Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
Options

Transmission Traumas?

1383941434448

Comments

  • beninspiredbeninspired Member Posts: 1
    I noticed a couple of days ago that I was leaking tranny fluid. I brought it to one nearby shop, and they told me that the tranny was "venting" and this indicated an internal problem. They wanted to rebuild, I wanted a second opinion.
    I brought my truck to a different shop in the area, and they said that they couldn't find anything seriously wrong with it, and that venting is a normal thing if the tranny gets too hot. But here's the thing, I haven't been towing anything, I haven't been running the AC, my engine hasn't overheated, and it hasn't been that hot outside, so why would it vent out over a quart of fluid?
    The tranny shifts without problem, there is no slipping, and everything runs fine, but I'm still venting fluid, and I don't know why... Can anyone help? Tips or suggestions of any kind? I have a 900 plus mile road trip to do in less than a month, and I don't want to get stranded somewhere on the side of the road. :confuse:
  • xracer426xracer426 Member Posts: 1
    Hi,
    Our CRV has no reverse. All other gears work normally. When shifting into reverse, the transmission grinds as if it's not engaging. This started suddenly.

    The vehicle has 165,000 miles on it. The replacement trans with 45,000 was replaced at 110,000 on the car. It's used on a mail route so we're no stranger to car problems. The CRV is a great little truck for my wife's job. The weak link seems to be the transmission and 100k miles is about their lifespan.

    I suspect this is a major mechanical breakage. Would you agree? Time for another replacement.

    Any suggestions where to get one?

    Thanks.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    I can't think of anything that would be harder on a car than that!
  • virgo969virgo969 Member Posts: 1
    never had a problem with the transmisson until this morning. sensor light came on drove it to work maybe four miles away from my house. it never got out of second gear. had a guy at my job drive it he said it never changed during the drive. its full of fluid and it drives forward and backwards with no problem. as i stated never had a problem with it before. it drove fine yesterday. im scared that this is a big money issue. if someone can please help me with this please let me know
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    is it a Man or A/T? Perhaps it is a matter of adjusting the shift linkages if a Manual, but if A/T, doesn't sound good. however, maybe if an A/T there are some clogged passages. Have to had the transmission flushed? Is it low on fluid?
  • r0pead0per0pead0pe Member Posts: 2
    I found the problem with the CRV overdrive. The computer will turn off overdrive when the it senses the engine needs to warm up in the winter. The sensor it relies on is located in the radiator. The sensor for the engine temperature gauge is located on the block. So everything else works fine except the overdrive.

    Changing the sensor will fix the problem. My radiator and sensor needed to be replaced due to high millage. My overdrive problem went away at the same time. :)
  • bffjbffj Member Posts: 1
    I had this same problem. It turned out to be the Solenoid on the transmission, I do not remember the technical name. $224.00 later it was running fine. That price was at a local mechanic, a national care repair place wanted to charge me $678.00 for the same repair. It is a bolt on part on the front of the engine, not a big deal
  • jordanfjordanf Member Posts: 15
    Well, I'm pretty rough on my truck its a 91 Chevy k1500 4x4 and when i'm gettin on the gas in overdrive it goes to shift and slaps right out of gear to neutral. Is this a linkage problem or does it go deeper than that. I inspected the linkage myself and i can't find any damage. Please Help
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    If you have a manual transmission and you mean 5th gear, then you have a bad synchro or synchro collar inside the transmission.
  • dleghofdleghof Member Posts: 3
    I took it to the mechanic a couple of weeks ago because it was making a loud noise-especially when I got up to about 65 or 70 MPH. He drained the trans. fluid and said that there was nothing that he could detect, but that the noise was definitely coming from the trans/differential area. Now I'm stuck with an annoying noise on a car that only has 62,000 miles on it. This may be my last Honda..............Donna
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Does this noise go away when you let your foot off the gas?
  • dleghofdleghof Member Posts: 3
    Hmmmm, I think it does. Are you familiar with the problem?
  • mac_challengedmac_challenged Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2001 blazer whose 'service engine soon' light has come on a few weeks back. I immediately took it in and was told that the computer codes returned 4 msgs, all related to the transmission. The tech said that this was uncommon and thought that it was as a result of a corroded wire or switch, which he cleaned and reset the codes. 24 hrs later the ligh came back on, but the symptoms are that the vehicle has difficulty moving from stand-still. This does not happen all the time though. Also, the dashboard, power seems to be going in and out like an electrical problem, which seem to coincide with when the vehicle has trouble pulling away. Before spending over two grand on repairs, has anyone had any similar experience or suggestions. The vehicle has 62,000 miles.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    No but usually if there is roughness to the gear surfaces in the differential caused by wear factors or metallurgy deterioration, this is the kind of noise you get.

