulation software and cost cutting teams are the norm.
By the way new 5 speed AT are using aluminum planetaries and the new ZF 6 speed weights less than the old 4 speed units. Much of the new drive by wire throttle systems are designed to limit launch torque to not over stress the components.
Generally few national chains have the expertise/ parts/ time to rebuilt an exotic [5-6 speed]tranny they just secure factory rebuilt/remanned units from the dealer for $1800-$2,500 exchanged and say they rebuilt it giving you the same 12/12k warranty they got from dealer.
Unless you are sure be careful about things like changed a sensor/solenoid only repairs as the hard parts are pretty well done at 100k or so.
Learned Friends, Looks like this is the right place; I'm new here so bear with me... I usually hang out with Terry and the boys over at "Real-World". I have a '92 A'star (XLT ext.) witht he 4.0 and the 4sp auto tranny. AFAIK this is a non-electronic unit. I bought the car in '99 with 110k on it, now have 134k. Had a "drain-and-fill" done when I bought it, that's probably all the service it's had. Never towed (no hitch on van). Never a problem with either engine or trans.
Here's what happened today: Take off from home, drive 1.5 miles in town, turn slowly into a neighborhood, van starts to coast. I can move the shift lever, but gears don't engage. Fluid level normal, unchanged (I check from time to time). I turn the engine off, restart it, move to drive, trans engages. I take off slowly, 50 ft down the road, disengages again. Repeat 3 more times, that got me to in front of a friend's house, where we left it. I should add I did the last leg in reverse, realizing I had only so much "go" left... same behavior as going forward. 2 hrs later picked it up and towed it home with my other beater ('93 Corolla, doing wonders for THAT tranny, no doubt). A'star is same as before, except after the first 30 ft it disengaged and now won't engage at all.
Is the Torque converter an actual part of the tranmission or an independant part of the Transmission? What I would like to know is if the Torque Converter is replaced also when a new Trans. is put in ? I don't remember seeing any reference to this on my receipt.
steine: my first guess would be the sprag clutch is slipping, a common failure of the mechanical one way clutch in the front section of the A4LD transmission. Is there any drive in Manual Low range?
terceltom: the torque converter is a separate assembly, the equivalent of the clutch assembly in a manual transmission vehicle. Usually replaced when the transmission is replaced/rebuilt. It contains almost half of the total transmission fluid volume and will circulate contaminated fluid back into the new trans if not replaced. Also contains some wear items (lockup clutch friction disc and synthetic rubber seals).
In that case I'd start by checking line pressure. There are several pressure taps on the trans for this purpose. No line pressure in any range would indicate a pump/pressure regulator circuit failure. Next step would be to remove the pan and check for debris or a collapsed or restricted filter.
I have a 1996 SL2 with 65K miles on it. Recently the transmission went out. It was literally overnight. I did not have any warning signs or transmission issues. One day ok...next day no reverse. It is going to cost me $2500 to get the transmission fixed and Saturn is being NO HELP. I take excellent care of the car and this is not something that should happen to a car with only 65K on it. I am debating selling it as is but was wondering if others had similar problems or had any advice as to how I can get rid of it. This is not my first problem. The alternator went bad, the EGR valve had to be replaced, and one of my windows is off track. I am also starting to experience the oil consumption others are discussing...HELP!
I'd install a salvage yard transaxle and sell it. The Saturn oil consumption is almost always seized oil rings. The proper fix is an engine block rebore and oversize pistons and rings, and a '96 isn't worth putting that much into.
"I take excellent care of the car and this is not something that should happen to a car with only 65K on it".......who says excellent care? how many times did you flush transmission and change the filter? It lasted past the warranty didn't it! But you are right in a sense as most GM are designed to not fail prior to 100k but there is always a percentage of exceptions. But the 7 years is the problem they expect 100k to be done in 6 years.
Note that the longest factory drive train warranty was 6 years by any manufacturer [Infiniti] back in 1996.
... NEVER believe the user. Even though I said the fluid level was okay, apparently it wasn't. I did a drain and fill, on the off-chance the filter might be plugged. It wasn't, there were no "parts" in the pan, and filling in a little over what I took out fixed the problem. If had just goosed it a little, I could have driven it home (pardon, coulda "drove" it home -- this IS michigan). Ditched the stupid thing two days later for $950, good riddance. BTW, that dip stick is totally useless... a solid bead of fluid on the stick... and if you look closely, just underneath, a real dry spot. How the heck am I supposed to read THAT? Oh well, real men drive sticks anyway. -Mathias East Lansing, MI
I own a 1997 740i and have had transmission trouble since I bought it in June of 2001.
