Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
There are a couple of possibilities here. First, have your mechanic check the neutral-start switch to make sure that it has not gone intermittent. If it has gone intermittent — sometimes working, sometimes not — it is possible for your Maxima to act just as you describe. The neutral-start switch keeps the engine from starting unless the clutch is depressed. This way you don’t rip up either your engine or transmission.
Next, since you say the clutch pedal is loose, have the mechanic check the cable and linkages that attach the clutch pedal to the throwout bearing and clutch plate. If the cable is stretched or has loosened up it is easy for your Maxima’s clutch pedal to seem loose and even to rattle around.
Ironically, it isn’t the pedal that is loose. It is the linkage. Quite possibly, it may be the clutch cable itself. If it stretches inside its carrier, it can easily make the clutch pedal seem as if it is loose. Again, have your mechanic look over the clutch cable and readjust it if it is lose.
Need a replacement transmission? Quality transmissions are hard to find. Free estimate to your email.Your description is a bit short on particulars, but we’ll give it a shot. First, your gearbox is a manual, right? Just by reading your question, it also seems that it could be a CVT, but let’s assume, for the sake of argument, that it’s a regular manual.
With that said, the most interesting piece of your description is the ending statement that says the “engine does not lock…” If that’s the case, it looks as if you replaced the transmission with a working one, but you didn’t replace the clutch plate or throwout bearing.
Without a working clutch plate, your new gearbox just won’t work because the engine is spinning up to speed and then grabbing at a slipping, sliding clutch plate. Since it isn’t taking up the way it should — it does work in a fashion — your Nissan is performing just the way you would think it would if the clutch plate was shot.
The answer here is replacing the clutch plate so that your engine’s flywheel has something to grab onto when you release the clutch.
It’s a good idea to replace the throwout bearing at this time, too. The reason is simple, it is likely the bearing and its springs have become worn and are partially responsible for creating this problem as a sticking throwout bearing won’t allow complete clutch plate engagement or disengagement. In turn, this causes the clutch plate to wear out.
Be sure that the cables are all set correctly when things before you button up the gearbox so you have eliminated potential problems in the future.
You can view this as a sort-of-good-news/bad news situation, which would you like first? Okay, I’ll start with the bad news. It’s likely that when you let the tranny fluid drop down to critical levels (I’d say more than two quarts qualifies as that, wouldn’t you?) that certain key parts were left exposed to the transmission’s internal “atmosphere.” That “atmosphere” is no place for unprotected equipment to hang around. When you let the tranny fluid down, you left all kinds stuff exposed to the “elements.” The “elements” here are heat and the potential for metal-to-metal contact and wear, as well as major damage potential to the valve body because of all the gunk and grime that remained concentrated in the remaining tranny fluid.
Left exposed when the transmission fluid level fell were such items as the gears, clutch packs, bands, quite possibly the impeller on the torque converter, as well as the stator, not exactly inconsequential parts of the transmission. This situation also exposed the transmission parts to more heat than they are supposed to be exposed to (the parts are considerably heat-resistant, but there comes a point where even they get flaky and fail). When the fluid level fell, one of the key ways the transmission cools itself — by circulating the fluid throughout the case and the pan and valve body to the outer walls of the transmission where the heat is exchanged — was no longer available and you effectively turned up the toaster here from medium to red-heat mode.
Finally — the bad news does keep on coming, doesn’t it — when you overfilled the transmission albeit accidentally the pressure situation turned from famine to feast. It is possible that in the overfilled transmission pieces laqs and other deposits broke off, thanks to the new detergency of your tranny fluid, landing on places they are not supposed to be such as on the gearing itself or on the clutch pack blades. It is not a good thing.
Now that you’ve heard the litany of bad, here’s the not-so-terrible-news: you can save the Merc and drive it another 145,000 miles by ordering a rebuilt transmission for about $2,200 and have it installed for about $800. If you can find a used transmission in a junker in a salvage yard with lower mileage than your current transmission and it tests out cleanly, go for it. You will save considerable, maybe $1,000 depending on where you take it.
Based on your quick description, it looks like the most likely candidates for the problem are the clutch disc and/or the throwout bearing. When you depress the clutch pedal on your car, the linkage activates the throwout bearing which, in turn, deactivates the link between the transmission and the engine. With the linkage freed up, you can shift your car into reverse and then, while you applying the gas, you can back up.
