trans question

[flyinsc1]

I just got a 1990 pathy. When I start it up the transmission power switch light flashes I belive 12 or 13 flashes and then goes out. IT will light up normally when switched into power mode. The only thing that causes me some concern is that it does shift gears harshly , like it has a shift kit installed. I have checked the fluid, it looks to be clean enough and to the correct level. This may just be a trait of the beast , but if you are on the highway and floor it to pass it will downshift and then wind all the way up to the red line and hold there for a few secs and then shift up . Is that normal for these ? It doesnt seem to have very much poower in the high rpm range. It has 220,000 miles and the previous owner had the tranny rebuilt around 145,000 miles. Thanks for any help .

[94extreme]

ok, i highly recommend you read about the cooler mods for the ATs.. you're approaching on a median time for the ATs to go if stock.. it depends who rebuilt the tranny the first time.. they should have installed the external cooly already but you knever know.. the other thing was that the replacement intenal parts needed to be modified and i don't think that many know of that..

 

as i recall i had pretty good power in higher bands but this ain't a v8 and my 94 is a stick so it's a bit different.. and i have never redlined it unless i forgot to shift.. LOL the reason i said all the above is because the redlining while shiftdown isn't normal.. i can see 4k maybe a bit more but not 6k.. something aint right and it maybe something easy.. i dunno.. run ecu codes.. all the info is in the stickies here or the garage.. if you don't see it, search and then ask away..

[derogate]

Some of the more experienced guys will be able to help you out better.. but for now I suggest:

1) Pulling your ECU and Tranny computer codes

2) Poor in some Lucas oil Transmission Fix (10 or 15 bucks) - It'll help the tranny with the hard shifting what not.. not to mention help fight slipage and preserving seals

3) Get an aftermarket Transmission Cooler installed ASAP.. the bigger the better... you have LOTS of room to mount in infront of the rad (even with an AC condenser), so go as big as you can.

 

Hopefully that helps you out... and its all relativly cheap things to do... you should do All of the things on that list regardless of what ever is causing your problem anyway.

[Greenbushy]

Also i would suggest, having a complete trans oil change and running full synthetic trans fluid, these transmissions should run with synthetic fluid,,, they shift much better with synthetic too

Greenbushy