When driving at 50–60 mph and I depress the accelerator to overtake another car, and the transmission goes into passing gear, I can feel and hear a loud clunk coming from the rear of the car. When shifting the car into reverse it takes 5 to 8 seconds before it will actually shift into reverse gear. When slowing the transmission feels like it is down shifting. When starting from a stop and the transmission changes gears there is a long pause before it actually goes into the next gear. When I put the transmission into park the car rolls before stopping and engaging into park.
The dealer tells me they cannot reproduce these symptoms. And says that when they connect the car to their diagnostic machine all is fine. Is anyone else out there having these same symptoms??
I own a 1997 740i and have had transmission trouble since I bought it in June of 2001.
When driving at 50–60 mph and I depress the accelerator to overtake another car, and the transmission goes into passing gear, I can feel and hear a loud clunk coming from the rear of the car. When shifting the car into reverse it takes 5 to 8 seconds before it will actually shift into reverse gear. When slowing the transmission feels like it is down shifting. When starting from a stop and the transmission changes gears there is a long pause before it actually goes into the next gear. When I put the transmission into park the car rolls before stopping and engaging into park.
The dealer tells me they cannot reproduce these symptoms. And says that when they connect the car to their diagnostic machine all is fine. Is anyone else out there having these same symptoms??
I'd be obliged for any input regarding my 1992 Mitsubishi Diamante with an automatic tranny. It was running great until four days ago when out of the blue it refused to drive in any gear other than third. (I think it's third gear judging from the tachometer.) Even if I manually shift it into first or second, it refuses to downshift.
Park, neutral, and reverse are all okay. The engine is running fine. And the transmission fluid level and color look fine. I'd be eternally grateful for any insight into the cause before I head over to the transmission specialists.
My 98 explorer with 53M miles has the Check Engine light on and the O/D OFF light flashing.
Actually, the O/D light has been flashing intermittently for about 6 mos, but when i took it to the shop they said it did not store an error code on the computer. So with the CE light on this week I got worried and took it in again. The shop says 2 codes were stored - 1 is the tranny solenoid and the other is a "hard error code", whatever that is. Net/net, they said the solenoid definitely needs to be replaced for $800 and the tranny could go anytime but they'd be happy to replace for $1600. The Ford dealership agreed with the diagnosis over the phone and qouted $2800 to replace. In deperation, I called Aamco, the guy said the others are full of c**p and all it needs is the solenoid for $250. He said Explorer transmissions are well known for having electrical and high-pressure problems...
Right now I'm leaning toward just doing the solenoid. I should mention there are NO symptoms of transmission problems when driving, and I did change the fluid at 30K miles. We tow a 3,500 lb pop-up occasionally.
I had a 1993 Explorer that dropped second gear drum at 52K and cost me $1100.00 (best price in town I could find) at an independent shop to get it rebuilt. I sold the rig within a couple years after that. A few days ago, I bought a 2002 Mountaineer with the 5 speed auto tranny. I hope it is bullet proof compared to the transmission in the 93 Exploder. Which tranny do you have in your 98?
It is the 4-speed tranny. Here's what I'm being told. The solenoid checked out okay, but since they can go intermittently, they replaced it anyway. Then the error codes came back. They dropped the pan and found a small amount of metal shavings. They drove it again and now tell me that the torque converter does not "lock up".
I have never heard of this, but apparently it's something that the TC is supposed to do when it gets into 4th gear - not the same as overdrive, but when it "locks up" it reduces the gear ratio to .75:1 instead of 1:1 with the engine. They said you should see the rpm's reduce by 300-500 when it engages. This supposedly keeps the tranny from overheating. This might explain why the Check Engine light finally came on when I was on a long trip (it came on at 250 miles).
So they think the TC is bad and need to rebuild the tranny while they are at it. Total bill: $1700. I don't know if I'm being taken or not. I considered just putting it all back together, but if I burn up the tranny then the bill is $2,800 to replace it. They are replacing 2 solenoids also.
Now I just have to decide whether to get the extended warranty ($275 for 3 yrs or $650 for lifetime).
The overdrive gear is .75:1 The torque converter is a fluid coupling that has a slip of 300-500 rpm and it also has an internal clutch that is hydraulic and operated from the transmission. The computer knows how fast the engine is going and how fast the output shaft is turning so it can figure out when something is slipping. Rebuilt torque converters are generally around $300. With metal in the transmission, they probably want to "rebuild" it which will probably be no more than a general cleaning and removal of the valve body. Request an external transmission filter to be added because they never get all the particles out.