If the clutch disc is worn, the linkage between your transmission and engine is anything but solid. In fact, if the disc is worn too badly, it can set up chattering and vibration along with the grinding noises and it is quite possible that your transmission will slip, even though it is in gear. This may also add to the din considerably.
Now, if the throwout bear is worn, it may very well keep your clutch disc from fully disengaging so that when you go to shift, the transmission screams in protest by grinding. Whichever way you look at it, you are likely looking at work that will cost about $1,500 and will involve replacing the clutch disc and throwout bearing.
One other item to note is the transmission linkage itself. If the stops on your gearshift linkage aren’t set correctly, it is likely that when you go to shift, there will be considerable gear grinding.
Torque converter shudder is usually caused when there is a buildup of contaminants in your automatic transmission fluid. This is the way it happens: let’s say there’s a buildup of deposits somewhere in the transmission that is freed up by the detergent properties of the automatic transmission fluid. And, let’s say further that the contaminants begin recirculating throughout your transmission as they are likely to be microscopic to small in size so they will easily get through things like the valve body and they will likely get by the filters because they are too small, at this point.
As time passes on and the contaminants continue to circulate they begin to fall out of the transmission fluid again, this time on other parts of the transmission, say a gear or a clutch pack or, perhaps, on an impeller turbo vane. Over time, other contaminants are attracted to the new buildup like metal is attracted to a magnet (look at the magnetized screw in your transmission pan for confirmation the next time you change fluid. If there are small shards on it, the plug is doing its job of taking metal out of the fluid and holding it safely out of the way).
Now, let’s say there’s enough contaminant buildup on one of the parts mentioned earlier, let’s further say, it’s an impeller van, and so what happens when the buildup becomes large enough to effect the part? The part slips briefly causing a shudder through the whole transmission. It is easy to feel as the vibration goes through the entire structure of your car. (The reason this happens is the way cars are built today. Car frame members are attached to one another throughout the body of the vehicle. This increases tortional strength or resistance to breaking and shearing. It also increases intrusion protection. The downside is that if there’s a resonant vibration anywhere in the frame, it is felt in all parts of the frame equally.)
The funny thing about transmission shudder (torque converter shudder) is the quick nature of the whole thing. Usually, the buildup, when it reaches the stage where it can become a nuisance in the transmission, breaks down and goes away as quickly as it appears. It may take several driving cycles as the problem breaks down for it to go away fully, but it usually does. Note that this type of problem can happen anywhere in the transmission. Sometimes, buildups can become troublesome. In that case, you’ll have to employ a quick fix.
The fix is relatively easy. Swap the old transmission fluid and filter. (Don’t rely on a drainage and replacement; you will have to drop the transmission pan to get all of the automatic transmission fluid out as well as to access to filter). Then, replace it with fresh fluid and a fresh filter. If the problem repeats, repeat the process. Yes, it is costly in terms of transmission fluid and filters, but, think of it this way. By paying $30 to $50 for the proper fluid and another $35 for the filter, you are ultimately saving because, even if you invest $200 in new fluid and filters, you are saving yourself about $2,800 in major work to the transmission.
Here’s an important thing to note: while some authorities say it’s best to remove all the fluid by using a blast of compressed air on one side of the transmission and draining things off, it actually can cause damage. If a part is dislodged or a major clump of something breaks off and travels through your transmission along with the rest of the evacuating fluid, it may cause damage downstream. All it takes to remove the total amount of fluid is patience. First drain the fluid, let the vehicle rest as all of the fluid will drip down to the pan and second remove the pan over a bucket to keep the floor clean. That’s it and your transmission is safe.
Read more: How a reader fixed shudder himself
You were very lucky that the majority of the electronic circuits in your Solara functioned at all after a major polarity reversal like the one that occurred when the battery was hooked up backwards. Really, only those circuits that were properly fused would have survived or were supposed to have survived but given the nature of engines and the possible paths to ground, even properly terminated and grounded circuits can be overwhelmed when the battery is reversed.
With that said, it sounds like the control module in your transmission has blown. It was likely taken out when the battery was reversed. You can tell that it is likely in this area by the simple fact that it has gone into limp-home mode and is remaining there.