    This kind of noise can go on for a long, long time, and may never in fact pose a problem....presuming it is only rough gear surfaces.
  • gonogogonogo Member Posts: 879
    That's an easy one, replace the ignition switch, NOT the key assy, the electrical power switch. It's located in the lower steering column.
  • yurakmyurakm Member Posts: 1,345
    I noticed a slight hesitation when accelerating after braking sharp almost to stop.

    For example a car in front almost stopped to turn; I also almost stopped, to not hit it. Then there was a split second hesitation after I pushed accelerator after the road ahead became clear. The same hesitation happens when I brake sharp, turn fast 90 degrees, then push on gas pedal.

    I have an impression, that it does not shift from the 2-3 gear to 1-st fast. When starting from the full stop, acceleration is fine. However, it can be related to traction control, or something else.

    I noticed the hesitation the last summer. I was not sure, though, because the hesitation was rather slight, and it does not happen every time. It was mostly my wife's car, I did not drove it often until the last fall. The hesitation almost went away in winter, but returned back again this summer, with hot weather.

    I checked transmission fluid recently. The fluid looks clean, it have light pink color, but its level is about 1.25-1.5 inch above the high mark on dipstick. I saw also few small bubbles in the fluid on dipstick, like in saliva.

    I am not 100% sure that I measured it right, because it is hard to find absolutely level pavements in our places, but I am 90% sure. Is it possible that the hesitation is related to the high fluid level?

    The car is 2000 Buick Regal GS, supercharged, with 52k miles. The transmission fluid is Mobil 1. The transmission was serviced a couple of years ago, at about 32-33k miles. During the service fluid was flushed at first, then pan was dropped and filter was replaced, because the old fluid turned to be rather dirty.

    I did not check the fluid level until the last week. Presumably, all fluids must be checked by dealer at every service, but I doubt it really was checked.
  • mikeywmikeyw Member Posts: 1
    My son just "blew" the transmission on his '95 Diamante. At least we think it way the tranny. The top of it actually racked off! If you open the hood and look down behind the engine on the passenger side, a piece broke off and you can see gears. (I have a picture). My question - is it worth fixing? There's about 147,000 miles on it and its only in fair condition.
  • terrikayeterrikaye Member Posts: 9
    I have a 1987 Nissan Stanza wagon and my transmission is shot. My mechanic told me if I could find a used transmission he will drop it in for me. I found a 1987 Nissan Stanza car and can not find anyone who can tell me if the car and the wagon have the same transmission. Help!!
  • casper812casper812 Member Posts: 3
    look at the problems GM has always had with the 700R4's I'm a die hard GM man but none of them can make a good auto trans.
  • yurakmyurakm Member Posts: 1,345
    Follow up:

    When I brought the car to dealership for brake service recently, I told that it looks as the ATF was over filled and asked to check for the problem. I also explained why it bother me, to not look too picky:

    1. Bubbles in on dipstick,

    2. Sometimes, slight (1/10 sec or so) hesitation.

    I felt the hesitation only when pushing on accelerator after braking almost to full stop, 5 mph or so. And it happened only when it is rather hot outside, above 90F or so (possibly above 87-88F on longer trips).