Hi, I just bought a 91' ford festiva with the 3sp auto. The car runs great and has only 71k miles on it. The only concern I have is with the trans... When it shifts from 1st to 2cd (especialy when pushing it) it seems to shift hard. 2-3rd is smooth. The fluid is red, but with a hint of brown. doesn't smell burnt. I just picked up a filter and new fluid. Is there any adjustments I should/could do? Should I try using any additives after the fluid change?
Two of my friends had problems with explorer boxes where they lost a gear. Both were told that it could happen any time and was due to a metal chip getting jammed somewhere. One of them also lost the 4x4 solenoid.
The new Explorer boxes are sealed for life, I remain to be convinced that life is more than 36000 for some ford boxes.
My Taurus box is making strange noises at 97,000 miles. I suppose that's a reasonable life for an auto box. One stupid aspect of this pile of questionable parts is that when accelerating from a cruising speed of around 50 the transmission shifts up as the throttle is increased slightly. This can be overcome by taking your foot off the gas completely before flooring it. Panic acceleration requests are generally greeted with a 3 second "are you sure, we're just cruising" while the engine slowly spins up. Variable noise, constant power as they say. Some days I yearn to take a stone cutter to my Taurus just because of the gearbox.
I originate in the UK and drove maybe half a million miles there. In the UK I only know of one transmission specialist, they aren't something you normally see. I drove a number of vehicles into the ground there and never had a gearbox or clutch problem (in the UK only the old or infirm have automatics). These included Audi 100 180k, Audi 90 168k, Passat GL5 178k, Nissan Primera 120k (still clean and tidy). They were all driven hard too, every one of them saw the red line in 1st and 2nd most days.
When I listen to Click and Clack I always hear them saying "if you buy a manual car then you'll need a clutch and those are expensive" whenever people ask for buying advice. And yet I have driven more than half a million miles and never had more than an occasional missed shift. On the other hand everyone I know here seems to have a history of auto transmission problems.
they would last longer. I drove a Toyota Supra 224K before it needed a clutch. I think the average horsepower for the same size transmission is higher here. Its a toss up. We're at the side of the road with bad transmissions and you're stuck somewhere because of some Lucas electrical part!
My Regal has 47k on it so I want to change out the tranny fluid. My dealer has a machine that changes 100% of the fluid (I forgot what they called the machine) instead of the 30-50% fluid change with a dropped pan and screen change. He said they flush out the old stuff, put in a solvent to clean it out, flush that out, then refill with fresh fluid. He also said, I don't need to change the screen because the solvent takes care of cleaning it. All this for $120.
Does this sound like a good deal? I'm skeptical about the no-need-to-change-the-screen part. Thanks for your learned advice in advance.
No machine changes 100% of the fluid. You will be mixing old and new in the pan if it isn't dropped first and filled with new fluid. If your transmision is in really food shape, the screen will be fine. If not some gunk will stay in the pan. Any time you add chemicals, it's a mixed bag. Something could start floating around and cause problems. It's ok but not the best way.
The word solvent scares hell out of me-some has got to stay behind when those ATF machines are used. The reason they like to use them is cause they are fast and no parts to track down if problems arise.
I would suggest changing the fluid when it is hot-drive 100 miles or so and change it again while it is still hot. Could do this 3 or 4 times for less money than the dealer's method of using the machine.
Now if u are really mechanically inclined-there is one way to do this that will get almost all of the old out-disconnect the inlet side of the ATF cooler line going into the radiator-drain out all old ATF-replace with new and then connect the outlet end of the drain line to a clear plastic gallon jug-start the engine and have someone watch the jug-when it approaches full-stop the engine and replace the same amount of fluid in the jug to the tranny fill.
solvent is scary stuff when added to any tranny-oh and use only the specific ATF required for your vehicle-anything else could be an expensive venture. Just cause it says synthetic don't mean it won't destroy your tranny.
I remember the days when trannies were bullet proof. Chrysler had one (or more) that couldn't be damaged with dynamite and grenades, let alone normal use! (:o]
I just purchased a used 2002 Mercury Mountaineer with AWD and approximately 27K miles. I've had a similar experience to an early posting from jerrbitt on 6/28/02, i.e. when accelerating and speed is just about right to shift into second gear if you ease off the accelerator transmission which was expecting an upshift shifts back to low with a severe clunk, also if running in 2 gear at about 30 to 35 mph and suddenly release the accelerator you get an indication of this noise -- almost reminds you of a bad universal.
