'91 6000 LE Needs to Warm Up before Shifting...

[bodega1027]

Hi!

I've currently got a guy offering me a 1991 Pontiac 6000-SE with 144K miles on it... power everything, 3.1L V6... I'm sort of excited, and also kind of amused because this would be the FIFTH GM A-Body in my family (Another 6000, a Celebrity, and two Centuries have come before...). The only thing is, the driver says that first thing in the morning you've got to warm the engine up a little, or it won't shift into reverse... it'll just sit there. Any idea what I might be buying into?

Thanks for the help!

Mike

[Tuddi]

I had the opposite problem; my celebrity would not move forwards in the morning unless it would be either hot, or I would revv the engine several times while it was in "D".

turbokinetic (a member here... a tranny expert) recommended me to try a tranny additive. I did, and it had immediate effect. It was supposed to work over a few hundred miles, but I felt the change from day one... minute one.

Reas THIS (http://www.a-body.net/forums/showthread.php?p=3813)thread and get the needed info.

Mine is today ALMOST reacting without hesitation in the mornings, mainly because I haven't been driving much in the past couple of months. But ABSOLUTELY a MAJOR difference.

My "only" problem, is the TCC... which is dead.... it is trying to kill me in the traffic too, but I will kill it before it comes to that.

[dcjredline]

Didnt read the thread but I would suggest the LUCAS additive that seems to fix quite a few problems. If it doesnt fix it then you know you have more of a problem.

WELCOME!

[bodega1027]

I had a '91 Sunbird once that used to stall when slowing or stopping in traffic - I actually ended up pulling the wire to the TCC and never had the problem again... of course, it never had the same get-up-and-go, but at least I wasn't scared of dying on freeway off-ramps!

If I'm understanding the thread you've referenced, the problem maybe a lack of lubrication or old tranny fluid, and I should get some of this additive and see if it will free things up? That's seems like an easy test!

Thanks for the advice!
Mike

[notsoslimshady76]

Yeah, check the fluid level. Maybe drop the pan and change the fluid? It's not terrible hard, just a little messy

[bodega1027]

I've heard that changing out Tranny fluid can be dangerous in older cars where it is unknown whether or not it has ever been changed in the past... that it could free up sediment deposits and clog the system up. I don't know if it's an old wives' tail or not, but should I use any discretion before changing it out?

I called the guy this afternoon, by the way, and I'm going to buy it.

[bodega1027]

Well, I bought it. And now comes the fun part:

It seems to slip out of gear at stops, and you kind of have to punch the gas to get it going. It seems to have a small radiator leak. I only paid $500.00 for it though, so I'm thinking it wasn't necessarily a bad buy. Still...

[dcjredline]

Good buy, as I stated on the 6000 club get some Lucas and change that fluid. I have done it 3 times and not had problems. My Formula had 114k on it when I changed the fluid and my 6000LE had 165k on it, last one was my Calais pace car has 135k on it and it didnt hurt any of those. Only one I havent driven to test it is the Calais.

[CieraSL92]

I wouldn't expect alot from changing the fluid if it's already slipping out of gears. I'd still do it, but I wouldn't expect it to fix the problem.

The transmission dying after fluid changes isn't very common, but it seems that way since people ALWAYS bring it up.

[bodega1027]

What do you suppose is causing it to slip?

[Tuddi]

What do you suppose is causing it to slip?
According to the below info (click to enter that site).

2. Car goes into gear but then fades out of gear or is slipping while driving:

Transmission fluid is low
Transmission clutch discs or bands are worn out or burned
Faulty transmission shift solenoid. (http://www.2carpros.com/how_does_it_work/automatic_transmission.htm)

That's of course in general terms.

[bodega1027]

You guys are such a big help. I'll be troubleshooting it this weekend, and I'll let you know what comes up.

[bodega1027]

Sorry about the wait on response time! A handful of other problems came up, and I had to work through one of them before I could even get around to the transmission.

What happened first was that the radiator sprung a leak. I pulled it out and took it to a couple of local radiator shops, and they both pointed out several corroded areas that were getting ready to spring as well, and the both agreed it was time to get a new radiator. Unfortunately I don't have $200.00 to sink into a new radiator, so I did some junkyard trolling and came up with ONE radiator in relatively good condition, with the transmission cooling lines on the passenger side like mine (I don't know why, but all the 2.8L A-Bodies I saw had the lines on the driver side, but were otherwise identical radiators).

The very next day after that problem was solved, the engine stalled on me at a stop sign. It happened again at a red light. It happened again when I was shifting from park to reverse. Each time it did this, it started right back up, except for the forth time, again when shifting from park to reverse, and this time it took some two minutes before it would start up. There was no clicking or whirring or anything... you turned the key and everything just went quiet. I gave it some time, and it started right back up. I'm not sure if I should post about that in a new thread or not... it reminds me of an old Pontiac Sunbird I had with a busted TCC - but the TCC never caused it to shut down when shifting from park to reverse, it was always when slowing from a cruise to an idle. There is a spattering of what looks like fuel coming out of the engine, up near the top, which makes me suspect maybe a vacuum leak or a torn gasket, but I'm no mechanic, so I don't know for sure...

ANYWAYS! I serviced the transmission last night (new filter, o-ring, gasket, and ATF), and I took your advice on the additive (although I couldn't locate any LUCAS so I picked up the Trans-X additive) and it worked LIKE A CHARM. No slipping, no sticking... something I noticed initially was that it only occurred when I was in drive with the overdrive engaged, but I drove around for some thirty minutes without problems. No slippage from a cold start to reverse, either.

One last word of note... both my Chilton's Guide AND my Haynes Guide state that the Transmission has a 4-Quart capacity. Once the car really got heated up, however, it took 6.5 Quarts PLUS that 15 oz. can of Trans-X to get it to full hot. Does that seem excessive to anyone else?

Thanks again for all the help!

[bodega1027]

By the way Shady, a LITTLE messy was an understatement! :)

[bodega1027]

I think I'm going to start a new thread for this, since it no longer goes along with the subject. Thanks again for all the help guys!