    This is why I suspected over filled transmission fluid. I checked it, and it looked to be over filled way up. Would prefer, however, a professional mechanic to confirm my measurements.

    Next a service adviser called me, to tell what the technician had found. According to the technician, the ATF is good: clean, light pink color, no bad smell. However, he wants to drop a pan to look if there are metal shavings on the transmission filter. He also suggests cleaning injectors, because I complained for hesitation.

    I answered that I want only to remove the over filled ATF. The service adviser asked technician if he can do it. Negative: according to the technician the only way to do it is to drop the pan.

    I refused to proceed with the services. Paid for diagnostics only - $86 plus tax. BTW, I guess that this amount is normal for transmission diagnostics, but too high for looking at transmission fluid level and verifying that ATF is clean. Especially when ATF was over filled at the same dealership.

    Next I measured the ATF myself, two times, on level parking lots. There is a cross-hatched are on dipstick, 5/8" wide. At the bottom it is written: "ADD 1 PINT (0.5 L). On top there is an inscription: MAX OPERATIONAL LEVEL. The ATF was filled to the letter N in operational, exactly 1" above the top of cross-hatched area.

    I bought at Pep Boys a pump for extracting automotive liquids and a graduate bottle, with scales in ounces and milliliters. I pumped out 20-21 oz (600 ml) of ATF into the bottle through the dipstick well. I also spilled some ATF on my driveway and into the car, I guess that 2-5 oz. Now the ATF level is only about 1/4" above the top of the cross-hatched area. I am planning to remove more ATF the next week.

    Most important: the character of the car changes substantially. I would compare it with switching to new, better tires. It is more eager to run now: switches gears faster, accelerates better with less pressure on the gas pedal, and runs longer on idle. Ii was easy to compare, because drove the car on my usual way to and from work. My wife also said that the car "runs lighter" now.
  • hnelsonhnelson Member Posts: 1
    We recently purchased a 2000 New Beetle TDI, with now about 85,000 miles.
    The automatic transmission has shown the very common delays in shifting up and down or into gear at all, or going into limp mode. VW has checked the TCM and ran an overall diagnostic, no problem found. They simply recommended a new rebuilt transmission, although they did not know what was wrong with it.
    VW performed a service, fluid levels etc. had been good.

    We had it rebuilt by AAMCO (a subcontractor for VW by the way) and found that basically all the electronic components were shot, while mechanically everything looked fine. The transmission is still shifting very roughly though and it is being worked on again.

    While we found that many, many TDI owners experienced the very same automatic problems, it seems that nobody actually found the actual solution,, even if the transmission was replaced??? Especially frustrating considering how long this problem has been around.

    I suspect that it is a software problem related to the fuzzy logic. The problem codes vary but do not consistently point to one problem (see VW diagnostic above). The VW technical support has been less than competent, to put it politely.

    Any ideas???
  • bowman11bowman11 Member Posts: 2
    Blew an engine and had a used japanese engine installed. 2 weeks later transmission crapped out. The mechanic installed a used japanese transmission at cost since I made the case the tranny was working fine until the engine replacement. Within two weeks, the newly installed transmission stopped working (slipping, etc). Repeat this process FOUR TIMES. Each failure was slightly different but involved catastrophic failures. The mechanic is frustrated because he is installing for free and the used transmission supplier is finally balking at supplying another tranny. SOMETHING is wrong about the compatibility of the engine and transmission or the installation of either, and I have had a 3rd party look at the car and verify it LOOKS ok, until the catastrophic failure of each transmission. Any ideas?
  • tancatttancatt Member Posts: 1
    After 2 days of my 2004 escape acting like I had bad gas,(it would hesatate when taking off and acted like it was missing when driving). Now it will barely if at all go forward. reverse seems fine. Could this be the Transmission Range Sensor? Or a bigger problem. Thank You in advance
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    is it possible the part that is bad is the torque convertor and not the transmissions? i think they are seperate but connect up together. perhaps the torque convertor was damaged with the engine replacement?

