Tell Me This Isnt a Transmission Problem

[elemgee]

I recently (like two weeks ago) purchased a mint condition 92 SVX with 35K miles. Car looks and drives great, but....this morning as I was driving into work, it didnt want to shift out of 3rd, and a little later, didnt want to shift out of 1st. I've had the car about a week, have put a couple of hundred miles on it, and no issues until today. Shortly after getting it I added a tranny cooler, flushed the tranny oil, and replaced the external filter. All to avoid tranny problems. I do know that if the fluid is overfilled it can get very hot, and when I checked the fluid after arriving at work today I noticed that it is definitely overfilled (maybe a quart or so). I'll fix then when I (hopefully) get home.

So, do you think this might be a serious tranny issue, or could it be due to something simpler, like the tranny being overfilled?

Thanks.

[Wikedjuggalo]

Originally Posted by elemgee

I recently (like two weeks ago) purchased a mint condition 92 SVX with 35K miles. Car looks and drives great, but....this morning as I was driving into work, it didnt want to shift out of 3rd, and a little later, didnt want to shift out of 1st. I've had the car about a week, have put a couple of hundred miles on it, and no issues until today. Shortly after getting it I added a tranny cooler, flushed the tranny oil, and replaced the external filter. All to avoid tranny problems. I do know that if the fluid is overfilled it can get very hot, and when I checked the fluid after arriving at work today I noticed that it is definitely overfilled (maybe a quart or so). I'll fix then when I (hopefully) get home.

So, do you think this might be a serious tranny issue, or could it be due to something simpler, like the tranny being overfilled?

Thanks.

Do you live in a cold state? as in what kind of outside temps do you have right now.

[Hocrest]

When you had it "flushed" do you mean like a power flush where they hook it to a machine and force the fluid out? Or just drained and refilled??

[Crazy_pilot]

Originally Posted by Wikedjuggalo

Do you live in a cold state? as in what kind of outside temps do you have right now.

Ditto. When my SVX is cold (below freezing) the shift into fourth is delayed and I will spend a minute or two on the highway in third. I keep the speed down so I'm not winding the motor halfway to the moon.

[SoCal LS-L]

Originally Posted by elemgee

I do know that if the fluid is overfilled it can get very hot, and when I checked the fluid after arriving at work today I noticed that it is definitely overfilled (maybe a quart or so). I'll fix then when I (hopefully) get home.

So, do you think this might be a serious tranny issue, or could it be due to something simpler, like the tranny being overfilled?

Thanks.

Pardon me for asking this, but did you check it idling in Neutral, or while the engine was turned off? You cant imagine the amount of people that dont know the proper way. If it was off it will appear overfilled.

[shelfy]

Originally Posted by Hocrest

When you had it "flushed" do you mean like a power flush where they hook it to a machine and force the fluid out? Or just drained and refilled??

this was my first thought too.

[elemgee]

Thats a great question. I checked it with the engine off. So I guess I should do it with the engine idling. Also, to answer someone else's question, it was around 50 degrees or so this AM, but I had been driving for about an hour, so the transmission was definitely warm. And like I said in my post, as I was getting into work, it was also not shifing out of 1st.

[elemgee]

I had it flushed - they connected it to a machine.

Originally Posted by Hocrest

When you had it "flushed" do you mean like a power flush where they hook it to a machine and force the fluid out? Or just drained and refilled??

[Sean486]

Originally Posted by elemgee

I had it flushed - they connected it to a machine.

This could be bad.

[dbarnblatt]

Originally Posted by Sean486

This could be bad.

The information contained in this response is overwhelming. Let me digest it!

Please elaborate...

[Sean486]

Sorry. It is my understanding that a Powerflush can be bad for a transmission and actually make it fail within a short period of time afterwards. I could be wrong, I am just going by what I recall reading on this forum over the past few years.

[elemgee]

Well, I did make it home. I have a 30 mile commute, mostly highway, and while the car wouldnt shifit into 4th (and the other shifts didnt feel right - like they take too long), I was able to get it home, by not going much over 60.

I checked the fluid level at home with the car running, and its still too high. Also, I noticed that the aftermarket transmission cooler is REALLY hot; I cant keep my hand on it, but maybe thats normal.

[Wikedjuggalo]

Originally Posted by elemgee

Well, I did make it home. I have a 30 mile commute, mostly highway, and while the car wouldnt shifit into 4th (and the other shifts didnt feel right - like they take too long), I was able to get it home, by not going much over 60.

I checked the fluid level at home with the car running, and its still too high. Also, I noticed that the aftermarket transmission cooler is REALLY hot; I cant keep my hand on it, but maybe thats normal.

Those temps are at the least 160 -170. that is pretty warm to be placing your hand. That kind of flush could damage the transmission. Basically you are flushing all those metal shaving (yes even proper running trans have some shavings from what i understand) back through the trans. Causing more harm then good. I'd see what the shop has to say about flushing the trans......

[NiftySVX]

If you overfill this transmission it overheats it badly. You also need to check the flow thru the cooler circuit. No 4th and no 2nd sounds like a brake band to me. A couple people may suggest adjusting it, but that's a waste of time as the band servo moves alot and the adjuster doesn't move much. It likely wouldn't hold 4th and then wore all the way thru and won't hold even enough for 2nd. Does it skip straight from 1st to 3rd?

I would take it back to the place that flushed it and tell them they overfilled it and now it won't shift and you want to take it to a real shop and have them look at it. Then take it to the dealer, and if the shop you took it to is worthwhile they'll pay to have it fixed. If it is above the full hot when running in park when the fluid temperature is 176F then I'd be surprised if the transmission isn't fried. Usually when they get done this way the metal plates in the clutches turn a lovely shade of blue.

"Power flushing" is not bad for the transmission, but it with improper service methods it can cause more harm than good. This is why you need to be careful about who you let touch your car. I wouldn't let the shop put in any fluid additives. These are the most dangerous part.

Flow thru the cooler circuit MUST be 2qt in 30 sec or you're tranny will die quickly. You need to check this.

Also if you mixed up the in and out ports on the filter it blocked the flow.

Sounds pretty bad to me.

[NiftySVX]

Originally Posted by Wikedjuggalo

Those temps are at the least 160 -170. that is pretty warm to be placing your hand. That kind of flush could damage the transmission. Basically you are flushing all those metal shaving (yes even proper running trans have some shavings from what i understand) back through the trans. Causing more harm then good. I'd see what the shop has to say about flushing the trans......

The proper method of flushing won't disturb the slight amount of metal on the pan magnet, which yes is normal because of the planetary gearsets. Because the machine just goes in place of the cooler and simply lets the pump run the old fluid out and puts an equal amount of new fluid in. there isn't any "pressure" involved. However, if the hoses are then hooked up to a car with a filter in the opposite direction they came off, that's a problem.