Transmission Traumas?

gchernya1 · April 1999

ddysart, if you going to ditch the millennia, you
might go for cheapest restoration you can get.
Because it is a low mileage car so called 'hard
parts' may be still good and soft parts not that
expensive. Here what I would do : bring car to your mechanic and ask to remove transmission.
get the transmission to the transmission repair
shop and get their estimate. If tranny is ruined
and too expensive to fix, get another one from
junkyard. This way you will avoid pressure to go
one particular way of resolving the problem and will save a few bucks. Make sure to clean the engine compartment after repairs are done, and wash undercarriage from transmission fluid. Drive car around for 3 - 5 K miles. This way you will avoid "what that stinks?" question during trade in, or even omit transmission problem altogether during the trade in process

sjeddy2 · May 1999

my 92 taurus gl has a slipping fourth gear.( ia had the car checked at a national chain and the;y said this) The car seems to "search" for a gear around 35 to 40 mph. I tried to just drive in "drive" to see if the problem would go away, but it seemed to carry over to drive as well. I read the manual on it, and the way i interpreted it, o/d uses a lower rpm for shifting? and the drive setting shifts higher? is this due to o/d using a separate gear or is this due to Ford's chip controlled tranny?

albertaguy · May 1999

have 1989 grand am that requires think its called kick down solenoid.would like to know if there is any short cuts or anything to be careful about when removing and replacing the solenoid.would appreciate any information thanks

ddysart · May 1999

Thanks for the advice. My mechanic said nearest he could figure was that a seal went out while I was driving, causing the fluid loss. Then the torque converter blew apart, cracking the case and sending metal through the rest of the tranny. He said it was way too far gone to rebuild. His price to replace it with a new one was reasonable (not the absolute lowest, but at least I trust his work - that's worth $200 to me).

We thought of going for salvage, but since the car is so new and that it wasn't a real popular car, the chances of finding a wreck turned out to be slim to none.

jshu · May 1999

Does using engine braking with auto transmission hurt the transmission, or more precisely the torque converter?

I live near a pretty steep mountain and we go up/down several times a day. to save on brake wear we use engine braking (shifting into 2nd gear).
recently we've had two torque converters die suddenly. one in a 94 jeep wrangler with 45k miles the 2nd in a 93 cadillac 60 special with 87k. the repair costs were several thousand dollars.

is this caused by using engine braking? or did we just have bad luck with both cars?

thanks

spokane · May 1999

Jshu, your use of engine braking on steep mountain slopes is correct. The torque converter and other transmission components should not be harmed by this procedure. I drive as you do.

Your converter may have had some defect that led to it's early failure. Too, if a large part of your driving is up and down steep slopes in hot weather, these factors may have contributed to the failure.

My guess is that you your failures were flukes. I would continue to use engine braking on the downgrades. (As you apparently well know, to do otherwise invites brake overheating and possible catastrophic consequences.) If you have significant hot mountainous driving, suggest that transmission fluid be changed somewhat more often that the owner's manual calls for and be sure the transmission fluid cooler is working properly. An auxiliary cooler may be advisable. (These coolers are not too often installed on passenger cars but vehicles that tow travel trailers usually have them.)

Mr_Shiftright · May 1999

I think an auxiliary trans cooler for your situation is an excellent suggestion from spokane and should be installed immediately!

dhou · May 1999

Hey, all;

I have a question? I have a friend she always
shifts transmission to Neutral when she stops
then shift back to drive when she goes.

Is that good for transmisson or bad for transmission? People says if you are doing
that to CR-V, it will hurts transmission.

Thanks
David

spokane · May 1999

I have heard of several people who shift their automatic transmissions to neutral when they stop. It's commendable that they go to extra trouble for the purpose of caring for the car ...but this is usually unnecessary. The extra "loading" and "unloading" of the driveline associated with this procedure can cause extra wear extra wear of driveline components. Accordingly, the preferred method is to leave the selector in "drive."