Anyone experiencing similar problems with the new Mountaineer or has there been another message with a recommended solution?
93 camry with 100000 miles auto transmission. My overdrive light does not show up on my dash at all though my overdrive appears to work and the reverse light on the dash does not work in the morning unless I hold the shifter in place. For the past 6 months the car had problems reversing. It used to happen once a week now it happens once every other day. I put the car in reverse then it doesnt want to go. I have to put it in drive or back to park first. Otherwise the car drives excellent. The transmission fluid is a darkish brown but does not have any unusual smell.My transmission was last serviced at 80,000 Could my transmission be going out or is the problem with the shifter.Thanks
Ileased a 2000 Camary LE and the lease is up next month, I "was" planning on buying the car until.... I saw a small leak under the car and took it to the dealer this week. They told me that they had to drop the tranny to replace the front gasket and while they were in there they replaced the clutches!! I never got a straight answer on why the clutches were replaced, they just did. I also had a small leak in mid April which they told me was a gasket on the differential housing... The car has only 30,000 miles on it and it seems odd that the tranny would have these problems... Now I'm on the fence whether to purchase the car or not, (I love the car) has anyone else had problems with the tranny with so little mileage? The tranny will still have another 2 years warranty but I feel like once you have tranny problems you always have them, I'm very concered. Help, I need to make a decision....
Torque converter clutch. If the torque converter is not properly centered it can wear the seal and they may have had to replace the TC because the shaft was damaged. If the work wasn't done corectly, it will show up before another two years. Can't imagine they went too far into this transmission.
Second thought: Is this even an automatic? If it is a standard shift, They may have changed the clutch just to bump up the warranty work payout or because oil had gotten on the clutch surface which will cause it to fail. If so, be thankful! You've added some miles.
Yup, its an automatic. This is what the repair receipt said was done... They removed the transimission found the front pump seal leaking, found clutches wearing.... Replaced all needed seals an gasket, replaced clutches.. Isn't this weird for a car that only has 30,000 miles on it? Also, when I picked up the car it seems that the electrical system was off at some point, the clock and radio stations were all screwed up. That really confused me, what does the electric have to do with the tranny? Still have 2 years left on the tranny and of course they told me about the extended warranty program.....So in your opinion should I keep it?
To remove the transmission, the starter has to be removed which is connected directly to the battery. You have to disconnect the battery to prevent the wire shorting out.
The real question is what does the pump seal have to do with the clutches. In a major failure, the pump seal can cause loss of all fluid and damage the clutches. Usually this happens at the point you would have been towed. Were there any driving problems? If the leak were slow and went on for a long time, the low fluid level could have caused low pressure levels which cause the clutches to wear more and they were changed as a precaution.
Yes, the leak was very,very small and could have been going on for a month or so. They said that the clutches seemed worn so they replaced them due to the leak!?!? So in your experience with trannys would you buy the car? 2 Years warranty left on the tranny and engine...
I buy late model high mileage cars at auction. As a general rule, I won't buy any vehicle that I can tell the engine has been worked on. Just safer that way when you don't know the history. That's my personal preference and not based on any fact. I will (prefer) buy them with engine and transmission problems.
Well, I finally decided, after much research, to have my tranny fluid changed using the replacement method instead of the drop the pan method after 50k miles. My dealer is using a system by BG products and involves the following steps: 1. Add BG products cleaner to the tranny and run for 20 minutes. 2. Hook up machine and allow the tranny to pump out old fluid and suck in new fluid. 3. Add BG products additive to keep seals flexible and give fluid better shifting characteristics. 4. Charge me 121 dollars American
He claims filter is cleaned and his mechanics all use this method for their own cars. Perhaps at 75k I'll have the filter replaced just to be sure.
My '93 accord LX transmission completely failed on me at only 69000 miles. Anyone else have this problem with this model. I know honda is admitting problems with more recent models but what about the '93 models? I had no choice but to sell it. I can guarantee I will never buy another honda again after this experience.
I'm at wits end with my 1992 Mitsubishi Diamante DOHC with 166,000 miles which I've had since new. It seems something or another is plaguing it every couple of months. Each visit to the garage leaves me hundreds of dollars weaker and I've gotten to the point where I should probably just dump it (or donate it) but I've got a compulsion to see it keep running since I've spent so much on it already.
