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First, I would urge you to make sure you check the motor oil level at least weekly and if you can’t do it at least every other week. It will keep your Grand Caravan from having major engine problems. As to its impact on whether your vehicle will move or not, it won’t, unless the level drops so low you are running it without oil in the crankcase, then if your vehicle won’t move, the chances are good that you have your own modern art creation that you can call molten, seized engine.
With that said, I think I know your problem. Your transmission has at least one filter and filter screen. Some of them have multiple filters. These devices have to be replaced regularly so that your transmission runs correctly.
Now it is possible that you have had the filter and screen replaced on schedule, as well as the transmission fluid, but here may be the problem. Sometimes, especially at a quick refill service area, the technicians are not trained to drop the transmission pan cover. If the 14 screws on that piece of your Chrysler’s transmission are not removed and the pan cover dropped then you are starting off with at least a quart of dirty transmission fluid in the pan. What this means is that no matter how good the fluid is that you use, it is starting off dirty. Further the dirty fluid may foul the new tranny filter and screen. With that said, I think this is the area that is at the heart of your minivan’s problem.
I suspect that the last time you had your fluid changed some of the hardened deposits broke free and plugged up the transmission filter. Since the device effectively starved the transmission of fluid while the filter was blocked, the tranny would likely not work temporarily. Once the new fluid has had a chance to work on the rest of the transmission’s buildups, it is quite likely that you may not experience the problem again. Do me a favor, though, have a fluid and filter change done when you have a chance, remembering to have the cover removed so that you are replacing all of the fluid.
Need a replacement transmission? Quality transmissions are hard to find. Free estimate to your email.Tell me this, if you can: did your car have impact to the underside recently? If so, then your Subaru may have a problem that is not apparent to you. Let’s say your Legacy struck a rock or log while you may been beating a trail in the outback. You may not have even felt it at the time, however, it may be that there could be a dent in bellhousing that is forcing transmission fluid to flow incorrectly. That said, it is possible this is the cause of your vibration.
I do agree with your technician’s general comment that your Legacy might fail today or it could go 200,000 more miles with the vibration thrumming through through the vehicle’s structure. It’s a true statement. Indeed, the chances are good, though, that you will have many more miles ahead before the failure.
As to the other possibilties, the still revolve around an impact that you may not have felt but which has caused the vibration. It is possible that the input shaft was forced out of round due to an impact on the input side gearing. If this is the case, then, your transmission will act exactly as you describe. It’s also possible that one of the half-shafts taking the power from the tranny to the wheels (front or rear it doesn’t matter in an AWD vehicle) has been forced out of round by an impact, as well.
It is also possible that the differential is out of round (there can be a lot of that going on in a transmission if an impact is big or hard enough) so that the output shafts are vibrating as well.
Finally, I’d have the technician take a close look at the gearing. If the gearing is again out of round, then you have a problem.
Since the problem could be in one of several areas, I would think an OBD-II diagnostic is the first order of business to start to narrow down the location of the problem. Since you do have a bit of time before anything serious might happen you can take your time and find out the exact problem before committing to it. Good luck and let me know what happens.
Here are a couple of thoughts that, I think, might shed some light on your problem.
Since your Xterra doesn’t have reverse, it’s telling you something right there. It’s telling you there’s something wrong, probably with the torque converter as it seems to be in “limp-home” mode. I’d suggest getting your Xterra to a service area and having a diagnostic run with an up-to-date OBD-II tester. Today, those devices are pretty accurate, and it should pick up the problem.
My other thought is that when you ruptured the tranny cooler one of its lines may be kinked (thus the higher pressures). Given the way transmissions share things, it is quite likely that reverse may have been knocked out. Again, the OBD-II diagnostic should find the problem.
I suspect that you are looking at replacing at least one line to the tranny cooler, if not the device itself because it may have had internal damage that isn’t showing up. It is also possible that there is overpressure damage to the torque converter.
Whatever way you look at it, the cost should be somewhere about $1,500 to fix the problem.
There are several possible reasons that your GMC isn’t pulling well over hills, some mechanical and some transmission-related.
The mechanical issues relate to the timing of the GMC. It’s more than likely that it needs a new timing chain, for starters, as well as any parts related to it. Then, there’s the distributor. It is quite likely that the gearing for the distributor, also part of the timing mechanicals, is worn so it is causing the sparkplugs to prematurely, losing power.
Of course, there’s the tuning. If your GMC hasn’t been tuned in a while, the chances are good that you need a new set of plugs, plug wires and rotor. Your GMC also needs to have its timing checked and reset, as well.
