trans issue - was fine, then whining noise, next day slipping, now nothing

93markeight

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I know this is one of those things you gotta see and hear in person but I figured Id throw it on here and see if anybody else had this issue. Its a 93 Mark VIII with 106k mileage. I bought the car from my best friend for a good price after the trans started acting up. At first I figured Id do a built trans with converter and all that fund stuff but now Im really just really eager to drive the car and not spend all summer modding her. So budget build it is.....Here's what happened, the trans was 100% fine, no noises, no slips, no issues, shifted great, no leaks, nice red trans fluid, etc, etc. Then one cold winter morning "like 10 degrees cold" he started her up to go to work and noticed a whining noise, he drove her to work and back '15 minutes' fine. Next morning he started her up and she was whining even worse, started going to work, turned around, went back home, trans started slipping and he barely made it up the driveway 'all this within 15 minutes of cold morning start up'. Since then the car has been sitting in my driveway. I start her up, the trans makes a loud whining noise 'kindof like a bad power steering pump', I put her in gear and the sound dies down a bit but nothing happens when I give it gas, its as if every gear is neutral 'however yesterday for some reason she moved in reverse but today she didn't'. So Im wondering if anybody else has had a similar issue, or if anybody knows a likely cause of this issue. Worse case scenario I can just drop the whole car off to my mechanic who I trust and have him rebuilt it for $1200 all said and done with 1 year warrantee. If somebody I trust is selling a good trans I'l put a used one in myself for $300 but that's only if I buy it from somebody I trust. Or if this trans is a cheap fix I'l fix it myself even if I have to pull the trans myself in my driveway on my back.
 
check fluid, if that doesn't alleviate it get a mainline pressure test, the only other thing I can think is maybe front pump issues not building enough pressure.
 
Sounds like a bad trans pump to me. If you plan on buying another trans (which is cheaper than having one rebuilt) make sure you get a 98+ 4R70W and just Repin the wiring harness
 
Sounds like a bad trans pump to me. If you plan on buying another trans (which is cheaper than having one rebuilt) make sure you get a 98+ 4R70W and just Repin the wiring harness

Fluid is fine and at proper level. From my research I was thinking bad trans pump too. Is the trans pump something I can replace myself without ripping apart the whole trans? And once I get the old trans pump out of the car is there a way to test it to verify the pump itself is bad? If the trans pump is bad could it have damaged my trans? I don't mind pulling the trans outta the car myself for a inexpensive fix but I have never rebuilt a trans before so I don't wanna get in over my head tearing the whole thing apart into a million pieces.
 
Fluid is fine and at proper level. From my research I was thinking bad trans pump too. Is the trans pump something I can replace myself without ripping apart the whole trans? And once I get the old trans pump out of the car is there a way to test it to verify the pump itself is bad? If the trans pump is bad could it have damaged my trans? I don't mind pulling the trans outta the car myself for a inexpensive fix but I have never rebuilt a trans before so I don't wanna get in over my head tearing the whole thing apart into a million pieces.
You can get a nice low mileage 98+ trans for around 300 off Car-parts.com. Not have to pull pump test old one put new one on hope it works put trans back in and still have smoked trans.
 
Thanks for the vids. I watched a vid on how to remove the pump but now I gotta figure out if a faulty pump fried the rest of the trans or not. I know the trans was good before this issue. If this trans is fixable without completely tearing her down Im pulling it outta the car this weekend and fixing her along with a Jmod.
 

I already read your thread Gim. There was no detailed info about whether a bad pump fries the entire trans or not. To one person the trans is shot because they cant pull it themselves, to another person it may be an easy fix because pulling the trans isn't a big deal to them ya know. Like somebody saying their car is totaled when really it just needs a fender and door, its all about who you ask baby girl. Now if this trans is repairable guess whos helping me pull it ;) Hmm maybe if we have time this week :)
 
Finished messing with some things on her today 'not trans related'. Started her up to let her run a little bit and put her into drive for ****s and giggles and she started to creep forward a little bit, same in reverse, then tried drive again and nothing much unless you gave her a little extra push by foot. Im probably gonna pull the trans next weekend if I have time, anybody think that trans is worth trying to save?
 
Get the 98, as case design and internals are better.

I'l look for a 98 if this trans is shot but if this trans is fixable without tearing the whole thing apart I'l try and save it to save the money. Like I said the trans was perfectly fine before this, Id rather not spend the money on another trans if I can just fix this one with a few bucks.
 
You did say that the filter was checked/replaced so it is not plugged and installed correctly.
 
You did say that the filter was checked/replaced so it is not plugged and installed correctly.

Filter was not replaced, fluid is good and at proper level, but haven't tried changing the filter. Do filters just go like that? Causing the trans to whine and very little movement if any at all when in gear? Maybe the freezing temps had some sort of effect on it?
 
Im gonna make a list of tests I can perform on the trans to try and figure out what the issue is, then this weekend I'l test everything I can before I go looking for another trans. Anybody have any tips or tricks for diagnosing a trans issue?
 
chalk it up jew the trans is gonna need a full rebuild, no little sensor change is gonna fix her :cool:
 

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