2002 Intrepid Transmission Stalling..

From the sound of the problem, your transmission sounds like it is slipping. Yes, it is a generic answer, but wait a moment, and it will get a bit more specific. Because you indicated when the problem occurs and what you are doing at the time the problem occurs, it should be easy to figure out what is going on.

And, what is going on is this: Your Intrepid’s clutch packs for reverse and for first and second are likely to be failing. The reason you can say that is because you indicate that when you put the Intrepid into reverse, it stalls and when you put it in gear and it starts “moving [and] then just stalls.”

That is a classic symptom of a clutch problem. Think of a clutch this way. It is the device that separates your engine and transmission so that you can shift through the gears without harming either the powerplant or the tranny. The clutch packs work the way a clutch pedal does in a manual transmission. You press the clutch in and linkages take up and separate so the clutch plate separates the transmission from the engine so that you can throw the gearshift.

In an automatic, though, the transmission handles the work. Instead of waiting to press in the clutch at a specific point, the transmission effectively does that using a combination of clutch packs and transmission bands, control module and control solenoids, valve body and ultimately the gears. This rather intricate dance is managed by the control module, though, the actual events and their arrangement are started and ultimately controlled by the torque converter.

That’s pretty much it except to give you an indication of what has to be replaced and its cost. at this point, it looks like at least the clutch packs for first and first/second are shot. The same seems to be true for reverse. Because the bands work with specific clutch packs, you will be changing at least two sets of bands, as well as the clutch packs. And, it is true that gearing may also be involved. And, then there’s the cost of new transmission fluid and a new filter and all the rest.

At the very least, you are looking at a project that will cost somewhere between $1,200 and $1,800.