The latest problem: Everything was "fine" until three weeks ago when the engine started to run rough, had lost power, and the check engine light was coming on. The RPM's were also noticeably lower (100 to 200 at idle and 1500 at 80 mph). The car's engine computer was replaced with a rebuilt computer and now the engine is running strong again. However, the tranny only drives in what I think is third gear. It doesn't matter if I put it in first or second or overdrive on/off, it stays only in third gear. Reverse, park, and neutral are fine. Personally, I don't think it's a mechanical problem since the transmission was shifting fine before the new computer. I reckon it's an electrical problem.
According to the mechanic, I should drive it around for a few days (it still is quite driveable) and see if the computer resets the shift points. So far it hasn't. The mechanic isn't a transmission specialist, so he's not sure what to do and the closest Mitsubishi dealership is 150 miles away. To be honest, I'd rather not take it to them because of their exorbitant labor charges. I'm planning on taking it to a local tranny specialist first thing Monday morning. But can anyone shed some light on this problem? Is it simply a matter of re-programming the new computer? Or does it seem that I'm looking at a new transmission computer?
Sorry to make this post so long. Thanks in advance. In the meantime, hopefully a meteorite will finish off my car gracefully.
Why would the tranny fail? After this procedure, I'll have fresh fluid in a clean system, installed by trained mechanics at a GM dealership. Remember these additives and cleaners are tested by the manufacturer and approved by GM. If they were truly counterproductive, why would GM bother with them in the first place? Why not just replace the fluid and forget it? If this procedure wreaks things, they'll just get hundreds, if not thousands of complaints and end up having to replace trannys on their dime.
True, the filter won't be changed, that's why at 75k I'll go ahead and change it. Please elaborate on your response.
Comments
Questions:
rebuilt vs overhaul
how much is reasonable
how long should it take
what qualifications should I look for?
Thanks
Unfortunately excessive heat is generated at idle in drive and acceleration from torque convertor slip....where 230-300F is the norm, the in radiator heat exchanger tries to lower [raise] this to at least the coolant temp [+-20F] so in summer traffic you might be dumping 200-240-260F ATF back into the pan [whereas in winter maybe 176F].
There is a critical temperature where the seals begin to harden allowing ATF to go where its not supposed to go [bypass leaks] and the glue that hold the friction material and the insulation around the wire in the solenoids starts to fail.
It only takes once [or a few overheats] to start this downward spiral!
To save money the best cooling is not designed in since the bulk of the vehicles [pop density by state vs climate] are sold in areas with temperate short summers and little severe traffic.
Almost all transmissions would benefit from adddition external ATF coolers to keep the ATF from rising above 176F, but in cold winters the ATF needs to be warmed for highway use to maximize mileage.....gets a bit complicated to control.
Many electronic controlled trannys measure the ATF temperature because the viscosity gets thinner as the temp rises so the pressures need adjusting, the converse cold as the tranny won't allow overdrive [4th] until safely warm.
Trannys are designed for just so many shift cycles [100,000 - 200,000] at x amount of torque, so low output steady cruise for hours on end [expressways can double/triple their life].
Count the number of redlights/stop signs in you average day [20?] x 2 [up and down shifts] and multiply by 6 years [2200]= 88,000 shift cycles.
Every wide open throttle series [like a drag race] should be multipled by 10 [average torue shifts vs peak torque shifts]. Every hour of idling in Summer traffic is roughly the eqivalent of 5 hours of 70 mph AC on highway use! Not counting all those 1-2-3-2-1 shifts as you move a few feet at the time!
Easy to see why there is such a variance in tranny life in years miles.
Important to measure your ATF return from heat exchanger temp or pan temp to see if you need to lower it for your location and driving style!
Important to make sure your stablized cooling temp is as new because as radiators age they become less efficient [dirty bent fins leaves] and a 10-15F rise [in coolant and thus ATF] will be unnoticable to most but the tranny doesn't like it.
Having NO clue, I contacted the local installation of Big Transmission Repair Chain, who offered me a free tow to their station. To cut to the chase, they wound up doing a rebuild on the tranny, including solenoid and clutch fan replacement.
Parts and labor = just under $3K. Out of curiosity, I contacted a local Honda dealer and learned the same service there would have cost around $5K.
Returned from short vacation the day before yesterday, picked up my car in the afternoon. It shifted just fine, and I ran a few errands close to home.
Saturday morning: First day on a new job... I got in the car to go to work, and discovered the original problem had returned.
My boyfriend followed me in his car, while I managed to drive back to Big Tranny Chain shop. There was one mechanic on duty, who just happened to be the guy who did the work. When my boyfriend began asking questions, the mechanic stammered excuses about some OTHER part of the tranny that might be malfunctioning (air sensor?)
