98 legacy 4eat problem

[EJ KILLA]

(4eat 98 legacy) ok heres a summary of what happend:

1. undercar around front diff area was making sputtering noise kinda sounds like an "exhaust leak" and at sometimes sounds like engine knock but not all the time(sounded like that for 3 weeks)
2. trans begins to slip grab slip grab at highway speeds
3. a loud bang happend at 60mph and felt like something locked up for a sec
4. pulled over(smoke came out) and trans goes into drive but when giving gas feels like ebrake is on and once obtaining walking speed it sounds like gears whining
5. when put into reverse sounds like gears grinding or something and when in nuetral car cannot be pushed in reverse it locks up but can be pushed forward.
6. car can move in reverse if front wheels lifted off ground.

any ideas?

[green97gt]

sounds like you need to find another 4EAT.

maybe your pinion bit it, or planetary gears bound up and got chewed up, etc.

really hard to tell without taking it apart, if i were you i would find another low mileage 4EAT from your generation and slap it in there, then take apart the old to see what got chewed up.

[EJ KILLA]

do you happen to know the cause of the concern? my mother persist to think it was my fault on why it broke yet i dont drive it hard at all. it always did slam into 2nd gear...

[green97gt]

maybe a vid would help?

but there are soo many parts to a transmission, im sure someone here can spout off the solenoid that controls what upshift, and wich clutch pack that happens to be, and which planetary gear is held/driven/driving etc.

but it boils down to one or more the following,

a valvebody problem.
a gear problem.
a bearing problem.
an electical problem.
a fluid problem.
a clutch pack problem.

the easiest to remedy being a fluid or electrical problem. youve checked your trans fluid right?

is it red and clear or dark and cloudy? is it up ti the full mark?

how about your front diff oil?

have your drained both to see which one has chunks? sounds like at least one will for sure.

does/did your AT temp light flash at all?


sounds to me...and this is all a GUESS based on the little info we have.... like that sputtering you heard at first was gear/bearing clatter...

then the slippage was caused by either low fluid, worn clutchpack clearances, a bad seal in the clutchpack, faulty electrics/valve body, or less likely missing gear teeth, cause that would be a bit noisy, and you dont mention hearing it.

the loud bang/lock up was either your planetary gears, or diff gears munching each other, two clutchpacks trying to engage at the inappropriate time, or center diff TQ bind(?)

the reverse problems sounds like your front diff/pinion shaft/output shaft is bound up

there are just SOO many possibilities, these are just some thoughts i came to here while i cant sleep, there are many combination, and variables to all these as well.

more info is better. lights? codes? fluids? etc.

but either way, its alot easier/cheaper to find a lower mileage trans then rebuild if the metal guts are damaged.

[ouch1011]

If the car won't move in neutral, there is either a differential problem or a geartrain problem, not a hydraulic/clutchpack/valvebody problem.

I'd suggest draining the fluid and see where the metal is. Drain the ATF from the plug in the trans drain pan, and the front diff fluid from the finned cover just behind the engine crossmember. That'll give you some idea of where the failure lies.

As far as proving to your mom that you didn't abuse it and break it, well, good luck with that.

[EJ KILLA]

well i did get a code for the tourqe converter circuit inoperative or something like that couple weeks ago

i drained fluids and atf was clean and front diff had about 1tsp of fine metal shavings

ill probably rebuild this transmission at school and sell it