93 Talon DL Transmission Problem! :(
MattiK1783
10-21-2007, 07:24 PM
Hey guys.. I did a search but really couldn't find the exact problem I'm having, so maybe someone can help me. I've tried to fix the problem myself without having to post on here, but now I'm facing the fact that I need "professional" help, that's where you guys come in haha :wink:
Anyways, I have a 93 Eagle Talon DL Automatic. A couple of days ago, my car decided it was going to use 3rd gear only (Limp mode), I had no idea what was causing it, but I read up online and found that it quite possibly could be the TCU, so I pulled it out of the car, well, it looked like it had bad caps (No surprise there on an Mitsu TCU) so I went and got another one from a 93 Eclipse, (Same motor, same tranny, and same #'s on the TCU) On the way there, my car decided it wanted to start shifting again, but it was very erratic and I wasn't taking any chances, I went and got the new one and put it in before I left the place. Figuring that the problem would be fixed, I put the car in drive, and now I was completely stuck in 3rd again, so I pulled over, shut it off, and started it again, BINGO, works perfect. Lets skip to the next day, starts shifting erratically again, it seems it can't figure out what gear it wants, and it's jumping from what I think is Limp mode back to normal mode. Doesn't matter what gear I'm in at the time, I could be accelerating in (D) and it would be in 1st gear and it will jump to 3rd, and then back to 1 or 2 and just keep jumping around like that. Or if I'm in Overdrive it'll just intermittently jump between overdrive and 3rd (It really sucks when you're doing 60 and it decides to kick you back to 3rd, you feel like you're gonna go through the windshield! It'll even do it when you're slowing down, just kick back to 3rd when it's even slowing in 2nd or 1st. And I think it even does it at a stop light or a stop sign, I'll just be sitting there but I can feel it kick in and out of whatever gear. But anyway, it seems like it works fine until the car warms up and then it starts acting up, but not always, some days it'll work perfectly fine ALL DAY and shift smooth and everything! It's just mind-racking, and I can't figure it out for the life of me! I've tried contact cleaner on all the connections, and checking out the wires, I don't know where to go next. I've checked the fluid, seems fine to me. One thing I should say though and I'm hoping someone else can check for me, but when the engine is OFF and the key is in the RUN position and the gear selector is in D, 2 or L it'll make a clicking noise from the tranny, like some kind of solenoid is activated, and I KNOW when it's gonna be stuck in limp mode if it DOESN'T make that sound before I leave, 'cause I check now. Can someone check their Talon and see if they have the same result, or the same sound when it's working properly so I know if it's even supposed to be making that sound at ALL? Any help would be greatly appreciated, I've put a lot of money into this car to just throw it all away, and I don't have money for a brand new tranny, I'm pretty sure it's not a mechanical problem though, maybe a valve or a solenoid stuck or maybe even the torque converter, but hopefully someone can narrow it down for me! I've put a starter, battery, water pump, hoses, belts, spark plug wires, Dist Cap and rotor into this car, it runs like a top, it's just one thing after another, I fix one thing, something else breaks! I love the car though, helppppp.. Thanks!
P.S. I tried pulling the TCU codes, and all it has for me is short pulses (Which leads me to believe the TCU is fine, and if it's a problem with a sensor or solenoid or something, it's so intermittent that the TCU thinks it's normal operation) Who knows.. Just figured I'd add that to try to rule out the new TCU.
~Matti
Anyways, I have a 93 Eagle Talon DL Automatic. A couple of days ago, my car decided it was going to use 3rd gear only (Limp mode), I had no idea what was causing it, but I read up online and found that it quite possibly could be the TCU, so I pulled it out of the car, well, it looked like it had bad caps (No surprise there on an Mitsu TCU) so I went and got another one from a 93 Eclipse, (Same motor, same tranny, and same #'s on the TCU) On the way there, my car decided it wanted to start shifting again, but it was very erratic and I wasn't taking any chances, I went and got the new one and put it in before I left the place. Figuring that the problem would be fixed, I put the car in drive, and now I was completely stuck in 3rd again, so I pulled over, shut it off, and started it again, BINGO, works perfect. Lets skip to the next day, starts shifting erratically again, it seems it can't figure out what gear it wants, and it's jumping from what I think is Limp mode back to normal mode. Doesn't matter what gear I'm in at the time, I could be accelerating in (D) and it would be in 1st gear and it will jump to 3rd, and then back to 1 or 2 and just keep jumping around like that. Or if I'm in Overdrive it'll just intermittently jump between overdrive and 3rd (It really sucks when you're doing 60 and it decides to kick you back to 3rd, you feel like you're gonna go through the windshield! It'll even do it when you're slowing down, just kick back to 3rd when it's even slowing in 2nd or 1st. And I think it even does it at a stop light or a stop sign, I'll just be sitting there but I can feel it kick in and out of whatever gear. But anyway, it seems like it works fine until the car warms up and then it starts acting up, but not always, some days it'll work perfectly fine ALL DAY and shift smooth and everything! It's just mind-racking, and I can't figure it out for the life of me! I've tried contact cleaner on all the connections, and checking out the wires, I don't know where to go next. I've checked the fluid, seems fine to me. One thing I should say though and I'm hoping someone else can check for me, but when the engine is OFF and the key is in the RUN position and the gear selector is in D, 2 or L it'll make a clicking noise from the tranny, like some kind of solenoid is activated, and I KNOW when it's gonna be stuck in limp mode if it DOESN'T make that sound before I leave, 'cause I check now. Can someone check their Talon and see if they have the same result, or the same sound when it's working properly so I know if it's even supposed to be making that sound at ALL? Any help would be greatly appreciated, I've put a lot of money into this car to just throw it all away, and I don't have money for a brand new tranny, I'm pretty sure it's not a mechanical problem though, maybe a valve or a solenoid stuck or maybe even the torque converter, but hopefully someone can narrow it down for me! I've put a starter, battery, water pump, hoses, belts, spark plug wires, Dist Cap and rotor into this car, it runs like a top, it's just one thing after another, I fix one thing, something else breaks! I love the car though, helppppp.. Thanks!
P.S. I tried pulling the TCU codes, and all it has for me is short pulses (Which leads me to believe the TCU is fine, and if it's a problem with a sensor or solenoid or something, it's so intermittent that the TCU thinks it's normal operation) Who knows.. Just figured I'd add that to try to rule out the new TCU.
~Matti
MattiK1783
10-23-2007, 08:37 PM
Anyone? Someone's have SOME ideas.. Could it possibly be the trans filter or the fluid? (The level is good, but I don't know about the filter, it sat for 2 years not driven).. ?? Helpppp..
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