A long wait in stalled traffic or at a train crossing would be an exception; particularly in hot weather. With a long wait, selecting neutral will reduce the engine load slightly and facilitate better engine and transmission cooling. Some fuel savings would also result but the savings amount would be extremely small; I would guess 5 to 25 cents per year for most driving conditions.

flwgolfs · May 1999

Just bought a 96 Taurus. The transmission started to kick and I brought it in for evaluation.
They said the transmission is toast.
Dealer said it would cost $2300.
Don't you all think that is a little high?
What would you do?

blumsden · May 1999

I have a Honda Accord coupe, 5-spd. I'm curious why it is so difficult to change to 1st gear when the car is rolling (say under 5mph). Shouldn't I be able to shift into any gear so long as the clutch is disengaged? I've had other 5-speeds and they all seem to resist 1st gear unless you are stopped, but this accord is by far the worst in this respect. What is causing this resistance? Can I cause any damage by using extra force to go into 1st gear?

Thanks.

cooksterdog · May 1999

definitly, the resistance is probably the syncro slowing the cluster/slider assembly so that they match in speed. the gears must match in speed,or since they are diferent sizes ,they will clash!

snowman · May 1999

Hi everybody,

I have 97 Mazda 626 LX AT. Trans. was replaced at 30K. Now It has 37K.
When I check the oil, I realized that at the end of dipstick there are very tiny metal pieces, may be 3 or 4 times smaller than pinhead.

These pieces are attached to the dipstick, oil seems like clean. After 2 or 3 dunkins stick comes up clean.

Also when you try to get any gear, trans. is banging. Original one was not doing it. Mechanic said this is very normal.
Thank you for any response.
Since the car is under warranty I will take it to dealer but I am tired of that BS

spokane · May 1999

It's possible your transmission dipstick is slightly magnetized causing the steel particles to adhere to it. A few very small particles is normal so this information may or may not be an indicator of a problem.

A "banging" condition is not normal; something is wrong. Suggest that you talk with the service manager and request that he drive or ride in the car to understand the problem. I would be quite firm in insisting that corrections be made but allow him a few days to schedule the repair. Hopefully, by not being too pushy on the date of the repair, you can keep communications reasonably friendly. Keep a record of what was done and "who said what" in case it does become necessary to call the Mazda zone office with your complaint later. Good luck.

snowman · May 1999

Tank you very much,

I forgot to mention that banging is only happening when the car is not moving.
From park to r or d. Once the car moves it shifts smoothly. Any idea?

charles11 · May 1999

For people with Fords. Ford recommends replacing the tranny fluid with Mercon 5 they also recommend installing an external cooler. I have stopped the converter shudder by doing this procedure. You should also make sure the converter is drained. Many Fords still have a drain plug in the converter. I am also of the opinion the the radiator cooler alone is not enough. I have started recommending that anyone with a newer car with overdrive should install an external cooler if possible. people with Chryslers should make sure to stick with 7176 fluid. If another type fluid is installed the should have the tranny flushed out and 7176 installed. There are shops that flush trannys out you just have to look around. This flush will clean the converter droping the pan alone will not drain the converter. Newer Chryslers do not have a converter drain plug. I guess that is my two cents worth.

spokane · May 1999

Someone with Mazda experience could help better than I, but a noise when coming from PARK is likely to be associated with the park locking pawl. This is probably not serious but I agree with you that it should be corrected. On transmissions for Rear-Wheel-Drive, this would usually be a fairly simple repair; done without removing the transmission from the car. On the FWD Mazda, sorry I don't know if transmission removal will be required.

guitarzan · May 1999

Have the u-joints been checked?

rich281 · May 1999

I own a 85 ford F-250 with a c-6 transmission,latley I have noticed some slipping when vehicle is cold also a rough down shift at aprox. 25 mph. My question is, if the trans. needs to be overhauled has anyone tried doing it them selves with the help of how-to videos?

Mr_Shiftright · May 1999

Dear Rich,

I seriously doubt you could overhaul the trans yourself, since besides getting all the pieces back together right, you'd need special tools and extreme cleanlines and probably a special type of washing machine for the converter....it's not rocket science, but it isn't all that easy either...and getting the damn thing out is a job, too...a C-6 is heavy, and not the kind of thing you'd do on your back.

