tranny longevity poll=
jamesmetairie
02-18-2008, 12:06 AM
automatic transmissions . How many miles did you get out of your transmission so far and status ?
my 1999 LX has about 117,000 . developing a slight flare-up,slip,surge shifting into 3rd gear occasionally. Car has about 5 or 6 previous owners . Don,t know if fluid/filter has ever been changed and dare not mess with it at this stage.
my 1999 LX has about 117,000 . developing a slight flare-up,slip,surge shifting into 3rd gear occasionally. Car has about 5 or 6 previous owners . Don,t know if fluid/filter has ever been changed and dare not mess with it at this stage.
denisond3
02-18-2008, 02:27 PM
Ours is a 92 Escort with the 1.9L eng. and the 4EAT automatic transmission. We had 192,000 miles on it when it quit in 2004. It was used mainly on a daily interstate commute of 30 miles each way, so there wasnt much shifting. It might have lasted longer, but my sister-in-law didnt check the tranny fluid. It was 2.5 quarts low when it wouldnt move one day.
I rebuilt it myself, and none of the old parts looked worn. The new 'kit' came with a different plunger for the oil pressure pump relief valve, and a slightly longer spring for that plunger. Its possible that was all it needed! This part can be bought by itself, and can be installed with the tranny in the car. You can even do it without removing the transmission pan - though you then have ATF running out as you worked.
Now that the car is back in use, I dont put it into "O-Drive" (which lets it shift into 4th) until I am on a road where I will be going over 55 mph for a while. Around town I keep it in just "Drive" - which keeps it from shifting higher than 3rd gear. I do this because it will go into 4th at just under 40 mph, which results in a very low engine rpm, and involves lots of shifting between 4th-3rd-4th-3rd during town driving. And 3rd gear is fine up to 60 mph anyway.
Something I never accepted was that changing the fluid and filter on an old transmission would harm it in anyway. Maybe I have just been lucky. Its certainly not because I religously change fluid and filters when I should. I figure it might be that people think hope that the fluid/filter on an essentially worn out transmission would give it new life - and it didnt.
I rebuilt it myself, and none of the old parts looked worn. The new 'kit' came with a different plunger for the oil pressure pump relief valve, and a slightly longer spring for that plunger. Its possible that was all it needed! This part can be bought by itself, and can be installed with the tranny in the car. You can even do it without removing the transmission pan - though you then have ATF running out as you worked.
Now that the car is back in use, I dont put it into "O-Drive" (which lets it shift into 4th) until I am on a road where I will be going over 55 mph for a while. Around town I keep it in just "Drive" - which keeps it from shifting higher than 3rd gear. I do this because it will go into 4th at just under 40 mph, which results in a very low engine rpm, and involves lots of shifting between 4th-3rd-4th-3rd during town driving. And 3rd gear is fine up to 60 mph anyway.
Something I never accepted was that changing the fluid and filter on an old transmission would harm it in anyway. Maybe I have just been lucky. Its certainly not because I religously change fluid and filters when I should. I figure it might be that people think hope that the fluid/filter on an essentially worn out transmission would give it new life - and it didnt.
zzyzzx2
04-16-2008, 03:24 PM
I've got 165,000 miles on my 1995LX. It still even has the original transmission fluid even.
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