israr316

Hi, I bought this 94 ES w/ 124K. Currently it has 143K, recently the transmission (from 1st - 2nd) feels really disconcerting. Occasionally it will slam into second, and the other shifts feel buttery smooth. This is what my fluid looks like (I know it's not pretty, but is it too late for changing the fluid, and any suggestions on what type of fluid i should replace it w/, i.e Amsoil):





any thoughts or suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

I really want this car to last till 200K

Also I just had both of my CV's replaced, and there is still a click when I reverse and have the wheel turned all the way, any thoughts?

92ESRick

Have you checked your motor/transmission mounts? Mine had similar symptoms when a couple mounts went bad.

tuan92129

Almost time for a rebuild. Just the way it is
Mines due for a second re-build, sometimes is kind of 'thumps' into second, other times it makes a whining noise, and somtimes it doesn't shift and runs to 4000 rpm before shifting.

israr316

Damn, exactly what i didn't want to hear... well i think it's still worth changing the fluid/filter, and maybe even flushing (although that's risky w/ older transn.), gotta try the cheaper option first.

It's a shame because the engine feels like it could run for another 100K w/o any problems

israr316

This is the clicking issue? How exactly do you go about checking the mounts, never done that before?

92ESRick

If it is a definite clicking sound it is most likely something to do with the cv stuff in the half shaft, especially if it occurs when the wheels are turned. My car made a thud sound when shifting into second and going into reverse from park or drive. The thud into second made it appear like it was shifting harder initially and had me worried since hard shifting into second is typically the beginning of what tuan posted. Shortly there after I noticed it was making a light thud when putting into reverse. I replaced a couple mounts and it fixed both issues. I personally like to start diagnosing with the easiest stuff first and going from there despite the fact of being a total alarmist when something starts acting weird. Easiest way to check mounts is to first visually inspect the rubber and look for cracking or chunks missing in extreme cases. The second is to have someone start the car and shift from park to drive, from drive to reverse, etc... while holding their foot on the brake and you watching the engine. If the engine moves back and forth too much it is indicative of bad mounts. Typically, when one mount goes bad and not fixed immediately, the rest follow suit quickly. Another way to check is to put it drive, then apply a tiny bit of gas while holding brake to see how far engine moves. Of course you do not want to hold the brake and gas for too long since it will get the transmission fluid too hot (in automatic trans vehicles, of course). However, you would not have to hold it for more than a few seconds to make determination. Some movement is too be expected while doing either method, so don't be worried if it does move. If it moves without restraint and sloppily you'll know right away, typically accompanied by a thud but not always. If you go from park to drive to reverse then to drive and it starts dancing like Spider in Goodfellas, you'll definitely know

If it is not the mounts and is indeed the transmission, take it to a reputable transmission or general repair shop (oxymoron most of the time) if you know of one. Most of the time the hard shifting into second is something that can be fixed very cheaply or at least much cheaper than an r&r with a rebuilt one and not always requires removal of trans. There are several things that can cause that symptom depending on how the transmission is designed. When fixed in time it certainly can prevent futher damage resulting in a constant replacement of mounts plus new or rebuilt trans in the end. Left unfixed, from what I've experienced in other vehicles is harder shifting, then it takes more and more rpm's to shift making it shift even harder when it does, then it 2nd gear starts only catching every now and then, then eventually 2nd gear is gone and may or may not make an appearance on Christmas or your b-day. Like I said though, it all depends on the design of the transmission. I do not have any experience with these with the exception of removing and replacing them. The sad reality is, most transmissions shops know there is no money in actually diagnosing and fixing a cheap problem versus the money they make of selling and installing a replacement. General auto repair places typically don't have people knowledgeable in auto transmission repair outside of general service and replacement procedures.

92ESRick

as a disclaimer (not to insult any regular poster's intelligence, so please do not take it that way. you never know who is reading this thread due to a google search or something)
[disclaimer]
Do not stand in front of the vehicle while doing what I wrote above! Stand to the side where you could not be potentially hurt, ran over, etc... You can make the same visual determination from the side of the vehicle instead of hovering over it from the front of the vehicle.[/disclaimer]

tuan92129

Haha Loling at the disclaimer

israr316

yea i'll have to do the check you recommended... and not hopefully not get run over...haha