Tranny beginning to slip?? engine great but coming up on 140k miles...
time to get them rebuilt or is it even worth the money..
need a professional opinion. and maybe a super rough estimate on how much im lookin at if anyone here is a mechanic. if not its kewl

honestly im not sure the transmition is going bad or not its been like this over 6 months i havent figured it out yet. if i drive for like 45min consecutively eventualy when i come to a stoplight or sign 1st gear likes to slightly jumps and will continue to do so at each stop. but.......if i turn the car off and on it doesnt slip at all for a long awhile again. makes no sence to me anyone ran across this. i went to autozone and had them plug it in and they gave me a big list of things it could be.

thx for your time. - Rob

 

Did you put any tranny treatment in the tranny like Lucas? That can cause those symptoms too. Never put anything in your tranny unless it's tranny fluid! I'd drop the pan and change the filter, gasket, and fluid. When the pan is off you can see if there's alot of stuff stuck to the magnet, and any other nasties at the bottom of the pan. Rebuilding a tranny is anywhere between $1500.00 to $3000.00 depending where you go. A good used one might be a better direction to go in, but I wouldn't do anything until I've dropped the pan. Is your engine throwing any codes?

 

so you had it scaned at autozone? if so what codes came up? like freze is sayin it may just need a oil and filter change.

 

I have similar issues with my gf's 2000 3800 Auto Tranny. She had a new transmission put in probably 20,000 miles ago. It is slipping around 3rd gear when cruising at around 40 mph. It just bumps back and forth. It makes me cringe knowing the damage it is causing to the clutch plates! In my Acura TL i had the same slippage and I flushed my fluid and put in Redline Racing ATF (Type F) and changed the pressure switches and it runs like a dream.

What type of ATF do these cars use? Also, does anyone have experience with using a Type F fluid with no friction modifiers? Even though the Acura calls for a high friction modified fluid, it works well and leads to a solid shift and virtually NO wear. The clutches don't slip together, they just lock up. And because the torque converter lets off during shifts, it doesn't cause harsh driving characteristics.

Here is the Type F Red Line Synthetic Oil - Automatic Transmission Fluids - Racing ATF (Type F)

 

may be the converter locking and unlocking.

 

What was cause or fix that?

Let me clarify, I read the OP again and my problems are different. It is more of a slipping around 3rd or 4th at cruising speeds around 40-45 mph.

 

converter will usually lock about 45mph in third or 4th. if the tps or speed sensors are messin up it can cause the converter to ingage on and off. i think a low fluid level can do it to.

 

I am having the same issue with my transmission. I was getting the p1870 code which means the valve body is going. You should have tge car checked for codes

 

This would make perfect sense. See, it is my GF's car and I just replaced her spark plugs for the first time at 143,000 miles. The engine runs like a dream now. As a result it was easier to identify other problems. I drove it one time and it was very noticeable. It was definitely engaging on and off. I was thinking it was slipping, but it should not be slipping that terribly with the torque converter engaged on a pretty new tranny.

She is a few hours away, so I am getting her to go by Autozone and get them to check her ATF level. In order for her to do this, can you confirm to me the location and fill method of the ATF? Isn't there a dip stick in the rear passenger side of the engine compartment? Don't you add ATF through the dip stick tube? Is the correct fluid DEX/MERC?

 

I had her get the ATF level checked at Autozone. They reported that it was full so low fluid is not the issue. She also told me that it is slipping going slow uphill like in a parking garage. So, it slips basically in all struggling situations where your going uphill or cruising just slow enough to be b/w 3rd and 4th.

The check engine light is not one so I guess the transmission isn't throwing any codes, correct? Anyway, my next step is do to a drain and fill with Maxlife and see if that helps. If it doesn't then I will throw in some Redline Type F to reduce slipperiness. Hope that fixes it.

I'm just a little bewildered b/c she just had the AT replaced (maybe rebuilt) 20k miles ago. Am I missing something here?