odd downshift in my car

[Fairweather]

this should probably be in the car section but i wanted alot of ppl to be able to see it as the problem needs to be resolved quickly

 

i own a 2002 chrysler 300M and yesterday i had the transmission fluid/filter changed, when i drove it home today the downshift right around 53km/h (20-30mph?) was so rough i thought my transmission was about to blow. No other up or downshifts produced this effect. I called the mechanic and brought it back, he had absolutely no idea why it would be doing that but in the end he ended up hooking a computer thingy up to the car computer and resetting the car computer so it would re-measure fluid levels and what not. It fixed the really rough downshift but it still just isnt the same, the downshift between those 2 gears is not quite right its a little rough and it tee's me right off every time it does it.. which is of course every time i downshift at that speed.

 

I know absolutely nothing about cars but can anyone offer some sort of explanation or solution to try, i move back to school on sunday so it was a really bad time for this to happen

[Preacher]

Take it back to him and tell him to make it right. If he doesn't, get to the BBB and report him. You don't need to know anything about cars to know it's messed up compared to when you brought it in to him.

Edited August 27, 2010 by Preacher

[Windex]

<-- Agrees with Preach.. They caused it.. they fix it..

 

Odds are a gasket from the filter may be loose in the transmission. Who knows! But definitely their responsibility to fix!

[Fairweather]

Take it back to him and tell him to make it right. If he doesn't, get to the BBB and report him. You don't need to know anything about cars to know it's messed up compared to when you brought it in to him.

 

called him today about it and he told me i was being too particular .... ya ok, he thinks i'm just being picky but common it ran absolutley perfectly before i had the fluid swap and i'm not just imagining things

 

what is the BBB?

[NOFX]

better business bureau. My room mate had a 2004 Maxima with transmission problems. It's an auto that started slipping. When up shifting or downshifting, it would rev high then CLUNK into gear. Was fine for a long time. Was a little to rough on it the other night and the transmission is now completely out.

 

I'd say your probably fine, but if it's really bothering you, I'd get rid of it or trade it before the problem gets worse. Because there is no way you'd be able to sell it if get's as bad as what my room mate had.

[[LaW]Maverick]

modern transmissions are "learning" transmissions. They monitor the state of your engine over time as well as your driving habits and adjust things like the throttle, shifts, etc. When you reset the computer, it resets everything to factory state, which means that your learning transmission is in 1st grade again--it thinks the car is new and is still adjusting itself. I'd personally recommend driving it for a week or two and then, if the problem doesn't go away, go bug your mechanic again.

 

Just make sure to tell the mechanic what you're doing. Call them say that you will give it a week to see if the transmission problem clears up as the computer determines the state of the system, but if the shifting is still wonky after a week or two, you're bringing it back and they ARE fixing it.

 

And that makes up another edition of Mav's 2-cents . . . I hope it helps.

[Clueless]

How many miles are on the car and is this it's first trans fluid change?

 

Two things are very common in this situation.

 

1) They used the wrong fluid, all transmission fluids are NOT created equal. Different transmissions use different fluids and the manufacturers call for very specific additive packages in their fluids, this is so much more important than it used to be. So make sure he used the right stuff, don't be afraid to check the manual or call the parts dept at the dealer and see what it takes, then quiz the guy to see if he knows what's up. Fluid level is also important, especially in automatics, too much or too little will cause driveability issues.

 

2) High mileage vehicles that have never had the transmission serviced can actually suffer problems after a fluid change. The friction material and other wear items in the trans will wear faster after being neglected for too long, then all of the material that has worn off over time actually kinda keeps the thing together....then when you change it and remove all of that stuff and add clean fluid, it causes problems, usually slippage though, which it doesn't sound like you have.

 

Check the fluid type, and if need be, take it to the dealer and have it sorted out...transmissions are expensive to replace

[[LaW]Maverick]

How many miles are on the car and is this it's first trans fluid change?

 

Two things are very common in this situation.

 

1) They used the wrong fluid, all transmission fluids are NOT created equal. Different transmissions use different fluids and the manufacturers call for very specific additive packages in their fluids, this is so much more important than it used to be. So make sure he used the right stuff, don't be afraid to check the manual or call the parts dept at the dealer and see what it takes, then quiz the guy to see if he knows what's up. Fluid level is also important, especially in automatics, too much or too little will cause driveability issues.

 

2) High mileage vehicles that have never had the transmission serviced can actually suffer problems after a fluid change. The friction material and other wear items in the trans will wear faster after being neglected for too long, then all of the material that has worn off over time actually kinda keeps the thing together....then when you change it and remove all of that stuff and add clean fluid, it causes problems, usually slippage though, which it doesn't sound like you have.

 

Check the fluid type, and if need be, take it to the dealer and have it sorted out...transmissions are expensive to replace

 

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