Like I'm going to pay MORE money to this place to keep replacing parts until they find the cause of the original problem by process of elimination??
Since there was no charge to recheck the repair, we left the car there until the shop reopens on Monday.
So what are my options here? Do I put a hold on my credit card for the repair charge? If they want to replace anything else, can I make them do so at their expense?
This is a great site...thanks in advance for advice!
When all the manufactures went OD they all had trouble,poor design.A trans failure will sometimes cause fluid to overheat.Change your fluid at regular intervals and heat will be no problem.
Now every 2nd year engineering sudent can run the simulation software and cost cutting teams are the norm.
By the way new 5 speed AT are using aluminum planetaries and the new ZF 6 speed weights less than the old 4 speed units.
Much of the new drive by wire throttle systems are designed to limit launch torque to not over stress the components.
Generally few national chains have the expertise/ parts/ time to rebuilt an exotic [5-6 speed]tranny they just secure factory rebuilt/remanned units from the dealer for $1800-$2,500 exchanged and say they rebuilt it giving you the same 12/12k warranty they got from dealer.
Unless you are sure be careful about things like changed a sensor/solenoid only repairs as the hard parts are pretty well done at 100k or so.
http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20020914/1036070.asp
Looks like this is the right place; I'm new here so bear with me... I usually hang out with Terry and the boys over at "Real-World".
I have a '92 A'star (XLT ext.) witht he 4.0 and the 4sp auto tranny. AFAIK this is a non-electronic unit. I bought the car in '99 with 110k on it, now have 134k. Had a "drain-and-fill" done when I bought it, that's probably all the service it's had. Never towed (no hitch on van).
Never a problem with either engine or trans.
Here's what happened today: Take off from home, drive 1.5 miles in town, turn slowly into a neighborhood, van starts to coast. I can move the shift lever, but gears don't engage. Fluid level normal, unchanged (I check from time to time). I turn the engine off, restart it, move to drive, trans engages. I take off slowly, 50 ft down the road, disengages again. Repeat 3 more times, that got me to in front of a friend's house, where we left it. I should add I did the last leg in reverse, realizing I had only so much "go" left... same behavior as going forward. 2 hrs later picked it up and towed it home with my other beater ('93 Corolla, doing wonders for THAT tranny, no doubt). A'star is same as before, except after the first 30 ft it disengaged and now won't engage at all.
What say you?
TIA
-Mathias
East Lansing, MI
my first guess would be the sprag clutch is slipping, a common failure of the mechanical one way clutch in the front section of the A4LD transmission. Is there any drive in Manual Low range?
terceltom:
the torque converter is a separate assembly, the equivalent of the clutch assembly in a manual transmission vehicle. Usually replaced when the transmission is replaced/rebuilt. It contains almost half of the total transmission fluid volume and will circulate contaminated fluid back into the new trans if not replaced. Also contains some wear items (lockup clutch friction disc and synthetic rubber seals).
"Is there any drive in Manual Low range?"
-No, nothing. I tried.. I'd a driven it home in reverse if I could, but no.
It feels like no fluid pressure. van just freewheels completely. not even a little tug.
-Mathias
excellent care? how many times did you flush transmission and change the filter?
It lasted past the warranty didn't it!
But you are right in a sense as most GM are designed to not fail prior to 100k but there is always a percentage of exceptions. But the 7 years is the problem they expect 100k to be done in 6 years.
Note that the longest factory drive train warranty was 6 years by any manufacturer [Infiniti] back in 1996.
Ditched the stupid thing two days later for $950, good riddance.
BTW, that dip stick is totally useless... a solid bead of fluid on the stick... and if you look closely, just underneath, a real dry spot. How the heck am I supposed to read THAT?
Oh well, real men drive sticks anyway.
-Mathias
East Lansing, MI
When driving at 50–60 mph and I depress the accelerator to overtake another car, and the transmission goes into passing gear, I can feel and hear a loud clunk coming from the rear of the car.
When shifting the car into reverse it takes 5 to 8 seconds before it will actually shift into reverse gear.
When slowing the transmission feels like it is down shifting.
When starting from a stop and the transmission changes gears there is a long pause before it actually goes into the next gear.
When I put the transmission into park the car rolls before stopping and engaging into park.
The dealer tells me they cannot reproduce these symptoms. And says that when they connect the car to their diagnostic machine all is fine. Is anyone else out there having these same symptoms??
When driving at 50–60 mph and I depress the accelerator to overtake another car, and the transmission goes into passing gear, I can feel and hear a loud clunk coming from the rear of the car.
