i have a 95 gle and my older sister has a gxe. She doesnt race it and she takes care of it. What happened tonight was just crazy. I went out on an old runway and dropped it to the floor.(it is an auto) It was running fine then at 50 mph it redlined and wouldnt shift gears, it wouldnt go over 50mph and it kept redlining more. i quickly took it home and told her to leave it at the house. Do you all have any ideas as to what the hell is going on.

 

This is some kind of transmission problem. It seems to be in locked in second gear. I suggest you road test the car with normal driving (some local roads, some highways) and evaluate the transmission shifting behavior. Post your observations here.

There are several tests you can make with the fluid on the automatic transmission dipstick.

1) Level. It should be up to the full mark. If not, add as required.

2) Color. It should be bright red and translucent. A brown or black color is a sign of fluid degraded by excessive heat, and/or worn friction materials. A minty pink color is a sign of water contamination.

3) Odor. It should have a clean oily smell. A burned odor is a sign of fluid degraded by excessive heat.

4) Feel. Wipe the dipstick with your fingers and then rub your fingers together. It should be smooth and slippery. A "gritty" feeling is a sign of worn friction materials.

Sometimes the service life of a transmission can be extended by changing the fluid. Automatic transmission fluid is loaded with detergents, so new fluid can clean the insides of the transmission. If you decide to do this, find a shop that uses the Magic Sucker Pump which removes -all- of the old fluid. An ordinary drain-and-refill changes only about half of the fluid.

 

I just checked the level and it is a little under full but it isnt a bright red color. It is more of the brown\black color you mentioned. THat is weird cause the fluid was changed about a month ago, we are up to date on all changes. I guess i will go get it pumped out and new stuff in it. I think it should of lasted more than a month. If it still has the problem after tomorrow, should i not drive it??? thanks
-beau

 

Drive it for a few miles to gather information about what works right and what doesn't. Post your observations here. I'll provide whatever information I can.

If you are lucky the problem is outside the transaxle. It could be something like bad motor mounts, worn shifter cable bushing, or misadjusted PNP switch. Don't get your hopes up; the symptoms are ominous.