Transmission Traumas?

doodlebug2 · July 1999

I just purchased a 1999 new beetle last week and the automatic transmission began missing.
the car was jerking so hard I wasn't sure I'd make it back up to the dealership.( It drove fine for the first 5 days.) The service dept. said nothing wrong registered on the computer, so they have to pull out the transmission and fix it.This may take up to a month because the beetle technicians are on vacation the next 1-2 weeks! My first car payment is due in 2 weeks and I feel very bad. Is this a common occurence with the new beetle ? What can I expect from here on out with this diagnosis?

Mr_Shiftright · July 1999

Well, it's a bit of bad luck, but stay calm about it...these things happen with new cars, there's always a small percentage of them that aren't quite right (this is why they give you a warranty). I've seen it happen on brand new Mercedes, it doesn't mean the car is screwed up...but if there's another VW dealer in your area, you could have the car towed there and get things rolling faster...and ask your dealer to pay for the tow if his mechanics aren't home...seems fair to me.

araz · July 1999

Have a 97 Suburban w/40K miles, that makes a noise that sounds like shifting a manual transmission without the clutch. Very loud metallic buzz, and a WHANG, then it moves. Will occur on acceleration, steady speed, but longest and loudest when changig direction. (after a full stop, then into reverse or drive). Had doubts that 4WD was engaging last winter, and had it checked. (its the pushbutton transfer actuator). Will entertain any and all ideas. Thanks

raymond2 · July 1999

I have a 93 Mazda 626 automatic. I would like to have the transmission stay in the second gear longer. Is there any adjustment I can do?

spokane · July 1999

Raymond, you have a cable the connects the throttle assembly to the transmission. At the throttle assembly, this cable is probably connected to the same spool or bellcrank as the throttle cable which comes from the foot pedal.

To change the shift point, you want to make a small change in the effective length of the transmission cable. You will find a threaded portion on one end of the cable sheath which facilitates this adjustment. Loosen the locknut and turn the adjustment nut about two turns, increasing the tension on the cable, and retighten the locknut. Carefully note the amount and direction of the adjustment so you can return to the original setting if necessary. Make further adjustments based on the driving performance. This will affect the 1-2 shift as well as the 2-3 shift but should provide better overall performance if the shifts were previously too early. Note that there may be a trade-off; sometimes raising the shiftpoint will be accompanied by harsher shifts ...necessitating an adjustment back near the original setting.

shawn17 · July 1999

seems like I get a nudge in the rear intermittently on my 1998 toyo prerunner V-6 auto.
I feel it is not as smooth a transition as it should be from starting and stopping. The gears are great all the way through them, but this intermittent annoyance..? could it be a brake adjustment I am feeling?
Thank you shawn

rayford · July 1999

Does anyone know why transmission fluid would be blowing out of the top of the transmission on a '93 Mustang LX? Shop said it was coming out of the breather hole and they would have to go into it to find out the problem.They said they would essentially be rebuilding it at a price of $1400-$1500 dollars. Any suggestions on a cheaper route? It's not leaking around the pan or seals. I looked at it.

raymond2 · July 1999

Spokane: Thank you for the response. I checked the car. There is no transmission cable connected to the throttle linkage. I remember seeing such a cable in older cars, like an 89 Toyota Corolla. I guess that my 93 Mazda 626 is one of the newer cars that have a so-called electrically controlled automatic transmission. I even took out the air filter housing for a good view of the transmission. I looked at it for a good five minutes and found that, except for the gear selector cable, every thing connected to the transmission was electrical wire.

spokane · July 1999

Sorry for the useless lead, Raymond. With no cable, your car indeed must have the electronic controls. There may be a method of recalibrating the shift points on this car, but as you apparently know, that involves the electronics and you'll likely need a factory shop manual.

Could it be that one of your sensors, such as a hydraulic pressure sensor or a speed sensor, is defective and therefore the cause of incorrect shift points? Sorry I can't provide any specifics.

phil42 · July 1999

I HAVE A 1995 FORD WINDSTAR THAT THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT ON AT 65,000 MILES. I CONTACTED FORD MOTOR COMPANY,AND THEY SAID THEY SEE NO PROBLEM AND WONT PAY FOR REPAIRS,EVEN THOUGH THEY KNEW OF THE PROBLEM WITH THIS TYPE OF TRANSMISSION IN 1991.ALSO THE ENGINE BLEW A HEAD GASKET AT 60,000 MILES(THEY REPAIRED THE ENGINE,BUT I AM HAVING MORE PROBLEMS WITH IT)

windowphobe6 · July 1999

The GA-4EL, as used in the '93 model year, is, in fact, wholly electronic; there is no throttle cable. (Previous versions did have one.)

jcustin · July 1999

I had a business trip this week and my wife took our 88 Cadillac Brougham to an AAMCO dealer for a transmission problem. They said it needs a whole new tranny which is not all that surprising. What is the going rate for that type repair. Is there a good web site that has online resources to do this type comparison?