That’s most of the mechanical stuff. The rest is transmission-related. I’d have a look at the transmission intercooler, for starters. If your transmission is running hot, it’s a pretty good bet that the intercooler line is being constricted by something. It could be that it is just worn out or it might be that a clamp is causing a constriction or it is possible that a deposit of something is slowing the fluid flow and raising temperature, causing a problem — when the temp goes up, the transmission control unit looks at the temperature sensors and tells the transmission to stop working as hard. The result is performance like you’ve described.
The issue here is that it is an intermittent problem. When you get out of the hills and onto flat land, everything returns to “normal” and the fluid flow also returns to normal so that the tranny acts normally.
I think that if you look at the cooling side of things — transmissions run quite hot and use the fluid not only to lubricate and run the transmission but also cool things down at the intercooler which acts like a heat exchanger and draws the heat out of the transmission where it is picked up by other cooling lines that are connected to the GMC’s cooling system.
To fix this problem, the technician will have to tear things down and will then have to run all of the cooling galleries to remove deposits and buildups. This type of work will cost about $1,600 when it’s all finished. If your technician is quick, it might be a bit less expensive.
Did you ask the previous owner whether the Accord had been, at least, started during all that time? I am afraid to ask you, but, I think I know the answer. So, rather than wait, I’ll answer my own question. In those two years, I think that it probably wasn’t started more than once or twice.
If this was the case, then, it is going to take a lot more than having the “oils flushed and changed.” Any mechanical device from an electrician’s jackknife to a car will feel the effects of two years of inaction. By their very nature, metals that are left unused for a long period of time will tend to “freeze” together. When this happens, the microscopic amounts of moisture that exist on all planes of a mechanical device rust together, causing the metal faces to freeze tight.
About the only way this can be freed up is to use a rather large dead-blow mallet (a mallet that gives a huge impact but no dent). Of course, this may just cause the particular device you are working on — the engine pulley assembly, for example — to warp, causing further problems. The further problems that occur happen if you are lucky enough to get the engine turning. Since the devices that you freed are likely out of round, they will run eccentrically, causing the individual parts to break down and, quite likely fail.
As to the transmission, I don’t think there’s much hope for the device that is inside the case right now. The nature of transmission fluid is organic. Over time, the tranny fluid deteriorates and can gel. As time passes further, the gelled fluid becomes solid, almost cement-like.
If it were me, I would cut my losses and sell the Acura to a scrapyard. With a little judicious looking, you can find a much newer car for relatively little cost.
There, you’ve asked for the opinion of a professional and that’s mine. If you want to discuss this further, just let me know and I’ll be happy talk.
Even manual transmissions have a “limp home” mode. “Limp Home” mode, as the name implies, allows you to get your Transit home — as you did — or to a service area for work. That would have been my first piece of advice. You do have to get your van to a service area as soon as ou can because you are making one gear essentially handle the work of an entire transmission.
“Limp Home” mode usually kicks in when something fails. In the case of your Transit, it could be something like a misadjusted shift cable or a troublesome neutral-start switch. The cable may be binding in its runner. Because it may be binding, the cable is unable to engage each gear so the transmission control module (TCM), the computer that controls your van’s manual transmission — yes, manual transmission-equpiped vehicles have them as do automatics — isn’t seeing each gear and as a result the tranny has gone into “Limp Home.”
The same is true of the neutral-start switch. Attached and activated by depresseing the clutch, the neutral-start is a safety device. Unless you fully depress the clutch, your van won’t start, so it won’t lurch ahead when you twist the key to start. Once you push the clutch down, your ignition key will engage and the starter will turn the engine over.
If the neutral-start is failing, your Transit will go into “failover” (another name for “Limp Home”) and it will engage your transmission in one gear so that you have the ability to move the Transit to a service area.
The two possibilities I have just outlined are quick thoughts off the top of my head. There are any number of issues that could have caused “Limp Home” mode to be initiated.
My suggestion is this: get the Transit to a dealer’s service shop as they have the latest factory-backed and generated diagnostic software. Once your Transit is in the service line, ask to have a full diagnostic workup performed. This is don’e with an OBD-II scanner. The scanner polls all systems, including the engine control module (ECM), to see what error codes may have been sent to memory. I suspect you will find several codes in the readout. Take that information and have the services indicated performed. I believe you will have your tranmission working again in no time.