Try an oil and filter change first...you might get lucky, you never know.

cougar · May 1999

I have been reading all the happy,new '99 kitty(cougar)owner posts and wouldn`t I love to trade mine in for a new one! NO WAY! I wish them all the best of luck...but I will never buy another cougar. I purchased a brand new cougar in '94,
V8/4.6L, moonroof,leather,power everything.
Love the lines,love the power,handling, was very happy with my new kitty. 40,000 miles later, transmission shudder and shifting problems.
Had the transmission rebuilt. Not under warranty.
Two years and 40000 miles later, yep transmission again! I guess $2000 in trans. repair is still cheaper than buying a new car, although, I can`t help but think I better save up another $1000 for the upcoming two year mile marker! No more cats for me. No longer trust Ford/Mercury transmissions. Will not buy another one!
EX-KY-CAT FAN

dave62 · June 1999

Anyone know of a particular reason a dealer would
have trouble getting ahold of Geo/Chevy manual
transmission parts? I took my '97 Metro in for
some warranty work three weeks ago. The
dealership said they had to order a seal and
one other part. One of the parts arrived, but
the dealership says the other part is still on
back order. They said they even put out an
emergency request in an attempt to get the part
from somewhere else in the U.S., but apparently
were not able to get it. Is the Chevy supply
system really that bad, or is this an unusual
situation?

Mr_Shiftright · June 1999

He probably forgot to order it in the first place and is passing the buck, unless it is the weirdest part on the trans, like some little pin on some little lever or something strange like that....you know, something that normally would never need a replacement.

kanush · June 1999

I have a 1991 Aerostar XL 4wd with 156k: it suffered a transmission melt down at 132K and was
repaired (three times) by AAMCO who blamed Ford
because the trans was not getting enough power from the engine. Now at 156K the same unexpected, no clue given until the transmission melted down, again. I duly affirm that all I do is drive the vehicle to work and back (52miles RT) on flat terrain with a very occasional trip to the mountains. What is wrong here!! I read that in Nov 98 Ford may have recalled 92+ 4 wd Aerostars for transmission failure but I cannot obtain a hard copy of the recall. Any one else experiencing such problems??

gibecker · June 1999

We have a 1993 Sable LS (automatic with console). When we shift from park to drive, or park to reverse, there's a delayed secondary "jerk". What would cause this?

guitarzan · June 1999

Kanush, the original tranny went over 100k? That is quite good. Now, not knowing anything about trannies, I'd say they repaired a symptom, but haven't cured the disease, if you get what I mean.
One guess: They are using the wrong tranny fluid. Two: The tranny cooler has a problem. Three: They used an inferior part or missed a part all three times. Four: Part of the tranny has been changed physically by the severe heat (like the casing) and thus cannot be repaired. Five: A totally different problem that someone here who knows trannies might guess.

Mr_Shiftright · June 1999

If I may paraphrase guitarzan's commments, I think
a) you got your money's worth from the first transmission and

b) AAMMMMMCCCCCOOOO messed up the repair on the rebuild. Not Ford's fault in this case, nor yours for that matter.

coardue · June 1999

Does anyone know what the price would be on a use transmission for a 1989 BMW 325i, manual 5 speed. AAMCO says my transmission is shot. They are quoting $2750 for a remanufactured transmission. Any ideas on a used transmission price that is lower.

acornboy · June 1999

Has anybody ever had a problem with there 95 dodge grand Caravan and if so what because mine is nothing but a constant head ache.

noble1 · June 1999

I own a 1996 Ford F-150 2WD pickup with the Mazda R2 5 speed manual trans., and 4.9L straight 6. I have had serious problems with the 1st and second gear syncros. Rough engagement, and serious grinding. Ford replaced the 2nd gear syncro under warranty at 32K miles, but the 1st gear syncro held out until it was out of warranty. I've tried several types of fluids (ATF, 10W-30, 0W-30 synthetic, etc.), they all work the same. Local shops say this trans is junk. The vehicle now has 40K miles, and I'm looking at a rebuild. Any ideas, or other experiences out there?

binu · June 1999

#129 !!

