Thread: 04 GTP Trans Starting to slip

I started a thread last week regarding some noise I was having with my front end. I was suspecting front hub but after changing it and the noise not going away I'm not sure if that was the problem, so I started this thread for the trans trouble.

I've got a '04 GTP with 115k miles. Everything is stock and don't normally abuse it since its my DD.

Approx 2 weeks ago I was making a left turn out of my neighborhood and heard what sounded like a 'pop'. Right after that I heard what I though was my hub went bad because it sounded like excessive road noise. Not a grinding but could possibly be considered a whining. It also got louder with speed. I didn't have any issues with the trans at that time. I put the car in the garage and after a few days, changed out the front driver hub. Well the noise remains but there still wasn't any signs of trans trouble. After another 2 days of driving, I noticed that at startup from a full stop, the engine seemed to rev a lot higher than usual in 1st gear. I think it was going around 3500rpm before it would shift to 2nd. (This was under very light throttle) Later I noticed when I was cruising at 40mph the tach showed around 2000rpm so I'm not sure what gear I was in but I'm assuming 2nd or 3rd. Normally I'll cruise on the highway at 70mph and 2000rpm so something seemed wrong. After driving 15 minutes and everything warmed up nicely, the trans seemed to be working OK. When I was on the highway and cruising at 60+mph, I punched the gas a little and it downshifted like normal and as soon as I got off the gas, the rpms went right back to where they normally are on the highway.
I've seen a bunch of posts where problems occur when the car is hot and not cold but I'm having just the opposite. I'm new to trans problems and don't have much knowledge on whats going on inside but I'd love to know what some possible causes are so if I have to go to a trans shop, I'm not standing there like some idiot with an open wallet and a note on my head that says take as much as you want.

A little history:
Bought car with 90k and put on 25k miles in 16 months
I'm not sure if trans was ever serviced
Fluid doesn't look very reddish. Possibly a little on the grey side(not black like dirty motor oil) and could probably use a filter and fluid change
Fluid does not look low.

Any suggestion are greatly appreciated.

I drive this road everyday going 40mph and I never remember the rpms quite that high. I could hear the engine was revving higher than usual and that's what caught my eye.

What about it going up to 3500rpm before it shifted to 2nd gear? It was under light throttle and normally it would have shifted before it got to 3000rpm. I forgot to mention that when it went up to 3500rpm it just seemed to hang up there and not shift right away. I didn't want it to slam into 2nd gear so I got off the gas and got on the gas lightly and then it shifted into 2nd.

Took my GTP to AAMCO to check it out and according to them, I have no 2nd gear and to rebuild it would be at least $2,211 and then whatever parts they would need to fix would be additional. Anybody know a good place to get a used 04 GTP Tranny in NJ?

I haven't done anything with my tranny yet except for making some calls and pricing things out. I found a used trans with 94k on it for $550 and 90 day warranty. I was debating on swapping it myself but it's definitely the biggest repair I've tackled myself. I also found a shop that said they could do the swap for $460. Do these numbers sound good? From what I've seen, they're probably the cheapest I think I'm going to find.

Thanks. I know for a normal trans it would be a little high but since it's for a GTP a thought it was a pretty good price.

I was definitely going to do the filter since the used trans is coming from a junk yard. I'd be able to change the filter while it's off the car...right? This way I can take care of it before the shop does it and has to charge for it.

Oh I forgot. I'll probably also get a hold of a new trans mount so the shop can throw it in while the trans is out.

Originally Posted by scottydoggs

and to be honest, id make sure it moves before putting 50 bucks more into it. if it drives, shifts, and it seems to be working well, then do the fluid and filter. if the trans is bad, you've just wasted 50 in new fluid and the filter.

Good point. I didn't think of that.

Thanks

Originally Posted by scottydoggs

and to be honest, id make sure it moves before putting 50 bucks more into it. if it drives, shifts, and it seems to be working well, then do the fluid and filter. if the trans is bad, you've just wasted 50 in new fluid and the filter.

I was just playing out the whole process in my head this morning on the way to work and then I hit a small bump in the road. Won't I have to put fluid in the replacement tranny before I can test drive it to see if everything is working correctly? Seems like a "catch 22". I don't want to waste the $$ on fluid if the tranny is bad but I can test it without spending $$ on the fluid. Am I missing something? Should I reuse the old fluid just for a quick test run?

I just called around on Friday to see if I could track down a better deal on a used trans. I found a closer junk yard that could get one for me with only 68k miles instead of the 100k trans I was going to get. What makes the deal better was it also cost less. Only $475 for this one compared to $600 for the other one. At least this will have only half the miles my car currently has(115k).

Good luck on your swap. I'm sure I'll be checking this forum a lot while I'm working on my swap. I already ran into my first problem. My passenger side axle has NO visible threads on the exposed section of the axle. They were completely rusted and after hitting it with a wire brush, the threads are now completely gone. It looks like I'll be taking the axle off along with the hub and lower control arm as one complete part. Hopefully this isn't a sign as to how the rest of this swap will go.