Transmission rebuild the only foreseeable option?

[danny_d]

Hello again folks,

I have a 95 Olds 88 LSS w/ 155,000 miles and the tranny feels like its slipping arround 25-35 mph. I did a search on the forum and saw some suggestions that included dropping the pan and replacing the fliud and filter because a clogged filter can cause a pressure drop. I would be thrilled to get off that easy, but I'm not holding my breath. There were even some diagnostic recomendations that involved electronic/computer controls and whatnot, again a heck of a lot better than the overhaul, but realistically am I just pinning hope against hope on this one? Typically I always thought that if the tranny starts slipping then the writing is on the wall, but there are a lot of people out there who know more than I do and I would appreciate the feedback. The one thing I will say, is that the fluid does not have the burnt color/smell that I can associate with the transmissions that have crapped out on me in the past.


Thanks for this great resource,

Danny

[Jrs3800]

Does this slip feel like a shudder? And at this time does the car still pick up speed?

[danny_d]

Originally Posted by Jrs3800

Does this slip feel like a shudder? And at this time does the car still pick up speed?

If I understood your question correctly, then no. No shuddering/shaking per se, it just kind of reves higher than normal for the speed and then goes normally after it grabs. Why do you ask? what would a shuddering slip possibly be an indication of?

[moscow913]

Originally Posted by danny_d

If I understood your question correctly, then no. No shuddering/shaking per se, it just kind of reves higher than normal for the speed and then goes normally after it grabs. Why do you ask? what would a shuddering slip possibly be an indication of?

Probably considering a malfunctioning lock-up.

In any event, your symptom sounds identical to what the tranny was doing on my '94 LSS when it had 178K miles on the ticker. I ended up scouring the local swap meets until I found another tranny, reportedly with 75K on it and picked it up for 200 bucks. However, I was fortunate in that I knew a tranny guy who popped it in for 50 bucks. It was an excellent buy.

I still have the car, but probably wouldn't if I had faced paying a tranny shop to fix/replace it. Cost prohibitive. Good luck.