Thread: P0742 Code - should I pay for repairs or just sell the car?

Transmission on my GP has always had some hard shifting after it's warmed up, so I know the solenoid was bad and needed to be fixed. I put it off because it was my commuter car and my commute was about 30 miles round trip. Today, while out driving, I got some stuttering/hesitating when it was shifting and the SES light came on. Stopped for some dinner and the vehicle got about a 30 minute cool down. I found an Advance Auto to get a code read on it about 5 miles away from where I ate. Read the code, P0742. I drove home, about a 45 miles drive. Code cleared itself, and shifting got really smooth. I'm not driving it again except to a shop, and I'm pretty sure it's just the solenoid. But I've also read that a P0742 often means it's too late for the cheap fix and a new tranny is in the cards.

On one hand, I still have my Impala and it works fine so I could just unload the GP on Craigslist. But I'm also switching jobs and my commute is going to be about 95 miles round trip. My GP has 125K miles on it, and when I had it checked out after I bought it (don't ask) the shop told me it was a junkyard tranny. I suspect I'm looking at $1500-$2000 for a rebuilt one, and I can probably sell the car for about that, maybe more. The car needs new rotors, brakes, and tires as well. I can see paying the $500 for a solenoid and probably another $500-$600 for the others, knowing I should be able to get another 50,000 miles out of it.

But I'd hate to drop the cash on a rebuilt tranny as well as the other stuff, and a week later, blown engine. Once I start hitting 2500-3000, I'd just assume buy another beater with 80,000 miles on it that needs minimal work.

Yeah, my thoughts are leaning towards paying to fix it regardless, just because I won't find anything cheaper. I put about $2500 in it when I bought it two years ago, so what's another $2000?

Shop couldn't find anything out of the ordinary in the fluid, and the codes stayed away after the cleared them. I'm having them replace the PCS as the two codes it threw were specific to the PCS technical bulletin. Probably should have just told them to do that and I would have saved a few bucks. Should have the GP back tomorrow, and I can rest the Imp for my drive to Georgia next week.

i jsut had to have this done. cost me 800 bucks. almost 500 of labor.

Got the car back Friday, no return of the codes. PCS was replaced, and got TWO tranny fluid changes! But the car also has no problems shifting from 3rd to 4th now, so the problem is solved. Almost tempted to risk driving it to Virginia Beach...

Originally Posted by IrishNation24

i jsut had to have this done. cost me 800 bucks. almost 500 of labor.

u got raped in the bung... solenoid is like 50 bucks and its calls for 4 hrs of labor i believe. i got my PCS, fluid and filter change for 250.00.

Only issue with the 250 repair is you have to go to the shop and tell them that's what you want. My car was only putting out one code to my DTC reader, so it was only after they had it that the other code came up. And I'm sure that's how it is for others too. The shop I took it to charged 5 hours labor. Not much difference there, but that depends on the shop. I'm not doing backflips over what I was charged, but it was fixed and I can drive the car for a few more years, so I'm happy.

Ahh... resurrecting my own post. SES light on again, P0742. Really bad shutter when shifting from 3rd to 4th. Just go my tax return, so now again comes the tipping point - do I fix my car or dump it. I'll take it to a shop for sure, and see what they say. I don't know if throwing another solenoid at it will give me another 30,000 miles to put me at 200,000, but I'll be down to one car and I always like having a backup vehicle in case there are problems.