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Pontiac Sunfire Transmission Problems

g0m3sg0m3s Member Posts: 1
in Pontiac
I have a 1997 Pontiac Sunfire GT with an automatic transmission. Whenever I make a left turn at a reasonable speed it will shift down for a split second and shift back up, then will stay in gear (2 I think) for a few second and then shift back down for another split second and quickly shift back up and then will stay there as I accelerate away from the intersection. I thought it might be the way I drive, but it keeps getting worse. Any idea what could be wrong?
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    weecat90weecat90 Member Posts: 1
    Last Dec I was driveing my car home and when i went to park it would just keep rolling. I had to trun the car off to get it too stop,,I was told it was the gear shift,, my husband and i traded cars for the day and he took it 12 miles to work,,, he was able to go under the hood unhook something and then later drove it home, fixed the cable to the shifter,,he was not able to get it tight so we took it and the mac got it to go all the way in park,, 3 days later i went to pick it up and it drove like it was stiff know it;s a auto not a standered. I took it about 7 or 8 miles,,on my way back there was a BANG like something had let loose,, and it felt like i was draging something,,but nothing there,,when i got it back to my home,,it has not moved,,will not go forward or back it will start but no movement,,,Now i have been told it;s the tranni,,,could it be the shaft,,could it had been broke some how when they did the shifter cable,,Someone please help me here,,I need my car,,, :sick:
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    acadianacadian Member Posts: 2
    I would guess the shifter cable broke, seeing that after you heard the bang, the car was able to drive home. Bring it back to the mechanic that fixed it originally, it should be at his expense if it did break.
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    cliffwcliffw Member Posts: 2
    My 96 Sunfire has died, what cars can I get one out of besides the Cavalier?
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    darfugdarfug Member Posts: 1
    I HAVE A 1999 SUNFIRE.ONE DAY I GOT IN THE CAR AND IT GOES INTO NO GEAR AT ALL.IS IT HARD TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION?HOW MUCH IS AVERAGE COST OF USED OR REBILT ONE?
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    jamarengojamarengo Member Posts: 1
    Hi,

    I need to bleed my hydraulic clutch. Anyone know where the bleeder valve is? Is there anything I should look out for when bleeding a manual clutch that is different from bleeding brakes?

