1993 Grand Am transmission woes

I've got a 97 GA with a 4 cyl engine and an auto tranny (I think it's a 3 speed OD). [Edit: Check below for more detail on everything] The tranny doesn't seem to like the idea of moving into 3rd gear unless I step off the gas and accelerate very, very slowly. I've had this diagnosed as a transmission problem that requires a rebuild or replacement ($900, they say). If I was certain that the rest of the car would hold up long enough for me to get my money back, I'd have it rebuilt, but it's hard to part with the cash thinking that it might just be a waste in the end. So, I'd like some advice...

First off, can anyone else think of any ways to crutch the poor thing along for a while?

Also, does anyone know which trannies will interchange with those that are found paired to the 4cyl 97 GA engines?

Thirdly, what should one expect to pay for a used tranny of this year/make? I may need to go boneyard hopping to find one. My truck gets about 8 MPG and I simply can't continue to use it as a daily driver.

Thanks in advance!

Check car-part.com for a new one. DC Wrecking in Lubbock has one with 50K miles for $150. You may want to try to find a low mileage one it may be more expensive but worth it in the long run.

Welcome to the forum!!!

Yeah, I also suggest if you go boneyard, check very very carefully why the car is there. I.E., where was it hit, did it get crushed in the FE? Did it get hit on the side, and possibly push the shaft into the trans.? That sort of thing.

On your recommendations, I've looked around locally and have actually managed to find one with 65k miles on it for $250. That particular place offers a three month warranty as well, so it seems like a pretty decent deal. I suppose that someone who knows what they're doing can probably eyeball the transmission to check for any obvious wear or the like.

Here's something else that's been bothering me. I had an alternator go out with this car and, at the time, the car would start but wouldn't accelerate (it would creep really slowly, and I think I heard a bit of grinding at at the time as well, but it may have been my imagination). There was another problem around that time with the fuel filter in the back and I wound up just chalking it all up to numerous problems presenting themselves at the same time. That seems very unlikely, but I had just returned from a 500 mile trip, so I accepted it. A short while later, a fairly trustworthy tranny shop that is ID'd the problem as a bad tranny. Still, the idea of replacing the tranny without being certain bugs me.

What the car does, exactly, is fail to shift into third gear. In order to get it out of second and into third, I have to let off the gas and accelerate very, very slowly. Is there anything else that anyone can think of for me to do before accepting a bad transmission as the problem?

Given the grinding sound and the car not shifting smoothly into third, I would lean towards the transmisison being bad. Another question to ask is why did the transmission go bad?

That is an excellent question. I assume it was not taken care of very well by previous owners. The engine seems to be in pretty decent shape and I understand that the transmissions in these cars tend to hold up well if properly cared for.

OK - I've got more information now. First of all, and this is embarrassing to admit, the car is a 1997, not a 1993 (I'm ~very~ unfamiliar with newer cars). It has a DOHC Quad 4 engine and the transmission appears to be a 4T60, which I believe is a 3 speed + overdrive tranny.

I've decided to go ahead and replace the transmission with either a used transmission or a new one. The one thing that is really, really bothering me is the possibility that there is actually nothing wrong with the transmission. I'm concerned that the problem may be a sensor/valve/linkage/etc and that the problem may still be present when I replace the transmission. I've been reading this site and it appears that there are many, many potential problems that might cause what seem to be transmission problems.

Let me describe the symptoms in more detail as I've just gone for a drive to check it out again. The car doesn't seem to shift into second gear. I have to accelerate to about 3,000 RPM and then let off the gas to get it to switch to what I believe is third gear. Then, I must accelerate very slowly in order to get it to highway speeds. If I do not accelerate very slowly, it will shift back into first gear at a high RPM (sometimes as high as 4500 or so). The very first time this happened was on a trip. It resolved itself and then started doing it again. I thought I'd just change the filter and things would be good, but I was wrong. It hasn't stopped since then.

As I mentioned earlier, there was some strange multiple system failure breakdown at one point in which a dead battery and a dead alternator seemed to either cause or coincide with extreme sluggishness while taking off from a standstill (it reminded me of accidentally accelerating from standing in fourth gear of my 1969 firebird - it would work, but something was obviously wrong). I figured that this ~could~ be either transmission related or fuel-pump related.

So, my biggest concern is paying for work I don't need. I simply don't trust many local mechanic shops. In the area I live, the only decent mechanics are those that do work at their homes and those folks lack fancy equipment. However, dealer mechanics in this area are amazingly incompetent and I've had nothing but expensive trouble on all occasions that I've dealt with them. So, is there anything that I might check out that may be causing this problem other than the transmission itself?

My big brainstorm for the day is to simply keep driving the car to see if it gets worse. If it's the tranny, then I'll hve to replace it anyway, right? Am I overlooking anything here?

Thanks again, for all your help and your patience!

Transmission control module? Im not too sure if thats something that can be checked, every vehicle I've owned has had a manual transmission.

You probably have a shift solenoid going bad inside the transmission. One thing that you can try is to put a can of Sea Foam transmission additive in the transmission to see if it frees up. If not take it to a tranny shop and have them run a diagnosis on it. That should tell you what needs to be done.