Have your technician swap out the control module and just to be safe all of the dozen or so sensors that are outboard of it as it is likely that one or more of them was damaged during the reversal. Further, just to be even more on the safe side, have all of the solenoid packs swapped out as well as these electronic devices are not as robust when exposed to reversed polarity and are likely to have blown out as well.
This can be an expensive repair, however, with that said, it is still at least $2,200 less expensive than replacing an entire transmission.
You’d think that changing your car’s transmission fluid — and filter, never change one without the other — would keep everything working correctly in Corolla’s automatic transmission but that is not necessarily the case, at all.
Your Corolla is now four model years old and if you do the average amount of driving (15,000 miles per year), it probably has around 60,000 miles on the odometer, give or take a few hundred. And, really, that’s not a heavy duty amount of driving, unless the area where you drive is humid and hot or really dry and dusty. So, it is really unlikely that just changing the transmission fluid would cause any major problems.
But here’s something to think about! It is possible that there is some metal to metal wear going on in the transmission. It is also possible that the same metal to metal wear is generating all kinds of debris that is circulating through your transmission. At the same time, it is possible that the filter is getting plugged up and losing effectiveness. Now, you’d think that just changing the fluid and filter would be okay and shouldn’t cause any problems, however, it is possible that the debris that was generated has caused damage to some sensitive parts like the bands or clutches, or, possibly the gearing. And, it is also possible that since the filter wasn’t as effective, it didn’t stop that damage from happening. So, it is entirely possible that just changing the fluid could cause a problem.
And, here’s another thought. Since transmission fluid is detergent because that is one of its manufactured properties, it is also possible that if there are any deposits built up in the transmission that they are being cleaned out by the newly changed, detergent in the new transmission fluid. If those deposits remain large, they can damage the transmission, causing further problems.
One more thing to consider is that you mentioned the transmission fluid was black both times it was checked. You indicated that the first mechanic changed the fluid but if it was black, again, after only 2,500 km of driving, you have to ask two questions: was the fluid changed at all, and, if it was changed, what is causing the fluid to turn black so quickly? Frankly, it isn’t likely that the fluid was swapped the first time — that is just my opinion, of course — and that is why the fluid remained black.
It sounds to me like there are a couple of things wrong with your Honda.
First, since there’s oil leaking, I would have the engine oil seals checked, as well as the cold plugs. The engine oil seals are pretty obvious. They are supposed to keep your engine’s oil in the block where it belongs. They are supposed to ensure that it doesn’t run out all over the ground.
The cold plugs are artifacts left over from the time the physical block is cast. Since blocks are cast in long molds that each have one reverse image of the final block. Molten metal is poured into to the mold and cooled and the block is formed. The cold plugs are essentially hangers off which the block hangs as it is taken away from casting. Eventually, the external pieces are removed and special plugs are fitted into the base of the block. They are the cold plugs just mentioned.
Here’s an interesting thought on your Accord’s problem and it is simple, have a mechanic take a close look at the timing belt. It has to be changed at 105,000 on the Accord and it is possible that there could be something in that area also causing the oil link.
As to your transmission’s problem. It would seem that the forward gearing is shot. Since reverse is engaging, I know it is not the clutch plate. It might be the that one or more of the dog collar for your forward gears is shot and is not taking up the way it should. It is also possible that the forward transmission linkages could be shot, not allowing the Accord’s forward gears to engage.
I would recommend taking the Honda Accord to a good independent shop and having a technician go over the tranny. It makes the most sense.
By the way, you are probably looking at — have the timing belt changed out anyway, if you haven’t already — $2,000 job, including the belt.
I’ve been doing some thinking about your problem and I was wondering about something. Did you replace the throw-out bearing when you replaced the clutch disc? The reason I suggest this is that if you have been riding the clutch, as many drivers do, even if they don’t think about it, you are putting huge amounts of wear on the throw-out bearing so that even if you replace the clutch disc you are still going to have problems from the bearing.
The throw-out bearing is a necessary part of any manual transmission because it is the device on which activates the process that separates the clutch disc and deactivates the transmission momentarily so that you can flick to the next gear and then get of the clutch.
My suggestion here is having your technician take a close look at the bearing and replace it. I think it will solve your problem.
