I have a 1986 Buick Regal Limited with a 307 Olds V8 and a 200-4R transmission. It is completely stock/unaltered. Currently has just under 110,000 miles. The car is overall very good condition, however, the engine is not very good, in that it now has 4 cylinders that require anti-fowlers (oily fouled plugs, not sure if the previous owner/s changed oil much?). Never had the transmission fluid changed until just recently due to, what I thought was, the transmission acting up.
The transmission problems seem to be temperature related. During the winter, in the coldest days, there were no issues (or any time previously). When we started having warm days out of the blue, the problems arose. Basically, the transmission will shift and then downshift fine as usual, but after about 3 cycles, the shift pattern seems to change on the next set of upshifts, basically transmission won't go into 4th gear until about 50MPH, when it would usually be approx. 40MPH. Then, once in 4th gear, you have to stay in the throttle, or else. Any back-peddling and the car starts to surge. If you get out of the throttle completely at that point and or hit the brakes, it goes back to 3rd gear, and getting back into the throttle starts the process all over again. In other words, once up to speed and get behind a slow poke or traffic, the trouble begins. If the next day was cold again, the transmission would be fine. On "in between" days (approx. 50 degrees as a high temperature), it would take until I almost got to work for the transmission to act up (10 mile drive).
Once the 4th gear fun begins, slowing down to very low speeds or to a stop insn't a problem, at least with down shifts (seems like anyway). However, the engine wants to "lug" and runs rough. Putting the car in reverse also makes the car run rough, the exhaust note gets choppy and has sort of a back-fire to it.
Long story short, after what I had read on here and elsewhere, I figured it wouldn't do any harm to have the transmission fluid drained and refilled with a new filter and a TCC solenoid while we were in there. The service work was done where I work (a bodyshop with a full time mechanic). I was able to witness the whole process. The residual fluid/debris in the pan was minimal, the fluid was still "good" and red, and had the usual powder-like band substance. The transmission was refilled with 5 qts. of Federated brand Dextron III. Resulting test drive resulted in firmer shifts, but still wanted to act funny with the now usual 4th gear surge.
Today, a day after the service work, with the weather in the 70's, the transmission pretty much went into full 4th gear surge mode almost immediately (after 2 upshift/downshift cycles). On the way home, about 1/3 way in the trip, at a stop I decided to put the car in "Drive/3rd" instead of "Overdrive/4th". The car still wanted to act up, and now the "Service Engine Soon" light came on for the first time in about a year. When I arrived home and put the car in reverse to back down the driveway, I noticed the car did not run rough in reverse as usual. The car was shut off and then sat for approximately an hour.
After the hour passed, I took the car for a test drive. The car was placed in "Overdrive" this time as it usually is. Funny thing was, I could not get the car replicate the problem again. The transmission shifted fine. I drove all over with varying driving styles. I even full-throttled it a few times from a stop and at speed and the transmission acted as it should. No surging. No rough running at lower speeds. Nothing. However, when I did one of the full-throttle flogs, the "Service Engine Soon" light came on again, and stayed on until I arrived back home and the car was shut off. I got trouble codes "34" and "45" which according to my Chilton's book don't really mean much to the situation. "34" appears to have something to do with the MAP sensor/curcuit, and "45" is a rich reading on the oxygen sensor circuit. I've had code 45 before when the car started to run rough (spark plug/fouling problem), but I have never had the code 34 before. Maybe this has something to do with the transmission?
I can't imagine there is anything wrong with the transmission itself given all of the circumstances. The car is never beat on, it is just used for daily driving and I am as soft on and off the throttle as can be. The problems just started all of a sudden, and are intermittent, which is what led me to believe the TCC was to blame. Could it possibly be the TPS? What does the MAP have to do with anything? Can anyone give me any clues?
The transmission problems seem to be temperature related. During the winter, in the coldest days, there were no issues (or any time previously). When we started having warm days out of the blue, the problems arose. Basically, the transmission will shift and then downshift fine as usual, but after about 3 cycles, the shift pattern seems to change on the next set of upshifts, basically transmission won't go into 4th gear until about 50MPH, when it would usually be approx. 40MPH. Then, once in 4th gear, you have to stay in the throttle, or else. Any back-peddling and the car starts to surge. If you get out of the throttle completely at that point and or hit the brakes, it goes back to 3rd gear, and getting back into the throttle starts the process all over again. In other words, once up to speed and get behind a slow poke or traffic, the trouble begins. If the next day was cold again, the transmission would be fine. On "in between" days (approx. 50 degrees as a high temperature), it would take until I almost got to work for the transmission to act up (10 mile drive).
Once the 4th gear fun begins, slowing down to very low speeds or to a stop insn't a problem, at least with down shifts (seems like anyway). However, the engine wants to "lug" and runs rough. Putting the car in reverse also makes the car run rough, the exhaust note gets choppy and has sort of a back-fire to it.
Long story short, after what I had read on here and elsewhere, I figured it wouldn't do any harm to have the transmission fluid drained and refilled with a new filter and a TCC solenoid while we were in there. The service work was done where I work (a bodyshop with a full time mechanic). I was able to witness the whole process. The residual fluid/debris in the pan was minimal, the fluid was still "good" and red, and had the usual powder-like band substance. The transmission was refilled with 5 qts. of Federated brand Dextron III. Resulting test drive resulted in firmer shifts, but still wanted to act funny with the now usual 4th gear surge.
Today, a day after the service work, with the weather in the 70's, the transmission pretty much went into full 4th gear surge mode almost immediately (after 2 upshift/downshift cycles). On the way home, about 1/3 way in the trip, at a stop I decided to put the car in "Drive/3rd" instead of "Overdrive/4th". The car still wanted to act up, and now the "Service Engine Soon" light came on for the first time in about a year. When I arrived home and put the car in reverse to back down the driveway, I noticed the car did not run rough in reverse as usual. The car was shut off and then sat for approximately an hour.
After the hour passed, I took the car for a test drive. The car was placed in "Overdrive" this time as it usually is. Funny thing was, I could not get the car replicate the problem again. The transmission shifted fine. I drove all over with varying driving styles. I even full-throttled it a few times from a stop and at speed and the transmission acted as it should. No surging. No rough running at lower speeds. Nothing. However, when I did one of the full-throttle flogs, the "Service Engine Soon" light came on again, and stayed on until I arrived back home and the car was shut off. I got trouble codes "34" and "45" which according to my Chilton's book don't really mean much to the situation. "34" appears to have something to do with the MAP sensor/curcuit, and "45" is a rich reading on the oxygen sensor circuit. I've had code 45 before when the car started to run rough (spark plug/fouling problem), but I have never had the code 34 before. Maybe this has something to do with the transmission?
I can't imagine there is anything wrong with the transmission itself given all of the circumstances. The car is never beat on, it is just used for daily driving and I am as soft on and off the throttle as can be. The problems just started all of a sudden, and are intermittent, which is what led me to believe the TCC was to blame. Could it possibly be the TPS? What does the MAP have to do with anything? Can anyone give me any clues?
