Thread: Irritating Transmission Problem

I'm located in White Lake, MI. When I scanned for the misfire I never shut my car off, and I had experienced plenty of trans issues. I have even driven around with an obdII reader, scanning it every few minutes while driving. I just can't get a transmission code. I have noticed a new symptom too. When I am cruising or at a stop, when I shift from D to N my rpms drop and then go back up to idle. When moving and I do this it slows the car as if I'm braking, then disengages the gear.

I've taken a look at all the wiring and nothing looks damaged. I have to drive around for over 30 minutes in first gear. It seems like the engine and trans must be completely warmed up for a while before it will shift. The longer I drive it the better it shifts and easier it is to go from 1-2 at a start.

I have looked at that site. I will try to walk you through my driving experience.

From a stopped position in D I let off the brake and start rolling forward. No problem taking off. If I give it easy throttle the car will accelerate up through the rpms. During it's ascent through the rpms gear will slip then completely disengage. (This would be replicated by someone gradually pushing in a clutch pedal on a manual trans.) At this point the rpms will rise and fall like in neutral. I then have to switch it to 3. It revs like neutral until you reach the point where the rpms would be if I was in first. At the point I can continue to raise the rpms up to the rev limiter without slipping or disengaging. The car still won't shift even If I take it to the rev limiter.
If I give it more throttle from takeoff in D. My rpms rise all the way up to the limiter without shifting, but also without slipping or disengaging. Since I know it is not going in second gear I let of the gas. When I do this it responds like neutral again. I can rev it with no engagement. At this point I put it in 3. To drive I have to keep it in 3 and rev the car when mph get lower to accelerate. Let off the gas, coast, rev high, and repeat. After a while I'll try to get it into second.
The most success I have had getting it into second is from a stop while in D. I accelerate hard or WOT and sometimes it will shift before limiter. Sometimes a few bounces off the limiter will shift it. Some times It is when I let off the throttle at high rpm. When It finally shifts It will quickly shift to third because I am going 50. When I ease back on the gas It goes into overdrive. Nothing weird once i'm in second. I can give it WOT and drop in gears, and go back up just fine.
At the next light I will take off and and the rpms will start to rise again at about 4000 rpms if it hasn't shifted I can usually get it to by letting off the gas. Sometimes, it seems like longer lights, I have to rev hard but it will shift before limiter.
The longer I drive it the better it shifts. I drive for my job so yesterday after a few hours of constant city driving it was shifting almost perfectly. My hard shifts also go away the longer I drive.

It seems like it is starved for pressure maybe. When It slips I can hear a whine. Once in second or higher all whining ceases and the is no slipping. Only first gear has a problem.

Could this be a VSS. I also heard something a bout "limp mode". Any way this could be the problem. Sometimes I think I see my HUD mph suddenly change like it starts dropping mph than works right, but I have only seen this out of the corner of my eye and I can't say for certain.

Just took the car to a shop today and they told me there was no trans codes or any electronic failures. They told me the trans needed a rebuild.