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Trust My Mechanic

Your Free Car Repair Advice and Auto Repair Help

Automatic Transmission Problems

Austin Davis, July 15, 2008September 30, 2014

Dear Austin
I have a problem that has remain unsolved since I bought my car. I noticed barely a month after purchase that sometime if I start the car and put it on drive (D) It will respond as if it wants to move & move small but will not until I shift the gear to L. It will then move and as I am driving I will push it back to D. At first this use to happened once in a while.

But recently this problem have persit that now I can’t move the car when it’s park with D, except L and during this period the gear will not select, it will be driving with only the same gear I use to move.

I had gone to two gear mechanic and I was advised to change my gear in which I did, but still the problem continue with the new gear. The funniest thing now is that each time it happens and I go to the mechanic, on the way it will start selecting.

Sometimes when I parked and ask the mechanic to come and check the vehicle it will move with D and select normal. Since Monday it has been OK and selecting well, and I wanted to travel on Saturday, after buying things for my journey, and about to travel, the problem started and has not been working well uptill this moment

Please advise me on what the problem is and the likely solution

Best Regards

Ime

 

Hi there Ime,

I am not a transmission mechanic….but I highly suggest you take the vehicle to one, not just a regular mechanic, but an automatic transmission shop and let them look at it.

To me, and from your email it sounds like you could have a linkage problem and the shifter inside the vehicle is not moving the internal parts of the transmission properly when you select the DRIVE selection. Or this could be the first sign of internal transmission wear….and a transmission overhaul could be what is needed to repair it.

Usually, the first sign of internal transmission trouble is a hesitation when selecting drive or reverse from park, or no response from one of the gears…like no reverse at all, or very limited movement in reverse.

The transmission mechanic can sometimes smell your transmission oil and determine if excessive internal wear and damage has occurred. With a high mileage 13 year old used car…I would not be too surprised if a transmission overhaul was not needed.

I would not do anything else to this vehicle until you get a qualified transmission mechanic to look at it. Changing transmission fluid and filter, or adding some kind of additive to the fluid could just make the problem worse.

Blessings,

Tags: automatic transmission, automatic transmission overhaul, rebuilt transmission, transmission mechanic, transmission repair

Austin Davis

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