You may wonder how much this could cost, which is a good question. If it is just a binding cable, then you are likely looking at about two hours’ time which is a little under $300. If it is the neutral-start, then you are looking at about four hours, or about $600 (in the USA). Other systems will, of course, cost more. I don’t think, though, that it will cost you any more than $1,875.
Wow! I have to wonder how you escaped serious problems with all that extra transmission fluid. Just a quart extra can cause problems by raising the pressure to a point where deposits can be blasted loose from internal pieces and carried to other areas where they may block up galleries or the filter, causing fluid starvation and all sorts of problems. And that’s only with a single quart.
You VeeDub’s tranny was overfilled by two liters, a huge amount of fluids. It is amazing that deposits were dislodged and blown all over the transmission. And, it’s also even more amazing that the huge amount of pressure didn’t blow out a line or a piece of gasketing, emptying the transmission fluid all over the floor of your garage or driveway.
And, given the fact that nothing overly bad happened when the fluid was withdrawn. Notice I said not overly bad as I suspect there has been some very subtle damage to what sounds like the clutches and bands and, possibly, the clutches, bands and gearing. It is also possible that one of the cooling lines may have been damaged and overlooked when the tranny fluid was withdrawn which is also causing the problem when the transmission is hot. The cooling isn’t adequate any more.
With that said, I’d recommend having your technician look over the transmission again, concentrating on the radiator/cooling lines. And I would also have the clutches, bands and gears checked over for signs of damage or too much wear. I suspect the problem with your transmission is in either of these areas or, possibly both.
It’s really good news and bad news. The good news is that the damage isn’t worse and the bad news is that it will still cost you about $1,800 to have repaired. One other piece of semi-good news is that repairs won’t cost your $3,000-plus. Instead, they will work out to about $1,800 or so.
When you shift into overdrive, your Dakota’s automatic steps down and goes into a direct connect lockup. In another gear, you see, the transmission spins up and then acts as the interpreter, if you will let me use the analogy, that takes the power from the engine and translates it to a form the driveshaft can use.
When you get to the overdrive hookup, though, the engine and transmission are locked so that for every cycle or part of a cycle the engine turns, the driveshaft turns at the same rate.
I would suggest you take a look at two areas: the solenoid or the valve body. It is possible that the solenoids that set the overdrive gearing are gone. If this is the case, then your Dakota won’t go into overdrive. There are usually two solenoid packs that work together to set proper gearing. I would suggest changing both solenoids to see if this is the problem part, as I suspect. You should find that overdrive is restored.
If the solenoids aren’t the problem, then I would have the valve body checked over for a sticking check valve. The valve body is essentially a series of galleries through which transmission fluid is directed so that the proper gearing is chosen. If a check valve doesn’t open, then the fluid doesn’t flow correctly and there’s no overdrive.
One thing you can do up front is have a diagnostic run with an OBD-II scanner tool. Your Dakota is late enough so that it should log any transmission issues to memory. I suspect you will find that the scan will back up my judgment.
If not and if you are planning on keeping the Dakota, then a rebuilt transmission is a good idea. You will find that it costs will cost you between $3,400 and $4,200, depending on the part of the country in which you are living. You may be able to save considerable money by finding a used transmission at a scrapyard. If you can find one that has been pulled from a similar Dakota, you will save about half the cost of the rebuilt.
You probably know the answer to your question but I will make it official. Your Golf’s transmission is toast. I know you probably have suspected this is the case, well, your suspicions are certainly correct.
To confirm my thoughts, you will have to have the Golf trailered to a service area where a technician can do a complete diagnostic workup. To do the workup, the tech will have to insert and OBD-II scanner into the diagnostic port and let it run its tests.
At the end, the tech will have a pretty good idea of where the problem lies.
From my vantage point behind your computer screen, I can’t see your Golf as well as I want to so I can only tell you the most general ideas.
There are a number of points of failure. It might be the torque converter or the torque converter unit and turbine. It might be the the converter, turbine and gearing. It could be the gearing, bands and clutches. Or it might be the transmission control module (TCM), which is the computer that specifically controls the tranny and talks with the rest of the Golf’s systems over the multiplexed controller area network (CAN).
Honestly, the last point gives me an idea. When your tech is looking over things, be sure that close attention is paid to the TCM. If the TCM fails, then you have no transmission and the Golf acts as you describe.
If it is the TCM, then you are in luck because it will only cost you between $1,200 and $1,400 to have it fixed which is a far cry from the $3,400 you would have to spend for a rebuilt transmission.
