Hi All,
My girlfriend has an 03 SXT automatic with about 120,xxx miles on it and her transmission "died" on Monday morning. She called me saying that her tach was "fluttering" and that it felt like the car was going "in and out" of gear (she couldn't stay at a constant speed anywhere above ~40 mph). I had her pull over, I called for a AAA tow and met her where she pulled over. Sure enough the car would go into gear (drive or reverse) for a few seconds then wouldn't do anything at all, just felt like it was stuck in neutral. Tow truck driver took it to his shop (supposedly AAA supported shop) and called today saying that the tranny is "not looking good" and would need replacement.

I have read numerous posts here about trans issues stemming from the speed sensors or solenoid pack and wanted to see if I should have the shop try replacing either of those before the entire trans? She is a grad student and I am a recent graduate so needless to say money is tight. Any input or suggestion would be of great help.

Also I left a message asking the shop to pull any codes from the computer and call me with them, so I will post them as soon as they are available.

Thank you in advance,
-Mike

 

Before we guess at the cause, as there are tons with the electronic, automatic transmissions...what exactly is it that "doesn't look good?" I'd take a stab and say coolant mixed with ATF in the transmission, but shops like to exaggerate.

 

yes the very common trans cooler failure... it's in the bottom of the radiator...the OEM model is the one with the problem, should have been a recall... when it goes, the trans fluid mixes with the coolant... and coolant in the trans will kill it

REplacement radiators don't have the problem