When shifting the car into reverse it takes 5 to 8 seconds before it will actually shift into reverse gear.
When slowing the transmission feels like it is down shifting.
When starting from a stop and the transmission changes gears there is a long pause before it actually goes into the next gear.
When I put the transmission into park the car rolls before stopping and engaging into park.
The dealer tells me they cannot reproduce these symptoms. And says that when they connect the car to their diagnostic machine all is fine. Is anyone else out there having these same symptoms??
I'd be obliged for any input regarding my 1992 Mitsubishi Diamante with an automatic tranny. It was running great until four days ago when out of the blue it refused to drive in any gear other than third. (I think it's third gear judging from the tachometer.) Even if I manually shift it into first or second, it refuses to downshift.
Park, neutral, and reverse are all okay. The engine is running fine. And the transmission fluid level and color look fine. I'd be eternally grateful for any insight into the cause before I head over to the transmission specialists.
Cheers,
Actually, the O/D light has been flashing intermittently for about 6 mos, but when i took it to the shop they said it did not store an error code on the computer. So with the CE light on this week I got worried and took it in again. The shop says 2 codes were stored - 1 is the tranny solenoid and the other is a "hard error code", whatever that is. Net/net, they said the solenoid definitely needs to be replaced for $800 and the tranny could go anytime but they'd be happy to replace for $1600. The Ford dealership agreed with the diagnosis over the phone and qouted $2800 to replace. In deperation, I called Aamco, the guy said the others are full of c**p and all it needs is the solenoid for $250. He said Explorer transmissions are well known for having electrical and high-pressure problems...
Right now I'm leaning toward just doing the solenoid. I should mention there are NO symptoms of transmission problems when driving, and I did change the fluid at 30K miles. We tow a 3,500 lb pop-up occasionally.
Any advice?
I had a 1993 Explorer that dropped second gear drum at 52K and cost me $1100.00 (best price in town I could find) at an independent shop to get it rebuilt. I sold the rig within a couple years after that. A few days ago, I bought a 2002 Mountaineer with the 5 speed auto tranny. I hope it is bullet proof compared to the transmission in the 93 Exploder. Which tranny do you have in your 98?
I have never heard of this, but apparently it's something that the TC is supposed to do when it gets into 4th gear - not the same as overdrive, but when it "locks up" it reduces the gear ratio to .75:1 instead of 1:1 with the engine. They said you should see the rpm's reduce by 300-500 when it engages. This supposedly keeps the tranny from overheating. This might explain why the Check Engine light finally came on when I was on a long trip (it came on at 250 miles).
So they think the TC is bad and need to rebuild the tranny while they are at it. Total bill: $1700. I don't know if I'm being taken or not. I considered just putting it all back together, but if I burn up the tranny then the bill is $2,800 to replace it. They are replacing 2 solenoids also.
Now I just have to decide whether to get the extended warranty ($275 for 3 yrs or $650 for lifetime).
I just picked up a filter and new fluid. Is there any adjustments I should/could do? Should I try using any additives after the fluid change?
The new Explorer boxes are sealed for life, I remain to be convinced that life is more than 36000 for some ford boxes.
My Taurus box is making strange noises at 97,000 miles. I suppose that's a reasonable life for an auto box. One stupid aspect of this pile of questionable parts is that when accelerating from a cruising speed of around 50 the transmission shifts up as the throttle is increased slightly. This can be overcome by taking your foot off the gas completely before flooring it. Panic acceleration requests are generally greeted with a 3 second "are you sure, we're just cruising" while the engine slowly spins up. Variable noise, constant power as they say. Some days I yearn to take a stone cutter to my Taurus just because of the gearbox.
I originate in the UK and drove maybe half a million miles there. In the UK I only know of one transmission specialist, they aren't something you normally see. I drove a number of vehicles into the ground there and never had a gearbox or clutch problem (in the UK only the old or infirm have automatics). These included Audi 100 180k, Audi 90 168k, Passat GL5 178k, Nissan Primera 120k (still clean and tidy). They were all driven hard too, every one of them saw the red line in 1st and 2nd most days.
When I listen to Click and Clack I always hear them saying "if you buy a manual car then you'll need a clutch and those are expensive" whenever people ask for buying advice. And yet I have driven more than half a million miles and never had more than an occasional missed shift. On the other hand everyone I know here seems to have a history of auto transmission problems.
Does this sound like a good deal? I'm skeptical about the no-need-to-change-the-screen part. Thanks for your learned advice in advance.
I would suggest changing the fluid when it is hot-drive 100 miles or so and change it again while it is still hot. Could do this 3 or 4 times for less money than the dealer's method of using the machine.
