95 Intrepid no reverse??

[JP95D]

I drive a 95 Intrepid 3.5L 3 Speed Tranny. Last week I was pulling into traffic and accelerated quickly. At the point where the tranny should have shifted it seemed like it was stuck in low. I let off the gas and the car "jumped" then went into 2nd but that was it. Wouldn't go into drive. I stopped the car and checked the fluid level. It was a little low. Turned off the motor the restarted it and the car was fine as far as going forward but there was no reverse at all. I was later told the computer got scrambled when the tranny "jumped" but by shutting off the motor and restarting it the computer reset itself. I filled the tranny fluid up when I got home (it needed about 1/3 of a quart) but the reverse problem did not resolve itself. Since then I have run the car quite a bit driving it very hard testing the tranny to see if it would jump again but it has performed flawlessly through all forward gears even petal to the metal from a dead stop. The jump was obviously caused by the slightly low fluid. But what about the reverse? A local mechanic told me there were "two errors" when he scanned it and then said I need a new tranny. I can't believe that especially considering how well it runs otherwise. It seems to me like it might be a fairly simple fix. BTW. Someone in town is selling a 95 Intrepid 3.5 for $500 OBO. I am considering buying it for the tranny if I need a replacement. Thanks for any thoughts.

[JP95D]

OK. Well I am finding out more about the transmission. Basically my thought about the slightly low fluid level was coincidental to the problem. Whatever was causing the lag in the transmission shifting had only to do with the reverse mechanism. Once the reverse broke, the forward gears have been running unfettered and flawlessly. I have been told that the reverse is a sort of belt drive. Now my thinking is that this belt was coming loose and ultimately it or something to do with that belt broke. Since there has been no leakage I am concluding now that the problem could be a "simple" belt replacement.

[vurxg]

yes !!!! im not the only one running a 95 intrepid. I have the 3.3L engine though. What extras you got on it? could you send some pics?

[JP95D]

I'll see what I can come up with. Got a recommendation for a reputable transmission repair shop that actually cares about diagnosing the problem not just automatically replacing the tranny or doing a complete rebuild. I'll let you know how it goes and hopefully get a pic soon.