can someone help. transmission/gear issues 2003 grand am...gotta fix it can't get a new car for a while!!

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MQ316@aol.com - 15 Dec 2008 02:40 GMT

I dropped my car(2003 auto se1 grand am 125K highwaymiles) off at the
shop this friday and told/test drove with the mechanics to hear this
combo of a grinding/ dragging sound my baby makes .. you can hear it
best with you foot off gas.. noise more loud close to when it should
up or down shift.. most audible between 10-35 mph.... ALSO YOU CAN
FEEL IT like a vibration under driver and passenger feet....like the
top of a T..... not constant.. but more and more often...( no tranny
fluid leaking, no real noticable tranny misbehavior..... NOW, they
kept swearing it was the wheel bearing so I let them replace it but
KNEW they were wrong.... #1 I drove it 10 feet after they "fixed it"
and it was STILL MAKING THE NOISE AND #2 THEY CHARGED ME 400+ TO
CHANGE 1 FRONT WHEEL BEARING (robbery)... so I have to go pick my car
up and get it to someone.... WHAT IS THIS noise and vibration/ what
could it be?????? Here are some facts that may make a difference: I
had the same jack a.ses do a tranny flush last month( wrong fluid??)
also they "replaced shocks/ struts"(loose??).. and in aug new brakes..

what could it be ? I heard the terms (from sister) spider gears,,,
shift differential, drive line component, transmission,motor /tranny
mounts.. gosh ANY Help i WILL BE SOOOO GRATEFUL!!!!! mq316@aol.com

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Chevguy - 16 Dec 2008 13:58 GMT

>I dropped my car(2003 auto se1 grand am 125K highwaymiles) off at the
> shop this friday and told/test drove with the mechanics to hear this
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> shift differential, drive line component, transmission,motor /tranny
> mounts.. gosh ANY Help i WILL BE SOOOO GRATEFUL!!!!! mq316@aol.com

Yeah, I would start by taking it to a different reputable shop. Does the
engine vibrate when you rev it up in park up to about 2500 when it would
normally be shifting?

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orbound - 17 Dec 2008 19:04 GMT

This could be a lot of different things, but initially it sounds like
it's not coming out of lock up, could be a bad lock-up switch, or the
torque converter going bad. Although if your hearing a grinding noise
it's sounds more mechanical. If you are willing to do some things your-
self then you could save a little bit of money. If not then I would
take it to a well known and reputible shop. Drain a couple of quarts
of the tranny fluid into a pan and look for any metal pieces or even a
metallic hue to the fluid (usually this is what you would see if the
torque converter was going/gone bad). If so you have some serious
money to spend. The FIRST thing I would do is take it to a BBB shop
(Better Business Bureau) and have them check the fluid level. If the
shop you took it to failed to fill the tranny completely and damage
has been done you stand to recoup some money. As for the struts, I
would think that if you listened close you should be able to
differentiate any noises from the struts and the tranny. It wouldn't
hurt to give the front end a quick look over for obvious rubbing,
broken boots, loose parts, etc. Good luck and repost with any info
please.

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Dipstick - 18 Dec 2008 22:47 GMT

It 'could' be a lot of things, and you won't find the answer on here,
because no one on here can hear/see/feel what you are describing. So
the best we can do is guess...which is what your shop apparently did.
Just a guess, but I'd suspect a CV joint.

I can't help but ask why you let someone replace a wheel bearing,
shocks/struts, brakes, and flush the transaxle when evidently none of
those things were needed?

On Dec 14, 8:40�pm, MQ...@aol.com wrote:

> I dropped my car(2003 auto se1 grand am 125K highwaymiles) off at the
> shop this friday and told/test drove with the mechanics �to hear this
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> shift differential, drive line component, transmission,motor /tranny
> mounts.. gosh ANY Help i WILL BE SOOOO GRATEFUL!!!!! �mq...@aol.com

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