Lost reverse, then every gear....stuck in park!

[CreepiE]

My 99 automatic runs great. However yesterday I went to back it back into the shop and it would not shift into reverse! Drive and the other gears were fine....then they all went out and the van was stuck in park!

-Checked linkage, when gear shifter was selecting, the linkage was moving.
-The van was level, so I checked fluid and it was fine.

Called a tow, he dragged it on the flatbed, backed up, lowered it into the shop.

Before we rocked it off the ramp, I asked if I could try to drive it off.

I got in, applied the brake, and it shifted and I drove it off the ramp!!

After he left, I went thru all the gears, it shifted okay, sometimes it hesitated though.

I have a lot of calls tomorrow! I was going to test drive it today. Yesterday was bitter cold.

I wonder if something got stuck? Then the jerking and incline loosened it up?

[CreepiE]

Well I went over to see if I could drive the van. Trans appears to engage the gears, but will not drive, or slow to drive. In reverse the van seems like it wants to stall out, but recovers.

[Meterpig]

Here is what I would do first. Make sure that the solenoids are actually receiving a signal from the switch and they are all working. Once that is verified, make sure your filter is in good condition and allowing fluid to cycle through. If both of those are verified, it's time to either pull the transmission out and rebuild it drop it off at a REPUTABLE rebuild place. Also, if you are confident the something is mechanically wrong...you can buy an off the shelf transmission. However, if you are at all handy, you can rebuilt it in your garage with hand tools...its sort of fred flinstone technology.

[CreepiE]

I went over to the shop to do something...

1. I added Seafoam and let the van run 20 minutes
2. Dropped the pan, drained fluids, installed new filter & fluid.

Started van let idle running thru the gears for about 5 minutes.

Test drive....drives fine out of the gate! No uneasy jolts, hesitation, slipping etc. Only about two miles, then got dark.

Nothing found in fluids.

One question. Is the filter SUPPOSED to come out in the pan, or will it be hanging from the trans?

I think the filter came undone, and was not allowing fluids to circulate correctly.

[Lumpy]

One question. Is the filter SUPPOSED to come out in the pan, or will it be hanging from the trans?

I think the filter came undone, and was not allowing fluids to circulate correctly.

It should be pretty firmly up in the trans, not come out with the pan. I'm not sure how much clearance it would have if it weren't up there firmly. Might be close enough that it at least got SOME ATF circulation.

Maybe you didn't drive it too much to do any damage from non-circulation. Maybe that's also why the ride on the flatbed did a temporary fix. Maybe that extreme tilt allowed some juice to get up into the transmission.

Other, more knowledgable transmission experts will chime in. I don't know much about what happens from the filter northward.


Lump

[CreepiE]

I agree! When it went out it was on an angle, then the angle reversed!

[chevymaher]

Filter fell off. Trans was sucking air. If it gets a air bubble it wont do anything.

[CreepiE]

Took it to the local mechanic....they were able to pull the old seal out and get the new one in. Reused everything, tire rotation and greased the joints.


Good to go!

[chevymaher]

Took it to the local mechanic....they were able to pull the old seal out and get the new one in. Reused everything, tire rotation and greased the joints.


Good to go!

Good deal I like happy endings.

[DRZ]

That happened to a 2000 Astro cargo van I was selling. It was bitter cold when the guy came to look at it and it started right up but wouldn't move in any direction. I could see all the linkage was moving but no go. Got it to my buddys shop and dropped the pan. It was soo cold the seal hardened up and let the filter drop. New filter and seal and back to normal.