Thanks

bruce350 · July 1999

I have a 1988 Suburban with a TH400. It started making a very loud "squeak-squeak" noise that:
1)follows the rotation of the torque converter internal shaft (continues for 2 seconds after flex plate stops turning).
2) usually starts when I put the vehicle in reverse, sometimes takes a minute or two, then continues to squeak in all gears, P, N, D, R.
3) stops squeaking when I put a load on the engine, resumes when load reduced. If I shut it off, then restart it, the squeaking stops for a minute or so.
4) Noise appears to come from just behind torque converter. About as loud as a car alarm.
5) No metal particles in pan, slight amount of fibrous material (half a pinch), fluid changed 4,000 miles ago.
I put in a new flex plate and torque converter, but the problem persists.
I have not heard a transmission make that noise before, nor have found anyone else who has. Any ideas? It shifts fine, runs normal. I havn't been driving it for fear of having the squeak turn into a grinding noise.
Thanks!
Bruce

spokane · July 1999

Fascinating problem, Bruce. I believe you said this loud squeak was the same with the old and new torque converters ... and the noise continues briefly after the converter housing stops rotating. I don't know specifics of the TH-400 but would would suspect something associated with the stator shaft or it's reaction arm. Perhaps a bad bushing or sleeve or even a defective snap ring. Also maybe problems of this type on the input shaft. Or input shaft bent very slightly. The condition may be causing some misalignment with the converter ...resulting in noise only under conditions of high slip. I also would like to hear from others; you surely want more info than this before doing "exploratory surgery."

hucam · July 1999

1987 Mercury Grand Marquis, 59k miles, new filter
and fluid in EOD tranny. Shifts into/out of reverse and drive real well. Will not upshift out of second gear. Anyone have any ideas on what's wrong and how to fix it? Thanks in advance. Hugh

senh · July 1999

My 94 Nissan Quest mini-van has a transmission
problem. Dealer asked me to replace a re-build
transmission w/ the cost of $3300. I checked other
shop only cost me around $1800 to $2800. My question is what is the right range of doing this replacement. This is the 1st time I have this kind issue. I did the regular transmission maintenance at 30K miles and 60K miles. This van supposedly is reliable. It really bug me a lot. Their reputation get downgraded in my impression.

guitarzan · July 1999

Did you have the tranny maintenance done at the dealer? I'm wondering if you could use that as leverage for a discount on a rebuild.

How many miles does the van currently have? You can always call Nissan customer service, explain that you had regular maintenance done, and simply ask them if the life you got from your transmission is acceptable to them.

butch11 · July 1999

Dealers generally get 2X the price for any work they do-try to find an independent who only does tranny's and knows your tranny-best bet. The franchise places have to add a lot to cover their fees-dealers have a boat payment due on a daily basis. Ask around and try to find an independent who knows what they are doing. Replacing a tranny at 60-90K is NFG. If it was not abused-I would be hopping mad. Did you use their suggested fluids and did you watch the fluid levels?

gerbil · August 1999

I bought a 1999 Bravada, have had many problems in less than 2000 miles. I know think that some of the shudder and hesitation may be in the trans. Oldsmobile says that this would be new to them. I DON'T BELIEVE THEM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let me know if anybody else has had sim. problems

swilliams2 · August 1999

We have a serious wine that seems to be coming from either the rear or the transmission of our 95 Chrysler Sebring. Does anyone have a similar problem? iT ONLY HAS 52,000 MILES ON IT AND HAS DONE IT FOR QUITE SOME TIME.

frank1956 · August 1999

Here's to the person with the Chrysler Sebring. When you say it has only 52,000 miles in it doesn't say much. How often have you done services to the transmission or differential. Keeping fluids at their proper level and in good condition is important in keeping the vehicle in good operating condition. It would be a good idea to have a good inspection as soon as possible. It is a little hard to diagnose a problem with little info, perhaps it could be a bearing going out.

gus · August 1999

Frank, you bring up a good point that all users should be aware of--namely that making a diagnosis based on vague symptoms read over the internet is very difficult. The best way to address a problem is by finding a good shop or a good mechanic to take a look at your car.

