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Buick Regal Transmission Problems

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  • tjensen83tjensen83 Member Posts: 1
    I bought a 98 Buick Regal GS back in Oct. 2007. The owner told me that he had it checked out by a mechanic and that everything was fine. It only had 99k on it. I drove it for about two months and started experiencing problems.
    It started with making turns. When I would turn (either a gradual or a hard turn) the engine would rev up and fall down to below 1k rpm and jump back up to about 2-2.5k rpm. No check engine light came on, so I didn't think much of it. Then, when i was stopped and started to go again it would hesitate, rev up and jerk forward as if the gears were slipping. Sometimes so much so that the tires would squelch. Not too long after that the "service engine light" came on. It happens quite frequently now and is quite annoying.
    Has anyone had similar problems, and if so, what were you able to do to fix the problem.
  • mtrzeciakmtrzeciak Member Posts: 2
    I have a 1996 Buick Regal with just under 73k miles. It is having problems shifting. The fluid is topped off and there is no leaking that I can see. When I put the car in drive, it goes in smooth. The problem starts when I hit about 3000 rpm and it wants to shift, but doesn't. It just revs until I back off the throttle and shift it into 3rd. Then it does the same thing in 3rd. It feels like the transmission isn't hooking up. Any suggestions? Should I take it out to a deserted country road an put it out of its misery? I paid $1500 for it is it worth reparing?
  • mtrzeciakmtrzeciak Member Posts: 2
    I think that is the same problem I'm having. Is it a difficult repair and what is the cost? Is this somethng that I need to take to a transmission shop
  • blown99gsblown99gs Member Posts: 2
    hey whats up bro im having the same problem same car same year i was wondering if you ended up finding a solution to your problem. if you did can you help me out thanks
  • hafushafus Member Posts: 2
    I never did find out. The transmission, coupled with the chrome peeling off the wheels, coupled with the fact that my paint started to flake off in basketball sized sheets made me decide to donate the car for auction. Good luck to you!
  • blown99gsblown99gs Member Posts: 2
    I need help i have a 99 buick regal gs and From a stop, the car trembled quite a bit (felt like the front tires were spinning). Once I got going, or if I eased into motion, the car would run fine. A bit later, I tried to drive it again and the car would not go into Drive, 3rd, or 2nd. Only low gear and reverse. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks in advance!!
  • luckilarryluckilarry Member Posts: 1
    A girlfriend of mine has a 1996 Buick Regal. Engine size or anything else about the car I am not sure of. She called me tonight and said that she had had trouble with the car this morning. It was down to near zero this morning and when she started the car and took off, the engine would rev up but the car would only go at a slow speed. This continued until the engine had warmed up after she drove it for about 10 minutes and then the problem disappeared and the car and transmission worked in a normal mode. Is this a usual occurance with a 1996 Buick? Or is it an omen of bad things to come. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
  • mbenson242mbenson242 Member Posts: 4
    Did you get a response to your post regarding your girlfriend's 1996 Buick Regal transmission not shifting during cold start? I have a 1988 Buick Regal custom that I am refurbishing and the transmission is doing the same thing and it has a slow leak around the seal. Was she able to repair it without replacing or rebuilding the entire transmission? I am MBenson242@aol.com
  • kmc845kmc845 Member Posts: 1
    I know this is an old post, but did anyone ever find out what was causing this problem on their buick? I have a 2000 Regal with 75K miles on it, and it is experiencing the same issue. (studders/hesitates from a start) it only occurs with the car is hot and only before shifting into 2nd gear. Fluid and filter was changed about 3K miles ago.....Any info would be appreciated.
  • mbenson242mbenson242 Member Posts: 4
    It's good to know this is still alive. No, my 88 buick is still standing still. I have not done anything else to it. The reason is I cannot find a mechanic that is willing to work on the car. The ones I have checked with wants too much money to do one or two things, or the mechanic won't show up at all. In this economy, everybody wants money. So, I have decided to put it on hold. Also, it seems your car stalls when hot, well my car stalls when cold (start-ups). I am no mechanic, but there might be a difference there. I hope you can find it. Keep me posted! GOOD LUCK
  • mailawcmailawc Member Posts: 3
    Hey there, sounds like you have the same problem that I have in my 1999 Regal LS.
