Help!--Slipping Tranny--Low Fluid??

[rochey6957]

Car runs and drove great all afternoon friday. i was sitting i the car waiting for pizza (about 15 mins) just had the radio on car off no big deal i thought. go in get the pizza come back start her up. and before i even put it in drive the rpms at idle jump down to less then 500 and shoot up to 1500 and they'd drop and rise again. i shut it off start it up again same thing. at this point i think maybe the idle/throttle cable is a little messed up. pop the hood and look no problems with the cables. so i start it again and now this little light with a gear and a ! is on. I think Transmission light?

so i call up my dad and he said drive around the parking lot and if its OK just come home and we'll look at it. drove around fine in first gear(auto) so i pull out of the parking lot and start going down the road and it slammed into second gear! but i kept going. the car felt so sluggish it felt like it had an anchor tied to it. going up one hill it wouldn't go over 20mph even with my foot on the floor. the weirdest thing was when i stopped at a stop sign the engine just completely stopped! On just flat straight away it would feel ok then it would slow for have a second then catch and start going "normal" again.
My dad and I are going to check Tranny Fluid Level and the connectors today. Could it possible be the tranny computer? or would low fluid do tht? what do you guys think?

Thanks,

[xxxJohnBoyxxx]

I would start with checking the fluid in Lola. Low fluid would do exactly what you decribed

[jca]

There isn't a transmission dipstick. You'll have to put the car on a lift and open the fill plug on the side of the transmission. If fluid comes out, it's full. If not top it off and take it for a test drive. Also note the color and smell of the fluid, and consider changing the fluid and filter. Good luck!

[familytruckster]

actually, that's not quite how the fluid check goes....The trans has to be at a specific temp to check it. like 89*F or so, and in neutral.. Just opening it cold and filling it will overfill it.

I'd check the MAF sensor and the intake boot. Maybe the traction control throttle body.

[rochey6957]

Thanks for the tips on filling the tranny. We didnt check the fluid today unfortunately we got doing to many other projects :/ lol but we did drive it a few miles it started up without the light nd ran great for about a mile or two but when the light came on she started to kick into gear.

What type of fluid should go in? Like is there any specific type/grade to use? What color should it be when I open up the drain hole? Like what color is bad?

Thanks

[jca]

The fluid can have some color, usually, red. If it's dark brown toward black, change it out. Worn out fluid sometimes has a slightly burned smell to it. If in doubt, change the fluid. Same thing goes for the differential. Changing all operating fluids on a regular systematic basis is the most effective thing you can do to lengthen the life of engines, transmissions, differentials, brakes, power steering units and cooling systems. Truckster is correct that the fluid should be warm to measure and/or fill. I've had good luck with Castrol Dextron Type IV synthetic. Power steering unit also takes it. Let us know how it goes.

[rochey6957]

Got the fluid (Dextron III :/ ) Checking it after dinner keep you guys posted

[rochey6957]

Filled the tranny up the other night. It ran great the next day never shifted so good. But the car started being sluggish around 40mph @ 3500-4000 rpms yesterday and now tonight I had to accelerate quick from a stop and it felt like it slipped every other revolution of the transmission. If that makes sense? But its being really weird and accelerating in third gear takes forever! Going from 40 to 60 mph takes half a mile to a mile. At this time there is now difference in acceleration if I have the pedal half way down or WOT. ugh this is frustrating because the fluid got topped off and if the tranny is bad tut would totally suck any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

[rochey6957]

well it jus kept getting worse from the other day and over the weekend my dad and I swapped in another auto tranny. We filled it all the way up with new fluid, and put a filter and gaskets on. Fired it back up and the little gear light thing was still on in the instrument cluster. We drove it a couple miles to circulate all the fluid hoping it would go away then but it didnt. It still kinda jerks in and out of first gear and it just crawls up hills. We might have over filled it or underfilled so were going to check that tonight hopefully. Could it be the computer that controlls the shifts that is causeing this problem?

[familytruckster]

Yup, could be the trans computer, or another sensor causing the problem.

[rochey6957]

Where is the trans computer located? Is it one of the two behind the battery or is it under the glove box?what other sensors could it be?

[rochey6957]

ok well we checked the fluid again and it was a little low. So, we topped it off and went for a drive. The gear light was still on and it still kept shifting funny. It seems like it skips second gear most of the time and goes straight to third. But if you put it in manual mode and go through each gear its fine. Its looking more and more like a sensor or the control unit...

[jca]

Sorry about your continuing tranny troubles. Where did you find the replacement?

[rochey6957]

The replacment was left over from when we swapped motor and tranny in my Dad's 318I when the headgasket went on the original motor

[jca]

That's neat, you and your dad working on the cars together.