I think my transmission is gone

[LeSabreUltra]

Just wanted to check, but I'm pretty sure the transmission in my Buick is history.

Drove it on a long trip today, drove great the whole way down. Then when I got there, it stopped shifting out of first gear right...it waited until 25 mph to shift, and then when it did, it "let go" and revved up before shifting to second...pretty sure that's slip. Also, the torque converter and fourth gear now come together at 30 mph, and with a pretty bad vibration.

We made it back, but on the way there I kept getting P0753 check engine code...

Trans level is full and pink. Trans temps were right around 150 degrees.

What do you think guys? Is my transmission history?
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[londonontman]

Check your 1-2 shift solenoid. The shift solenoids are mounted to the valve body which is behind the side cover of the transmission. Usually you have to lower the trans to remove the side cover which involves lowering the subframe. If you drop the subframe the steering rack must be disconnected and the engine must be held from above because most of the motor/trans mounts are on the subframe. Not an expensive part. $20-$50

[Jrs3800]

Agreed, Possible bad shift solenoid...

[swampthing]

i've said it before and I'll say it again. put lucas trans fix in it at least one whole qt maybe 2

[LeSabreUltra]

Thanks for the input guys. It's already got plenty of transfix in it lol, great stuff that improved my shifts a lot, but I don't think any fix in a can is gonna help this one.

I don't have a lift or access to one, so I guess I'll tow it up to AAMCO and let them work on it. I wouldn't trust them for a rebuild, but I bet they can handle a simple solenoid.
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[2000Silverbullet]

Drop the pan to see what you have. Change the filter. Refill with 7 liters of trani fluid.

Worth a try.

[GoldenBullet]

That's what AAMCO will do first anyway, so you might as well save some cash and do it yourself.

[LeSabreUltra]

Well I would, but every place I called charged a flat rate "diagnostic fee" for a specified diagnosis they would perform regardless of what I did beforehand. I ended up just towing it up to the Buick/Cadillac dealership, cheaper than AAMCO!
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[LeSabreUltra]

Just got a price quote, it will need a new solenoid, they had to order it but they hope to get it done Wednesday or Thursday. $659 for the repair, and that includes their diagnostic service. Seems fair? Does to me.
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[00Beast]

For the amount of work required it's not too bad.

[GoldenBullet]

For what needs to be done, it seems pretty fair for a dealership rate.

[LeSabreUltra]

Cool, I went ahead and told them to do it. Can't wait until I get my car back. This is the first time it's ever had a serious problem that I didn't cause.
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[LeSabreUltra]

Well, I got my car back! Dead 1-2 shift solenoid for sure. Replaced it and honored their estimate.

I didn't really know what all had to be done to drop the subframe, so I had asked them about an estimate to replace the front shock mounts cause they are shot, if they were easy to get to. Turned out they weren't, and the additional I didn't really want to pay right now, so I declined the service.

Anyway this all is leading up to just how awesome this dealership is...they recently acquired the "Buick-GMC" title in addition to Chevrolet so I thought I'd take my car there for service. Wow, I'm definitely going back again. Here's what all they did for me that they certainly didn't have to:

They went the extra mile to extract as much of the old transmission fluid as possible, instead of just what drains out the pan. They had to use Dexron III to be able to honor their warranty on the service, but wow, my car has never shifted so nice! It's like a brand new car, with 164,000 miles...no kidding!

My car sat there for a couple of days while they were waiting for the shift solenoid to come in. They informed me when I came to pick it up that on the test drive to diagnose the problem they had noticed that the struts up front did make a fair amount of noise over bumps. In their spare time between jobs, they went over to my car and had a few glances at the front suspension...shot a little grease in a few places and tightened a few things and wow! They are still the same old nasty mounts (covered in trans fluid to reduce noise, lol) but now they make no noise at all, and my car genuinely feels tighter and less sloppy over bumps. And they didn't charge me anything for it!

Altogether, they honored their original estimate and with tax I paid $669.

Anyway, Glenn Smith Buick-Chevrolet-GMC is great! I will be bringing my car/truck there anytime there is a repair I can't/don't want to do.
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[00Beast]

Glad to hear it's fixed, and that the dealer went above and beyond their service. Not too many reputable shops like that anymore.

[Jrs3800]

I agree and am glad to hear that... Its hard to find an honest dealership...