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Isuzu Axiom Transmission Problems
I've got the accumulator seal/cover leak on my 02 Ax. Will be getting the part on Monday but would like to add some lost fluid - but where to fill from as there is no dipstick. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Dave
Dave
0
Comments
Tony.
JM
If you are the first owner, I would make a call to the dealer as to why it was not covered. Mine was out of the 3yr, 50k mile basic warranty (time not mileage) but the gasket was covered under the 10yr, 120k mile powertrain warranty.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
I'm glad I found this forum to keep up with the latest on my 2002 Axiom. I've owned it since new and have babied it with good maintenance, oil changes etc.
I had the transmission serviced at 45k miles and had just about reach 90k miles for my next service of the tranny. Unfortunately the week before I was going to take it to the dealer for service, the oil cooler line to the radiator blew without warning. No leaks or other signs were evident before the failure.
Since it was the pressure hose from the tranny that split open, all of the fluid was dumped immediately had the car coasted to a stop. We had it towed to the dealership here in West Palm Beach and they replaced both hoses, the filter, gasket and flushed the tranny all of which came to $507. With the towing charge, I'm out about $600.
My question to the group is this: Should I have expected this line to let go this soon? How many others have blown with less than 90k miles?
I'm still covered under the 120k mile / 10-year power-train warranty by Isuzu but the dealership said that this pressure line is not part of that warranty. Should I appeal to Isuzu for my out of pocket expenses?
Thanks in advance for your replies,
Jerry
SE Florida
Thanks
Dennis P.
jmacdougall
Also, you can't check the transmission fluid very easily, as it is a sealed transmission (no dipstick). It requires you to get under the truck with the fluid warm and remove a filler plug to visually check for the fluid to be level with the plug opening. Not a very easy task.
Are you sure you have an Axiom? Sounds like you do not.
"Automatic Transmission Fluid Replacement
Under harsh operating conditions, such as constant
driving in heavy city traffic during hot weather, or in hilly or
mountainous terrain, change the transmission fluid and
service the sump filter after every 20,000 miles (32,000
km) of operation.
More over, the remaining life percentage of ATF can be
estimated by using TECH–II as an auxiliary tool to judge
the right time for ATF replacement.
The remaining life percentage is calculated from ATF’S
heat history. When it is close to 0%, ATF replacement is
recommended."
However, if you look at the chart printed on page 0B-2 it says to change the automatic transmission fluid at 120,000 miles. And, this is the same chart found in the owners manual in the glovebox. So, there is a definite contradiction here, especially considering that changing the AT fluid is a tricky task best left to the dealer or someone with a tranny fluid exchange machine.
In fact, one symptom you mentioned is detailed in the 02 Axiom Workshop Manual on page 7A-17 in the section on the transmission where it states this:
*******************************
"Harsh 3–4 Shift
Step 1:
1 Check line pressure. Refer to Line Pressure Test in this section.
Was line pressure normal?
If Yes, Go to Step 2
If No, Use Chart 15b: Possible Causes of High Line
Pressure in this section
---------------------------------------------
Step 2:
2 1. Check for 3–4 accumulator valve (407) stuck in adapter case
valve body (401).
2. Check for 3–4 accumulator piston (18) stuck in adapter case (20).
Was the problem found? Yes - Repair or replace.
*********************************************************
So, two possible causes of the harsh shift is incorrect line pressure or a stuck accumulatro valve or piston.
If the Check Trans Light is coming on (I guess not or you would've mentioned it), then you could get the code checked at Autozone or by a friend to find out for sure what's going on, but if you know it's not right, then it's probably not right.
An automatic tranny is a very complicated piece of equipment - if yours is not working properly, and the dealer will not help, I suggest you take it to a reputable tranny repair shop and get a proper diagnosis first. If they say the tranny is defective, go back to the dealer and nicely demand they replace it with a new tranny. If that doesn't work, you may have to get a quote to replace it elsewhere and SUE THE BAST*&*%S! In my state, you can sue for up to $5000 in Small Claims Court and you dont even need a lawyer to do it.
You might possibly have lost some or all of your transmission fluid as my Axiom did at about 90k miles. There are two rubber hoses that connect the radiator cooler to the transmission circulation lines just above the front skid plate. One of my hoses became weak and blew out while on the road and the car came to a stop. Of course the failure was obvious as fluid was all over the engine compartment.
After having it towed to the dealer, replacing the hoses, filter and all remaining fluid, the vehicle has run fine since, without fault. Those rubber hoses should be checked at every oil change, in my opinion, even though nothing was mentioned about them in the owners maintenance manual.
Good Luck,
Jerry
Anyway, I know you can buy a filter kit and change it yourself but it is a messy process and you have to know how to exactly refill the transmission correctly since it is a sealed unit (no dipstick to check the fluid level).
Here is the manual excerpt. If you need the image, too, let me know and i can post in online and link to it.
********************
From Page 7A-10:
Checking Transmission Fluid Level and Condition
Checking fluid level and condition (color and odor) at
regular intervals will provide early diagnosis information
about the transmission. This information may be used to
correct a condition that, if not detected early, could result
in major transmission repairs.
IMPORTANT: When new, automatic transmission fluid
is red in color. As the vehicle is driven, the transmission
fluid will begin to look darker in color. The color may
eventually appear light brown.