    My problem like yours started about or around 75,000 miles. The car will act like it is spinning or shudder really hard when you go to pull out in first gear but does not do it in any other gears. Mine only does it once in a blue moon and for no rhyme or reason.
    I had a new filter and transmission fluid put in mine along with something called "Shutter Out" You can get it at Car Quest. I think that it was about 15 dollars for a tube of it. Anyway it really helped the problem but did not solve it.
    Instead of having a really bad shutter it changed it to a slight slip instead.
    I have been to a transmission shop and was told that I have a seal going bad and that it is causing the transmission to loose pressure. That in turn causes the clutches to slip instead of being held together. I was told 1000 for a rebuild.
    I will drive my car till it stops and then get it fixed. . Hope that this helps..
  • desertshidesertshi Member Posts: 2
    This morning my buick started shifting out of third while on the highway. Later this afternoon we went out in it again to see what was going on and it just won't shift into 3rd. It revs high like as if it shifts into neutral. What are my options here? I live in Mexico and the mechanic, without looking at it yet, is saying that it's some kind of discs that are in the tranny??? Is this right? He is also quoting a pretty high price to fix it and I want to investigate before jumping in and letting him "work on it." ;) Sometimes around here they just try to make a pretty penny off on someone and I wanna make sure it won't be me! lol.

    We replaced the engine about 6 months ago. Tranny is original and has 155,000 miles on it. Fluid was a little low this morning when we checked it and we filled it up before going out again this afternoon. Thanks so much for any help ya'll can give me!! :D
  • buhogbuhog Member Posts: 2
    First off I've had my buick for like 4 monthes, but I have blown two trannies in my time with gm trucks. The solenoid is completely blown and a rebuild will salvage the original tranny however it will be much cheaper to find a used tranny and have either you or someone else put the tranny in. It cost me six hundred dollars for the swap where a rebuild would cost a minimum of 1400. So I would start there or buy another car. The unfortunante thing is I believe I got about another five thousand miles on my tranny before my solenoid fails. Good luck

    (buhog)
  • buhogbuhog Member Posts: 2
    It probably is the front seal. the front seal is the seal in the bell housing around the input shaft. An engine pull is needed to replace it but that is like a three day at home. you also might want to check the bolts to your torque converter, which can cause some slop in the shifting.
  • shamrock32vshamrock32v Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2000 Buick regal that acts like a Yugo at times. It is a beautiful car but the transmission is tempermental. when i get to 40 mph and it shifts into high gear the rpms will drop down as the gear shifts then jump up 500-800 rpms and then settle back down where it is suppose to be. when i down shift to pass it hard shifts. any ideas of what the problem may be. i have taken it to two transmission places and there are no codes. should i be worried about the torque convertor?
  • bittobitto Member Posts: 1
    My car stopped while drivng yesterday, I started it again but then after 20-20 sec it stopped again. I am able to start so I know the problem is not with battery but I am not able to figure out what is it? Why engine is stopping automatically? I have buick regal 1998, and it has automatic transmission and since I have zero knowledge about car I am scared. This is my first car. Could anyone please help me with this? Thanks a lot !!!
    -Bitto
  • carolyn79carolyn79 Member Posts: 1
    I know this is an old post but I my 96 buick won't shift up at all. Can you tell me what you did to solve your problem. please.
  • mbenson242mbenson242 Member Posts: 4
    I have not done anything yet. I was told by a mechanic to change the filter and fluid. After I get a job, I will do this then go from there.
  • cmylsecmylse Member Posts: 1
    i just got my front hub bearing replaced and drove for 2 weeks everything fine then out of nowhere my trac light and anti lock and service engine soon light came on does anyone have an idea
  • dan171dan171 Member Posts: 1
    The fix, thanks for all of the input i put it all to use and now have a transmission that shifts smoothly. From what i have learned the shifting in and out of overdrive (locking in and out) is controlled by a solenoid valve. That's an electric valve. The signal to tell the valve to lock in overdrive is sent via wire which gets its signal from several monitoring devices like engine load and vacuum. My regal would jump in and out of overdrive very hard while traveling up a slight incline in cruise. If i stepped on the gas it would accelerate and drop out of overdrive and take off but a smooth acceleration under slightly increasing load was very rough. I did all of the fixes at once $400.00. Changed the fuel filter, changed the spark plug wires, changed the spark plugs that had about an 1/8" gap, and changed 3 or 4 vacuum hoses that were cracked. I didn't think about the air filter or pvc valve. Cheaper than a transmission torque converter and the car needed all of this stuff anyway. dan
  • jetawayjetaway Member Posts: 14
    The front seal will cause a fluid leak.The slip and shudder when pulling out in first is most likely a problem with the 1-2 band or the servo piston that operates it.The servo piston is under the round side cover that faces the back of the car.{3 8mm bolts holding cover}.Sometimes the band breaks on one side and partially holds but not enough.Another possible culprit is the low sprag{one way roller clutch}.This would tend to be worse when cold and shudder out would make no difference in this case.
