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.
A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/25 for details.
Options
Comments
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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???
just guessing. sorry.
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.
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
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.
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
Ash
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...
Bob in Tampa, FL
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.
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.
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.
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,
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
have you ever serviced the transmission? perhaps the fluid is loosing it's properties or you have some clogged passages.
Any information would be wonderful, it is a 5 speed Premium Coup with interior and pony package :sick:
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.
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!