QuestionOur 95 LHS (134K miles) will no longer shift into overdrive and after driving for about one hour will not shift into reverse until cooled overnight. Shop recommends remanufactured Jasper tranny as a replacement.
Given Codes 36,51,54,46, 86, and 39...do these codes warrant a new transmission, or are there some other steps that can be taken to fix this without a replacement?? Thanks!
AnswerHi Nappy,
Have you ever replaced the fluid in the trans? A power flush and thus total fluid replacement might be worth a try. Before doing that check the trans fluid cooler flow rate by disconnecting the "from cooler" line at the transmission, place a collector pan under the disconnected line, and start the engine and let it idle in neutral. If the fluid flow is intermittent or takes more than 20 seconds to collect more than one quart of fluid then the cooler should be replaced. Don't collect more than 1 quart before stopping test.
You would want to begin before doing anything by inspecting to be sure the fins of the cooler and radiator aren't blocked by debris, which if washed away might alleviate the problem. Use a light behind the units to see the condition of the passageways.
The onset of the problem after an hour, plus the long cooldown time makes me think the issue might be alleviated by better cooling. The codes themselves do point toward internal damage. That could as well be corroborated by dropping one of the drain pans and checking for metallic debris to be present or not in significant quanity as a preliminary evaluation step to doing the power flush. If none was found, then I would discuss with the shop the possibility that the power flush, cooler improvement, new fluid, might not be worth investing in before going with a rebuild. Only use ATF +4 type fluids.
I would be very interested to know what you learn. The mileage seems a bit low to require the rebuild.
Roland