  • rforrrforr Member Posts: 1
    Last night I was driving my 98 buick regal and I noticed while I was driving it started to have a slight jolt, then the service engine light came on. I had no idea what was going on, but after driving it for a while I noticed when I kept a steady speed it would be just fine.. after letting off the gas it was jolt just a little. Then as I was coming to a stop, when it hit 3rd gear it started to vibrate and jolt more. When it got to the slowest speed of the 2nd gear the engine dropped below 1000 rpms and it sounded like it was about to quit. Before it could quit it dropped to 1st gear and it was just fine. It idles just fine. Accelerating in 1st gear is normal, when it hits 2nd it acts like its about to quit, but accelerates and jolts real bad. Same in 3rd gear. When it gets to 4th gear it is just fine. Anyone know what might cause that and how I could fix it? I noticed this morning that my transmission fluid is just a little low, but not much.
  • taomernitaomerni Member Posts: 18
    I had the Same symptoms you had .... And my first guess was the trannie .... 115k miles ... No power ... Bogging down , and changing gears at high rmp .... Well I read every post on here including the guy who told me to put new plugs , wires , vacuum hoses, fuel filter ..Etc ... So I spent 150 bucks at Napa and and was just as bad ..Not money wasted as it was due for a tuneup anyways ..Then I explained the symptom to my brother in law ,, and he told me the catalytic converter was plugging .. I remember when CatCo's were big $$$ and I cringed , But I still did not think that was it ,,,, But I didn't rule it out ,,, Took it to my normal shop and I told him the symptoms ,, He said Either the Fuel pump , MAF sensor , or a vacuum leak ,, NO WAY would it be a plugged CAT .. 2 days later I took it to the Local Buick garage to confirm what it could be ,,, Pretty kewl tech guy ,, We test drove it and it started great then went bad on our confirmation ride ... He insisted trannie at first 2 .. But when I restarted the vehicle it would run good for a minute while the system was in closed loop ... Cant be the trannie or it would have no power 5 seconds later .. So after hours of tests he reconfirmed what I had originally thought .. BAD PLUGGED CAT CO ... ..They wanted 500 bucks at the garage and I knew I could buy a new one from Autozone for 200 ... TO make my long story short .. NO power ,,, Weird transmission changes ,,, Talked to my friend at a MUFFLER shop and he told me these cars have a double line pipe going into the CatCo and after a while they crack ... The insulation material goes into the cat and appears to be sand looking after burning ... ... We replaced the catco ,and my 2003 buick regal has the power and trannie of a brand new Buick And a whole lot less than the price of a Fuel pump , Trannie , or a Intake vacuum leak ,,, YES it can be the CATCO ... Don't always listen to the Mechanics ... I am so happy as I didn't buy all the other unneeded parts at a HIGH cost ..I paid my muffler guy 1 hour labor to put it in ... 65 bucks ... Hope I get another 5 years out of my Buick
  • buickregal12buickregal12 Member Posts: 5
    my car has also done this. i have the same car buick regal gs 1998. seemed to happen only when moisture was in the air? but idk i have no idea what it is. check how tight your battery cables are on.
  • buickregal12buickregal12 Member Posts: 5
    cataylaic converter plugged
  • taomernitaomerni Member Posts: 18
    Yep...2 months later getting dang near 30 mpg on the highway .. and NO trannie problems ... Best diagnosis I could have had .....And my oil looks a lot better ..
  • jay_mjay_m Member Posts: 8
    The 4T60 "E" uses electronic control of oil pressure instead of a modulator.
