Car stopped moving

[GasSavers_JoeBob]

Originally Posted by *************

since the geos really have no business with being coupled to an automatic transmission, if this doesn't give you enough of an incentive to swap to manual, I don't know what will. You could even do a guide on it! Just find a really messed up M/T geo and swap out the parts you need, note what parts that you needed and then post the guide up for all to see.

Nope, it was the Cad. I don't think there is a manual swap available for it (although that might be fun...)

Were it the Geo, I would certainly now be getting the M/T stuff together...it would be the perfect excuse to swap out trannies.

Anyway, I did a little playing this evening...the fluid level still drops down with the engine running...flexplate, torque converter, pump and valve body seem to be in good shape. In gear, there is a quiet ticking sound, in neutral and park no unusual sounds.

[Jay2TheRescue]

None of my transmissions that failed made objectionable noises. They just suddenly stop working. When the transmission failed in Rusty I was moving about 40 MPH, and all of a sudden it failed. I knew it was gone. One of my sisters lived about 2 miles down that road so I downshifted to 1st, and revved the engine to about 3,000 RPM to just maintain my momentum. I made it to my sister's house. When it went in my Buick I was at 7-11 five miles from home. I pulled it down to first, laid into the throttle, opened the door, and started pushing to get it going. I did make it home.

[GasSavers_JoeBob]

I pay the big bucks every year for Auto Club Plus, with 100 mile towing. Comes in pretty handy. And I had just been bragging the day before that I hadn't had to use it all 2009.

This was the first time I had a transmission fail and have no action whatsoever. Usually I've been able to limp a car home in 1st or 2nd gear.

[VetteOwner]

our chevy capreeces went out. it started reverse went out so u had to park where u could pull thru.

it would go in reverse if you put in in reverse and reved the engine, sometimes it would slam into reverse.

then drive went out and it was dead in the water. nothing made it go into any gear anymore

[GasSavers_Erik]

I believe that there is a wide drive chain (looks similar to a 2-3 inch wide timing chain) in older FWD GM auto transmisisons. Maybe that has broken or the sprocket teeth have stripped. Any metal chunks in the pan?

[Jay2TheRescue]

That may be something to investigate, sounds pretty straight forward provided that is the case.

[GasSavers_JoeBob]

That's a thought...it'll have to wait for the weekend, when I have time and the weather is supposed to be better (rained here today, an inch of snow at work).

[bobc455]

I destroyed my planetary once in my Buick, had the same symptoms.

Of course most failures like you describe are something much simpler - a check ball that fell out of place (allowing the hydraulic pressure to leak where it wasn't supposed to), a blown band or clutch pack, etc.

I'm assuming you looked at the linkage.

I don't think it is the flex plate either, that's not a common failure on automatic-tranny cars (unless you were racing the car at 7000 RPM or something).

-Bob C.

[GasSavers_JoeBob]

Yep, checked the linkage, checked the fluid, did everything I could think of. Looks like I'll be visiting some junkyards for a replacement transmission soon. That will probably come after I get the Windstar going, which shouldn't be too much of a problem, if I am lucky. Then the Cad will probably become semi-retired...the "State Occasion" car.

[GasSavers_Erik]

http://www.car-part.com

A great time saver when looking for specific junkyard parts.