99 Cavalier Transmission Problem

I bought my 16 yr old daughter a very base model 99 Cavalier (2.2L w/ 3 speed automatic). The tranny was slipping so I had a local tranny shop look at it and they wanted $1200 to remove & rebuild it. I only paid $600 for the car so I went to a local junk yard and bought one for $100 out of a wrecked car. Removed the old one, flushed out the cooler and lines, installed the new one, topped off the fluid and now it will not shift out of first gear. The transmisison came with its original torque converter and the fluid in them both looked very clean.

I have looked thru previous posts but could not find anything specific to this other than replacing a Transmission Control Solenoid for a not very similiar issue. I was wondering if the wreck may have damaged something internal to the tranny. I did not see the car at the junk yard so I don't know the extent or direction of the wreck. There was no physical damage to the outside of the new tranny.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

Steve

It is possible that something was damaged from impact. That may be hard parts or valve body parts, including the wiring harness for the valve body. Unfortunately, accessing the valve body with the trans in the vehicle is all but impossible.

You can help to diagnose the problem by measuring solenoid coil resistances and sensor inputs through the wire harness or at the trans electrical connector.