    The older transmissions (TH440T4 and 4T60) had vacuum modulators.
    The TH440T4 used a cable from the throttle to the trans to regulate shift timing and used hydraulics to determine shift timing. The 4T60 is shifted by the computer, which controls a few shift solenoid valves in the transmission.
    For what it's worth...

    Jay
  • superchargedgssuperchargedgs Member Posts: 2
    i have a 99 regal gse with a weird [non-permissible content removed] problem it shifts perfect drives perfect but when im doing anything over 35mph and try to hold asteady speed for aminute or 2 and then push the gas more it will start jerkin kinda unless u let off the gas then hit the gas its cool but iv replaced the throttle body position sensor changed plugs&wires changed trans fluid&filter cleaned out the throttle body but still no fix does anybody know what it could be ?????????????maybe transmission....
  • mailawcmailawc Member Posts: 3
    Try replacing the Crank sensor if you have not already done so.
  • superchargedgssuperchargedgs Member Posts: 2
    whatup dude i have a 99 regal gse and if i try holding it at asteady speed over 35mph it would start jerkin on me til i would either mash on the gas or let off then hit the gas it would do fine all the way up til i would try to hold steady speed if you can help me out in any way i would appreciate it thanks alot.brad
  • cmscorpiocmscorpio Member Posts: 2
    The transmission is leaking fluid into my engine, because nothing is visible underneath the car and I have to keep adding fluid and getting it serviced, so i replaced the pan gasket worked for 2 months then started leaking again but not at the pan up towards the motor sometimes causing white smoke to come out of my exhaust pipe. Its now having a slow take off which is how it started before, i don't know what is causing the fluid to leak and what I should get fixed?
  • custom3800custom3800 Member Posts: 3
    going to work,running great going around 50 mph and I lost the transmission, the only gear that I have is 1st gear, I must keep it in first to be able to drive it home, Around 5 mph, Fluid is full, no check engine light, Could this be a sensor and where is it at. Sorry if this post has already brought up, need help and new to this forrum. and help would be great. The car has around 198000 on it and still strong motor.
  • custom3800custom3800 Member Posts: 3
    going to work,running great going around 50 mph and I lost the transmission, the only gear that I have is 1st gear, I must keep it in first to be able to drive it home, Around 5 mph, Fluid is full, no check engine light, Could this be a sensor and where is it at. Sorry if this post has already brought up, need help and new to this forrum. and help would be great. The car has around 198000 on it and still strong motor. I have heard this could be a sensor on the tranny, anyone heard of this.
  • custom3800custom3800 Member Posts: 3
  • vmbcabvmbcab Member Posts: 1
    I have the same problem with my 1994 Buick Regal.
    Were you ever able to resolve this issue?
  • mfile2000mfile2000 Member Posts: 2
    Hi Dan,

    I have the same problem in my 2001 Buick. Can you email me, mfile2000@hotmail.com with how you fixed it?

    Thanks
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,241
    It would be much more helpful if that member would post any fix right here in the Forums. Sharing it privately by email deprives others of the information.

    MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
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  • jipsterjipster Member Posts: 6,296
    It's okay with me.
    2021 Honda Passport EX-L, 2020 Honda Accord EX-L, 2011 Hyundai Veracruz, 2010 Mercury Milan Premiere.
  • countryolacountryola Member Posts: 1
    So I have a 98 Regal LS and I recently have had some transmission issues. I was driving it the other day on the highway and when I stopped at a stoplight and tried to drive again it was like the tranny was missing and jumping real bad. checked the fluid and it was fine turned the car off tried driving it again and everything seemed fine. Any ideas what could cause this problem. Is there something like a shift sensor that could cause this to happen? Any information would be greatly appreciated.
  • mfile2000mfile2000 Member Posts: 2
    Answering myself. I had a tune up done, primarily new wires and plugs, fuel filter as well. What I thought was a transmission miss in Overdrive, up hill, low rpm was actually the engine missing under these conditions. Down shifting, lower gear bringing up the RPMs would alway bypass the problem. So my answer was new plugs and wires. Enging miss, not transmission. Good luck everyone.