    just guessing. sorry.
  • bowman11bowman11 Member Posts: 2
    Unfortunately, I don't know either. Something to mention to the mechanic though. Thanks.
  • mommyretiredmommyretired Member Posts: 3
    Escort SE--transmission pump or pressure switch? Clunks into 1sr gear & then fine after that. 2002
  • lejjendlejjend Member Posts: 3
    When my van is cold the automatic transmission shifts perfect. When it warms up, the shifting is sudden. In other words, when shifting from 1st to 2nd it hits hards with a big thud. Going from 2nd to 3rd gear it hardly noticable. Any ideas. I was also wondering if it could be the transfer case (all wheel drive). Thanks, Chris
  • dsingledsingle Member Posts: 2
    Help!! I have a 1998 XJ8 Jaguar, and all of a sudden the Transmission fault light came on, I took it to the Jaguar Dealer and they said that I have to get a new or rebuild transmission at the cost of $5700.00, I asked if it could be the modulator and they said NO!! are the trying to get over on me? or is that a common problem, replacing the Transmission? the car has just passed 100,000 miles!! and the warranty just ran out, what am I to do, HELP!!
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Best thing I could suggest is get a second opinion from another Jaguar dealer. If it's just a light and the trans is functioning perfectly, I'd tend NOT to roll over on this one just yet. Maybe it's just one of the electronic control units. But if the light is on and the trans is not shifting, or its slipping, howling or whatever, then you might be in for a big $$$ job.

    100K is a bit on the short end for a transmission failure but it's within the range of a transmission's normal life span.
  • captservisscaptserviss Member Posts: 3
    Mr. Shiftright suggested someone here might know about this. My 95 T-bird (Normally aspirated V8) has just over 100K miles, and I've only owned it 9 mos. Lovely car, but it has started to down shift while cruising down the hiway. It immediately shifts back to 4th. It has even done this under trailing throttle at 50mph. My mech. found "codes" on the speed sensor, and the mass airflow sensor and replaced them to no avail. This last time, found fluid in a wire harness inside the tranny and replaced that and two solinoides while he was there. No change. I've purchased a Chilton and Haynes manual for the car but don't have them yet. Any ideas??? Thanks.
  • abigailmabigailm Member Posts: 1
    A year ago my 92 Plymouth Acclaim (aka Dodge Spirit) was giving me transmission trouble - sometimes it just wouldn't shift on up into high. Other times it shifted right on through the gears the way it should. I was going to get the fluid and filter changed and see what that accomplished, but I had the opportunity to start driving my mom's Toyota, so I fairly stupidly just let the Acclaim sit in the driveway for a year.

    Now I have a knowledgeable possible purchaser, who has replaced the filter and the fluid. The shifting problem is still there, though he hasn't given it very much of a trial yet. The really perplexing and worrisome aspect is that he discovered in the bottom of the fluid a glob of broken-up pieces of magnetic metal, as if there had been about a 1-inch diameter magnet in the system, and somehow it got smashed.

    Does anybody know if there's SUPPOSED to be a magnet in the transmission -- maybe to vacuum up stray metal particles? And how could such a thing have gotten into the works and gotten crunched, and still leave the engine running at all? I know nothing of these matters, but if anybody has any ideas, Brett (my potential purchaser) may want to discuss it with you.

    Thanks
    Abigail
  • jaherdjaherd Member Posts: 1
    The car recently had a new motor (rebuilt) installed and shortly after started to make a clunk sound when shifting into drive or reverse. It also stopped going into higher gears, only 1st. I should also say that when I was under the car I could move the engine more than I think it should move could there be motor or transmission mount problems? and could this affect the transmission in this way. also what the heck does the transmission control module do?
  • jrichman1jrichman1 Member Posts: 18
    I have a 1992 Chevy Van G-30 85,000.Automatic transmission. The tranny was rebuilt about a liitle more than a year ago. Today I was driving noticed my tranny would shift to 1st then 2nd but not into any other higher gear. then after about a block of driving I noticed my speedometer was not woking either, nothing it wouldn't even move.

