1998 SL1 trans problem

The problem is the when it is cool out, 20-50 degrees F, my car does not want to shift into gear, it simply will not move unless I let the car sit and run for 10-15 minutes, after it warms up it shifts with no problem. When it is a little warmer out it only needs to warm up for a minute or two. I took the car to my local shop and ran it on the computer, the crank position sensor came up as bad, after it was replaced the problem still remains. You can reply here or email me at [email protected].

are we talking about a automatic or manual? also the crank sensor will not cause the problem and unless you were getting a service engine light, you didnt need to replace it. that sensor will let you know when its bad, car wont start or will shut off going down the road. that one sensor there is basically what the car needs to run at all, otherwise you get no spark and no fuel pulse.

It is a SOHC automatic transmission.

have you ever flushed the transmission and replaced the filter?

Not yet, my local shop told me I should just pay them about $2000 to pull the trans and rebuild it, but I think they are jerking me around, do you think fliud and filter change may help? Does old trans fluid get sludgy when it gets cold? Or am I jumping to conclusions?

well the fluid doesnt lubricate well when cold till it warms up a bit, thats why they have lower grades of oil for winter. but for transmission they dont get any viscosity grades, unless you have a manual transmission that uses gear oil. but over time automatics develop sludge which can mess up internals especially valve bodies. an automatic should always have the fluid changed ever 30,000 miles along with the filter. flushing is another thing. it can be a great thing, unless the transmission has been neglected for a long time. i would definitely say go ahead with the flush and filter change, and if your transmission starts to shift hard or weird then it was going to happen anyways. now some places will use a chemical flush, typically the one that does damage to severly neglected transmissions, and some might use a normal flush. i have even done a new transmission fluid flush, where you use the fluid to flush the system.

now if you seem afraid to flush it, dont be. if a problem arises after the flush then it was going to happen. but spend the like $70 or whatever it is to flush it and the filter is like a $7 item and luckily on saturns, its external and is pretty much an oil filter. its on the front of the transmission. also i really dont trust the guys you go to for advice. they seem like they are jumping to the worst possible thing instead of thinking what might be the problem and help you. i use to work at a shop at took pride in our work and backed up our work, so i dont just jump right into what makes me money and not help a customer. i want the customer happy instead of having loads of money from a repair and lose a customer.

sounds as if the valve body needs to be replaced.
We do quite a few of thm here for that type of problem. try changing the external filter and flush trans first see if it helps if not I'd look at the valve body