The good thing about an automatic transmission like the 4L65E is that many parts of it are modular. That means they can be repaired as units, rather than piecemealing them in a series of repairs. With that said, this is one time you can be happy that this particular tranny is so modular in that the torque converter can be repaired or replaced with minimal disturbance to the rest of the transmission. Yes, it is true that transmission repairs are expensive, especially in what I call hybrid drive vehicles. Not truly hybrid as in electric/gas, the Escalade is essentially a front-drive crossover-style vehicle. It is advertised as an all-wheel-drive vehicle and it really is. It began life as a front-drive vehicle, however, Caddy dropped in a viscous coupling-style differential so that when the wheels sensors and other sensors such as the throttle positioner sensor sense the engine beginning to overrev due to lost traction, the traction is shifted around via the viscous coupling so that the wheels with best traction get the most power.
This is truly intelligent all-wheel-drive. The particular wheels receiving the traction, by the way, are determined by the sensor arrays that are feeding information to the tranmission control unit as well as the car’s electronic control unit.
I think that your Escalade needs a trip to a qualified independent shop, if you want to avoid paying dealer costs to determine the exact problem as you said that you changed the fluid which helped for a bit while the filter only made matters worse. Actually, you should have changed them together. It’s possible that the new fluid’s detergent properties started to eat into various deposits that were inside the transmission, however, because the old filter was still in place, catching things, the deposits never made it through to the other side. However, when you changed the filter, assuming you put in new fluid again, you freed up even more deposits that may have overwhelmed the new filter, causing other issues.
The problem with vibrational problems is that you can really never be sure where they originate. What seems like a torque converter problem may really be a problem with the gearing or a pinion gear could be slipping or there might be a problem with the output shaft on the transmission itself. If there is a problem on the output shaft, it could be that a seal or a bearing or there might be an occasional shaft misalignment. The real issue is that the problem is a vibration; something you feel, rather than a noise or a leak or constant power loss.
Finding the cause to this will likely take some time, however, you could be right in your initial analysis about the torque converter. Converter issues can fit the diagnosis you gave. They might also be something else. The bottom line is that your Escalade needs a visit to the “doctor” to find out what is making it perform poorly at times.
From your description, at the start, I would have said your transmission is slipping, meaning that the clutch packs and/or bands had gone on the unit. Now, I am certain that you are likely facing a transmission problem that has been misdiagnosed.
The three things that tell me this are:
1. There’s no pickup when you press the gas
2. The engine is overrevving
3. “On a clear road, I can drive up to 80 KM of speed and some time I feel by accelerating more the speed remains unchanged,” as you said.When a transmission is slipping it acts in exactly the manner you are describing.
Interestingly, there may be more going on in the transmission, as well. You see, transmissions run incredibly hot and if there is a blockage or metal-on-metal wear, it might be heating up even more. Normally, the transmission fluid cools the transmission by carrying the heat to the outside where the heat is wicked out by the transmission case. If there is a blockage, then the transmission fluid isn’t moving correctly and any heat buildup can be made worse by the fact that the transmission isn’t being cooled as well. The blockage might be at the filter, a check valve or in a return lined. It is hard to say as I am not near you to look at it.
I don’t know exactly what other damage might have been caused by all of the mis-attempts to repair the unit. Super Glue isn’t exactly on the top of my toolbox, to tell you the truth. I use it when I have to put things back together, usually — small things. I know the people you took the Civic to are trying their best, but I think you had better have the transmission looked at as soon as possible to find out just how much damage there is. My suggestion would be to find a Honda or Honda-authorized mechanic in your area and then let them do a complete workup on your vehicle as there may be more wrong with it — caused by the ongoing problems that you have tried to have repaired — than you think.
I don’t know what the exact service rate in your area of the world is, but I would guess that you are looking at a hefty bill.
I am afraid to tell you that the transaxle has gone. Everything you are telling me about the problem indicates that is the long and short of the issue.
A front-drive minivan uses a transaxle that combines the functions of both the front axle and transmission into one unit. Transaxles are much more complex that standard front axles because of the combination.
I would venture to guess that the torque converter went out first, just about the time you started turning onto the highway and the rest of the transmission followed like a house of cards. It might have started with a low fluid condition that caused the unit to fail or something like it. It might have been caused by a major blockage somewhere within the device. Either way, the effect is the same. Your Odyssey isn’t going anywhere too quickly.