    I was told that i needed a new speed sensor from my buddy, and i went and got one from bennet auto, but I can't locate it on the tranny. Where is this speed sensor located and is this the problem?

    I looked on my tranny and there are 3 plug like things that clip into the tranny, one of them is round with about 7-10 wires going into it and the other two are smaller with 2 wires going into it. But the sensor they sold me at bennet doesnot look like either, and i even double checked with the dealer and it is the right part, but I cant seem to locate it? Someone please help me if you can.
    Thanks in advance.
  • charliebingcharliebing Member Posts: 1
    Hi there.
    I have a Suzuki Esteem Wagon, 1999, 1.6L engine, with a manual gearbox, owned from new, with the grand total of 102,000 kms on it. Here's a bit of the tranny history:

    • April 2003, 55201kms, had the transmission fluid changed.
    • 4 days later, I drove to Jasper from Edmonton, and just as I got there the transmission failed totally (apparently a known but not recalled problem).
    • June 2004, 69,101 kms), with a severe rattle at front left, the dealer found (and fixed) a worn input bearing in the transmission.
    • June 2005, 84,534 kms, had to get a new clutch.

    Now, at 102,000 kms, the gearbox has some sort of "major problem between first and third gears", and will likely cost $1,600 to fix.

    My question? Does anyone have any comments about this level of failure? Do clutches typically go at 85000 kms? I've driven almost nothing but standards for 35 years, have never had a gearbox fail in any way, on any car, and have only had to replace one clutch apart from this one.

    Any comments would be much apreciated. I am trying to see if I can get some goodwill on this out of Suzuki, but the prospects don't look too good so far...

    Nigel
  • gwdtgwdt Member Posts: 1
    Yup a magnet supposed to be there !.
    Ash
  • goatheadgoathead Member Posts: 25
    I have a 2000 Accord, it had its transmission replaced in 05 under a 7 yr extended warranty due to high failure rates. For the last few weeks it has been revving really high before shifting the first couple of shifts after starting in the morning. Last week it wouldn't enagage D4, just kept stalling, but engaged D3. After warming up was fine, but it raised 2 failure codes, P0730 and P0780. This only happened once, but it is continuing to revv high (6000 RPM) first couple of shifts, seems like it misses for a split second, then engages. Honda confirms that the ext warranty still is in effect on mine for 2 months.

    Took it to a local dealer who read the codes, but said that since it didn't re-occur during his 20 min test drive his conclusion is that there is nothing wrong with it.