What year is the Range Rover? If it is, say, 2014 or later, you may be having a problem not with the transmission but with the computer system. Today’s “automatic” transmissions are little more than monostable electronic systems that use a double-pole, single-throw switch as the actuator.
In order to shift through the gears, you have to push up on the gearshift actuator so that the electronic switch advances to the next gear.
In automatic mode, it is possible for the transmission to become confused and if it does, it will likely not shift. Putting it back into neutral and shifting one gate at a time (standard or manual mode), will work for you. You will have to get to a shop where they can reset things for you.
At this point, I suggest that you drive your Caravan until the wheels fall off, as is. You may get 1,500 miles or 15,000, it’s impossible to tell, though, I suspect it will be closer to the former than the latter.
If your vehicle were a pickup or an SUV, I probably would have suggested getting a rebuilt transmission — or one from a similar vehicle with fewer miles in a scrapyard (you can save a bundle on the transmission) == because the pickup and SUV are two sides of the same platform.
It’s a platform that is far more robust than a minivan, one that can easily go another 50,000 or 100,000 miles with reasonable care. A minivan, on the other hand, isn’t built to the same standards as the pickup platform (it’s a car with a van body, after all). And, while it may run nicely for another 50,000 of even 100,000 miles, it’s more than likely that the minivan will turn its wheels up well before any pickup would.
With that said, though, you mentioned the tranny fluid looks good — it’s pink, the right color — but that it was a tad low. That could also account for your transmission slipping (it could be the gears, or bands/clutches or the torque converter, as well). It would suggest that you fill it with a quart or so of transmission fluid to see if this solves the problem. If it does, you have just saved yourself about $3,393 (a rebuilt transmission costs about $3,400). If not, then you are looking at the transmission replacement, either with one from the scrapyard, as mentioned — which could save you maybe $1,800 or so — or the rebuilt.
Let me know what you decide.
I think you have solved the problem. With transmission fluid as dark as you say it was, it is not doing its job of lubricating the parts of the transmission so when you shift you are getting some metal-on-metal clashing. With the proper level of clean transmission fluid, the gears are now surrounded by liquid that is doing its job.
With the transmission now properly lubricated and cooled — transmission fluid also acts as coolant for the transmission — you should find that your shifter will work fine until it’s time for the next refill in about 30,000 miles.
I have to be honest with you and warn you that replacing reverse only with a kit is not the best way to go for a very simple reason. Once you put the new gearing in place, since it is not part of the original transmission, you are going to stress the forward gears (I think there were five in that particular year and model). The result will likely be the loss of one or more of the gears that are working right now.
Really, that’s not what you want. And, when you are finished replacing the gears that may be chewed up after the reverse kit is installed, you will find that you have replaced everything in the tranny case, anyway.
That would be all five forward gear and reverse. It is also likely that you will have to replace the clutch, clutch plate, throwout bearing, neutral-start switch, the pressure plate, as well as the friction plate and, perhaps, the synchronizers.
And, you know how this will all likely play out? It’s not that everything will fail at once. No, they will fail at different times so that you might have to make the same repairs over and over again, although you may get lucky and only have the specific gears fail. Total cost of this piecemeal approach is $200 or so for the gearing kit and parts and another $600 or so for labor (I’m assuming four hours of work billed at $143 per hour — rates do vary across the country, so I am using an average. That puts the total outlay at $4,000 ($800 X 5).
Now, doesn’t it make sense to use the replacement part you found? Let’s say you have the $700 replacement and you have to pay $200 in shipping. The total for the replacement — where you get everything done at once — $900, plus labor (we’ll call it a day at $143 or 8 X $143) or about $1,132.
If you can do the work yourself it’s even better because your only cost is the $900 for shipping and the device. Still, replacing the tranny and paying for a full day still saves you about $2,000. It’s substantial.
I suspect there’s something else at work here and it is neither really mechanical nor is it electronic either. I realize you have done a lot of work on the tranny but with the type of mileage that there is on the Savana I have to suspect that a really hard deposit has come loose somewhere in the drivetrain and has lodged where you don’t need it.
What happens is that when you have a fresh fill of oil or tranny fluid, both of which have detergent properties that will loosen enough hardened built-up gunk that will, in turn, become a free-floating (for a bit) piece of debris that will eventually settle out on something.
The way your vehicle is performing it sounds like the lockup chain has been impacted. You might try another transmission fluid and fluid refill. This might loosen things up enough again to get the parts clean and cure the problem, while the buildup is trapped by the new filter.
Let me know what happens.
