Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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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.