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1992 Olds Cutlass Ciera 3.3L Transmission Seizing

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  • March 21, 2016 at 3:25 am #854634
    NickNick
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      my ’92 cutlass has only 64000 miles on it. Was Driving home and it began acting as if it would not gear down when coming to a stop. When I came to a stop, the car jerked and killed the engine. Started right back up and when I put it into gear, the engine immediately died. The only way I managed to get moving was by holding the gas pedal slightly down and putting it into gear. I checked everything with the engine and all is fine, fuel pressure/oil pressure etc. This is definitely a transmission issue. I checked the trasmission fluid (While Idling) and it was way past full. Nearly double the distance past the full mark. No fluid has been added at all to the transmission. The fluid has never been flushed on this vehicle. I let it sit for about ten minutes after stalling countless times and it got me home with no problems at all. I also noticed there is a slight knocking noise when it is in park but no noise when it is in neutral. Never encountered a strange situation like this. Any thoughts?

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    • March 21, 2016 at 3:32 am #854636
      Shaun FlichelShaun Flichel
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        Sounds like the torque converter. It’s stuck on making a direct connection to the drive wheels. Others will have other ideas as I’m not sure if this would cause the fluid to be way over the mark.

        March 21, 2016 at 4:35 am #854639
        transman304transman304
        Participant

          That year and engine could have 3 different transmissions. A 125 which is a 3 speed,TH440-T4 4 speed hydraulic or the 4T60-E a 4 speed electronic control.
          And the all will have the symptoms you are having and common when the TCC system fails. The 125 has a solenoid that goes bad. the 440 and the 4T60E have a orifice screen that breaks and will need replaced. Nether is a quick fix as they are under the side cover which has to be removed and with the 4T60E the valve body has to be removed. Good luck and let us know how things work out. If it is the 3speed you can unplug the case electrical connection and be able to drive for a while but needs to get fixed as you are disabling the TC clutch and not a permanent fix.

          March 22, 2016 at 6:28 pm #854736
          Nicholas ClarkNicholas Clark
          Participant

            This would also be a good time to drain and replace the fluid/filter. If it’s that full, it could cause problems. Transmission fluid and filter replacements are really easy to do. I would certainly recommend you doing that.

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