    Is this a reasonable response from him? I'd thing that 2 failure codes against the transmission, plu smy description would clearly indicate something wrong, regardless of what happened during his test drive. I'm nervous about how this might fail (in traffic, making a left, etc). Curious what people think...
  • voltz420voltz420 Member Posts: 1
    while driving toward a stop sign i down shift from 3rd gear to 1st gear "manual 5 speed" I felt resistance as i tried to put the stick into first and as i let off the clutch I heard a "clunk" now my car wont go in reverse 1st or any gear... one weird thing... after i pushed it and towed it home.. i went to push it up the drive way did that fine.. i went to push it back down to two tow it to a garage... it felt like the parking break was on finally i pushed the clutch in and got the car rolling let off the clutch and it rolled freely as if some gear had let off.. does anyone have any advise on how to trouble shoot my problem and get my car rolling again..thanks :sick:
  • bobintampabobintampa Member Posts: 10
    I am now the owner of a 1997 Accord EX with about 101k miles. This has replaced a 1997 Civic (don't ask, my daughter had her first accident - a good one - as no one was hurt) and the first thing I noticed is that the accord has a very different tranny characteristics in that it shifts very mechanically and distinctly. My garage I have used for years checked it out before I purchased and they said it's typical for this yr Accord - I'm ok with that. When reading up on accord transmissions in the 94-97 maint forum I see a few folks that say... 'honda only recommends draining and refilling and not flushing the transmission'. Now I would say *most* folks respond that its better to flush, but there is that dissenting opinion. So (finally) my question, when the mileage indicates it's time for a trans service (i think that was every 30K), is it OK to flush this tranny? Thanks in advance for your thoughts. :)
    Bob in Tampa, FL
  • smokey75smokey75 Member Posts: 434
    I can't speak for your vehicle personally but here's a TSB from the Filter Manufacturer's Council regarding transmission flushing. If you're a do it yourselfer you can use this procedure to exchange all of the transmission fluid.
  • echotaechota Member Posts: 2
    I have a '90 Nissan 240sx se with about 170xxx original miles. The transmission is original, the clutch is hydrolic and supposedly replace about 30xxx mile ago by the previous owner. About 4 months ago, I lost all fluid all at once, no warning. I was a long long way from home. I dumped fluid in it about every 20 miles to get home. When I got home I replaced the slave cylinder and master cylinder. I could not get the system to bleed out. I tried for the most of three days. Upon checking around, I found other people had this problem, too. I bypassed the 'dampening' box. It is suppose to take the vibration out of the clutch pedal. I was then able to bleed the clutch out. The clutch has never felt right from the day that I bought the car, at least to me: pedal way up top, a little spongey. When I got the car there was a build-up in the master cylinder of a sludge type stuff (never seen anything like it). I flushed everything out. The seal in the master cylinder looked a little 'eaten' and so I was not suprised when it went out. It looked like someone added heavy weight grease in it (it is not suppose to have grease in it). Anyway, that was a while ago. Now, without warning, other than I never thought it was quite right, it does not want to engage first gear. By this I mean that I have to ride the clutch to get it to take off. It is not the synchronizers, it shifts into the proper position. It seems like it is not engaging in first: have to ride the clutch, rev the motor, and the vehicle hops. It shifts into the other gears just fine, once it is moving. I am not very familiar with clutches, other than basic concepts and how to drive them (and I know that hydrolic has a different feel, so that is not it either), I am thinking that the clutch plate is worn thin. Does this sound right or does anyone have any other suggestions?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    You can test the clutch by finding a hill and going up in high gear (4th or 5th) at a slow speed that might normally "bog" the engine...in other words rather than downshift to the proper gear stay in 5th as you go up the hill...if you mash the gas say at 20 miles per hour in 5th gear, and the clutch is weak, it will definitely slip on this incline and then you'll know.

    If you're saying that at a stop you can't get it into gear at all, and you have to shut the engine off and start the car in gear to get going, then you have hydraulic problems again.
  • shan_philshan_phil Member Posts: 1
    :mad:

    I'll tell the whole story later, but let me get to my question. If someone drains your automatic transmission and pours oil into it, rather than transmission fluid, what all needs to be done to correct the problem? Short story: My tail pipe was blowing white smoke and the transmission was not working correctly You may need the additional "long story" below. The mechanic is flushing out the tranny and changing the filter, but is there anything else I should do (besides having my mechanic check the car at their expense, having them refund my money for the oil change, and having them give me a 180 day warranty on anything that goes wrong with my transmission--that is what I plan on asking for tomorrow when I pick it up).