Please understand that what I am about to suggest is to give you a complete picture of the issue. I am not suggesting that this is the case with your transmission at all. But, with that caveat said, you should be aware that it is possible that one or both of the half-shafts might also have been damaged because your wheel was likely cocked in one direction or the other so that the steering gear was engaged at the time of the failure.
In any case, you are looking at a repair that is likely to cost $4,000, if it involves one of the half-shafts, more if it involves both and about $2,800 to replace the transmission with a rebuilt unit.
There are several potential causes of your Camry’s problem. It could by the Idle Air Intake Module or, possibly, the Mass Airflow Sensor and/or the MAP sensor. Unless you feel qualified to do the work, have your mechanic check them. More likely, though, it could be something as simple as a clogged air filter that sits ahead of the engine air intake. Look at the owner’s manual, find its location and pull it out to see if it clogged to the point of poor performance.
It is also very possible the throttle body is clogged; needs some attention. I seriously doubt there’s a problem with your transmission, although if you have anymore input let me know and I’ll be happy to look into this more fully.
Go ahead and invest in a rebuilt transmission for your GMC because you are going to need it. It sounds like, at the very least, the clutches and bands and, quite possibly, the gearing is shot. It is also possible that the torque converter is on the way out. So with potentially four major parts of your pickup’s tranny failing, it doesn’t make much sense to wait any longer. Your truck’s performance — revving and very poor performance — is the classic call of a transmission with slipping gears and major problems.
Since you have already readied yourself for the replacement, go ahead and do it now so that the pain will hit quickly (it’s like pulling off a bandaid quickly to keep the pain down; a slow removal is not nice, it’s downright torture). You are looking at an investment of about $3,000 for the job.
I went a bit overboard with the answer to your question (something like using a rifle to shoot a fly). If it’s a small leak, which you said it is, you’ll find the cost to replace the seal is betwen $250 and $400, depending on where you have the work done. Any good mechanic should be able to take care of it.
Sorry I gave you the long answer first; you just needed the short one.
Let’s see, at a guess, here’s a good answer, too much! Let’s see what the repair involves. At a very global view, you are looking at a repair that involves dismounting the output shaft from the transmission which could easily involve dropping part of the transmission to access the transmission end and dismounting the output shaft from the differential. Then, your mechanic will have to:
1. Open up the differential housing
2. Remove the differential seals
3. Remove the output shafts and output shaft bearings
4. Remove the output shaft bearing seals
5. Drop the differential mechanicals
6. Check for wear or damage
7. Replace worn or damaged parts
8. Replace the repaired differential internals
9. Install new outer bearing seals
10. Install the bearings
11. Install inner bearing seals
12. Reinstall the output shafts
13. Reinstalling the differential cover and seals
14. Reinstall the transmission output shaft
15. Change any transmission seals that need replacement
16. Reinsert the output transmission shaft
17. Closing up the trannyThis is one of those repairs where the costs can add up quite quickly. Depending on the extent of damage and the parts needed, it might run any where from $950 to $1,700 to do the job correctly.
If our mechanic says it’s only a cracked case, I would hate to see what is inside. Since your Explorer is lurching and revving when you are moving forward, the chances are very good that you not only have gear problems, but it’s also a good bet that there’s a lot more going on, too.
Here’s the laundry list: clutch packs shot; bands gone or in the last stages of going; gears pretty much toast; shaft bearings, probably need replacement; check valves likely gunked up pretty much and need replacement, and so on.
As you can tell, there’s really not much left to replace and don’t be surprised if you find that the mechanic also tells you that your Explorer’s transmission needs to be replaced. The cracked case, alone, calls for a replacement because you have to pull the whole setup out so that you can replace the cover. While it’s out, it’s a pretty good time to replace the bad parts.
Since the cover is cracked, at another guess, I’d venture that your transmission fluid has dwindled down by a few quarts, if there’s much left in the tranny at all (it carries close to 10 quarts when it is filled). Since everything has likely been exposed it’s a safe bet to assume there’s lots of damage inside. It’s also a safe bet to assume there’s a new transmission in your SUV’s future.
It may not be what you want to hear, but it is likely the case. Now, I could very well be wrong and I won’t argue with that because stranger things have happened, but I would be willing to bet I have the picture pretty much in focus.
One last thing, your total bill will likely be closer to $3,500 when all the dust settles.