    Thanks,
    Jim
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    driveit3driveit3 Member Posts: 2
    2001 sunfire, 103000kms. I was returning home from a long trip on the highway doing a constant 110km then the RPMs would go way up unnecessarly ( going up by 500). It would constantly keep doing this , approx every min. So i went to a lower speed same thing. And the car also had less hp, extremely bad going up the hills ! Was getting passed by transfer trucks! BUT , when i brought the car into a GM dealership they could not find anything wrong. I picked the car up and it worked fine, until a week went by then it happened again. Brought it back to the dealership, 6 hours later I get a call the car is working fine they couldn't find anything wrong with it.
    I'm wondering if every time i bring the car in the techs at the garage reset the computer on the car,....because they can not find any error codes. SUNcrape.
    ANY ONE ELSE THIS HAPPEN TO >>>>> help
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    pontiacsuckspontiacsucks Member Posts: 1
    My son's car (2000 Sunfire) had similiar problem. Went on for about a year and finally wouldn't shift out of 1st. $2450 later (transmission repair) and $900 in 2 other repairs which left us stranded on the road (instrument cluster and ignition switch), we are selling the car. I would give you the same advice!
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    driveit3driveit3 Member Posts: 2
    Thanks for the response. I was planning on selling the car any way this fall.
    Now i am certainly am going to sell IT. Pontiac Sunfire sucks!
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    slackermanslackerman Member Posts: 43
    My 1996 Pontiac Sunfire (2.4L, 5-Speed manual, 127,000 miles) has developed what feels like a slipping clutch, but is not. After driving the car 10 miles, shutting it off for 20 minutes, and then starting out again, I can shift from 1st to 2nd, or 2nd to 3rd, and the engine will rev as if it is in neutral before catching and slowly accelerating.
    Anyone else have this problem?
    I've had a trustworthy garage check the clutch without result. Could this be some sensor or an electrical issue?
    Any ideas? I love this car and don't want to give it up!
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    msokol87msokol87 Member Posts: 4
    I had to replace the transmission in my 2000 sunfire coupe not shortly after I purchased it at the beginning of this year. However, not too long after it was supposedly "fixed", I noticed a grinding between 1000-2000 RPM, between 35 to 40 MPH. This has been going on since May. The car never had any pick-up and go, but this all changed significantly when the transmission was fixed. Nevertheless, I still feel and hear the grinding, in spite of the fact that everyone I've asked to drive/simply be a passenger and listen has not felt/heard anything. One of my previous cars died from transmission problems so I do know what I'm talking about. The question is this: what part could it be that needs fixed? I only experience this one problem. Has anyone else out there got the same grinding in that gear?
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    Too2fast4uToo2fast4u Member Posts: 2
    i guess where talking about an auto tranny here. if it was replaced and started grinding , i would take it back to where it was fixed , should be under some type of warrenty. The pick up and go sounds like a torque converter prob, but could also be a bad transmission, if this is a manual tranny i would say you have some ring gear problems which will just get worse over time..
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    slackermanslackerman Member Posts: 43
    The problem was the ignition coil.
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    corey96corey96 Member Posts: 1
    i have a 96 sunfire gt and it has a automatic transmission and i was planning to switch it to a 5-speed would it b cheaper and/ or eassier to buy a whole new transmission or take one outta a old car?
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    shanej07shanej07 Member Posts: 1
    My 2001 pontiac sunfire will not shift into overdrive.
    The previous owners replaced the transmission, and it still will not shift into overdrive.
    It tops out around 50 mph at 4k-5k rpm.
    If anyone can help me diagnose this problem i would greatly appreciate it.
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    bwoch75bwoch75 Member Posts: 1
    So my '99 Sunfire was leaking tranny fluid and coolant. We checked to see if I blew a head gasket but there was no coolant in the oil. We changed the radiator and now my check engine light is on and if shifts really hard. There is also tranny #2 in the car. Anyone have any advice on what I should do/change??
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    yesibabxxiyesibabxxi Member Posts: 1
    I actually had the same thing happen to me, but I have a Pontiac Sunfire 95. It was extremely hard for me to go up the hills. It wouldn't go more than I'd say 10 mph. The RMPs would go up extremely high as if the car would just go into neutral. The car wouldn't go more than 45-50 mph when it was on leveled ground. It stopped for a week, but after a week it started happening again.. Well I took my car to the mechanic, ends up i need a whole new transmission.
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    kyle89kyle89 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 99 pontiac sunfire that is a stick. when i push the clutch in and shift from 1 st to 2nd it feels like the gears dont mesh up right and i have to use alot of force to get in gear. i had it taken in and they told me i had a leak by the gasket. i had them replace it but the problem still remains. any ideas anyone
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    smb1228smb1228 Member Posts: 1
    Automatic transmission. About two weeks ago I was driving down the freeway going 70mph and suddenly my rpms flew up and I had to exit the freeway, the rest of the way home I could not get out of first gear. I assumed my transmission was fried, so I took it to a transmission specialist. I drove it there, and it shifted fine, no problems. They scanned it and got codes that all of the selenoids (?) were bad, which they said was pretty unlikely, so they cleared the codes and gave it back to me. They said if it happened again I would need to take it to a wiring specialist, which I did and they gave it back to me and said they weren't sure if they had fixed it or not, (they didn't charge me anything).... it is def not fixed, my check engine light is on and it will drive fine and suddenly the rpms will go flying up and it will shift really hard, then be fine again. ANY IDEAS??? Thanks.
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    babsonbabson Member Posts: 1
    While trying to bleed the clutch , The bleed clutch valve was damaged. I have tried to replace it but with no success . In this regard i will appreciate it if anyone can tell meabout how and where i can get this bleeder clutch valve. It is manual transmission.
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    lil_vinnlil_vinn Member Posts: 2
    Is your car an ecotec? i'm having the same problem I have no clue what it is I changed the transmission, the computer, and gauge cluster, and even ran anti slip for the tranny and it just won't work
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    lil_vinnlil_vinn Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2005 Pontiac Sunfire with a 4 speed automatic transmission and a 2.2l ecotec. The car is used for 1/3 mile dirt track racing. I'm having a very big problem I burnt up a tranny at the begining of the season and changed it. Now the car runs fine during the heat races and shifts fine (i put the tranny in second not in drive) however when i race the feature after about 10 laps the car stops shifting it feels as though the car is slipping. But if you let the car cool off and start it later it will shift just fine. One other thing is that the speedometer goes off when this happens. I've tried a new computer and also unplugging the gauge cluster I don't know what to do anymore.
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    xtcslimxtcslim Member Posts: 1
    sounds alot of you are are experiencing catalytic converter problems
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