I don't know what is wrong with my car. It seem like when it is shifting out of gears 2 and 4 sometimes the speedometer goes wacky and the car sometimes jerks. I thought it was just a loose cable or something, but then the check engine light came on this week and now it is doing the wacky thing more often. It is really worrying me, because I do not have the funds to fix it. I'm afraid that if I take it to a mechanic that they will say it will cost a lot. It is like putting off going to a doctor when you know there's something bad wrong... Anyways, it is at the point where I need to do something to fix it. The codes for the check engine light were something about Speed 2 Ratio Sensor and a couple others. The guy at Autozone said that they were all transmission codes.

Why is my car doing this to me, how do I fix it myself, and is there a cost effective way to do it?

Update from Jun 20, 2010: Car is finally fixed. My boyfriend replaced the input and output speed sensors. One of them was a real pain to get to and he had to take out the battery and the air box thing and remove 2 transmission lines, but he got it fixed! It cost less than $60 for the 2 sensors and the wrench to take them out.

This is part 4 of the on going series regarding my transmission.

A week passes and I get the call. They say they have found the problem. "It's definitely the computer... it needs to be replaced." At this point I'm emotionally numb. I say,"Whatever, call me when it is finished"

Meanwhile I contemplate what will happen if they do fix it. Will I get my money back from the other 2 FAILED repairs? Will they refuse to refund me? Will I have to sue?

Another week passes and I get the call. I expect to hear the same old "Mr. Peters we have your car ready" line, but that is not the case this time. The receptionist says, "Umm... we don't know what is wrong with it. We installed the new computer, the mechanic drove it around to see if the problem came up again and, sure enough, it did. We will just have to try something else."

I immediately burst into uncontrollable laughter.

The saga continues....

This is part 2 of the now 4 part series regarding my transmission.

As stated in Part 1, the neon would not shift out of second gear. I then stopped the car, waited 10 seconds, and started it again. This reset... something and allowed me to drive it back to the dealership using all the gears.

I arrive back in Ohio County and they, once again, take a look at the car. This time they said, "Oh, well it must be the wire harness... yeh that sounds right" (as they spit tobacco in a nearby trash can). They quote me at $1300 for the repair and I tell them to F*#( off. Then they say, oh well, we'll waive the labor cost. Then it will just be $700. I say, whatever, just so long as it is fixed.

1 week later, they finish and I pick up the neon. On my way home, not 20 minutes after picking it up from being repaired, DING! DING! The check engine light is on again.

The saga continues.....

Alright, this is part 1 of the now 4 part series regarding my transmission.

Part 1

It all started one day when I noticed the automatic transmission in my neon began shifting roughly and the check engine light read codes: P0700 and Speed Sensor failure. I bought the car new from a dealership in backwoods Ohio County, KY (biggest mistake ever!). Eventhough I now live an hour away, I decided to take it in to the dealership in Ohio County to get it repaired in hopes of honoring any sort of warranty. They looked at it and said "Oh well, we'll just replace those sensors since that is what the computer is telling us". During the process they claim that another check engine code popped up and indicated that the engine crank sensor also needed to be replaced. Total $350

Two weeks later I'm driving down the road and ding! ding! the check engine light comes on again and, whoops, the car won't shift out of 2nd gear!!

The saga continues...