Hello,
I have a 98 Tour V6 ATX about 117k miles. I recently started getting the 1->2 Bang shift so I changed the TSS (black one to white one) and the tranny fluid hoping it would be fixed. The tranny fluid was dark but no burn smell. I drove into work today and its still there. No CELs. Funny thing is the bang shift didn't show up until after about 7-10 miles of driving.
Only thing I can think of is 1) the new sensor is bad;
2) I didn't leave the neg. cable off long enough (I read 20 mins is necessary to reset tranny??)
3) Some other more serious problem exists (i.e. torque converter).
Suggestions/help please.
Steve
I had to have bad news for you, but this just happened to me.
New Tranny.
Clutches burnt.
Bands gone (streached?)
New Torque converter
New solonoid pack
etc.
$2200.
I have some good news for you...dont do any tranny work just yet...drain some fluid and dump in 2 bottles of Lucas. It cured my ATX and also cured the same condition I had with an Intrepid. My Intrepid which are well know for tranny problems was at 135,000 when it acted up...slipping and allChrysler. I flushed and filled...added the Lucas and got 345,000 KM out of it before someone did me a favour and rear ended and totaled it.I asked around to some good mechanics I know and one guy who knows trannys well advised me that alot of tranny issues on our cars, winstars, and intrepids are related to dried out seals and such in the valve bodies. The conditioner helps to soften the seals and restore performance. Chrysler owner manual calls for fluid replacement every 30,000KM. So dump in some conditoner and run it till it dies...it might make a differance like it did for me on my Mystique and my Intrepid. My Mystique was acting up same as yours...flushed and filled with 2 bottles of Lucas 20,000 ago and is working fine so far. I also did as you did and replaced the TSS. Give it a shot...you might get lucky, in the worse case its still a rebuild.
You really have to read the threads related to the 1-2 Bang Shift closely. Not because of their authors, but because of the content. The bang shift happens under certain conditions. Anything outside of these conditions does not quailify you as a canidate for the fix.
To make it simple; If you accelerate at somewhere around wide open throttle and release the gas pedal just before the shift to 2nd and there is a bang (or harsh shift) then fine. If not, then there is another problem and I would suspect that it would be the Solenoid Pack, Valve Body or Bands.
Yes, it would happen to me with my old Contour. If I drove a long distance, the OD OFF light would flash (indicating overheating tranny) and once that came on it would do the bang shift all the time (would do a 2nd gear scratch with normal driving...). My somewhat cure was flushing the tranny 3 times, drove 900 miles to Texas and no overheating.
Overheating happened once in Texas, but I was hot rodding around on the highway. Didn't happen after that, including a 2400 mile trip from Texas to Iowa to Montana.
Thanks for all of the help but the same day I posted this I drove home and my transmission started slipping bad. I took it to the shop and the mechanic said I had no 2nd gear. It took 5 days and my wallet is a lot lighter but at least I have the car back. Oh and it just had to happen right at Christmas time.
I believe the bang shift is more exaggerated in the cold as well. Atleast, that's what's happening to me. However, once I get near the shift point, I ease off the throttle (but still maintain), to give it a smoother shift. Also, watch out for hills, you'll definitely feel a harsh shift there. As Phillip said, conditions, conditions, conditions...
I installed a aux cooler and added 1 bottle of Lucas after a full fluid change. It made a HUGE difference. Mine didn't bang shift but ran really hot. I bet I cooled it by 50-60f by doing this. Cost less than $100.