A dark brown color with burnt odor may indicate
excessive fluid deterioration and signal a need for fluid
change.
Fluid Level
When adding or changing fluid, use only DEXRON )–III.
Refer to Maintenance and Lubrication in General
Information section for maintenance information and
servicing interval.
CAUTION: DO NOT OVERFILL.
Overfilling will cause foaming, loss of fluid, abnormal
shifting and possible damage to the transmission.
1. Park the vehicle on level ground and apply the parking
brake firmly.
2. Check fluid level with engine running at idle.
NOTE: Be sure that transmission fluid temperature is
below 30 deg C (86 deg F).
3. Move the selector lever through all gear ranges.
4. Move the selector lever to “Park”.
5. Let engine idle for 3 minutes and open the overfill
screw (1).
6. Add released transmission fluid until it flows out over
the overfill screw opening.
7. Let engine idle until a fluid temperature between 32 deg C
(90 deg F) and 57 deg C (135 deg F) is reached, then close the
overfill screw (1). Torque: 38 N•m (28 lb ft)
NOTE: To prevent fluid leaks, the overfill screw and oil
drain screws gasket must be replaced each time these
screws are removed.
NOTE: Check transmission fluid temperature with scan
tool.
Minimum fluid level " 57 deg C (135 deg F)
Maximum fluid level " 32 deg C (90 deg F)
242R200001
CAUTION: Do not open overfill screw with engine
stopped.
CAUTION: DO NOT CHECK FLUID LEVEL UNDER
THESE CONDITIONS:
* Immediately after driving at sustained highway
speeds.
* In heavy city traffic during hot weather.
* If vehicle is towing a trailer.
If the vehicle has been operated under these conditions,
shut the engine off and allow the vehicle to “cool” for thirty
(30) minutes. After the cool down period, restart the
vehicle and continue from step 2 above.
*************************
From Page 7A-27:
Changing Transmission Fluid
There is no need to change the transmission fluid unless
the transmission is used under one or more of the
following heavy duty conditions.
A. Repeated short trips
B. Driving on rough roads
C. Driving on dusty roads
D. Towing a trailer
If the vehicle is used under these conditions, change the
fluid every 20,000 miles (32,000 km).
1. Place a large drain pan under the oil pan.
2. Remove the transmission oil drain screw (2) and drain
fluid.
3.Tighten drain screw (2).
Torque: 38 N•m (28 lb ft)
4. Remove the transmission overfill screw (1) and fill
transmission through overfill screw opening, using
DEXRON)–III ATF.
NOTE: Add transmission fluid until it flows out over the
overfill screw opening.
5. Let engine idle until a fluid temperature between 32 deg C
(90 deg F) and 57 deg C (135 deg F) is reached.
6. Add transmission fluid until it flows out over the overfill
screw opening, then close the overfill screw (1).
Torque: 38 N•m (28 lb ft)
NOTE: To prevent fluid leaks, the overfill screw and oil
drain screws gasket must be replaced each time these
screws are removed.
NOTE: Check transmission fluid temperature with scan
tool.
7. Reset “Oil Life Monitor” data by using Tech 2.
Refer to Tech 2 OBD II Connection in Transmission
Control System (4L30-E) section.
*****************************************
This is verbatim from the service manual, less the illustrations. The Service manual is available online for less than $20 in PDF form and is worth every penny.
What is odd is that there is no mention of changing any kind of transmission filter. In fact, doing a word search of the PDF file of the manual, I cannot find any instance of "transmission filter" or "transmission fluid filter" or "fluid filter" in the entire 2100 pages of the Service manual, nor does it appear in any of the diagrams either. So, it probably only has a magnet in the bottom of the tranny fluid pan to catch metal flakes, which may be why this transmission is so problematic in the first place.
As for me, I recommend using synthetic transmission fluid. Also be sure to check the modulator gasket on the side for any possible leaks, as mine blew out at 38K miles and caused lots of grief.
Still, the fluid change is easier than an oil change in theory, but you will need ramps and jackstands, so the vehicle is LEVEL and you can still get under it to work on it.
Finally, since there is no dipstick or fill tube, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU GUYS HOW YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO FILL THIS TRANNY WITH FLUID. I CAN ONLY VISUALIZE A LUCILLE BALL-LIKE DISASTER IF I WERE TO ATTEMPT THIS MYSELF. Please post back if you have attempted this yourself.
Good luck.
Google search also shows transmission filter available for Isuzu Axiom.
I just had mine changed last year along with fluid at 60k miles.
We have had the vehicle back to the dealer 3 times but they cant reproduce the problem. We have been told it may be a defective speed sensor but since the computer doesn't register any fault codes, the dealer won't do anything.
My wife is ready to have us get rid of the vehicle. Any ideas?
Thanks!
- For a brief history, I now have 107K on the car and had the tranny replaced under warranty at 65K and the engine replaced under warranty at 85K. -
:confuse:
I`m Revaz from Tbilisi, Georgia.
I have an `04 Axiom and it has problems with Transmission, I want to buy it but i could not know where i can it buy. Please give me some advises where i can it buy
I am about to buy an AXIOM 2002 2 WD but the Automatic transmission is DEAD. Could any body tell me where to buy it from and how much would it cost. I live in LIBYA and there are no dealeres who sell spare parts for this car.
thanks
Bert
Check to see if the 4WD and 2WD use the same Trans.
Regards
Bert