Thread: Trans just...quit?

I've kinda been surprised how long the transmission in my car has held up, but I never expected it to fail like it did today.

'00 Regal GSE
Ported gen3 m90
intercooled
ported lower manifold
catless headers
2.8 pulley
dyno tuned + trans retuned (line pressure increased, torque management was not disabled, shift points+limiter bumped 500rpm)
shimmed accumulator (accumulator parts from a transgo kit)
trans drained, new filter and filled with dexV

Has been a champ for over 40k miles like this, 130k on the car.


About 2 days ago on a WOT 1-2 shift it blew through the shift and just smashed the limiter for a second, I let out of it and it caught second and continued on as usual.

Car drove fine on my commute to work this morning for the first 20 miles except one kinda rough shift. I cracked into it a little bit once and it held fine, shifted fine, just nothing unusual besides the one shift. I pulled up to a stoplight on a hill, took my foot off the brake and went to take off and....I rolled backwards. After rolling back into a parking lot trying to figure out happened, I checked fluid level (fine, nice and clear and not burnt), checked codes (nada, would expect a solenoid to throw a code) and found nothing. Trans fuse under the hood is good, too.

Car at first wouldn't reverse, then managed to catch. First gear seemed dead but I managed to limp the last few miles to work in second/third manually shifting it (although it shuddered on take off). Took it out at lunch around the block -- definitely slips in 2nd and 3rd and shifts between gears. It would downshift into first by manually shifting to '1' but wouldn't take off, and it slipped between gears on shifts. Even after riding it around some more, no codes.

I've got extensive automotive experience and I've never had one up and fail like this with no warning signs.



Any ideas? I'm kinda figuring its toast, but I'm open to suggestions. I hate to drop 2g's on a transmission for the car.

Thanks!

As long as it is not an electrical issue, the transmission needs replacing regardless of what failed internally.

What might be part of the issue is a worn input seal. Cannot fix unless you pull it apart.

No Forward Cold

Having just read THIS from T.E.P. I'm thinking its definitely the forward band. I've never had a forward band fail in a GM trans without it slipping a bunch first, but I'm also not used to a band actually breaking apart. The mention of high line pressure causing it just furthers it, it blew on a WOT 1-2 in perf mode (line pressure is jacked up even higher in the tune + accumulator mods)

Sounds like that one shift fractured it and it proceeded to break on the cruise in to work.

Now to decide if I part the car out and move on or drop the $$ on a trans

The car has been a champ, it has probably 100 passes down the drag strip plus being ruthlessly beaten on a regular basis. It lasted longer than expected

Its hard to justify dropping 2 grand into a car I only have $4500 in, but its cheaper than buying another car and I just don't have the time to build a new beater toy every year or two anymore and this thing should have a few more left in it.

I'm amused by your "I want a Volvo." line -- this Regal broke my pattern of building turbo Volvo's for daily drivers.

Red or white blocks?

FWD/AWD or RWD?

Either way, I can see why the Regal was attractive.

I agree on building the transmission versus parting out. I miss that M90 torque every day.

I don't think that sounds right either, I broke the forward band, destroyed the TC, and crammed a checkball into the spacer plate. But I still had first and reverse.
And there is NO WAY IN HELL I would pay $2000 for a transmission!!! You can Build your own for $600-$1000. With Nice parts!

I just built mine three weeks ago, and replaced 80%of the valves with sonnax
(Didn't want to buy a reman).
Put all the upgraded parts in it but the input shaft. $800. But I didn't need clutches or steels.

Some of us have to do things to save some money! Lmao.
We ain't all got deep pockets like you bill!

Originally Posted by BillBoost37

don't blame pressures or a shift for the band. That doesn't feel right. Do your symptoms fit the forward band in having nothing in D or 3?

Won't move in D or 3, moves in 2 (but slips like hell), won't move in 1. Will kinda catch in 1 if I take off in 2 and downshift into 1 once its moving.


I've rebuilt automatic transmissions but I simply don't have the time or desire to deal with it. I work full time in racing and I'm lucky to have a day off a week. This car is purely a daily driver, I've got my C5 apart building a 441ci LS monster for it....I don't need a second project