Tranny issues

Not sure if these two things are related but it I think it all started about a month and half ago when my MPG somehow dropped to 15 from 19.

Anyways, the other day what happens is my car seems like it is not shifting out of first, thus when anywhere over 30 the RPM's shoot up everytime you accelerate. The engine light came on and I took it to the shop, 3 codes came up and they said I needed a new PCM computer, 630 bucks total to put it in. That fixed 2 of errors, but for the other one said I need to take it to a dealer to do a tps relearn(torque something, can't remember what it stands for).

My question is does this sound reasonable, I have basically the same symptoms now than I did before, only this time the engine light used to come on a little bit after the car started, but this time it only comes on I'm guessing when the car is supposed to shift out of 1st.


I just want to make sure I'm not getting screwed here(new mechanic, have to see if they're trustworthy)

Anyways, I have to take it to a dealer and have them do it, but the only place around here that will fix a northstar engine can't fit me in for another week.

Is it ok for me to drive the car during that time? When I drive, I never let my RPMs get higher than 2500,(30 mph right now w/ my problems), that seems to work because the SE light doesn't come on during drives of around 15 minutes or so. I want to know if I'm only ruining my transmission my driving it(I know it can't be good, but can it be bad?) or should I find other transportation?(which will be very hard)

There's a lot of questions in there guys, whichever ones you answer I'll be grateful for.

if you keep the RPMs like yu said you should be ok to drive it.

What were the codes and what is the code that you still have?

PCMs don't burn out too often - if the same symptoms remain then the 2 codes now gone may have been old codes that the PCM had simply stored - you may not have needed a new PCM

What year Aurora and how many miles?

I have a problem along the same line - my 95 won't shift, rpms go up - I am told the shift solenoid is broke.
What causes the shift solenoid to "break" in the 95 Olds Aurora? Does driving with low transmission fluid level have any effect on it? I had my radiator replaced and transmission fluid changed on mine 8 days ago. Since then the car has made a "whine" when accelerating. 2 days later the car won't shift while driving. I checked the transmission fluid level and it was over a quart low and "foamed" when hot. The mechanic now wants to charge me another $200-$300 to repair the selonoid. Is it just coincidence that it was fine before he changed the ATF?

Well I'm very certain that these codes have never shown up before, because I know the person I bought the car from and if any thing like that came up he would of had it fixed asap.

Also, I too had my transmission fluid replaced, I heard that it can hurt your transmission if you're car is older but I didn't think anything of it, I figured I should change it.

I don't think the mechanic is trying to screw me or anything, because I'm guessing replacing a solenoid would be a lot more benefitial to them than popping in a computer. I guess I'm just gonna have to wait and see after I take it to the dealer.

As far as the codes go, I do not remember all three of them, but I remember looking at the sheet and 2 of them had solenoid in them, but those are the two if I am not mistaken that have gone away. The one that is still there is something about torque, maybe 'torque converter'.

Maybe that will help you, I don't know a lot about cars, but when something goes wrong I try to figure out all the who whats where's and why's, so I'm slowly learning.

your mech may of broke those, I know this for a fact cause I once did it too.

sbronzell,
You say the rpms "shoot up" when you accelerate. Do they rise as the car speeds up or will they go up faster than the car accelerates? Is it possable that the tranny is slipping is what I'm getting at.
Have the codes read again. I don't see what year your car is. Usually 95 and 96 have the solenoid issues. Get them read and post back with what you find.

your mech may of broke those, I know this for a fact cause I once did it too.
I picked it up from the mechanic yesterday. He charged me 4 hours of labor. He said that it was nothing he had done and that the fact that he had underfilled the ATF would not have affected anything. It is still making a slight "whine" when accelerating but he said that is normal. I still don't understand how the solenoid just "breaks" especially when it was fine b4 changing the ATF and installing 2 radiators.

I purchased this '95 4 years ago and have 120,000 miles on it - I guess I will just have to live with spending a little money on repairs.

If anyone can tell me why these solenoids break I'd appreciate the info.

There is an update kit to fix the breaking problem. It has a metal bracket w/longer bolt that holds the end of the solenoids and filter in place, two solenoids, and a new filter.
Debris can collect in the filter, putting pressure on the solenoids causing failure. Changing radiators and fluid may have sent "stuff" moving around to cause extra pressure. Consider your self fortunate that your mechanic did the job for a reasonable price. I was qouted up to $800 to do the job. That's why I found the info and did it myself fo less than $100.

The car isn't shifting out of 1st it seems, 1-25 mpg are normal, but 30-35 rpms are 2500, anything higher than that and rpms are 3000+.

They said it was the computer b/c there was 3 different codees that came up, and by replacing the computer apparently that fixed 2 of the codes, but one is still there and they say they have to do a tps relearn to fix that problem(which is the main thing thats wrong with it).

Basically what is different after changing the computer is that the light doesn't come on right away anymore. It only comes on when I top 2500 rpms(or when it's supposed to shift out of 1st).

The car drives a little better also, but not much after changing the PCM computer.

My car is a 95 so I can't get the codes scanned again without shelling out 50 bucks. I'll say the codes again the best I remember them. 1. and 2. were something along the lines of Solenoid A, and then Solenoid B. and then the third was something about the torque converter. The 1st and 2nd went away, while the 3rd is still there.

There is an update kit to fix the breaking problem. It has a metal bracket w/longer bolt that holds the end of the solenoids and filter in place, two solenoids, and a new filter.
Debris can collect in the filter, putting pressure on the solenoids causing failure. Changing radiators and fluid may have sent "stuff" moving around to cause extra pressure. Consider your self fortunate that your mechanic did the job for a reasonable price. I was qouted up to $800 to do the job. That's why I found the info and did it myself fo less than $100.

Thanks for the explanation. I just wanted to make sure that underfilling the ATF wasn't the cause. Since I requested the radiator and ATF change - it really just "happened".

Does anybody else have a "thunking" noise when turning corners? It started about 2 1/2 years ago only when I turned left (I think) now it does it on every turn. I have had the sway bars replaced and many other items (too numerous to remember) and it still does it. Nobody can find anything wrong with it. I have drove it like this for approx. 2 1/2 years - I guess it might be time to sell before something else happens.