I noticed when driving our 2001 that it has to be driven many miles before the torque converter will lock up. I know they don't lock up right away. The tranny has to warm up and that takes longer in cold weather. It will always work right after many stops and starts but it just seems to take longer than any other car I have ever had. Should I be concerned?

 

Wut?

 

i know exactly what you're talking about, my torque converter sometimes takes almost 15ish minutes until it actually starts to lock up. I don't think it's a concern, with the warmer weather now my torque converter locks up fairly quickly

 

Sticking lockup valve! Maybe it's time to have the Stealership perform a tranny flush...

 

I don't get this at all. Doesn't it have to lock up for the most part before the car will even roll?

 

You might have to help me out here CMax03. I dont know a lot about cars but I do know that the lock up torque converter starts out unlocked and then when you get to a certain speed and certain conditions it locks up and you notice the tach drop slightly and it feels something like another shift.

I thought it might need a tranny service. We bought it this past July with 165000 miles and love the car. Its fast enough, sporty and holds the road without being to hard on gas. We have no idea what has been done to the car so far but the tranny shift crisp and quick like one should. It may have had a rebuild already. I dunno .
Thanks for the reply.

 

What color is the transmission fluid? Check it after you warmed up the car

 

Its kinda pink. I checked it after we drove it all afternoon. Its not low. Its not red but its not dark either .

 

Wipe it on a paper towel and see how it looks. I bet it's fairly dark.
I just changed ATF on a pos jeep (chrysler) and it still looked kind of red on the dipstick. After removing the pan you could clearly see this **** was BLACK and nasty. More than a thin film and it looks disgusting. It had never been changed at 130k.

ATF should be changed every 30k (I guess longer with full syn and not hard driving). Since the tranny holds 10 quarts and you only get about 4 from a simple drain/fill, EVERYONE should make it a habit of drain/fill every 3rd oil change (with arbitrary 5k OCI).

Three back to back drain/fills are needed if you want to start fresh. Or you can do the more thorough method of removing the cooler line (drain it out of the radiator) and shift through the gear selections with the car running (to purge some more from the TC). IIRC, I got out 8 qts on my 2000.

Castrol transmax is cheap or if you want to go extended intervals, then try mobil 1.

 

I also agree, taking a reading from the transmission temp sensor, it takes quite a while in cold temps. Stuff doesn’t heat up as fast as engine oil or engine coolant. Used to take about 12-15 minutes when the tempo was in the teens.


I agree, drain and refill is the best ever 2 oil changes, since I usually go 7500-9000 miles in between changes. Also, I just use Matic D.