OK, yesterday I go to pull out of the local filling station and the car jerked like I killed it cause its a manual tranny. But it didnt die something happend in the tranny the motor was still running. So I quickly pushed in the clutch and let it back out like normal and everything was good. Until about 20 miles down the road I could every once in awhile hear a clank clatter. Now the clutch feels like its jumping when I here this clank. and I really only notice the problems while accelerating. and finally its leaking fluid out pretty rapidly. What do you think that sounds like. I will start yanking the tranny probably this week to tear into it. Can I hope for just some fucked up clutch issue or does this sound bad?

paxfam1

If those same things had occurred with other front wheel drive manual transmissions - it would mean something had come apart inside. It could be a differential pin that is rubbing the insides of the differential chambers, ...but whatever it is, I suspect the tranny has to come out and get opened. I would avoid driving it on public roads in the meantime.

Yes, thats exactly what I was thinking. Is there any way of diagnosing before I have to remove the tranny? Like spinning wheels or anything thing?

paxfam1

Yes, thats exactly what I was thinking. Is there any way of diagnosing before I have to remove the tranny? Like spinning wheels or anything thing?

paxfam1

First you can replace your curse words with **** next time :) Thanks


Your differential pin just put a hole in your tranny, mostl ikely on the inside of the bell housing. fluid is now on your clutch disk causing it to chatter. you can see the differential pin through the Vehicle Speed Sensor such as in this video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVpLPI-JVcM

Another test it to pour ATF fluid in the tranny. if you see it come out the bottom then your pretty much gaurenteed thats the problem. A new tranny is in order

RC1488 is right. While it is remotely possible it could be something else that cracked inside the transmission, the differential pinion pin gouging a hole in the tranny case is far more likely. In either case, it will soon get worse or even possibly lock-up the wheels if its driven the way it is now, so transmission removal is needed.
Im not sure if its just a Saturn 'S-series' thing, or a GM thing.
The pinion pin is held in place by a locking pin that goes sideways through the differential carrier into one end of the pinion pin. Spinning the wheels or doing sharp turns while accelerating hard in 1st or 2nd will cause high twisting forces on that pin - eventually snapping the lockpin. I think it can also happen if someone was spinning the wheels on an icy surface, and suddenly hit dry pavement with their foot down on the throttle and the wheels spinning. It certainly seems to happen often enough with the automatic transmissions too.
Thats why I made sure my daughter saw the damaged bell housing and chewed up pinion pin from the transmission I replaced in her Saturn.
I say it may be a GM thing because the lockpin is also broken in my 87 Chevy G20 van. But there the broken pin still keeps the pinion pin get from getting loose. It just makes it harder to dismantle the differential when you want to get the rear axle shafts out.

I have a automatic transmission thats jerks a bit when shifting from 1-2 gear and sometimes 2-3 gear as well................ And also leaks alot...........How long would a auto-tranny last in those condition.................

tjr19136: From where is it leaking? And how often do you have to add a quart of ATF? The usual advice for uneven shifting is to replace the transmission fluid and the spin-on filter, and see if that makes it better. Has yours leaked enough that you have added more than 3 quarts? If so, thats almost the same as changing the fluid, but the spin-on filter could be clogged. They look like an oil filter, but have a different thread - so you wont put a motor oil filter on by mistake. You may have to remove the air filter and its lower housing to reach the transmission filter.
If it leaks from the bell housing, and if it takes more than a quart a week - you may have that same hole in the bell housing as discussed in this thread. Its also more likely if you have spun the wheels on purpose.
As to how long a transmission in that condition will last - I have no idea. How many miles are on it now, and how many miles has it been doing the jerking while shifting?
I would do the fluid & filter change to see if it gets better. And if its only leaking a quart per month - I might keep on driving it & just hope. If its more than that - I would be planning getting a replacement tranmission, and avoiding driving where the roads dont have a decent shoulder.

I have a automatic transmission thats jerks a bit when shifting from 1-2 gear and sometimes 2-3 gear as well................ And also leaks alot...........How long would a auto-tranny last in those condition.................

+1 on the questions posted above.
How much fluid do you lose in one week?
Do you have a reverse slam?
Have your kept up on 30k tranny changes (NOT FLUSHES) and filter changes?

In your case, if your leaking alot, id say your differential pin also poked a hole in the case, causing low pressure in the solenoids and valve body, giving you hard jerks bc of the lack of fluid. But untill those questions are answered, its just a guess.