(Home) Transmission problem

hi i was wondering if anyone could throw some light on a small problem i have with my 14 year old townace.
on a long trip that my family and i took on the weekend my townace started slipping out of gear revs would go mad and we had to stop a few times on the way home. next day hubby filled the transmisson oil up and she went perfect for the rest of the day, however the next day she started behaving very wierd,,,, when i start her up and set off she wont change gear untill she has warmed up after about 5 mins she kicks into gear and theres no problem untill i have to stop and leave her for half an hour and then i restart her and the problem comes back, anyone who can help on the matter please feel free to email me. thanks tracy

- (#11706) tracy, 23 Jun 04 08:00

It sounds like you need to get the ATF changed. If its thick and brown, then its had it. I had mine changed last year by an automatic specialist in Bournemouth and it cost £80. A specialist should also be able to tell you if there is any ware in the box as well.

- (#11706) dave Bright (Bournemouth), 23 Jun 04 09:12

Tracy. It does sound as if the transmission fluid level is low or, the fluid is in need of changing. There is an internal pump in the gearbox and the symptoms indicate that this pump might be starved of oil. Have you seen any odd leaks at all? If yours is a 4WD, there is a transmission oil cooler built into the radiator and, sometimes, the hose clip joints, on this radiator, can leak.
As Dave says, a specialist is the best bet, however, it's not too difficult to partially drain the old oil, take the drain pan off the bottom of the gearbox, clean the filter mesh and take the particles off the two magnets situated in this pan.
If you drain as much fluid as possible (it is impossible to get all the fluid out of the torque converter) and bring the level up with new fluid, you should see a difference. After running for a week or so, it would pay to do another drain and then top up again with new fluid. In this way, you will get a good volume of new ATF circulating through the system.
If the problems do persist, unfortunately, it is a job for a specialist to examine and test the gearbox.
If you are not aware of it, re-filling the gearbox is through the dipstick/filler tube. A slow process which requires a piece of clear plastic tube and a funnel.

- (#11706) John Davis (Leics), 23 Jun 04 09:44