    Here is the long story:

    I went to Firestone to get the oil changed on my Subaru Forester. They supposedly changed the oil. After driving a couple of miles, my transmission slipped as I turned at a traffic light. It was as if the car was in neutral. I then drove to drop off a DVD and while sitting at the drop off box, I heard a sound I had not heard before. It sounded kind of like a faint crackling sound. I then drove across the street to the grocery store. When I left the grocery store, my car was pouring out white smoke (granted, my Forester with 90,000+ miles on it leaks a little oil, but has never poured white smoke). I also noticed that it was not driving well and just sort of would not go. I turned into a parking lot and looked under the hood. I cranked the car up and saw that a big puff of white smoke immediately, then it settled into a steady, but faint stream, of white smoke. I re-started the car and tried to drive it back to the Firestone. The car just would not drive right. I finally gave up and Firestone sent a tow truck (Gotta give it to them for that--they were very timely and did not ask questions). While I was waiting, I looked underneath, but did not see anything visibly leaked or leaking. I did notice that the tranny plug had something bright orange (not dirty like the underside of a car at all) on it and that it looked damp for about an inch radius around it. I touched it, but it was damp, not wet. I was not sure what to think about that. (I thought about taking a picture of it with my cell phone camera, but chose not to for some idiotic reason--remember this for the future: cell phone pictures are free!!!)

    When I got the car back, a young "mechanic" drove it and said that it drove fine, but that maybe the high mileage oil they used made it smoked. I told him that I did not think it was my imagination that it was driving very, very poorly. He talked to his manager who disagreed that high mileage oil could cause this. They checked the oil and said the level was fine (I really wasn't thinking straight or I would have noticed that the oil on the dip stick was black--I remembered this later.) I asked him to check the tranny fluid--which I think he was starting to do without starting the car, until I told him that the car had to be started to check the tranny fluid. He pulled the dip stick and showed me that it was full (again, I later recalled that what showed up on the dip stick was tan and not reddish like tranny fluid). I went back in the waiting room.

    While in the waiting room, I saw they'd lifted the car--so, I hurriedly walked out to see what they were doing. Another young kid had a wrench on what I was pretty certain was the transmission plug. I did not say a word. The manager then told him that that was the tranny plug. I spoke up and said that that is was what I thought. I asked him what the orange color on the tranny plug was and he said that they always did that to mark that they'd put a wrench to it. I asked him when it was put on and he said the guy had just put it on. I said that wasn't true--that I saw the orange marker on the plug while waiting for the tow truck. The manager said he wanted to check the fluid levels. I told him that the other guys had and he said, but I haven't (Obviously, he did not even trust them.)

    Anyway, long story short, somehow this guy had drained my tranny and refilled it with oil. I do not understand how he did this. The oil fill and dip stick are bright yellow and right at the front when the hood is lifted. I do not know how he figured out where the tranny fluid went--without also figuring out that he'd made a mistake--is beyond me.
  • captservisscaptserviss Member Posts: 3
    Replying to my own... no one else did.

    A Trans Specialty shop pinpointed the problem as a faulty "neutral switch." I think it does more than sense neutral, probably what used to be called the PRNDL sensor. When warm, it lies to the ECU about what gear the tranny's in. They replace it for $146 plus $50 labor, problem solved. My 110,000 mile tranny works fine now.
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,675
    You need to get an opinion from a quality, Suburu dealer about what needs to be done to the transmission. I'd personally believe the clutch plate materials and seals have been damaged, beyond repair. I am not a transmission specialist, but have read questions like yours in other discussions.

    Get a qualified opinion. You may need a trans rebuild. Be sure to document anything the Firestone people say. This is why they carry insurance.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • history1history1 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 1999 Ford Escort ZX2 (DOHC). The transmission was rebuilt, but it completely failed 4 1/2 months and 9,600 miles later, while I was driving the vehicle. The car began not working properly about 1 1/2 weeks after I got the car back, and got progessively worse until it failed.

    The transmission was rebuilt again by another transmission shop. When it was rebuilt, the shop found several mistakes made by the first mechanic.

    The second transmission shop issued the following report:

    1) Forward friction plate located on top of dished plate. Correct location is on top of bottom forward steel plate, causing incorrect placement of forward friction and steel plates.

