Tranny is gone......or so I thought!!!

[bigdoggee]

Okay, I have a 1994 ATX with 138K miles on it. I described what was happening a couple of days ago, but got no responses, anyway the other day as I'm leaving work when all of a sudden my car started banging into each gear, making all kinds of clucking and banging noises etc.. Also, it wouldn't down shift once it got into 4th gear after I floored the gas pedal. Then even stranger.. from a dead stop I'd floor it and it would shift into every gear without skipping a beat, no problems. Oh almost forgot.. if you turn off the OD switch it would not shift out of first!! Just rev up.. Okay so morning I dropped it off at a local tranny shop. They looked at it and hooked it up to the computer etc... then they told me it wasn't the tranny that it was an electrical problem!!! So.. that is where I am. I have no clue what it going on so any help would be appreciated!! Oh it seems to be running fine now!!!!

 

[LaTechSHO]

personally try to stay away from slushboxes.... however... it sounds like you have an electrical solenoid trying to go out inthe tranny....

they said the atx control was good??

Louis

 

[bigdoggee]

they didn't say anything about the control!! Just said its an electronic problem with system throughing off many codes and they don't deal with any of that. And I don't have the codes... didn't through off any after I picked up the car. It was strange... its running fine. I'm going to take for a ride in a little bit and see what happens

 

[Mike Kopstain]

first thought is VSS

 

[bigdoggee]

What is a VSS and how much does it cost. Is it something I can do myself or do I have to take my car a shop do it?

 

[Bluto]

Wow.
This is such a common topic.
Vehicle Speed Sensor.
Located on the top of the tranny. The only way to change it(unless you are a magician, or have dwarf type paws) is to drop the Y pipe and change it that way.

It is such a hassle to change, but the part is under 30 bucks at most part stores.

It is my experience that the VSS has a plastic gear in it that seems to heat up and become unreliable and sends false readings to the computer. Your car will shift good when cold, but feels like its slipping or winding out when hot.

Do a search....or actually look a few pages back, and you will see VSS mentioned a lot.
-Bluto

 

[Mike Kopstain]

As Bluto said, it's a common problem.

Most common symptoms are the following:

- Won't go into overdrive
- Shifts at the wrong time and goes into overdrive un 40mph
- car will all of the sudden loose overdrive and then get it back
- Won't downshift
- Harsh downshifts
- Cruise control not working
- Variablt Speed power assist steering get's hrd then soft and really seems randon
- Harsh 2-1 downshift when coming to a stop

It really sounds like that is the problem.

Bluto, I've seen very few gears go out (if you're referring to the one on the end of the VSS). Other than that I don't believe the VSS has any internal gears as it is magnetic.

 

[Bluto]

Mike,
Yeah that one.
And thats my inexpeirenced ASSumtion.
I am just getting to know the pains of the SHO.
-Bluto