  • lyzziescharmedlyzziescharmed Member Posts: 1
    edited January 2011
    i bought a 99 buick regal ls two weeks ago from m local towing yard. it ran fine the first two days. the 3rd day it would shift from first to second just fine but would not shift into third well the 5th day I was driving it and in the middle of driving it, it just stopped driving I would push on the gas and nothing it would not drive at all i tried 1st 2nd 3rd and nothing I got nothing. not even reverse works. when i shift into drive i dont even here it or feel it shiftig keep in mind there is 172000 miles on it. i really dont now what to do. besides buying it for 900.00 dollars i just paid the dame tags that were 590.00 i am taped out. please tell me it something easy and that it wont cost me my first born to fix lol. i had it towed home can someone help and i check the fluids and there is fluids in it. but itt doesnt seem to be pumping the fluids.
  • congostartercongostarter Member Posts: 2
    92 regal 3.8 engine 140,000. Trans wants to shift up in gear when under strain (uphill). starts to shake until I reapply gas and it shifts to lower gear and runs until nex hill. Buick recomended not to have engine flush since I don't have history.Mine since one year ago. Put in 12 oz. of Lucas trans conditioner ran 10 mil. .. a tinny bit better. any recomenditions??
  • bsheppardbsheppard Member Posts: 3
    Did you remember to remove 12 oz. of transmission fluid before adding the 12 oz of Lucas conditioner? You don't want to over fill the transmission. I know that is not likely your original problem but the Lucas may give better results if the fluid level in the transmission is correct..
  • cmscorpiocmscorpio Member Posts: 2
    Have you had your motor mounts changed. If the motor is not mounted it won't make a direct connection to the transmission. I ended up spending $1750 on having my transmission rebuilt only to find out it was the motor mounts which they did for free of course
  • jaycee9jaycee9 Member Posts: 1
    Bingo you have found the problem: The 4T65E tranny in the Buick smaller cars is problematic especially after approx 95k miles and a transmission oil change. Don't change the transmission fluid!! Something about putting a cleaner transmission oil in the tranny that causes the TPC to malfunction. One thing I have noticed is that the TPC Solenoid malfunction is definitely heat related. When you start the car in the morning it does well until the transmission fluid warms up, it then begins to misshift. I did solve the problem by installing a couple of transmission oil coolers that go in front of the radiator and connect to the radiator transmission coolant line. It took two of the small coolers to do the job at $30 each. I live in Florida and it gets hot here but so far the only time the tranny has acted up is after driving a long time in stop and go traffic. Kudos
  • luckybareluckybare Member Posts: 1
    mine has been fine for just a year and now it doesn't want to go into overdrive so i burn up gas like crazy its at like 2300 rpm going 55 mph and i think its my filter or something i need help
  • upnorth6upnorth6 Member Posts: 1
    So I've got 200K miles and very few problems till now. After replacing the instument cluster and a few 'modules', window switch and door regulator (driver's) and exhaust system; I'm having problems with the trans. The car sat most of the summer for these little nagging repairs. The trans has always worked and shifted smoothly. However now it will not go into 4th (overdrive). The first three gears still shift smoothly. Am I looking at a 'control module' or 'relay' replacement? Or a 'computer' flaw? Please don't tell me I need a trans replacement. Any input or comments would be appreciated. Thank you.
  • heitmeyerheitmeyer Member Posts: 1
    If you have the other gears it is my experience that the overdrive gear is stripped they have splines on them and after a while they wear out because of the way they were manufactured and the only way to fix it is to replace the gear but the bad thing is that you had might as well just rebuild tranny it has to come out anyway to replace the gear
  • bcaldwell2bcaldwell2 Member Posts: 2
    I have a Buick Regall 99 Supercharged and that is how my car started off. It has been shaking really hard when it goes from 2nd to 3rd. It has been doing this for awhile, I finally took it to the shop and they said the Torque Convertor was almost gone. So now I am having to shuck out @2,000 for parts and labor but that is because I am getting a whole new transmission, the guy at the shop said once that goes out it can mess up everything else. I hope you have better luck, we tried everything to fix it with no luck.
  • bcaldwell2bcaldwell2 Member Posts: 2
    This is exactyly what my car has been doing. I took it to the shop, the guys put the computer on it and it came up the Torque Converter is out. The only thing left for me to do is to replace that but that means they have to pull the whole trans out to replace it so I am letting them just replace the whole thing. Hope this helps.
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