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Trans in need of some help (well 3 of them)

Ah, okay. I already have both the coupler and the 8oz of oil I got from zzperformance.com, thankfully (well I got it from them on ebay but same difference) So I guess I need to get the different type of gasket maker, because all I have is grey RTV.
 


Alright, haven't been able to get the GP's to act up and get the scanner on them, but mom's Bonnie has been recently (actually gotten worse) and I just got the scanner to come up with something besides the bad converter, an apparent EVAP leak that wasn't there before, and O2 sensor on bank 1 reading too lean.

Recently besides the occasional hard shifts, the Bonnie's trans has started slipping a bit more and often when shifting 1-2, 2-3 the shifts are accompanied by tremors, like it can barely shift and might as well eventually not shift and stall out. Also a couple of times earlier driving at 25mph, not at all about to shift but you could feel random grinding either at the left or right side for a couple of seconds at once. Mom is not happy :( :(

This is what I got off the OBDII reader: P0742 Torque converter clutch circuit stuck on
Seems tp make sense for the new symptoms, but how difficult/expensive of a fix would this be? Considering it may just be an electronic issue, but may or may not also require dropping or taking apart the transmission? :(
I'm kind of annoyed because I could've sworn when mum purchased this trans I believe from Advance it was a used but rebuilt trans. Feels as though they haven't rebuilt much at all in it. I did check fluid this morning and found it is yellow/slightly brownish so in need of a change, no metallic specks or anything in it but I'm still concerned if performing the usual maintenance on it at this point might worsen it or not.
 
That code is not good. Usually it's rebuild time and having them do all the available upgrades to the valve body.

On the P0171 aka lean bank code, I would suggest checking the tube from the egr to under the throttle body. These like to develop a crack at the side under the throttle body and is visible if you remove it, then pull back the piece that holds it to the engine and look with a light source on it. If you see light, it's an unmetered leak causing it to run lean. If that tube is good and you don't find any other obvious leaks in the vacuum tubes, then I'd look at the battery cables for corrosion. I honestly solved that code on my 97 by putting new battery cables on the car. Under the coating was a lot of corrosion that caused the voltage to be funky and made it run lean. I was lucky that a buddies father had been a GM tech for years and suggested I look at them closely. Since I had tried everything else, I gave it a try and was very surprised that cables fixed the problem.
 
Oh, that's odd that the battery cables can do that haha. Mom is really worried and upset about this new problem with the trans, it shakes and grinds horribly especially if you slow down and then have to accelerate again and it can't seem to shift. It feels and sounds like the whole thing is going to crack open and fall apart, you hear all the metal clunking and stuff too whenever it does it. I read somewhere though someone that had the same issue with a couple of Monte Carlos and made the mistake of trying a replaced transmission, that they cut a brown wire for the TCC in the wiring harness and that solved the problem of the circuit stuck on code as well as the physical symptoms? I originally didn't want to go cutting wires if that couldn't be put back together afterwards if you needed to, but it's so bad at this point I just want to make it stop so my mom can feel better about driving her car to work etc. It's really frightening to be honest how it runs...whole frame of the car shaking violently. Is the trans' wiring harness accessible from above/under the hood and doesn't require lifting the car or taking anything apart?
 
That would cut power to the TCC circuit. The connector for the transmission is right up on top. If you look just under the air hose from the airbox where it attaches to the engine throttle body, the connector is right below it. And you could cut the wire back a couple of inches which would allow it to be fixed in the future.
 
Thanks, I had a feeling I was looking at the right plug/harness but wanted to be sure. Still haven't cut anything only because I'm not sure how to go about doing it without damaging the other wires; I have a feeling the brown wire is in the center or below all the others that are currently visible and that it would be more uncomfortable to unplug the wires to lift the harness up a bit, BUT I have a feeling unplugging that and plugging it back in isn't the best idea? Say, what does removing the transmission fuse do instead? Haha. I thought someone somewhere suggested that instead to someone in my situation that was planning on cutting the wire, but I feel like the transmission fuse has more functions than just for the TCC circuit so I don't know if it could be driven like that safely. Really I honestly know jack sheeit about transmissions as they are to me like looking at a motherboard from a non-computer geek perspective (honestly I might be better off working on a main board since I grew up with my dad fixing and building computers)
 


