Not good news.

Went to AAMCO and watched as they dropped the pan. We all sighed in hooror when we saw a full thimbal sized amount of metal pieces. Most of the pieces were like small BB sized.

They (AAMCO) wouldn't put in a new filter, rather, they cleaned off the pan and put it back on--then added some 4'ish quarts to refill again. We put the car up on a lift and had a guy go through the gears while we both listened below. I can't say I heard anything scarey--to me. But the mechanic seemed convinced that the issue may be the planetary gears. What noise he did hear was more poronounced in 1st gear and then gradually quieter and quieter as the tranny was put into 3rd.

Next came the reccommendation.

$1250 for planetary fix, 2500 for complete rebuild. :banghead:


Issues....2 times in 1 month, there has been a hesitation to go into gear for a second or two--from a complete stop. The mechanic even said--as do I, that it shifts beautifuly--when driving.

Fuel economy today after a good 150mi trip was 28.2! WooHoo.

So, now I don't know what to do. Drive it?

For sure I want to get the car to someone that will change the filter---quick! After that, What do I do??????:crying:

Not good news.

Went to AAMCO and watched as they dropped the pan. We all sighed in hooror when we saw a full thimbal sized amount of metal pieces. Most of the pieces were like small BB sized.

They (AAMCO) wouldn't put in a new filter, rather, they cleaned off the pan and put it back on--then added some 4'ish quarts to refill again. We put the car up on a lift and had a guy go through the gears while we both listened below. I can't say I heard anything scarey--to me. But the mechanic seemed convinced that the issue may be the planetary gears. What noise he did hear was more poronounced in 1st gear and then gradually quieter and quieter as the tranny was put into 3rd.

Next came the reccommendation.

$1250 for planetary fix, 2500 for complete rebuild. :banghead:


Issues....2 times in 1 month, there has been a hesitation to go into gear for a second or two--from a complete stop. The mechanic even said--as do I, that it shifts beautifuly--when driving.

Fuel economy today after a good 150mi trip was 28.2! WooHoo.

So, now I don't know what to do. Drive it?

For sure I want to get the car to someone that will change the filter---quick! After that, What do I do??????:crying:


Save yourself some $$$ and go find a reputable tranny shop other than AAMCO. They are always much more expensive than the "little" shops and are always pushing their nationwide warranty that you'll have to pull teeth to use anyways. However, I do know that engine & tranny R/R is very labor intensive on the 3.5L Intrigues.

If it works don't fix it. Trany shops are the biggest scammers. Repeat if it works leave it alone. Oh yaw why didn't the moron change or clean the filter while the pan was off. as suggested go to another shop have then change your tranny filter and enjoy the car. later

Don't trust AAMCO. They love to use scare tactics. They tried their crap with me when they pulled the pan on my '99' and showed me the sediment. Tried their best to convince me to let the car there so they could tear it apart. Couldn't quote me an exact price but it would have been at least $1500! Had to almost fight with the manager to get the car out of there - never again.

I'll agree that metal in the pan isn't something you want to see but I would change out the filter and see what happens. If your still worried about it I would take it to a trusted local tranny shop.

I agree with everything else said, and some material in the bottom of the pan is normal, but it sounds like you might have a little extra.

Also, just something I noticed while reading, I am almost positive the owner's manual states that after a fluid and filter change it takes just over 7qts to fill the system properly. but I could be mistaken, id definetely check your fluid level though if they only put in 4qts. Check it with the engine running.

TSB---030730017

Unfortunetly, there is a TSB that describes my issue. I guess the two times I had issues in the three weeks I've owned the car, both have been noticed.

Once the car was fully warm, I put gearshift into R and it sat there. A little more gas and the tranny kicked in. At the line for fast food, I went to pull ahead and the car just sat there till i applied more throttle.

Both of which point to the sun-something or the planetary gear failing.

I sure wish I had alldata so that i could read the above TSB and post it...

usually the OD (overdrive) falls apart and not 1st, 2nd, or 3rd.

-the mileage for the OD failing is about right however 30k-50k (you are one of the last of these types of failures)

Check with GM and find out what the warranty is on your car.-you may get lucky with a 5yr/60,000 warranty.

The BB metal pieces don't make sense = your tranny shop maybe scamming you.

If you bought this car from a dealer check your state's lemon laws and demand that they take it back or pay to have it fixed.

I agree with everything else said, and some material in the bottom of the pan is normal, but it sounds like you might have a little extra.

Also, just something I noticed while reading, I am almost positive the owner's manual states that after a fluid and filter change it takes just over 7qts to fill the system properly. but I could be mistaken, id definetely check your fluid level though if they only put in 4qts. Check it with the engine running.

It is 7.4 quarts to be exact with a fluid and filter change (just dropping the pan). IMO it's not worth the effort to get the remaining 2.6 quarts out of the torque converter either.

My first advice is never trust the word of a guy that's trying his best to make money from you. This guy deals with a pile of people everyday, and is assuming that you have no idea about your car. He'll soak you for everything he can get from you.

IMO....Start with the simple stuff.

Metal in your pan is not a good thing, but not uncommon. After 49k+, you can expect metal there. If this happened to be the first flush...I wouldn't even worry about it.

Run your car until it's hot (normal running temperature), park it on a flat surface and check the fluid.
If it is low...add a bottle of "Trans-Medic". You should be able to find a bottle of it anywhere that sells auto parts or fluids. The stuff works. I use it in every AT I have. It takes a little while to work, but it does work. It makes for smoother shifts and smoother operation. Then top up with Tranny fluid.

If the fluid level is full...have another flush done...make sure the new filter and gasket goes in and add the bottle of Trans-Medic then.

Start there and then work your way up to having to find a replacement AT or a rebuild. Sometimes the smaller stuff is the key. Until then....
Drive 'er likes it's stolen :)