Alero left me stranded

[OldsOwner]

My 2001 Alero left me stranded when I shut it off the other night it would not start again! The Diagnostic trouble code is P0742 which is "Torque Converter Circuit Stuck On" and it says it is stuck in 2nd gear.
Does anybody have any idea how to fix this???

[PotIsYourFriend]

never heard of that one, but then again it is an alero. good luck. Try google, maybe you might find something else where......

[JTrujillo86]

I would try purchasing a repair manual from Auto Zone or Checkers for like $15. They have all of the DTC's listed and how to go about fixing them.

Jeremy

[OldsOwner]

Well thanks anyway! My brother-in-law says that I will need to replace the "torque converter control solenoid valve" and we have one ordered and will give this a try on Monday when it comes in. I'll let you know if it works. After reading some of the posts on this forum, I think I will trying to get rid of this car as soon as possible!

[PotIsYourFriend]

that would be a wise idea.. Did you buy it brand new?????

[OldsOwner]

No. I bought it in 2002 but it only had 30,000 miles on it when I got it (it is at 58,000 now)

[JTrujillo86]

Oh come on. If this is the only problem you've had, why get rid of it now? I would replace the valve and if you have any more problems, then think about dumping it. It's been a good car for the past 28K miles right? Plus issues like these are not common on the Aleros. The only other thing you might encounter is the intake manifold gasket.

Jeremy

[OldsOwner]

Well it's not the only problem....but the other stuff was just normal things like on any car (brakes,etc.). A couple of months ago, I cut a tire and somehow it activated the security system and shut the engine down then but it was easy to reset. This time I just don't have a clear fix for it and it's frustrating.... so I guess I'm just venting.

[JTrujillo86]

I understand. I've been having many small issues with my car that are frustrating. I'm just thankful that she's under the factory warranty. The only "big" repair that I have had is the replacement of the power steering pump and a wheel bearing to come. I knew when I bought the Alero that I would have the wheel bearing issue though. The only other things that have been problematic were an outside door handle, radio, and a new battery, which were all paid for by GM. I think that I'm just really anal and since I've never had a warranty on any other car, I'm just milking this one for all it's worth. Like I've said before, I just want everything done before my warranty runs out.

Jeremy

[OldsOwner]

I wish some of this stuff had come up while it was still under warranty...the warranty was for 36,000 and as I said before, it was a gem until after that! It is probably a good idea to milk the warranty while you have it. I found out yesterday that it has nothing to do with the diagnostic codes that we have been getting, I finally found someone who has had this problem before ( a transmission guy)and he says it is the control panel that runs all that stuff that is malfunctioning ( I can not remember right now what the technical term for that is...) anyway, it will just put out random codes that have nothing to do with the real problem. I'm still not sure if this is going to fix it but if it does, I'll let you know.

[DamienZ28]

I have had a few little problems with mine also but I love the car! On another car I had the same problem as you... atleast I thought I did! It turned out the input shaft was busted up and a dead trans. Let us know if it was just the solenoid. At least thats not to hard of a job!

Damien

[OldsOwner]

That is not what I wanted to hear right now!!!! My car has been out of order for a week now and I would just like to know what is wrong with it....whatever it is. We took it to the Olds dealer today (last resort), I will let you know what they find.