Gus
Conference Host

jimmybeam · August 1999

I have a 91 Olds Cutlass Cruiser wagon with 3.3L 6 cyl. and auto trans. Tranny lost 3rd gear and was rebuilt at 95k. At 104k, same problem, no 3rd gear. Tranny will shift into overdrive if revved hard in 2nd and then shifting into OD. I have read that this particular transmission has had problems with a faulty or weak solenoid ground which will cause a similar problem, and that many have been unnecessarily rebuilt. Has anyone else heard of this, could it be the problem, and what would it cost to fix? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

jen6 · August 1999

I have a 95 Dodge Intrepid that has been having transmission problems since last summer. The service manager thought that it was a bad seal, he fixed it and we didn't have any problems, until the weather warmed up. This spring it refused to up-shift when it was warm and had been driven awhile. We took it back to the dealer before our vacation, he put in a new control panel thinking that it was reading a problem that really didn't exist. We drove it and about 400 miles from home before it starting acting up again. We talked to two other service managers at Chrysler Dealerships, and guess what! They both said the Intrepids have transmission problems. We luckily got it home (with the reverse clutch out-no backing up)and when I went to talk to our service manager he admitted that he has also done a lot of work on transmissions for Intrepids (now he tells me after I've paid for a second diagnostic check and two days use of a rental car). Anybody else have problems with the transmission of their Intrepid?

scorpo19 · August 1999

jen6 I feel for you I had 2 intrepids 95 and 96 ES and the trans went out on both the 95 at 60,000 miles and the 96 leaked from the day I got it after 5 trips to dealer who could never stop the leaks I called Chrysler I was not paying for another trans $2300. They replaced it for free at 50,000 miles then I went thru 4 waterpumps 1 sunroof which tied up the car 4 days it was factory installed roof not aftermarket. Then they replaced the air conditioner on a recall notice and now its going out again my advise is get rid of it they are junk and NO RESALE Value traded it last week could only get $7000 for it. This car had every option offered in 96. Chrysler has a problem with their trans my cousin had a 97 and his went out too also his engine he gort rid of it too. get rid of it it only gets worse

isellhondas · August 1999

Our 95 Intrepid was the WORST car we have ever owned and we have owned a lot of cars.

At 32,000, the transmission was just starting to act up, so we dumped the car.

Workmanship was terrible, I could go on and on.

Resale on these is terrible!! Nobody wants them even at 2000.00 below book!

Still, people are still buying...Just like I did when I was assured that the 95's were all new and "improved".. Yeah, right!

bruce350 · August 1999

Thanks for the prompt response Spokane. Well, this is one for the books!
I took the thing to Dave's Aurora Transmission in Lynnwood, WA. They quoted me a great deal on rebuilding the tranny. But when I brought it in, they kept saying the tranny was fine. Wouldn't take my money for a rebuild. So they kept it overnight for the owner to look at it. Called me back the next day saying "you're not going to believe this". Turns out the noise (that six people swore was a bad trans pump or bushing) was a vacuum buildup caused by an extra PCV valve (pcv valves on both rocker covers)in what was supposed to be a breather back to the air cleaner. It was causing a resonating "squeak" that was vibrating the whole motor/trans. Took off the PCV valve, stuffed the hose in the breather hole and everything is fine now. Nobody had ever heard an engine/tranny make that noise before (except a squeaky belt).
Oh, Daves Transmission spent an hour and a half on my truck to figure this one out, and charged me $0. The last honest transmission shop I figure.

isellhondas · August 1999

Great story! Most shops would have NEVER figured it out. What honest people!!

Just think if you had taken it to one of the chains?

bluegirl · August 1999

i bought a car two months ago. it is a v6.
well it started to make a sound so i brought it in.turns out according to the service guy my car missed quality control and it was released with no transmission fluid in the car.. .so i killed the transmission by driving hte car. they need to replace the entire transmission. could this effect the engine? will this be a recurring problem now since it had to be worked on? should i request an entirely new car since it's only 2 months old?
any advice help or similar experiences greatly appreciated.

binu · August 1999

bluegirl !!

What make / model is your car ..?

how would it even make it till 2 months if there was no transmission fluid when you bought the car ..?
how did the dealer miss it and he is supposed to inspect the car before he delivers it to you ..?

