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Transmission troubles... if its not one thing...


Kooterskkar
11-07-2004, 09:46 PM
Aright, first off its not for a lumina, its for a corsica, but no one ever goes to the corsica section, so im postin it here.
'89 corsica 125k miles Th125C auto transmission. I think the early luminas had those too didnt they?
This thing was low on fluid for a while, about a month I think. And I think it did some serious damage in that time. It has always kinda slipped going into third gear, so I changed the fluid, and filter. I think I made it worse though. I have to let off the gas, or the engine will rev up before it will go into third now. First off I dont think I put the right amount of fluid back in there. The manual sai 3.8L... Kinda strange I though but OK. Checked fluid after I poured in a gallon of it. WAY low on the stick. So I put in another quart. Moved up a little but not a whole lot. Put in anoter quart, now its a half inch above the full line. :uhoh: Ive checked it every which way I can. Drove it around the block and checked it, still the same, drove it to the mall and checked it, still the same. Drove it home and let it sit a half hour or so, then cut it back on, put it in drive, then reverse, then park again. Checked it, STILL high. Wtf? It was way too low, I added 2 quarts and all of a sudden its too high? Is there something im doing wrong here?
Does anyone know EXACLTY how many quarts of fluid it takes to refill a TH125C after a change? This is really pissing me off. :banghead:

dwalmop
11-08-2004, 09:12 AM
I thought it was about 3 qts. after fluid and filter change. How high on the dipstick is it?

richtazz
11-08-2004, 09:26 AM
a half inch above the line is approx 1/2-3/4 of a quart high. drive it a bit and check the fluid. IF you see foam developing, you're too high and need to get some out. A cheap siphon kit hose stuck thru the dipstick tube will get the extra out easily. IF you don't see any foaming of the fluid, don't worry about it too much, but I would still get it out if it was mine.

Kooterskkar
11-08-2004, 08:02 PM
Yeah but thats the thing, the manual said 4 quarts, but it was low before, and I know more than 4 quarts drained out of it. And when I refilled it I poured in 4 quarts, and it was too low. So i added more and it was still low, added ONE more quart and all of a sudded its too high?
If it was too high would it cuase it to slip like it does?

tblake
11-08-2004, 09:24 PM
drive the car for a while, get out, leave it running in park, and then check the tranny fluid, this should give you an accurte reading.

jeffcoslacker
11-10-2004, 07:01 PM
If the pump is not able to create enough draw at the pickup the pan will overfill with fluid and make a correct level hard to acheive.

Kooterskkar
11-10-2004, 08:54 PM
And what exactly might cuase that? :confused:

Fireplug
11-10-2004, 09:11 PM
First what type of trans fluid did you use? And sec after a trans filter and fluid change you have to put in 4 qts of dextron 2 transmission fluid. A overfiled trans will slip in gear.

trannyman52
11-10-2004, 10:02 PM
Dextron III is the proper oil ,,,,the 125-C can,,,and advised to be some-what over-filled,,a quart is O.K. helps oil planitary sets,,,,the "slip" is probably caused by damage to the direct clutch in the tranny,,,not good to be run low on oil,,,,sorry!!!!!

jeffcoslacker
11-11-2004, 08:46 AM
And what exactly might cuase that? :confused:

Worn pump/internals

Kooterskkar
11-11-2004, 06:44 PM
I figured this thing was fucked when I first got the car. It has ALWAYS slipped a little going into third. I tried siphoning out some fluid yesterday, just made it worse. So i put it all back... and now im pricing a manual transmission, clutch, flywheel, clutch master, lines, and all the other parsts ill need (linkage, shifter, pedal) I can rip from a JY car.

jeffcoslacker
11-12-2004, 07:54 AM
Was there a clutch pivot available that would work with that car? And is an ECM change called for also? Just thoughts.

dwalmop
11-12-2004, 09:35 AM
sounds like a BIG job.

Kooterskkar
11-12-2004, 03:29 PM
Yes I can rip all the shifter parts out of a 1st gen cavalier, OR if I get lucky and find a manual corsica i'll get it out of there. BUT... manual corsicas are pretty damn rare. I dont think an ECM swap is required, but I did think of that, and im gonna grab one just for good measure. I shouldnt need it though, cuz this car doesnt have a park/nuetral rev limiter, which would be the only thing to worry about I think.

richtazz
11-12-2004, 08:33 PM
you'd also need a wiring harness, as the VSS sensor and neutral safety switch are different in a stick and auto. GM 3-speed autos are a dime a dozen, and pretty tough. Unfortunately for you, the only way to kill one is to overheat it, which happens when they are run low on fluid. IF you suspect your trans is shot, replace it with the same unit, swapping for a manual is WAY more involved than you think, especially in a computer controlled vehicle.

Kooterskkar
11-12-2004, 09:57 PM
you'd also need a wiring harness, as the VSS sensor and neutral safety switch are different in a stick and auto. Yes I am aware that they are different. If I can im goin to swap the VSS from my old tranny to the new one. If not, then ill figure a way splice it into my current harness. And im not even gonna bother with a clutch switch. They serve no purpose other than to prevent idiots from starting the car while its in gear. (Same reason auto tranny's have park/nuetral switches, which i think would be fun to bypass :grinno: )

jeffcoslacker
11-13-2004, 06:45 AM
I had a '77 Pontiac LeMans Sport Coupe (455 ci and auto) that had the NSS bypassed and would start in gear. It also had no park pawl. You had to open the door and throw a block of wood in front of the back tire to keep it from rolling, 'cause the e-brake cable was broke. What a car! Sometimes I don't know why I'm still alive.

I know the LeMans didn't come with a 455. That's why eveything was so half-assed in it. It was a project gone horribly wrong.:naughty: Fast MoFo, though.

Kooterskkar
11-19-2004, 09:55 PM
I think this tranny has taken another turn for the worse...
Today it got stuck in second while I was sitting in traffic. Wouldnt come out of second. I get home, park it, let it cool off and wait for traffic to calm down. I took it back out at about 10, it stays in first until about 35mph, then it kicks hard into second. It stays in second until 60mph, then it will go into third. Once its in third it wil stay there until I get below 45 mph again and it will kick back down into second. :banghead:
:banghead: :banghead: :banghead:
Jeez I hate automatics...

So what causes this? If anyone knows... blown out seal? Sticky shift solenoid? (if there is such a thing?) I need to do something and I dont have all the parts for the manual conversion yet. Is this something I may possibly be able to fix even just temporarily?

emdoughboy2
02-28-2006, 04:57 PM
DID YOU TRY "UNPLUGGING" THE TCC SOLENOID ON THE TRANNY ????

Sorry , didn't realize post was a year and a half old !!!!!!!!!!

jayde
03-08-2006, 05:45 PM
I know that is this may seem stupid but I can't find where the transmission fluid goes in a 1996 chevy lumina. can anyone point me in the right direction.

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