The first thing I noticed was the speedometer not working. Then the "check engine" light came on. Once I got up to any significant speed, I noticed that it wasn't shifting. So I manually dropped it from "D" to "3" and then to "L" and then back up to D. No change. I'm thinking "this is bad". I am roughly 1700 miles away from home, this is no time to buy a new transmission.
Well, as luck would have it, I was within 10 miles of a local transmission shop. Now, I really hate dealing with mechanics. So, the though of dealing with Jimmy Joe at the local garage and not a known reputable national chain was a bit more than troubling. So I drove the entire 10 miles in first gear, engine screamin' along at 3000 RPM. (I have no idea how fast I was going) He was very receptive to my concerns and told me that it was probably just a sensor and he kept them on stock. "Happens all the time" he says. I'm still thinking "great, this guy is going to give me a $30 part, send me on my way, just to have to turn around again and come see him in a couple of days." Well it seems to have fixed the problem.
I asked for the technical stuff about the fix. If the speedometer is out then the transmission doesn't know how fast the car is going. If you don't know how fast you are going it is difficult to know when to shift. Two sensors, one hour in the shop, and $175 later, and I was back on the road. I got to say though, this gives me more incentive to flush the transmission when I get home. I have never done that, probably about time.
The first thing I noticed was the speedometer not working. Then the "check engine" light came on. Once I got up to any significant speed, I noticed that it wasn't shifting. So I manually dropped it from "D" to "3" and then to "L" and then back up to D. No change. I'm thinking "this is bad". I am roughly 1700 miles away from home, this is no time to buy a new transmission.
Well, as luck would have it, I was within 10 miles of a local transmission shop. Now, I really hate dealing with mechanics. So, the though of dealing with Jimmy Joe at the local garage and not a known reputable national chain was a bit more than troubling. So I drove the entire 10 miles in first gear, engine screamin' along at 3000 RPM. (I have no idea how fast I was going) He was very receptive to my concerns and told me that it was probably just a sensor and he kept them on stock. "Happens all the time" he says. I'm still thinking "great, this guy is going to give me a $30 part, send me on my way, just to have to turn around again and come see him in a couple of days." Well it seems to have fixed the problem.
I asked for the technical stuff about the fix. If the speedometer is out then the transmission doesn't know how fast the car is going. If you don't know how fast you are going it is difficult to know when to shift. Two sensors, one hour in the shop, and $175 later, and I was back on the road. I got to say though, this gives me more incentive to flush the transmission when I get home. I have never done that, probably about time.
- Bob B., Travis AFB, CA, US