Transmission Update
The van had been acting up the last few months. It would bog
down similar to limp home mode. I think it can now be described as transmission
limp mode. It was intermittent but most often occurred on rolling, off-interstate
routes in traffic where the speed was just below shift points. Congested
traffic that didn’t allow room to get up to speed for a good shift was the
worst. There was no indication on the dash controls, and no codes in the
computer. It would just start operating at about half power without turbo.
The condition usually reset to normal with an
engine restart. Occasional check engine lights may have come from the bogged
down driving but didn’t seem to occur in a direct relationship to the limp
mode. I kept chasing the check engine light as if the van was going into limp
home mode. The shop was doing the same, because I did encounter a failed turbo
and a couple anomalous EGR temperature sensor readings during that time. The
last week I began suspecting the transmission/fluid level when every once and a
while I would get a hard shift. I have a transmission dipstick but haven’t been
confident in the readings, since the approved dipstick is too long for the
filler tube and most of the time the fluid doesn’t give a good line to read. I
went ahead and checked the transmission fluid level, and it appeared to be
overfilled. I removed about .8 quarts and got a reading on the dipstick. The
van seemed to work better in town. I finally got the real test this week when I
drove most of a day across the back roads of southern Michigan. Road check
good. Note to self—verify transmission fluid level after service. Note to
everyone else—get a transmission dipstick and learn how to use it. Level
ground, hot transmission, shift through gears, leave engine running/transmission
in park. Insert dipstick and try to feel it bottom out without forcing it. Leave
dipstick in place for five minutes, remove and read.
eb