Are you referring to a transmission problem you have with your dodge ?
If so.. did you have a transmission fluid change not long before you started having your transmission problems ..?
I read somewhere that a majority of chrysler's transmission problems were caused due to using dexron instead of the mopar fluid...
just checking .....

gus · June 1999

That's been mentioned before, possibly in this topic.

#128 (and #130, for that matter):
Sounds like shopping around is your best bet. Try calling up different places, the dealer and independent shops, for a price on a factory rebuild. When you shop around get a total price that includes installation (parts & labor).

gmarquez · June 1999

I'm just curious...

How long will an average tranny or transaxel
last before going south? Is the average
different for different auto manufacturers?

We've got a 1990 Ford T-Bird w/100K miles,
a 1993 Saturn SL2 w/153K miles, and a 1999
Chrysler Town & Country w/7K miles.

- Grego

Mr_Shiftright · June 1999

With good maintenance on a modern car and without abuse or heavy towing, probably the life of the car. There are exceptions and known defective units, of course, but if you take the average japanese car, for instance, it should last the car's lifetime.

A transmissions biggest enemy is heat, so a cooler is a great investment for long life.

powerman · June 1999

We had a 1995 Dodge Ram 1500 truck with the 5.9L engine whose transmission failed at 67,000 miles. The transmission was routinely serviced at the dealer at 60,000 miles and there was no problem with the transmission before this service.

This dealer would not go to bat for us with Dodge (or admit to a service screw up at the transmission service), so we ended up paying for a transmission repair. Needless to say, we no longer own this vehicle and warn every one we know off Chrysler products!

gmarquez · June 1999

Mr_Shiftright:
>but if you take the average japanese car, for
>instance, it should last the car's lifetime

The reason I ask is that the Ford (100K miles)
is getting close to needing tranny work. Also,
when I took the Saturn in for it's last service
(at ~150K miles), the mechanic was suprised that
I had had no tranny work done on it up to that
point...why did he have that expectation?

When a Chrysler product's tranny goes out at
~70K miles, that seems a might early...but
should we expect 100K to 150K miles for an
"American" (Ford, GM, Chrysler) car?

Just by happenstance, we own 1 vehicle from each
of the "big three"...I would *REALLY* like the
1999 Town & Country's transaxel to last at least
100K, if not more. Am I being overly hopefull?

- Grego

Mr_Shiftright · June 1999

Well, I have heard quite a lot of complaints over the years about Chrysler's trannies failing prematurely, and even if I were to discount 75% of the complaints as abuse, the number left is still something that makes me think there have been real technical difficulties.

Aside from these persistent complaints, it's always been my position that the US makes the best automatic transmissions in the world, but alas, that reputation may be slipping (no pun intended).

I'd say 100K is a fair expectation for an automatic...I'd expect AT LEAST that from my car. Of course, if you're towing or you miss maintenance, then that expectation may have to change.

jshu · June 1999

we have a 94 Jeep Wrangler with 3sp auto that failed at 45k miles, a 93 Cadillac 60spc with 4sp auto that failed at 88k, 94 Dodge caravan 3sp auto failed at 80k.

all of these transmissions were serviced at 25k intervals (fluid/filter change). None were used for towing. 75% of the miles are highway cruising miles.

a friend in the transmission repair/rebuild business told us that they usually go 75k to 100k miles before needing a rebuild. a small number will fail before 75k and a small number will last past 100k.

with the exception of the Jeep, our other cars seem to fit this pretty well.

