97 shifting issues

have a '97 lasabre with 76000 miles but will not shift past 2nd. Ive been told its either the shift solinoid or bad trans. well since it only has 76000 miles i really dont think it a bad trans. What do you think? How hard is it to change the solinoid and were is it located on this vehicle? Where can i buy?

ttt

The shift solinoids are located under the transmission side cover and are part of the transmission control plate assembly. There are 3 identical type solinoids for 3 seperate functions; shift A, shift B, and TCC shift.

Replacement of the solinoids depends on which solinoid needs replaced. At minimum it requires the removal of the side cover, which requires the removal of the drivers side halfshaft and the front-left dog leg engine cradle. (That is assuming you are speaking of attempting to replace the solinoid with the transmission still in the car. Removal of a transverse transmission is no easy job.)

Removal of the halfshaft will require the disassembly of the drivers front suspension; i.e. control arm lower ball joint, steering tie rod ball joint, stabilizer shaft bolt. The half shaft will need pulled from the steering knuckle assembly, which requires a puller and a 36mm deep welled 6-point socket plus 150 pounds of torque.

Removal of the front-left engine cradle/frame rail requires 4 bolts on one side, 2 bolts on another, and one long rail to body bolt. Plus, the lower control arm must be completely free from the suspension components.

You'll also need to remove all the wheel-well shrouds to give you a clear view. Beyond that, you still may not be able to remove the side pan without removing additional components or at all. (There is a chance the drivers forward shock/strut tower will be in the way.)

Plus, above all... opening your transmission in your engine compartment will expose the transmission to multiple risks of contamination with dirt and oil. Things that can both damage and destroy an automatic transmission.

In addition to the solinoid being bad.... The solinoid or solinoid passages may simply be clogged/blocked. There may be something stuck in the solinoid preventing it from functioning.

--OR-- The signal wire coming from the PCM to the solinoid may be shorted to ground. This could occur at the connector or anywhere along the path from the transaxle case, around the engine, through the firewall, to the PCM.

There is a connector on the bell housing, near the top, facing the front of the car, up and over from the transmission vacuum modulator. The connector is round with 7 wires. Check for damage.

thanks for all the helpfull info. do you know a web sit I can order the soliniod or solinoids? any good hints on how to clean soliniod passages? and is there a way to tell if one is bad or do I have to change them all?