1992 GXE, 90,000m.

Hi,

One week ago the automatic transaxle started to fail. The failure is not always but it is getting worse every day.

After coming to a stop the transaxle won’t shift to first gear, instead it starts out of second gear most of the time, and some times it won’t engage any gear for 3 seconds then it engages first or second gear. This happens once or twice a day, the rest of the time it shifts perfectly and smooth.

When the transaxle is not shifting to first gear I turn off the car and start it up again (move selector lever to “P”) and the issue is corrected, the transaxle goes again to first gear when selecting (“D”).

What could be causing the problem? Shift Solenoid?

 

Have you checked your fluid level??

 

I remember my first tranny doing that. Then my second did that also. My third tranny's TC exploded without notice while going to my gf's house. My guess from experience is that your tranny is going.

 

Fluid level is correct. I double checked it.

 

Then it's probably safe to say the tranny is on it's way out...

 

I went to the tranny shop today; unfortunately the failure did not happen while the mechanic was testing the car. He told me that in he’s experience the tranny is OK, that it has no hydraulic failure, and that the motor mounts are in really bad shape and they could be causing the problem. He also told me that if changing the motor mounts does not correct the problem then there must be an electrical problem with the tranny, maybe one connector or cable is failing.

Does this sound reasonable to you?

 

As I said before this happened when my first died then again when my second died. Check your motor mounts by going under the car and feeling them or put the car in D with the hood up press the brakes hard and torque the engine. If the engine pops up kinda high then you have a bad mount,

 

nice technique

 

heh when I tried that I destroyed my drivers side driveaxle glad the tranny didn't burn though... that would have been expensive. but of course it died in the end anyways

 

Never happened to me. You prolly torqued it up too much. I only Tq brake to about 1.5k or so.

 

I feel a lot better knowing I'm not the only one on their third transmission. She's starting to slip now. I swear this is it for me. I love the car, we've been thru alot, but this is it, unless I install a manual. Thing is a walked right pass a 5 speed in the junk yard about a month ago. The car ran but I decided not to bother with it. [shaking head in disgust]

What's the most common problem with these transmission anyway? Electrical or Mechanical?

 

97 minutes including time to take a S*IT

 

If I could have found a complete 5 speed in the boneyard I would have bought it and use my auto as a parts car and swap in all my new parts. I put like 600 in maintence like 2 months before my third tranny died. When it died I called my bro took out my system and sold it (car) for 200 dollars and bought my bird. My sunbird is a nice little beat around car though. I can chirp 1-2 and 2-3 shifts. pretty good for only 110 hp. For 200 with another 300 (clutch -50, radiator, 150 and starter 100) in work I was good to go. I see them sell for like 2k on ebay. But I miss that VG torque.

 

You know, the way you described the problem it may not be a transmission and only linkage to it. The transmission linkage has 2 plastic bushings (one in the engine compartment, another under the car) which usually goes out at that mileage or gets damaged. If it has to do with initial shifting it may be it.

 

I agree with a linkage or mount problem. I'm new to the max, but not to cars. I have seen bad motor/trans mounts cause problems before. If you have a bushing AND mount problem together, it is possible that the trans is coming out of gear without actually moving the shifter. If you are experimental and handy you can check this by accessing your TCU and hooking up a small light to the "D" wire feeding the TCU. This wire will have 12 volts whenever the vehicle is physically in DRIVE. Reading through this board, I found lots of info on this website: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/748507/21

Just on a side note, if you are checking all the inputs for the TCU... when checking the voltage for the rev sensor it is AC volts.

 

Hi,

Thanks to you all for your comments. I adjusted the TPS today, and cleaned both connectors, one was very rusty. I drove the car for about 60 minutes and the tranny worked perfectly. It is not shifting as soft as it usually did, but the tranny expert (at the tranny shop) said that new motor mounts would make the tranny shift smoother.

I'll let you know how the tranny goes.

 

Random tranmission advice...If i knew what i know now about trannies, I'd still have my original one in my 91. I did a Tranny flush..this sent the tranny into shock...and the next day blew (without warning...except a awful groan when put into drive....then 20min down the road...boom) I learned if i just drain and filled the tranny once, ran it for a week, then drain and filled again(since a drain and fill only removes only 30 to 40 percent) and then once evey year...for good measure I'd bet I would have my original tranny.
Fluid is everything.... if its any onther colour then red....it's hurting the engine
And the price of two drain and fills in cheaper than 1 evil Tranny flush.

 

Bah, show-off

I only did it like... 5 times

 

If your transmission dosent slip and finds all the gears fine (Auto) then what is wrong with it if when slowly approching the shift rpm it bumps into gear.

I am trying to go slow to make her last but if I just accel normaly it doesent bump into gear as bad at all but still is a little there. I just want it to shift butter smooth is this to much to ask from a old tranny?

-New fluid
-just a little under full
- Drive slowly to pamper it

What's up with it?

 

bump..................................

 

put it on comfort mode; shifts at lower rpms

 

That is in comfort mode it shifts the same (bump shift) in both modes but the power mode shifts later rpms like it should.

ANy other ideas Motor Mounts? How do I check?

Thanks!!

 

i had a very similar problem with an old topaz....turned out there's a cable from the throttle system that is also tied into a lever on the tranny as well...long story short, the linkage was missing so the tranny was shifting in a sort of "limp mode" since it never really knew how open the throttle was.

 

Does the tps connect the throttle posistion to the transmission ?

If the switch is bad could it cause this LIMP MODE shifting?

Thanks

 

Any update on the trany situation? Mines doing the same thing!

 

I have changed the fluid 4 times with an interval of 200 miles. The problem has not presented any more. I still need to do a long trip to be sure the problem is gone..