QuestionSo the car typically starts normally, no problems.
However, after the car has had some time to warm up, it will suddenly jerk and then go into 3rd gear (very problematic on the freeway). This is an automatic, BTW.
Once it is in 3rd gear, there is no way to get it back out, except by restarting. Often this won't work unless we let the car sit for a while.
I believe that I've given it plenty of fluids, and I replaced a hose that was leaking real bad.
Usually before it jerks it will give us a sort of mild warning that it's about to.
Oh, another thing is that if I am at a stoplight after this has taken place with the car in drive it acts as if it's in 3rd gear, but if i put the car in 2nd or Low, it will act like it's in 2nd (better than 3rd for go juice, but still slightly sluggish).
any clues? i don't have any equipment for reading diagnostics codes, but i could ask my dad if he does.
AnswerWithout having the diagnostic codes from the transmission computer, any advice I offer is just a guess. The symptoms you describe are consistent with the transmission computer recognizing any problem that it thinks will affect transmission operation.
You'll need to read the engine and transmission trouble codes for me to tell you the nature of the problem. You could try AutoZone or AAMCO. They've advertised they'll provide this service for free, but it hasn't been clear to me whether their tooling will allow them to read the transmission codes. If not, you'll probably need to pay someone to read the codes and make a diagnosis.
Most frequently, the symptoms you describe occur due to a simple cause such as a faulty input or output speed sensor.