There are two or three things that might have happened. First, since the 01 Taurus is a relatively low-riding car, it is possible that your car may have gone over a rather large bump and, instead of clearing it totally, the transmission pan may have been damaged by the top of the bump because it scraped over it. You would likely remember if that occurred.
The next thing that might have occurred is as a result of the new transmission fluid. You see, transmission fluid has detergent properties so when you put clean fluid into your car’s transmission it not only enables the transmission to work correctly, it also works on any deposit buildups that are in the transmission. What may have happened is that instead of eroding a buildup into very small pieces that are caught by the transmission fluid, one of the pieces remained rock-hard and was mashed through various places in the transmission. It is possible that as the piece tried to get through all of the nooks and crannies within the transmission that it became lodged in one and caused an overpressure condition in the transmission. A piece of the transmission pan gasket could easily have blown out leaving you with the leak.
Finally, it’s possible the transmission case could have been distorted, believe it or not, by the heat cause when it was underfilled. Many people don’t realize that the transmission actually runs very hot. It can run so hot, at times, that it needs its own intercooler (radiator) to cool down or maintain an even temperature in a range that does not destroy the transmission fluid.
Like oil transmission fluid also carries heat away from the transmission (oil does the same in the engine) and if your tranny fluid is too low, the heat has to go somewhere. In this case, the heat goes into the transmission case and the case, especially along edges and joints where leaks can start.
Although you would probably like to hear that there’s noting wrong with the transmission that a couple of new quarts of Dexron and a new filter wouldn’t cure, that’s not what you’ll likely hear about this transmission if you take it to a transmission specialist.
It is more than likely that you will hear that not only is the transmission fluid gone (transmission fluid, being organic, wears out over time and loses not only its lubricating capability but also its cleaning capability) but also that the torque converter is shot, the clutch packs are gone, the bands are gone and the gearing is shot. That’s not all, it is likely that you will find that the output shaft is shot and not meshing well at all with the differential. Quite possibly, you will also find that the valve body may need work (the check valves will likely need replacement as the light springing used to help them do their jobs is probably worn out) and that one or two control module solenoids could be shot.
If it sounds like this will mean a complete transmission replacement it is only because the transmission is shot. It does happen. And, frankly, since the Ranger is now 17 years old and likely hasn’t had much, if any, transmission work done, then it stands to reason that the transmission is gone. If it had had regular maintenance, actually, it is not likely you would be asking this question.
Since you are asking it, it is likely that, as was noted, the transmission is gone. The good news is that the Ranger is a fairly common truck so you should be able to find a replacement transmission in a salvage yard. The not-so-good news is that you may only find transmissions with high mileage on them so you may just be compounding your original problem.
If, however, you find a replacement transmission that is in good condition and it tests out as okay, then grab it and you will save maybe as much as $1,500 (the cost of the replacement and installation will be about $1,700 or less). If you the transmission doesn’t check out as okay and you have to install a rebuilt transmission you are going to look at a $3,000 investment.
If you are having your mechanic look over your car today, here are a couple of areas to check. First, do have the transmission fluid level checked as it could be down a quart of a little less. This could easily cause the problem you describe, though it is not likely the real caused.
Put your money on one of the controller module solenoids being intermittent. Aside from being one of the most frustrating types of problems anywhere in your Saturn, it is especially irksome in the transmission where something like this can easily mimic a different, more serious problem.
The reason it is likely in this spot, this time, is that your Saturn sits spinning its transmission gears and not moving sometimes in reverse and then when you put it into drive you move out nicely. In a nutshell, that is an intermittent problem. The car does it and then it doesn’t and you never know when which will occur.
The reason it is likely in the solenoid is that is exactly how an electronic failure occurs. It is working one minute and then not working the next. If it is intermittent then it is working, not working and working again. As you can see, it’s pretty frustrating. The fix is easy and relatively inexpensive — about $200 with labor. It is just replacing the solenoid (there are two, one for first and third and the other four second and reverse; overdrive is a direct lockup linkage) involved. The lucky thing is that they are mounted externally so your mechanic just has to remove the solenoid and replace it.
One other possibility to look at is a problem with the torque converter. It might be failing and not sending automatic transmission fluid with sufficient force to get reverse to engage.
Let’s get the bad news out of the quickly: your transmission’s shot. You are likely looking at, minimally, a rebuild, if there are pieces of the internals that can be saved, or, your better choice, replacing the whole unit.
