I just bought a 1993 Trans Am about 1.5 weeks ago. It had been sitting for almost 8 months due to the previous owner having the alternator die on her. I replaced the alternator and battery and I drove it home and realized it wasn't shifting in to 2nd until about 4000 rpms. I drove it more around town and it dropped to about 3000 rpms. It sat for about 2 days and it went back to 4000+ rpms and the more I drove it the more the rpms would decrease to about 3000 rpms. The car has almost 200,000 miles on it and I don't know if any work was ever done on the tranny. All other gears shift up and down fine. The tranny fluid does smell bad. I am going to take it to a tranny shop and they are going to pull the pan and see if there are any metal chuncks indicating failure. Then they will replace seals, fluid, filter, and gasket. They said this would cost about $200 is this reasonable? Could there just be something stuck inside due to it sitting or should I be looking for a used/rebuilt tranny?

 

you can drop the pan and put a filter fluid and new gasket on your self for about 50 bucks.

 

I was thinking about doing it myself but I wouldn''t be able to get all the old TF out and I wouldn't know what to look for to see if it is bad - seals, etc.

 

If it comes down to it - I may end up looking to find a Rebuilt or low mileage 4L60 or someone that would like to rebuild mine. I am located in Eastern Connecticut if anyone has one or is interested in the rebuild!

 

i would just drop the pan, a flush isnt the best thing to do all the time. you might try and see about adjusting the tv cable on the throttle body on your 93 and see if that changes anything. search on this site to find out how to adjust it.

 

I did try to adjust that - pulled it toward the firewall - wouldn't shift at all...Pulled it as far forward as it could go which was basically where it was to begin with. I just want to have it last me long enough to save money for a rebuilt...So if all the fluid doesn;t come out of the tranny and lines that is ok?

 

Thanks for your help by the way...

 

Are you sure it's not just skipping 2nd? I had the exact same problem on my K5. Same symptoms. 2nd band wasn't applying so while the valve body commanded it fluid wise the band wasn't applying. I would have to just go fast enough for it to shift into 3rd. Band was so far gone that it was technically applying but it wasn't grabbing the drum.
Also your TV cable needs to be correctly adjusted asap. That can kill your tranny faster than anything. I limped around for a couple months going 1st to 3rd.

 

there is a way the tv cable is to be adjusted. if its not adjusted right will cause all kinds of issues. i picked up a 89gta 350tpi car for cheap cause the guy put head gaskets on it and didnt adjust the tv cable and thought the trans was going out. i gave him cash and adjusted it and put fresh fluid and filter in it and drove it for 30k b4 i sold it.

 

If the car has 200K on it, and it has the original trans with no service done to it.....DO NOT TAKE THE PAN OFF!!!!!

Changing the fluid no will do nothing but hasten the death of the trans. All the clutch material in the fluid is acting like a friction modifier and taking up the space of the missing clutch material. If you replace the fluid, the trans parts become more viscus and then there is actually less material between the metal disks. That will only lead to bigger issues. I think your best bet is to play with the tv cable to try and get the point to halfway normal, then look into a rebuilt with a new converter. Then again that's just my .02

 

shoot the last time i read it he must of had a typo said it had 20k on it.

 

if thats the case you deff just need to get another trans the band is prob toast in that thing.

 

I don't know what was done to the tranny before I got it. I need to change the fluid as it definitelt stinks so I have no choice but to pull the pan. Playing with the TV cable did nothing to help it.

 

I am a female by the way - for all of you that keep referring to me as he or him ;-) I said 200000 from the start...I want to put a rebuilt in when I have the money but for now I just want to do what I can to milk it and not do any damage to the engine...every other gear shifts fine and smoothly...

 

im just losing my vision all the 00's get to me next time just put 200k up instead of 200,000

 

DO NOT DROP THE PAN. If nothing else drive it the way it is.....It won't hurt it anymore than is already done. The chances of things going worse once you put fresh fluid in it are greater than if you just leave it be. Save your pennies and get a rebuilt and a converter and then change the fluid every 20-30K miles, and it'll last you forever.

 

With that number of miles and fluid condition you will be IMO wasting you time and money serviceing the trans.

 

Well I had the tranny diagnosed today and I have no 2nd gear and it is not throwing any codes. So I am getting an extended warranty through AAA and have to wait 15 days then we have it rebuilt

 

Well I figured since I need to do a rebuild I would drop the pan and see how bad the fluid was contaminated by metal flakes - the fluid was clear, no metal flakes, nothing...changed the filter...didn't help the shifting but...

 

decided to drop the tranny pan today to see what crap was in the fluid - NOTHING, it was clean with no metal or metal flakes at all...