Hi,
I'm new to the forum. Also, I'm a mom, not a mechanic.
I checked the FAQ's, Common Problems and did a search of the forums and did not find this problem - please forgive me if I somehow missed it.
I bought my son a 98 GL, auto trans, 2.5 liter V-6 Duratec, with 57,000 miles on it, California emissions. I was warned there was a transmission problem and here it is:
When accelerating, the transmission and engine both run very smoothly.
However, when going over dips or rough road, the transmission disengages, the engine revs way up and then the transmission goes back into gear with a tremendous clunk.
To a certain degree, we can avoid this by letting up off the gas as the car loses gravity (I don't know how else to say it - it is when you are coming to the up-side of a dip and you feel a little lighter). But sometimes it will just do it on a very rough road.
It does not require accelerating to make it happen and does not seem to be at any particular speed, but is most noticable around 10-25 mph.
There is the appropriate amount of fluid in the transmission, it looks OK (not burnt) and it is not leaking.
Also, I should say that the check engine light goes on periodically (I am running premium gas) and the battery light goes on when it is under load (i.e., accelerating).
Getting the transmission rebuilt is about $2000, so is not worth it. Any other ideas?
Thank you very much for your time.
Phoebe
