Tranny problem:

corder13 · 12-05-2004, 05:55 AM

Ok, I got a '95 SC1 in trade for some stuff I had around the house. I, in turn, traded it to a friend of mine because he needed a car. We knew the tranny wasn't shifting right, and now we're kinda lost. Here's the rundown of what happens:

After about 15-20 minutes of driving, the car stops shifting normally. It begins to slip constantly. When this happens, the ONLY way to get it back to a driving speed is to keep lightly feathering the throttle, and it'll eventually (over a few minutes) build back up to speed until the next time you slow down.

The previous owner has tried 2 transaxles (other than the one in it), and has also swapped valve bodies once. My friend just got a known good computer out of another car (same type) with no problems at all, and it didn't help. The previous owner did say he ran codes, but I can't remember which code he said popped up. I don't have a code reader (nor does my friend), and neither one of us can afford to buy one at this time. Does anyone have any ideas on this? He really needs this car going for his daily driver.

Also, I'll be going over there sometime tomorrow late in the afternoon to check out the transmission fluid to make sure it's not burnt. I'd imagine with the previous owner being a mechanic, he would've thought to change the fluid, though. Thanks in advance for any help.

Rick

**Ssicarman** · 12-05-2004, 06:14 AM

Is the SES light on? If it is then you will be able to pull codes from the engine part of the PCM. You will not be able to pull transmission codes though. Do a search of the Board for info on the method used. Paper clip trick would be a starting point for the search. OBD 1 codes would be another.

corder13 · 12-05-2004, 07:48 AM

Yes, the light is on. Sorry, forgot to mention that. I'll try to figure out how to pull the codes and update this post. Thanks.

Rick

corder13 · 12-10-2004, 03:50 PM

I haven't had a chance to get to run codes on the car yet, but my friend told me something new about it the other day. As soon as it starts slipping out of gear, you can pull over, shut the car off, immediately start it back up, and it shifts fine. Does that sound like a sensor to anyone?

Rick

tristanlee85 · 12-10-2004, 08:15 PM

Check the fluid. Too little fluid in the torque converter will not allow the torque converter lock up like it should. In this case, the more power going to it, the more it is going to slip. This is if it is an automatic obviously.

corder13 · 12-10-2004, 09:32 PM

Yes, it is an auto. The fluid has been checked and the fluid itself looks good, too.

Rick

corder13 · 01-14-2005, 03:22 AM

I still haven't gotten a chance to get out there to check this out, but I was thinking about this alternator issue affecting transmissions. I started wondering if the car being restarted could somehow "rejuice" the alternator to act fine again for another 20 minutes each time. Is that possible, or am I just wierd?

Oh, the codes pulled on the car were 22, 23, and 24 (no 2nd, 3rd, or 4th gear). These were the ONLY codes the car had.

Rick

Joeybagodonuts · 01-16-2005, 06:42 PM

alternator problems usally affect the tranny in diffrent ways, SLIPPAGE is uaually the clutch paks are bad internally (autos have LOTS of mini clutch paks in them not the typical clutch for a manual like you may be thinking)
usually if the alts bad the car will buck, not go into gears correctly etc, from what YOU describe, slippage and having to feather the throttle , well if the fluids are good, and not overfilled as mentioned, then id have to guess, bad tranny.
if so, let me know, before you go throwing money into a bad unit, for LESS then the cost of a valve body job on a saturn you can get a complete low mileage tranny with a one year warranty from us.
let me know if i can assist. joey from 6th

corder13 · 01-16-2005, 10:44 PM

The only problem is it's on the third tranny now. Not because they were bad, but because the previous owner was trying to fix the problem. Now I'm not sure if the alternator's bad or what.

Rick

tristanlee85 · 01-17-2005, 08:50 AM

Umm, if it says you don't have 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, there's a good chance you have the incorrect PCM. When I had my SOHC PCM on the DOHC transmission, the car would drive fine through 1st gear. Once it got into 2nd, it would drive normal. Once I got so high on the RPMs, it would basically freely rev. I would have to turn the car off and start it back up to get home. BTW, I drove it like this after swapping in the new engine and transmission. I was still waiting on the PCM that I needed, but decided to drive it anyway to see what happened.