My feeling ... If you can get the dealer to acknowledge that he sold you a car that had no tranx fluid then you should press him to own up for it and give you another one.

bluegirl · August 1999

its a 99 jetta
i don't know.. but i put 4000 miles on it and it began to whir and whine.. that's when i brought it in.. he said there was some in it but not enough and that messed up the transmission. i have gotten on the phone to VW and i am seeing what i can do to make myself trust my car and VW again. this is all a big fiasco. thank you for your response.
and yes they are supposed to inspect it.

marc3 · August 1999

My 93 maxima GXE with AT (166K highway miles)has been experiencing intermittent vibrations that shake the steering wheel pretty good. Typically, it will vibrate at highway speed, and a modest hill or incline seems to help induce vibration. It almost feels like the trans wants to downshift, but vibrates instead. lay off the gas, it goes away and I can accelerate. If acceleration is modest, vibration can reoccurr, if more aggressive the vibration does not reoccurr. Additionally, the car has begun to intermittently vibrate at idle upon start-up if car sits untouched over the weekend. When shifting from P to R or Drive, shifting has begun to require more force. After car is warm, shifting up and down from through all gears to and from Park makes it go into gear easier. WHEW!- any ideas??

spokane · August 1999

We knew your problem was unusual, Bruce, but the "dual PCV" valve problem is surely unique. As you apparently know, the crankcase must by supplied by a fresh-air line from the air filter. The purge of fumes from the crankcase is through a separate line from the crankcase, which includes a PCV valve, to the intake manifold. Apparently someone had installed a PCV valve in your fresh-air line and the resultant crazy pressure/vacuum pattern caused a squeak/whistle.

Dave's Aurora Transmission shop is to be commended.

guitarzan · August 1999

Anyone know how a bad transmission affects an engine for bluegirl?

Marc3, have you checked the tranny fluid? Is the level right, and what color is it?

guitarzan
Community Leader/Vans Conference

marc3 · September 1999

Guitarzan- I changed the fluid this weekend, and it was on the dark side. There was no burnt smell to it, although there was a metal shaving or two. The level was OK, maybe a touch light. I drove the car about 180 miles today, without incident, although a little sticky initially into and through the gears. Hopefully the fluid change helped.

spokane · September 1999

It is very unlikely that the transmission failure has damaged the engine or any other part of the new VW. It's understandable that you are sick at the thought of "major surgery" on your new car but, because they are replacing the transmission, all of the components which may have been damaged are being replaced. You didn't indicate whether the transmission is standard or automatic, but in either case, the replacement should bring the car to as-new condition. Assuming the shop carefully disconnects and reconnects everything properly, I would have only one other thing to verify with them; if it's an automatic, the oil cooler and it's connecting lines need to be carefully flushed.

compaqesc · September 1999

I have a 1993 Chevrolet Lumina Euro with the 3.1 Liter V6 and the 4T60-E GM automatic transmission. The car has 103,000 miles on it.
About 20,000 miles ago, a noise began coming from what seems like the transmission that sounds like a whirring noise or BBs in a tin can being spun around rapidly. The noise is present in all forward gears (neutral and park as well, not sure about reverse), but most noticable in first or second. I changed the transmission fluid and filter about 10,000 miles ago. The fluid was in perfect condition; there were no metal pieces on the magnet. The transmission seems to be ok other than this sound. I just don't know if I should be worried about it. I searched for TSBs on www.alldata.com and found that there is a TSB for "Transaxle Bearing Whine", number 932727A, issued in JUL 93. I have not been able to read this entire TSB, but I think it might hold the answer for me.

I have seen at least one other car with the 4T60E transmission exhibiting the same symptoms while driving down the street. Does anyone else have a GM car with the 4T60E that has this problem?

Does anyone else have a copy of this TSB or know where I can get a copy of the entire thing instead of just the summary (without paying $20 like alldata charges)??

Thanks,

Jay

brn5336 · September 1999

Just to let you know, my 1988 Ford Thunderbird LX 3.8L automatic transmission is still running smooth. Never any problems with it since I bought it 5 years ago at 52k, now it has 142k on it. I used that prolong transmission treatment on it about 30k miles ago.

jshu · September 1999

we had a 93 Cadillac 60spc with the 4T60-E transmission. The car started making the noise you described with 80k miles on it. At first we thought it was the transmission. The dealer checked it out and the transmission was okay.
the noise was coming from the front wheel bearings. they replaced both bearings ($900!!!)
and the noise went away.
They did notice that the trans was slipping a little and told us that we'd need a new torque converter and some minor transmission work "soon".

so you might have your shop look at the wheel bearings.

compaqesc · September 1999

Jshu,

Thanks for the tip. I don't think it's the wheel bearings since the noise is present even when the car is stopped (the car makes the noise even in neutral and park). I'm still trying to get ahold of that TSB.... no one seems to know where to get them other than paying alldata.com $20.