This one is easy. It sounds like your transmission is having a fluid problem. When was the last time you checked or changed the tranny fluid? If you’ve had it in the transmission for more than 36,000 miles (some say 30,000, the choice is yours), then it is time for a change. That change includes a new filter (be sure to check any screens as well).
There are two ways to handle fluid-changing, the right way and the fast way. The right was involves finding the transmission fluid access stop bolt. It is a slightly magnetized bolt on the bottom of the transmission pan. Open it and let it drain thoroughly. When it has finished draining, you’ll have to remove the pan cover (there are anywhere from eight to 14 bolts holding it in place) so that you can drain out the last quart or so of fluid. Be sure you have a bucket underneath the drain to catch the dirty fluid remainder. With the pan cover off, find and replace the transmission fluid filter.
Once it has drain completely, reline the pan cover with the proper gasketing material — check either the service manual or service help you can find on the internet. (Like as not you will find this whole procedure detailed on YouTube. Such help tutorials are very good.) If possible, I would recommend using an RTV-like silicon seal as it handles uneven surfaces quite well and holds up for years (RTV stands for Room-Temperature Vulcanizing. It’s an opaque or white silicon-based sealer that you can find at any hardware outlet.)
With the last of the bolts in and torqued down. You have to replace the fluid, which is easy. Most transmissions handle between four and six quarts of fluid. Be sure you refill with only the amount needed as overfilling can cause problems you can’t forsee. (Overfilling leads to overpressure damage to such devices as the torque converter, turbine blades, clutches/bands, gearing and possible either shaft (input or output which can be forced out of true).)
Check your work by running the engine for about 20 minutes and, with parking brake set and you foot on the brake — needed because of the neutral-start switch — run through the gears with your Z28 parked. It should slip into each gear easily, including reverse.
The fast way to handle changing fluid is with a high-pressure flush like those used at the discount oil change stores. It certainly is quick but the high-pressure flush can break off deposits and slam them into various parts, causing damage.
Good morning,
From your description there are several possibilities and the torque converter is one of them. I don’t think that’s the problem, though, because it slams when you select either Drive or Reverse so I think we can rule that one out.
The next possibility is the clutch/band assembly. Normally, the clutches and bands — they work together — engage in a very defined manner. Each clutch and band assembly slips into contact with its mate (each clutch/band selection features an almost mirror image clutch/band assembly. If the clutch/band assemblies are shot then you should find that your Sebring revs a lot, but, it will be moving quite slowly because the clutch/band assembly is trying to meet its mate and fails. The result is slippage. Since your Sebring is find here, you can rule out bands/clutches
I think that the input and output shaft assembly is in good shape, though, at your car’s age now — 11 years — it’s probably a good idea to have a tech (unless you feel comfortable pulling the Sebring’s transaxle and stripping it down so you can get to the input/output shaft assemblies.
My thinking on your Sebring’s problem is this: I suspect the shift solenoids are shot. Normally, there are two solenoid packs that control your Sebring’s shifting. One is located inside the valve body while the other is external. In operation, the gearing choice for your Sebring is determined by the solenoids activated. Each solenoid pack, by the way, contains two solenoids. Drive might be all four solenoids activated for a direct linkage of all gears, while reverse may line up so that none of the solenoids engages. In any case, the transmission is thudding because the solenoids aren’t firing as they should. This is a known problem on the Sebring. You will spend roughly $350 to fix this problem, though to be honest, the price does vary with location by a few dollars. Still, the $350 figure is pretty accurate.
When you have the problem fixed be sure it is for both solenoid packs not just one. And, get the software patch that goes with this repair. Your local Fiat Chrysler Autos should help with this. If they won’t, check with a transmission specialist with the proper computerized test and repair equipment for the upgrade.
Since most transmissions today are mostly electronically controlled I suspect the drive solenoid might be fried. When you shift into Drive, you are asking the transmission to operate autonomously. In other words, it does all of the work so that you don’t have to shift from gear to gear. In order to set this up, the solenoids that control the way gearing lines up must fire in a certain manner. Most vehicle have two solenoids that set up the gearing. It might be that solenoid 1 is used for first gear; solenoid 2 for second gear; solenoid 1-2 for third gear; solenoid 2-1 (not the same electronically) for fourth gear; no solenoids for Drive, and a special bypass for Reverse.
So, what I suspect is happening is this: when the Drive setting is selected, instead of activating both solenoids to get out of the way — if that is the way the electronics set up in your transmission — the switch is failing to energize them and your SUV isn’t shifting into Drive. To fix the problem, I would recommend having both of the solenoids replaced — one is external to the valve body and the other is internal — as a starting point. This will cost you about $500 or so which is relatively inexpensive for anything transmisson-related.
