EMERGENCY can anything help a slipping trans..??

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columnshift

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First attempt refused to post and I didn't see the title up.

The emergency is not mine, but a friend of a friend who is homeless and kind of stranded in Denver, Colorado. They're asking me for advice because I fix some car stuff but i'm not an expert.

Quick version - they were traveling from minneapolis to willitis, california for a farm job because it's too lethally cold in MN to be homeless in. Their original crapbox threw a rod out the side so they bought this replacement crapbox for $400 (plus $200 owed) and were trying to get out for their job. They could have taken a bus or something but they were homeless with two dogs and had no family or anyone willing to take care of them so whether right or wrong she was trying to drive out.

Except the transmission slips. I wish they would have talked to be me before buying the car or taking off of course, but things are what they are. I already sent her cash when she ran out of gas in nebraska to get this far, but had I known the trans was slipping I might've said turnaround - I thought this would solve the problem but it didn't. I might be able to get her some, or maybe all of her gas money, but 24mpg/ 1300 miles is a good $200+ so that leaves zero danger reserve if something happens en route. If the transmission dies in the mountains i'm worried what will happen. Yet i'm the one she's asking for advice of what to do. Returning to minnesota isn't feasible/she left due to subfreezing cold already and due to a specific california job offer.

I've heard of things you can pour into a transmission to maybe reduce or stop the slipping but i dont know if it's just pour and go, or a scam, or what. I hope if they get to california and the car breaks once at the farm, they can just work and save up money for a replacement car or something. Homeless in california isn't as bad, and dogs on a farm will be okay for the moment. But she needs to get there and i'm not sure what to tell her is an acceptable risk or not.

What would you do? How long is a partly slipping trans likely to last? Obviously she doesn't want to lose her dogs, they're members of the family to most people.

Her description of "if I floor it the transmission slips every time, but it seems to drive fine on the highway so far" the last 900 miles from minneapolis. I'm worried about those hills.
 
I assume based on having to send her gas money, that you will be covering this cost. How much do you, or if I am incorrect- her, have to spend on this repair?
As indicated by others, no real advice can be suggested until we know what year/make/model she is driving. Automatics vary in durability as do the related components.
Did she start with the basics? Have her check the fluid level, as well as the color. If it is discolored from the usual red/pink and more a burned brown or black and with a possibly clogged filter, any fix-in-a-can won't make a difference.
 
Originally Posted by rubberchicken
Are you sure your not being played for money ? I would start by just checking the fluid level.


That should not be asked. This is a woman from the sounds of it. Listen and believe always.
 
I also want to know what kind of car this is.

If you can get it to be as cold as possible the fluid will be thicker and might work better.

If there's a throttle valve cable it can get tightened up.

If there's a vacuum modulator it can be unplugged (so it thinks its WOT)

If the filter's plugged with silt a pan drop and filter change with some fresh fluid might bring it back-- it did for me on a $400 cutlass ciera, got another 18k miles.

If it's a saturn TAAT there's a fuse that can be pulled for the "line pressure solenoid" resulting in high pressure and harsh shifts.
 
If the fluid isn't in bad shape Lucas will help provide a up to few more thousand miles of transmission life. But the entire situation is bad.
 
they were traveling from minneapolis to willitis, california ....Did they get lost? Denver is out of the way.
 
Originally Posted by CT8
they were traveling from minneapolis to willitis, california ....Did they get lost? Denver is out of the way.


Gotta make a dope stop
laugh.gif
 
Sorry for not having the make/model posted. I literally typed it after an edit, but I realized it didn't post the edit. This was a bit of a panic post - sorry for that.

Vehicle is a 2001 Buick Century. That would make it a 4L60E transmission. Miles unknown but those transmissions sure seem to go awhile, one guy I know had 330,000 on his before it went. So miles may be well up there.

My level of help was originally going to be about limited to gas money - around $250ish was what I was hoping it could get her out for. I'm still trying to figure out how to cover that - i'm a college student and kind of on borrowed money myself this semester.

The side trip to denver was because she realized she couldn't make it as far as she thought on her available money and she decided to head to a major city to look for work. She is able and willing to work in the denver area it just has to pay almost daily to deal with crises of the moment. If the trans can hold on for awhile maybe she can make enough to afford a different car.

I'll try to post other updates as I catch up. This post may be edited as I learn stuff.

I originally was not budgeted for any repairs - I know she cant do it herself, HOWEVER if she has any luck finding work this coming week i'm hoping she can come up with something to match gas money.

Originally Posted by Reddy45
Originally Posted by rubberchicken
Are you sure your not being played for money ? I would start by just checking the fluid level.

That should not be asked. This is a woman from the sounds of it. Listen and believe always.


I would say I sure as [censored] hope not, I know the man well but not the lady uber well. I am assuming on some level my friend is not a chump. The problem is HE is homeless too - he got his wallet and ID stolen and is currently in tent city minneapolis apparently. (where there's hundreds of people camped and some are dying each week and such) And he was originally refusing to tell me his situation - it's not like he called me begging for money, I had actually called him asking for help on something unrelated and he said he didn't think he could help anymore because unexpected things occurred. He didn't want to admit what had happened. So then she was trying to go out for work to california - but her original car dying and buying the replacement ate up the cash faster than planned, and the lower MPG than she expected made her realize she wouldn't get to california with the cash she had. So she bolted for Denver to look for temporary work.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by Reddy45
Originally Posted by rubberchicken
Are you sure your not being played for money ? I would start by just checking the fluid level.


That should not be asked. This is a woman from the sounds of it. Listen and believe always.


So only males can be devious and dishonest ? Patrick Kane would like a word with you.
 
Knowing the car would help. However before I knew BITOG and had a car with a slipping transmission I used a bottle of Lucas Transmission additive and it worked. I drove it quite a while thereafter with no issues. I hit a deer with that car and well it was totaled.
 
You'll find it's a 4T60E. I have an 01 Grand Prix (beater), almost the same car. Usually they get more sloppy & slow shifting than continual slipping, caused by pressure loss & sticky solenoids. If it's not too far gone, a TransGo shift kit (~$70, easy to install the lower parts with pan off) and fluid/filter change will cure it for a good while. But paying someone to do it will run a couple hundred even skipping the upper accumulator & internal valves.
 
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