Well pretty sure my mounts are done. Im going to fill them with urethane and report back. Bad vibration, first gear is now usless cause of bind Im guesing. Third shifts rough to. Getting two new solenoids ordered in 4 days gonna fill mounts let them cure while waiting for delivery.

 

Well I filled my mounts with urethane and the issue still persists. First gear the car will roll by itself and after 2000 it just binds and will go into second with the first gear indicator up still still shakes at idle but not as bad and throttle response is much improved. Also still dragging and slamming into third. My transmission is toast isnt it :/

 

How old is your transmission fluid?

If you don't know, get it replaced/flushed.

 

I have 190K miles on my Cherokee. The trans fluid has never been changed. I've been told, with that amount of miles on it, it's better not to change it.

 

The fluid was the first thing I did. I had it flushed with like 11 quarts . First hear feels like its being held back by massibe friction once you touch the gas and it goes into second. Earlier in this predicament sometime first would wind all the way to 7500 bit most of the time it would catch. I have an aul corp 3 year warranty but I've heard some bad things about them squirming out of covering uour vehicle. The car also came with a staggered set of wheels and midpipe/catback that the dealer knew about when selling the warranty. It says the dealership would be the one to do the work so I'm hoping this guy covers our bitts and tells them its stock. Otherwise I think the warranty would be void as the car never qaulified in the first place and I should get my money back.

 

Sorry about the typos Im posting off a touch screen. Im sure you know what i said hah

 

Yeah, it's pointing to transmission problems.

One other idea just occurred to me though. Do you have one or more brake calipers dragging?

 

Is there an easy way to check without removing all the calipers. I do have pulsation in the brakes but the abs light would be on wouldnt it? Could a sensor for the trans like vss, nuetral switch or something. Oh and I have to start out in second. I would think even with the tiny bump in torque from being auto it wouldnt have enough in second with a seized caliper but your the smart one.

 

Wow, I look illiterate when i type fast.

 

Also it rolls with my foot off the gas when its in gear. I dont know if it would if that was the case.

 

Engine vibrating bad still, leads me to believe that i fudged up and didnt torque down the mounts properly because i didnt have a long enough extension.

 

Dragging brakes will get hot...easy check is an IR thermometer or carefully touching the rotor or caliper to see if it is warmer than the other side.

Careful means don't roast your fingers if it is glowing

 

Nope, the ABS system wouldn't know if you have a sticking caliper that is dragging on the rotor.

The automatic transmission is still just a viscous connection until it locks, starting in 2nd is very typical for automatic transmissions, and no real harm. I'm not referring to a caliper that is locked the pads hard against the rotor though, I'm more referring to where the pad is less than 50% engaged maybe, or less. I don't actually think this is your problem, just suggesting some alternate things to check that might produce the grinding noise plus screw up the engine load calculations which would mess up the shifting logic.


That is normal for every automatic transmission. The input side is still spinning the fluid at idle, which is exerting pressure on the torque converter.

 

One way to check your calipers is to get the wheels off the ground, put the trans in neutral.
Have someone sit in the car and preferably with the engine running, grab hold of a wheel and turn it. It should turn freely.
Have them press the brakes, the wheel should stop instantly.
Try turning the wheel with the pedal pressed, then release the pedal, the wheel should turn freely right away.
If it doesn't you have a caliper sticking or a collapsed brake line.

 

I always drive it in manual mode. I know they are supposed to roll. What Im saying is in 1stit will roll normally, but once i touch the gas it binds and I have to go to second. Then it wont go into first unless I put it back in park then back to manual to get it into first. The engine was vibrating bad so I figured I didnt torque the mounts enough cause of not having the proper tools (torque wrench, extensions, 14mm deep well). Well I made a boo boo and snapped the long bolt on the top of the mount. It snapped off pretty deep so Im going to measure how deep it is so I can get a shorter bolt for temporary fix cause im broke for another four days. Man it sucks not having a complete tool set haha two 6in, extensions one 3in, and a universal trying to get that nut tight on the stud without a deep well. First bolt I ever snapped but I dont think its coming out of there. I'll check the brakes/ inspect the lines when I'm back from the store.

 

You asked for an easy way to check your calipers, that's what my reply was for.
I don't think that's the solution to your problem either.
Good luck.

 

I have to concur with anl on the don't change/ flush an auto trans it if it really old (old fluid). A lot of crap gets tossed around in the flush process.

If the car has a warranty, I would go after that first. If they try to give you your money back, say you will take it after they fix the trans.

Assuming the issue is stuff that got knocked loose in the flush gumming up the works, I would also get a trans fluid filter (easy from Amazon) and install it. You just need to cut one of the rubber lines going to the cooler. Make sure you have the flow right. This will at least pick up crap that is in the fluid. Probably get 2. Run one for a bit, then change it and cut the old one open to see what is inside.

On my auto cars, I change about 2 quarts of fluid every year with a siphon pump out the dip stick. That keeps it fresh. Not a bad plan.

The above is based on the assumption that it did not behave this way until the flush, right? You could also take it back to whomever flushed it for a WTF discussion.

 

Is the auto rx8 different then most? Normally when in manual mode if you put it in second at a stop you are really in first then it shifts to second at the correct speed.

Manual/auto transmissions do not really go manual. They just restrict the car to a maximum gear that you select.


Try a little rpm test.
Take off with the car in first and take it up until it "binds" and note the rpm and speed.

Then put it in second and take off to the same speed and record your rpm.

 

I got the trans flushed after the problem to try to fix it and no dice. I got the bolt out of the mount today and reinstalled it. The engine shakes violently now, and Im gonna check the brackets for a loose bolt in the morning.

Oh and I wasn't trying to be a butt about testing the brakes. I really appreciate everyones contribution.

Im trying to arrange for my car to go to the dealer. Is the horrible shaking maybe diff mounts. Its not as bad in park or neutral. Haha my compression is probably screwed too with my luck.

 

No worries bro, no offense was taken.
I try to help if I think I can.

 

Happy easter!

 

Took the uim off today and replaced the ssv solenoid and cleaned it and the vdi a little bit. The vibration seemed to decrease but is still present. Could this maybe have to do with the diff mounts?? The engine mounts and sorting out the vac mess seems to have helped the issue a lil. Now the car can go a lil farther then it did before just locks up... like a chirped the tires/ wheel hopped a bit.

 

Well my car finally realized what was wrong with it. Got a p0761. So its bassically my shift solenoid. Any possible way a crazy additive could free it??? Can you acess the solenoids by pulling the pan?

 

Came home on a flatbed tonight think my torque converter took a crap. Guess Im gonna have to drop the pan for sure now and probably drain the diff too and take a lookie.

 

Well the transmission, tc, or diff must have been causing the vibration in drive. Its has way way less since my drivetrain took a crap. Seems fine now idle is just rollin a lil but i have a catless midpipe, greddy exaust, and aem cia. Im not sure but the vac nip on the air pump is disconnected and capped but idk if thst would do anything at all to idle.