Now it is possible that the Drive activator switch itself is gone, which is even better because replacing the switch, itself, is about a $300 fix, depending on the amount of labor needed to get into the console to access the switch. The switch is located within the console and is positioned so that when you shift into Drive, the gearshift activates the switch and the solenoids fire. Have your technician look at that possibility as well.
I think when you have finished you will find it is either a combination of the switch and solenoids or the solenoids alone is the cause of your Chevy’s problem.
The 1992 Honda is right on the edge of the computer revolution in cars. It is old enough to feature mostly mechanical systems and new enough to have a bit of computerization under the hood. So, while the OBD-II diagnostic scanner and dashboard trouble light flash codes, the computer code that is contained in the transmission control module — the computer that controls things in the tranny — is pretty basic. It will show you general areas where things might be breaking or broken, but that’s about it. In contrast, today’s computer code is pretty strong and getting stronger. With every software upgrade now, it becomes easier to diagnose a problem simply because the number of specific codes pointing to trouble-spots has increased dramatically in just the last few years.
In your ’92, you still have a number of mechanically controlled systems. For example, the torque converter and impeller are totally mechanical. This means that if something goes bad your technician, unless you feel competent to do the work, will be doing much more mechanical and far less electronic work than he may be accustomed to.
However, it could be that an early conversion to electronics — shifting — may be at fault here. It sounds as if the gearshift selection solenoids are failing or have failed. There are usually two of them, one on the inside of the valve body and the other on the exterior. The solenoids work together to put your car into gear and keep it there. For example, when your Accord is in first, Solenoid 1 may be on, while Solenoid 2 is off. In second, it might be the reverse, while third may feature both Solenoids on and fourth may be both off. Since Reverse is a direct connect gearing, they Solenoids are shunted to the sides (you didn’t mention whether it shifts into reverse when it begins to run weirdly).
If the solenoids are gone or going, it is a relatively straightforward fix, though, your tech will have to go inside the valve body to access one of the devices. With that said, you are looking at about a $600 bill to replace them both.
It is possible, though, that the clutches and bands may be failing which will cause your Accord to operate as you describe. If that is the case, then your tech will have to tear down the transmission to get to the parts that need to be replaced. And, honestly, by the time the tech gets there it is better just to replace the transmission with a rebuilt. If you do replace it, you are looking at a bill of about $4,000 or so.
For a tranny to fail just like that — one time working and the next time not, at least in forward gears, tells me it’s an electronic problem. The first thing I would have checked is the solenoid pack.
Normally, the solenoid pack consists of a pair of solenoids. They are switched in and out to indicate which gear is being chosen. For instance, if the solenoid pair for first gear was solenoid one on and solenoid two off, then your 83 would be in first gear. Second might be solenoid one off and solenoid two on, while third might be solenoid one and two on, while fourth might be solenoid one and two off. Reverse would probably bypass them as it is a direct-linkage-type of gear, while a torque converter lockup for a slight overdrive gear would be the same solenoid pairing but with the gear selector in forward.
If the solenoids work — you check this by setting the parking brake and with the help of a friend you trust very well behind the wheel working through the gears and listening for the clicks — then it could be a sensor or pair of sensors.
Like solenoids, the transmission has been controlled by sensors and their settings since the early 1980s. So, let’s say the MAP (Manifold Air Pressure) sensoror the MAF (Mass Air-Flow) sensor failed, then it is quite possible the tranny won’t shift into the forward gears at all, while reverse may work quite well, just what you are talking about. And, if the TPS (Throttle Positioning Sensor) failed, then it is quite likely that you would lose the forward gering, as well, among other things.
With all of this said, the best thing you can do is find the proper OBD-II diagnostic scanner and software for your transmission and have a full diagnostic of the transmission run. Carefully note down all of the error codes and ask the technician running the test to give you a complete reading and printout. Don’t forget to check your list against the printout to make sure all of the error codes are listed. This is the only way to assure that you have the all of your bases covered.
I think that once you have the transmission diagnostic run, the primary error codes will be for the solenoids. The good news here is that the solenoids are fairly easy to access and swap out. They also go for about $275 per unit with labor or about $550 in total. This is a lot less than the $4,250 you would spend to put in a rebuilt transmission.
Though you didn’t say so, I am assuming the VW is a standard shift? Please let me know as soon as you see this because it does make a huge difference in how I’ll discuss things.
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
