Transmission Woes

The Mrs. drove across town to church the other day without significant issues. She came out about an hour later, started the vehicle, put it into gear and just sat there. I was out of town at the time but later that day I went over and did a quick scan of obvious issues. With nothing jumping out as wrong, I sighed and came to the realization that my transmission likely finally bit the bullet.

It's been a good transmission. It lasted under close to 100k miles under my ownership with another 70k under someone else's. Lately however I had evidence that it may have needed some hospice care. Shifting from 1-2 was becoming harder and harder. It wouldn't shift under any type of load. You'd have to let up on the gas in order for it to shift, let it shift, then press the gas again. It wasn't a huge deal, just a hassle. It seemed like 2-3 was also starting to get infected with what ever 1-2 had caught, but that could have just been our imagination.

If it was summer, I might be tempted to save a few bucks (hey, I'm cheap/poor) and do it swap myself. But it's not summer. It's winter. We just got a few inches of snow and the HIGH was -5. Factor in 20MPH winds and it felt even colder. I shopped around a little and found a reputable transmission shop to take it to. Free towing (while it's covered under insurance, free is always good) plus there was a $50 coupon off a rebuilt transmission. Dropped off the keys, told them where the van was, and said fix it and do the rear main seal while they were in there. $1350 and a few days and I should get back my van tomorrow.

I called today to see how things were going since I hadn't heard from them. They reported that the planetary gear was broken. I wonder which actual gear it was since the planetary is a series of gears. But how common is that for transmissions to fail that way? According to my wife there was no signs of impending doom for the ill-fated gear nor was there any griding or other tell-tale noises after the fact.

Anyways. Hopefully along with a completely rebuilt transmission the 1-2 shift problems go away. If they don't, at least we have the good news that it isn't the transmission... I really wished I could spend the $1350 on something a little more fun then a transmission though...

Hi Chris,

This is not a happy account in the life of your van. However, take some solace in the fact that a similar repair this side of the 49 parallel is upwards of $2000.

I found this link tonight while trying to get my head around how the planetary set functioned. In a conventional trans it's a little easier to follow, but when the differential and the trans are folded up in the same housing it gets a little wonky trying to figure out all the rotating stuff.

This link helps to put it in perspective I think...http://www.thrashercharged.com/tech_htm/differential.shtm

My guess is that there are actually two planetary sets, an input set and a final drive set, the final drive set being attached to the differential.

If there is breakage, I would imagine it is in the inner gear sets, not the ring. The reason is that the engine torque is generally applied from the inside out.

Seems that I have read somewhere that the input shaft to the planetary is hardened aluminum, but I may be wrong on this point.

We probably have a Tech floating around out there who can correct some of what I have written hear (fine by me).

Hope that you get your van back in better shape than when you handed them the keys….I hate doing stuff like that if I can’t keep an eye on the work being done.

And yes, a vacation south to a warmer climate might be better use for 1300+ green bucks too…

Thanks for the link. I knew the basic concepts on how the planetary gear works, but the pictures helped clarify how things might look inside. When I pick up the vehicle I'll see if I can get more information as to what exactly broke. Final price was actually $1150 for the transmission and labor, plus I opted for the 2 year warranty for an additional $200. Hopefully I'll be getting rid of the van within 2 years, but who knows.

hey guys if you have a montana pawn it off NOW!!!what a piece of crap,its only a matter of time before the tranny goes out.

hope you get rid of it soon!

...Thanks for the link....


What was the final outcome and did you get a chance to look at the damaged parts that were replaced?

Here is another explanation of how an automatic transmission works, especially the planetary gear. Warning: this website is addictive if you have an "inquiring mind":

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/automatic-transmission.htm

....Here is another explanation of how an automatic transmission works, especially the planetary gear. Warning: this website is addictive if you have an "inquiring mind".....

Thanks for sharing this one. Addictive yes!

A trusted Tech who fixed the problems with my 1978 Dodge with lock-up torque converter (I later sued Chrysler over it in 1979/80 and won, BTW!) once told me that automatics were no more complicated than standard transmissions.

As I watched him take it apart one Saturday morning and clean everything up, - noting the wear points and parts that should be replaced, I had to conclude that although it was much bigger with a lot of springs, solenoids, bands and check balls that a standard doesn't have, it really wasn't that complicated.

The key to working on a automatic transmission (like many backyard projects) was cleanliness and enough space to lay everything out so it all went back inside (the old, 'I left 4 parts out and it still worked' thing doesn't apply to automatic transmissions I don't think!).:nono:

What was the final outcome and did you get a chance to look at the damaged parts that were replaced?No. I didn't get a chance to look at the damaged part. I picked it up on my lunch and didn't have much time to inquire if I could even see it. I knew my tranny was sick and needed to be replaced. It didn't matter much to me whether it was a planetary gear that had shattered into a million pieces or just a general overhaul. It all costs the same for a rebuilt transmission.