Update... I have a feeling the Bonnie is having some sort of new engine issue apart from the trans code we got. Whenever the grinding/shaking starts, usually after having slowed down or come to a stop, I've noticed if the engine rpm's are originally between 500-800 idling, and you try to accelerate the engine will NOT increase rpm's when the grinding/metallic noise is occurring. Usually when the other trans slipped/wouldn't shift your rpm's would still go up according to how much you gave it gas- but I've just realized the rpm's are not budging at all. Is this some weird type of misfire or what? How I remember misfires the rpm's would dip and fluctuate when you lost power, but this is very odd and the noise is also unsettling - I'm currently now worried for the well-being of the engine more than the transmission :(
 
FWIW, My transmission started acting up in my '05 GTP. I used Lucas' Transmission Fix and am very impressed so far (~1 mo. @125,000 mi.) Mine had slow R-to-D switchover (which is now better) and slow downshift after fast stops resulting in the "bump-shift".

Tip: I use a pump from something like a liquid soap dispenser (hand lotion) with a tube attached to the suction tube (you'll have to figure out the size) and put that tube down the dipstick tube. It has to be pumped fast and for a long time before it can bring up fluid, but it will work, is inexpensive and is better than dropping the pan. Worth the try, IMO – I read enough positive results to give it a try.
 
Hmm..i guess definitely worth trying. My GTP also has a slow switchover from D to R, as soon as I press the accelerator it jumps like it's not shifted a few seconds later. Same with coming to a fast stop. I did find earlier this week though I think my trans has a little bit extra fluid than it should though, just barely above the max operating level and a few little air bubbles found. I'm guessing I'd have to siphon some out before adding the Lucas anyway too.

The Bonnie on the other hand...it's gotten to the point where you can turn the engine over and as soon as you shift to any gear it dies. We did have one moment when stranded with this issue where we started it, it was idling a bit rough, shifted it and it actually shifted without dying instantly but chugged for a few seconds before then dying. Everyone thinks the trans is toast, but that damn MAF sensor wire is still bothering me...my mom won't even drive the car anymore and it's sitting here while she gets a ride to and from work. I guess with good reason as she couldn't get it inspected either and it's past due a few months now...
I'm legit pretty depressed because I love that car to death and I know they all just want to get rid of it like it's trash for something that's most likely fixable... it just needs more time and money which my mom doesn't have..
 
My fluid level was also high (about 1/2 qt.). I did not mention that because of too much info., and I wasn't sure if it had any effect. Your symptoms ("Pumpkin's") sound the same as mine (mine at 125,000 mi.) and I was wondering how much effect that could have had; it would be interesting to see if removing some fluid alone would change the shift time. I have not payed attention to high temperatures, but I will (in the summer I remove the weatherstrip at the back of the hood to get better top airflow over the engine compartment).

As I said, I am very surprised how much better the transmission is doing since adding Lucas' – it got better over about a week (or even two).

BTW, since it shifts sooner (OD) and torque converter lock-up is happening quicker, I am actually getting better gas mileage (over the fact of a higher viscous fluid)!
 
That's pretty cool. I did have the fluid and filter changed a few months ago, and the mechanic called saying he needed an extra quart of fluid before handing him off to me so it was a total of 8 quarts removed/replaced out of the total 10 I guess that it takes. It must have needed a little under a quart then and that's why it's a bit over filled. And I had them use Dex 3 because I couldn't afford to buy the newer type, so that might also be why. I know my father used the Lucas stop-slip on his and it seemed to help the first week and had no more hard shifts, but after that it returned to normal.

As for mileage I've just made 136k so hopefully I can get some improvements to unlike dad (his is at like 206k right now- engine runs beautifully but the trans is the only issue).
Kinda sucks that I don't get paid until next week and I don't know if any of my paycheck will be leftover for this yet, I need to renew registration, get him inspected, and possibly have some extra repairs done down under because I've been getting noise from some steering components as well as not sure how good the brakes are for inspection. And who knows I have a feeling the tires don't have enough tread left to pass x.x I have to check too because that would be the biggest issue in terms of spending :( but it has to get done anyway. Definitely will put the Lucas in my to-do list though and update here if it helps when I add it.
 


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