spokane · September 1999

The TSB's are certainly not confidential. Since you have the TSB number, the dealer shop should allow you to study their copy. If your relationship with that shop is such that you don't want to ask, go to another dealer and, if necessary, offer to pay the cost of making a copy.

khammond1 · September 1999

I was unable to do the maintenance on my transmission recently so I stopped at a local dealership and asked them to do it. They wanted to do a "flush" on it rather than the normal maintenance I was used to doing. They told me it was better than the normal maintenance and didnt require a filter change. Does anyone know what they mean by a flush? It was expensive (about $100) so I didnt get it done.

windowphobe6 · September 1999

Instead of dropping the pan, they force all the fluid out of the transmission and replace it. This has the advantage of replacing all the fluid - dropping the pan gets less than half, as a rule. Presumably you give up whatever diagnostic information you would get by looking at the filter, but fluid itself contains lots of clues. I had this done at a dealership early this summer for $90.

khammond1 · September 1999

Even if it gets rid of all the fluid though, what good is that if you dont change the filter?

gus · September 1999

The general idea is that you do a flush every 15K, and then a larger transmission service (drop the pan, clean the filter & magnets) at 30K.

JKHAP · September 1999

I own a 1990 Taurus - at 64,000 miles driving at 70 mph down the highway, unexpectedly the transmission burned out. this took about 30 seconds and I completely lost it. Box was full of fluid, car had never towed anything, maintenance was good. Two different trans shops in Madison, WI said this was a common thing for the Taurus - that there was/is? a problem with a golf tee shaped check valve that wears out early and prevents fluid from getting to the gears. $2,000 later with a box of stripped gears in hand, I'm wondering why this hasn't been addressed by Ford. Two questions: 1) Is this a common problem with this car, late 80's early 90's models and 2) how do you get Ford's attention? I tried their customer service - the only number and address they give you - and got a polite but unsympathetic and unsatisfactory response. We have 2 friends who had transmission failures with their chrysler/dodge vehicles, and chrysler took care of them. Ford said, basically, tough luck charlie. I want to go up the ladder to someone with authority. 64,000 miles is unacceptable for performance and if this is a regular occurance, they should be accountable. No more Fords for us. Please comment.

653 · September 1999

i have a 1992 dodge dakota 4wd truck. The tranny just went out and they want over $3000.00 to fix it. Has antbody else ran into this with the dakota and if so what was your fix if any? The one thing i wounder about is the truck has 90000 mile on it and i wounder if i should fix it or trade it in as new. Any help would be very nice.My email is qgs73@yahoo.com thanks

beveringham · September 1999

I have 91 Accord and the auto tranmission has a sport/normal driving switch. Recently it has been engaging into the sport mode automatically. It is causing the car to drop to the next lower gear and switching back several minutes later and does this at speeds of 20-70mph. In the past in sport mode, it would only drops to a lower gear when car was accelerated, now it drops when the no acceleration is given. I have had it to several shops and they can't figure it out. Any suggestions???

dwkidd · September 1999

I also have a 92 3.0L/3 speed auto Voyager that had to have the transmission rebuilt at 60,000 (under warranty). It worked well for 20K, but now when it's less than 40 degrees in the morning it won't shift from 1st to 2nd for about 1 mile. It will eventually shift (after almost red lining it), and then it works fine the rest of the day. It also works fine if it isn't cold in the morning. I took it to a trusted mechanic and he couldn't find anything wrong in the diagnostic tests. The fluid looks and smells fine. Any thoughts, as it works fine for the most part but I don't trust Chrysler dealers and don't want to get ripped off for a new transmission.

mathewc · September 1999

Hi,
I have a 1996 Buick Regal, 3800 with just about 56000 kilometers. It has automatic, overdrive transmission. The 3 year warranty was over just about a month ago. Last week, after backing out of my driveway and then putting the car in drive broke something inside. The car stopped moving. I found a broken gear and some metal parts, looked like part of the casing on the pavement. There was a reddish brown sort of fluid that leaked all over the place. I checked the transmission fluid. It was still there. I am told that it is the gear in the differential. I took the car to the dealer. They say, warranty is over. Mileage is still under 60000 km.
I checked with another mechanic I know informs me that GM has had differential problems in their cars. The differential is not as sturdy as it should be. He could not find any info. on 96 Buick Regals though. I just want to know if anyone has heard of similar problems with GM cars ? especially at such low mileage. I am asking GM to fix the problem at their cost because the dealership wants to replace the transmission at a cost of $ 3800.00. Any suggestions, anyone ?

Transmission Traumas?

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles