help transmission not catching atx first correctly

[cmz829]

well..........last night i was parking my car and i reversed in and puled forward to straightin it out when i pulled forward it ******. wasnt to sure what it was but didtn worry about it. well today i get in my car and about half of the time from stop it will go from 800 rpms (idle) to about 1400 before it catches and it jerks.. after this happened to avoid trannsmission damage i put it into second and drove it home. before i bought the car the tranny was put in from a parts car with 70k on it since then it has recieved about 8k. i have a few other things that have happened also. (maybe will help with the diagnostic) on very cold days probaboly below 10 a few minutes after starting it goes into second with a little bit of a clunk i thought bad mount was the problem. there was also a instance where i had trouble getting my car into park from drive but after working it threw all the atx gears a few times it stopped. i was told by a non-sho mechanic that it was my diff pin. could these problems be related?
how about swapping tranny fluid i heard very good things about locust

 

[doclees]

I'm not an ATX guy but I own one. Check the basics like fluid level? I thought the diffs on the ATX were not a problem. Now the MTX diffs are another issue. My 93 ATX with an updated factory tranny at 75k ( now 176k) clunks a little when going from downshifting into first from second or maybe it is third. My Bonneville tranny has what you describe when it is a tad, 3-4 quarts, low on fluid. Hesitation on shift with rpms increasing then grabs solid.

 

[cmz829]

this may sound like a stupid question as i am still learning but where is the tranny fluid dipstick

 

[cmz829]

my main problem that i am concerned about is the tranny not catching first until the rpms raise about 500

 

[doclees]

Tranny dip stick is on the drivers side low behind/under the intake. If you open the hood and stand on the drivers side facing fender look behind the intake. It doesn't jump out at you until you find it.

 

[projectSHO89]

Manually shift into 2nd and see if it engags immediately in 2nd but not in 1st.

Sounds like your forward clutch piston just blew out which means a rebuild. As the gap in the clutch piston further opens, you'll probably loose first gear completely, especially when either trying to engage 1st either from a stop or from a 2-1 downshift.

You will also likely notive that the tranny works okay when it's cold, but as soon as the fluid warms up, the problems shows up.

BTDT.

Steve

 

[sho'd]

Manually shift into 2nd and see if it engags immediately in 2nd but not in 1st.

Sounds like your forward clutch piston just blew out which means a rebuild. As the gap in the clutch piston further opens, you'll probably loose first gear completely, especially when either trying to engage 1st either from a stop or from a 2-1 downshift.

You will also likely notive that the tranny works okay when it's cold, but as soon as the fluid warms up, the problems shows up.

BTDT.

Steve

thats what i was thinking as well Steve, time to rebuild with a steel piston. i believe that they are starting to make molded pistons as well, don't quote me on that, i had one in my tranny i just rebuilt, but i thing it was the intermediat clutch that had it, can't remember now.

 

[socialdeviat]

Yep same thing happened to me. Get her to a rebuilder FAST, if you hold off its only gonna cost you more. I let mine go for 4 months before I fixed it, cost me totally over $2600 when if I got it fixed right away woulda only cost me $ 450 in labor.

 

[cmz829]

so to get it fixed right now what would i go ask to have done?

 

[projectSHO89]

so to get it fixed right now what would i go ask to have done?

Replacement of the fwd clutch piston requires about the same work as a rebuild. You're not going to get that done for $450 anywhere reputable...

Steve

 

[cmz829]

how hard of a job would it be to replace the piston myself? do i have to pull the motor? what tools would be needed?

whenever i drive the car i will just drive it in second but i cant really go above 40 would it be safe to put it in drive when moving from second? incase i have to drive on the highway

 

[hawkeye18]

umm... if you know how to rebuild an automatic, then go for it... if you don't know what you have to do, I wouldn't recommend doing it. Automatic trannies are easily the most complicated object in any vehicle. There's a reason there are so many shops dedicated to them. You don't see, say, Power steering shops...

 

[doclees]

Someone here posted their ATX rebuild with pictures. Not long ago.

 

[cmz829]

i was reading another post here and he seems to be having similar problems and is being told it may be his vss i have had a vss code for a little while now and also have occasional tight power steering when parking could this be in any way related?

http://www.shoforum.com/showthread.php?t=71838&highlight=atx+rebuild

hmm come to think of it i cant remember if it was the vss or tps sensor code i was getting but i remmber the code was for the voltage being to high once i get my torn vacumm hose that clips onto the iac fixed i will run the codes again and see what it is

a vacumm leak causing the secondaries to stay open couldnt cause this correct?

 

[sho'd]

Someone here posted their ATX rebuild with pictures. Not long ago.

that would be me, search under posts made by me and there should be the basic rebuild breakdown. it's not really all that hard, get the manual and take you time you can do it. have faith, if you lived closer i would do it for you

 

[cmz829]

right before you posted that sho'd i found your post. from your post it doesnt seem that difficalt. how long did it take you? how hard was it to drop the tranny? and how much did it cost in total for you to do it yourself?

 

[sho'd]

right before you posted that sho'd i found your post. from your post it doesnt seem that difficalt. how long did it take you? how hard was it to drop the tranny? and how much did it cost in total for you to do it yourself?

dropping the tranny was the most hardest part i found, having to remove subframe and rusty subframe bolts, you will need another person to remove the tranny, it's not very light, it took me about 3 weeks to rebuild, but i was taking my time, a little here and a little there, probably would have taken me 3 days if i kept at it, being my first tranny rebuild. it cost me clost to 800 cnd for all the parts and TC.

 

[cmz829]

did it require any special equipment to do the job? no engine lift correct?

 

[socialdeviat]

aamco does a free diagnostic

 

[projectSHO89]

aamco does a free diagnostic

Yeah, here's their "diagnostic":

AAMCO = All Automatics Must Come Out.....

Steve