Now if u are really mechanically inclined-there is one way to do this that will get almost all of the old out-disconnect the inlet side of the ATF cooler line going into the radiator-drain out all old ATF-replace with new and then connect the outlet end of the drain line to a clear plastic gallon jug-start the engine and have someone watch the jug-when it approaches full-stop the engine and replace the same amount of fluid in the jug to the tranny fill.
solvent is scary stuff when added to any tranny-oh and use only the specific ATF required for your vehicle-anything else could be an expensive venture. Just cause it says synthetic don't mean it won't destroy your tranny.
Anyone experiencing similar problems with the new Mountaineer or has there been another message with a recommended solution?
until....
I saw a small leak under the car and took it to the dealer this week. They told me that they had to drop the tranny to replace the front gasket and while they were in there they replaced the clutches!! I never got a straight answer on why the clutches were replaced, they just did. I also had a small leak in mid April which they told me was a gasket on the differential housing...
The car has only 30,000 miles on it and it seems odd that the tranny would have these problems...
Now I'm on the fence whether to purchase the car or not, (I love the car) has anyone else had problems with the tranny with so little mileage?
The tranny will still have another 2 years warranty but I feel like once you have tranny problems you always have them, I'm very concered.
Help, I need to make a decision....
Second thought: Is this even an automatic? If it is a standard shift, They may have changed the clutch just to bump up the warranty work payout or because oil had gotten on the clutch surface which will cause it to fail. If so, be thankful! You've added some miles.
This is what the repair receipt said was done...
They removed the transimission found the front pump seal leaking, found clutches wearing....
Replaced all needed seals an gasket, replaced clutches.. Isn't this weird for a car that only has 30,000 miles on it?
Also, when I picked up the car it seems that the electrical system was off at some point, the clock and radio stations were all screwed up.
That really confused me, what does the electric have to do with the tranny?
Still have 2 years left on the tranny and of course they told me about the extended warranty program.....So in your opinion should I keep it?
The real question is what does the pump seal have to do with the clutches. In a major failure, the pump seal can cause loss of all fluid and damage the clutches. Usually this happens at the point you would have been towed. Were there any driving problems? If the leak were slow and went on for a long time, the low fluid level could have caused low pressure levels which cause the clutches to wear more and they were changed as a precaution.
They said that the clutches seemed worn so they replaced them due to the leak!?!?
So in your experience with trannys would you buy the car? 2 Years warranty left on the tranny and engine...
1. Add BG products cleaner to the tranny and run for 20 minutes.
2. Hook up machine and allow the tranny to pump out old fluid and suck in new fluid.
3. Add BG products additive to keep seals flexible and give fluid better shifting characteristics.
4. Charge me 121 dollars American
He claims filter is cleaned and his mechanics all use this method for their own cars. Perhaps at 75k I'll have the filter replaced just to be sure.
Any comments?
I'm at wits end with my 1992 Mitsubishi Diamante DOHC with 166,000 miles which I've had since new. It seems something or another is plaguing it every couple of months. Each visit to the garage leaves me hundreds of dollars weaker and I've gotten to the point where I should probably just dump it (or donate it) but I've got a compulsion to see it keep running since I've spent so much on it already.
The latest problem: Everything was "fine" until three weeks ago when the engine started to run rough, had lost power, and the check engine light was coming on. The RPM's were also noticeably lower (100 to 200 at idle and 1500 at 80 mph). The car's engine computer was replaced with a rebuilt computer and now the engine is running strong again. However, the tranny only drives in what I think is third gear. It doesn't matter if I put it in first or second or overdrive on/off, it stays only in third gear. Reverse, park, and neutral are fine. Personally, I don't think it's a mechanical problem since the transmission was shifting fine before the new computer. I reckon it's an electrical problem.
According to the mechanic, I should drive it around for a few days (it still is quite driveable) and see if the computer resets the shift points. So far it hasn't. The mechanic isn't a transmission specialist, so he's not sure what to do and the closest Mitsubishi dealership is 150 miles away. To be honest, I'd rather not take it to them because of their exorbitant labor charges. I'm planning on taking it to a local tranny specialist first thing Monday morning. But can anyone shed some light on this problem? Is it simply a matter of re-programming the new computer? Or does it seem that I'm looking at a new transmission computer?
Sorry to make this post so long. Thanks in advance. In the meantime, hopefully a meteorite will finish off my car gracefully.
True, the filter won't be changed, that's why at 75k I'll go ahead and change it. Please elaborate on your response.