Honestly, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to just nickel-and-dime this repair by trying to fix individual systems within the transmission. By the time you are finished replacing things, you will likely have replaced the entire transmission anyway. And, if you add up the amount you spend between kits and installation times, you could end up spending $4,500 or more to fix the entire transmission. Yes, it wouldn’t seem that big because you will be handling it piece-by-piece, but when you put all of the receipts in a pile, you will see that you’ve spent much more than you would have spend if you had had the transmission replaced.
Specifically, since there are likely somewhere around a million or more models of your particular vehicles out there in salvage yards or parts yards, you should be able to save money by finding a working transmission in a junker and having it pulled out and reinstalled in your Honda.
The savings over swapping in a remanufactured tranny will likely be more than $1,000.
Now, let’s look at the good news. We recently heard of a driver who picked up his first “new” car in more than 20 years. His old Mazda was shot and had 385,000 on the odometer. The “new” car is a 1989 Honda Accord with 450,000 miles on it that is running like a top. Your Honda has lots of life left.
No problem, I will put together a list of things that might help. Give me a bit of time, though.
Well, the van is 14 years old and, to be fair, you did have it off the road with no gasoline conditioner or other precautions for two months, so it is bound to have more than a few hiccups up its sleeve. In this case, though, it is obvious that there is something going on so you need a place to start looking. In this case, it might be a good idea to look at the differential.
You indicated that you found a replacement transmission and, assuming you just had it swapped in, and had things buttoned up again — after performing the various steps you have to take — and, with that all done, you turned the key, it may very well be that the splined end of the transmission output shaft and the existing differential are just not meshing.
It is very possible that when you pulled out the first transmission that the relationship that existed between the former transmission and your van’s differential ended and that any new transmission might just not work, in the long run, with the existing differential.
No, this isn’t the way it is supposed to work as “interchangeable parts” are supposed to be “interchangeable,” meaning that every part is supposed to work with other parts, no matter when or where they are put together. However, the truth of the matter is that many times parts “learn” to live with other parts in a vehicle (it’s like a marriage, you learn to live together) so that everyone is just happy working with the part it has had working with it for some years.
When you break up the relationships that existed then vans and things tend to be unhappy and then they don’t work correctly.
With that said, look at the differential and be sure that the driveshaft and half-shafts are also true. If they are slipping out and not working then your van won’t run correctly no matter how many transmissions you drop in.
Here’s the likely answer to your problem, though you will have to go to a dealer to have this one fixed.
There was a recall a few years ago that addressed your exact problem. It is recall 09041. To quote the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), keeper of recalls and safety things:
“Condition
General Motors has decided that certain 2009 model year Buick Enclave; Chevrolet Cobalt, HHR, Malibu, Traverse; GMC Acadia; Pontiac G5, G6; and Saturn AURA and OUTLOOK vehicles fail to conform to Federal/Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 102 , “Transmission Shift Position Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect”, and Standard 114, “Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention”. On some of these vehicles, the transmission shift cable adjustment clip may not be fully engaged. If the clip is not fully engaged, the shift lever and the actual position of the transmission gear may not match. With this condition, the driver could move the shifter to PARK and remove the ignition key, but the transmission gear may not be in PARK. The driver may not be able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle could roll away after the driver has exited the vehicle, resulting in a possible crash without prior warning.Correction
Dealers are to inspect and ensure that the shift cable adjustment clip is fully engaged. In the event that the clip does not engage, the shift cable must be replaced.”This is a free fix so take your vehicle in and get the repair done.
Here’s an idea that I hinted at in the earlier answer. Take the money you would have put into the tranny and use it to buy another F-150 of the same vintage, with a working transmission, of course, so you can restore it for your son. This time, if you choose this course, see if you can find a place to put a governor in there so that your son won’t hotrod around as much, ripping up future transmissions. If you can find a rev-limiter kit — they do exist — and say limit the revs to 6,200 — the F-150 will live a lot longer.
Fair Replacement Transmission Cost by Vehicle
- Use the Year / Make / Model lookup tool to determine what transmission your vehicle has. [transtar]
- Find your transmission model in the table below for fair prices from reputable suppliers. Also fair labor cost for local installation at a local auto repair shop.
- Get a free estimate on a remanufactured transmission by email.
Fair Remanufactured Transmission Price Ranges by Transmission Model Updated May 1, 2018
