'95 3.2 ATX - 1-2 shift very soft

[zonker]

Like the title reads, on a WOT burst the trans slips a great deal shifting ftom 1st to 2nd, a bit moreso than 2-3. The car has 148k miles on it and I have no service history, so at this point I am changing the fluid and looking into maintenance related improvements.

Is there an external intermediate band adjustment on this trans? If so, is the usual practice of band adjustment turning the axle, engine off, in neutral and tightening it until it hangs up, then back off 3/4 a turn?

 

[SHOtimer]

The transmission is worn out. You will eventually need to have it replaced or rebuilt. Changing the fluid may help it out, depending on what it's prior life was.

You can't adjust the bands in this transmission.

Doug

 

[zonker]

damn... thanks for the update on the band info. Looks like I will be flushing out the fluid and saying a few prayers.

 

[rubydist]

I would not waste the time and money on the trans flush. more often than not the new fluid makes the slip worse rather than better and you just poured a bunch of money down the drain.

I suggest you drive it till you cannot stand it and have it rebuilt. that day will arrive much sooner that you desire.

 

[zonker]

I have a mityvac so I'm sucking it out of the dipstick hole. The fluid was a bit brown and smelled burnt so I think a change out makes sense at this point.

I pulled 1/2 of the 12 qts out of it and replaced it with fresh mercon last night. Today I drove the car for a 120 mile round trip to visit my sister and I think the fluid change helped a little, so I think I will do a couple more 6 qt changes in the next week or so.

I did read the in the tranny there is a low-intermediate band so perhaps with a little more luck and digging I might find an actual adjustment point, although I'm not holding my breath on that one.

Then after that, I can tackle the other issues this car has... an illuminated ABS light, a intermittant tach and CEL (which leads me to believe a Cam Position Sensor), and an oil leak that needs to be tracked down.

Rob

 

[SHOtimer]

There is a band in there, it just isn't adjustable.

Sounds like it is coming together!

Doug

 

[itsstan]

The shifting that you describe almost sounds normal. I would describe the 1-2 shift as soft, some would say very soft. But I would describe my WOT 2-3 shift as being a bit quicker then the 1-2 shift. Dropping the transmission pan and changing the filter is a pretty straight forward affair. Having an old clogged filter isn't doing you any favors. You might even get away with reusing the transmission pan gasket.
http://www.shoforum.com/showthread.php?t=50772

http://wiki.wikisho.com/wiki/Changing_transmission_fluid_in_the_93-95_ATX

If you do have a bad Cam Sensor, it's probably related to the oil leak. When you change it out, take note to see if any oil is in it, there shouldn't be. If it's oily, it could be coming from the valve cover bolts, which is an easy fix, if not then its probably coming from the camshaft seal which looks kind of tough to replace.

http://shosource.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=61_43_44&products_id=314

I read in your other post that you bought this car for your son, if you're into getting greasy, this could be a fun project car with you two. My daughter is into cars, but she aint into getting greasy.

 

[zonker]

thanks for the good words... son at this point is very non plussed about cars but your suggestion of involvement is understood.

He has a low interest in cars... in fact even suggesting he get his drivers permit generates a shrug and an "ok i guess".

Times sure have changed lol.

 

[zonker]

The shifting that you describe almost sounds normal. I would describe the 1-2 shift as soft, some would say very soft. But I would describe my WOT 2-3 shift as being a bit quicker then the 1-2 shift.

Since I am not experiencing any rpm overrun (the rpms never exceed the rpm at the shift point) that just might be the case. And yes the 2-3 is a more "normal" shift, one that u can feel a dramatic rpm drop as it enters 3rd. So maybe it's just normal and I'm not used to it.
Boy I hope so. Don't want to have to deal with replacing the trans on this car.

 

[zonker]

Ok now after fixing the CEL issue (cam position sensor), I am ready to tackle this mushy shift. I do notice that now since it's below 40 degrees in the morning, the trans is making crisper shifts. That leads me to wonder if I can trick the pcm that the trans fluid is cooler to changs the line pressure/shift pattern characteristics.

I know this method of adding a resistor to the trans fluid temp sensor on the 3rd gen escorts improves shift quality. I wonder if it will work here...