    2) N-R accumulator piston and springs located in the 2-3 accumulator piston bore.

    3) 2-3 accumulator piston and springs located in the N-R accumlator piston bore.

    4) Sprag was out of position in the housing causing a bind up. Problem was caused by improper installation or sprag failure.

    5) Excessive clutch friction and steel plate damage was found throughout transaxle.

    I have a couple questions.

    1) Would the above mistakes cause a transmission to fail?, and if so, how?

    2) The first mechanic claims that it would be impossible to put the N-R accumulator piston and springs in the 2-3 accumulator piston bore and vice versa. Is he correct in saying this, or is it possible to switch them? In essence, he's saying that the second transmission shop's report is wrong in that respect.

    Thanks,

    Dan
  • divndocdivndoc Member Posts: 1
    Have noticed in the past month with increasing problem that my tacoma is reaching RPM's up to 4000 to shift from 2nd to 3rd gear. At first thought tranny may be cold as that is when it began to show but now is continuing to be a problem after being on the road for hour or more. Any suggestions or comments will be greatly appreciated before heading to the mechanics or dealers. thanks and have a great holiday season.
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    maybe the temperature sensing device is going. or maybe a shift solenoid.

    have you ever serviced the transmission? perhaps the fluid is loosing it's properties or you have some clogged passages.
  • bishnickeebishnickee Member Posts: 1
    Ok, I have an 06 mustang and just got a call from the dealer saying that the clutch is worn down all the way, he mentioned that it had been like this for quite awhile. I have not experienced shifting problems until the day I had it towed in. This car is my baby, heck I almost need to get a shot gun so birds don't poo on it. so here si my question. After 14,500 miles why is the clutch worn? I do not ride the clutch and as odd as it sounds I do not spin my tires every chance I get. When I down shift say I am in 5th I will DS to NET and then use the breaks the rest of the way. I do have a traction control system on the car and not sure as that is always on if that would cause any problems and if I should disengage it.

    Any information would be wonderful, it is a 5 speed Premium Coup with interior and pony package :sick:
  • wsw123wsw123 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2001 rav4 4wd with 70K miles. Recently the automatic transmission is not shifting correctly at time. The car is not shifting correctly at 1st and 2nd gear. Sometime it almost feels like it is starting up in 2nd gear (no power). The car will lurch when shifting between 1st and 2nd and sometimes 2nd to 3rd. If you're driving behind me, it looks like I'm a new manual transmission driver.

    The problem only occurs from time to time. I've noticed if I have not driven the car for couple of days, it works fine for up to a whole day.

    I took it to the dealer and after ruling the electrical connections, they said it was the transmission. I then took it to another shop which said it was electrical (the check engine light had came on after the dealer visit) and replaced some solenoids but that didn't fix the problem. The check engine light came on again with the same error codes and replacing the solenoids a second time did not help.

    Anyone experience this before? I don't want to spend any more money having people guess at what the problem is.
  • buzzsaw007buzzsaw007 Member Posts: 2
    I have a very interesting problem with my '97 escort. I was getting a scraping rotational noise (just noise, the response, feel, and function is all the same) when the clutch petal was depressed. I took it to three different mechanics, all of whom said it was likely the Throwout Bearing, and that the whole clutch may as well be replaced while they were in there. I got it replaced, then drove to Michigan for the holidays. Near the end of my return trip, the clutch started making the same noise (about 1000 miles later, almost all highway).

    So in a nutshell, I replaced the clutch, and 1000 miles later, it started having the same problem.

    What could cause a clutch to break? I'm thinking alignment, wheel bearings (I do get some front end vibration at high speeds), pilot bearings, bad CV joint... I don't know. Seems like something on the way to the wheel that's out of whack and stressing out the clutch. Does any of that sound plausible? Anyone else have any idea what could cause a clutch to go out, or do we think it was improperly installed?

    What do you all think?

    Thanks!
Sign In or Register to comment.