Mr_Shiftright · June 1999

Yeah, I could buy that, let's say 100K would be acceptable for most cars.

cougar · June 1999

Tell me about a speed sensor. How does it relate to the transmission? What symptoms will my 1994 cougar(4.6)automatic,experience if the speed sensor is faulty? Could this little $35.00(Dealer cost)piece of equipment cause my transmission to shift into what feels like neutral while cruising at different speeds? Have also noticed my speedometer can act wild at times, going from 0 to 40 in a split second on take off. Wow, the kitty`s not that fast! Just had the Transmission rebuilt two weeks ago at 84,000 miles and it is doing the same thing it was before I took it in.
The Transmission shop said bring it back in, no charge they are determined to figure it out.
They called me yesterday and said they want to put a shift kit on it. No charge. What good will that do? Anyway a friend of mine told me to tell the trans. shop to put a new speed sensor on it while they had it also. I am way out of my league on this subject, I know nothing, please throw me some wisdom, anybody. Lost in Transmission Traumas
By the way, no codes are showing on their fancy machines.

spokane · June 1999

The erratic speedometer readings do indicate a defective speed sensor or a defect in the electrical circuit associated with the speed sensor. This will also cause shift points to be wrong. It would not cause the transmission to shift to neutral, but it's possible that a downshift caused by a defective speed sensor circuit could "feel like neutral". The labor to replace the speed sensor is very little but a bad connection in the circuit could take some time to find. From your information, the speed sensor problem should be corrected before considering further internal transmission repair.

cougar · June 1999

Thank you spokane for your input.
I called the trans. shop that has my car and told them to stick a speed sensor on it. I pick it up this afternoon. Guess I just have to drive it awhile and see if the new shift kit and sensor worked. They didn`t charge me anything for these items, so at least my wallet is still ok.
As for my car, the trans. man said bring her big if it acts up again and we will try something else. I was unaware so many things could cause a prob. with the transmission. I figured, hey you rebuild it and its a done deal! This was a learning experience for me. Thanks again and I will let you know how the kitty does in a few days.

windowphobe6 · June 1999

So far as I can figure, there are only two things that can cause AT fluid to look foamy - too high a level, and an air leak of some sort. Is there anything else I ought to be looking for?

robb100 · June 1999

The autobox on my 95 Nissan Altima is starting to shift harshly, especially on the 1-2 shift at low speeds. Other shifts are still ok. I have had the fluid changed regularly and the filter cleaned (about every 30,000 miles). The car now has 82k miles. Is this normal? Is there anything that can be done without a rebuild? How about additives? Thanks

Mr_Shiftright · June 1999

No, I wouldn't use additives...many of them cause the seals to swell, due, I think, to alcohol content or similar. Definitely a no-no. Try another service, otherwise just the creeping signs of old age you'll have to live with until something really bad happens (which could be a long time from now).

rondori · June 1999

Do manual transmissions on brand new cars have a break-in period?

My new Kia shifts smoothly, but seems to pause a moment in first (when given a good amount of gas) before really taking off. What's that all about?

Thanks.

cr

eoyler · June 1999

I have a 91 Chevy 2500 4X4 with a 700R transmission with overdrive. My problem is that it will not always shift into the next higer gear without first shifting into nuteral and back into drive, or over drive. I took the pan of one day and found a loose wire on some type of sensor, I reattached it and it made a little differance.

My question is this, what might this sensor be and could this be the whole problem. I would by a new sensor but I don't know what this one does or what it is called.

Any help would be appreaciated. Please e-mail me at e54@pacbell.net

Thanks
Edwin

heyward · June 1999

I have a 96 Voyager with the rear passenger driver side door, while cruising usually uphill the breaks grab for only a second. The dealership says it is the transmission (1500.00) my problem started after a minor fender bender to right front quarter. Everyone says there is no connection. Anyone have any ideas.

Heyward

cheapowner · July 1999

My '98 E350 dually has a 4R100 auto trans. The books said no need to change fluid even in severe schedule. To me, it is like saying 100,000 miles spark plug change. What is the "real world" fluid change interval or will it cause damage to trans if I use aftermarket fluid.

kenny57 · July 1999

Does anyone build a heavier-duty clutch and pressure plate for 99 ford f350, 6 speed?

Transmission Traumas?

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles

Your Privacy