I think you know a lot more about the mechanical nature of cars than I do. I just hope you can get whatever ails your car fixed.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

check your fluid--see if it is just low or has a burnt look. You can change the fluid yourself-buy three quarts at Auto-zone and follow the directions that you can find on line. If that does not work then it is time to buy a new vehicle--there are some reliable new cars that may cost you less than or about $200 per month to lease. I am buying a 2016 Hyundai Elantra for $219/ month and I love it--it will cut your monthly gasoline bill as well --I have the 6 speed manual and it is a hoot to buzz around in and take on long trips. The 2017's are out now and I hear are even better.

You may also have an electrical problem.. Most cars will not start unless the transmission is in Park--this switch could be faulty--although it is not very likely. If you have 100,000 miles or more on that transmission it is probably a worn-out transmission and time to junk the car--don't even think about taking it to a transmission repair shop.

How does it behave if you switch the transmission to a lower gear--does it still stall ?

In February of 2001, it cost me $1,800 to have the transmission rebuilt in my 1989 Honda Accord LX-i with Automatic Transmission. This HAD to be done due to the damage to the trans. that occurred while it was in gear on the Freeway when the number 3 bearing in the engine broke loose and scored the crankshaft. This engine damage through the whole drive train out of whack and minor damage was caused to First and Third Gears in the Transmission.

The engine damage happened because of a faulty oil pump that decided to NOT pump oil into the engine from the oil pan. So, the car drove several miles without oil lubricating necessary parts. The Oil Light NEVER went on, UNTIL after the damage was done. So, upon also spending $6K in November of 2000 for the Engine Rebuild, I had special gauges put in to tell me Oil Temp and Oil Pressure.

YES, this was an expensive endeavor; but, I had a LOT invested in the car. I DID NOT want to lose it that way. So, I spent the money to restore it mechanically.


TL

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TimeLord04
Have TARDIS, will travel...
Come along K-9!
Join Calm Chaos

What am I concerned about lately?

My car's automatic transmission, I was at a stop light with My foot upon the
brake, all of a sudden the engine quit, yes I got the engine to restart, other
times I noticed the idle was rough while in gear, though while in park the idle
was smooth, purred like Grace.

This is not something I need at the moment, next month in Sept is DMV Car
Registration time, in Oct and Nov I'm saving up to fix the gas central furnace
for the house, in Dec I have property taxes to pay for($102.65, repeat in April
for another $102.65), so that means Jan and Feb of 2017 for this, just a fluid
change would be $140.00, more than that I don't know, I'll have to ask Lube Express on that.

The shift lever is from time to time sticking now, the engine bogs down and stalls in gear, the idle is affected while in gear at low speed, yet the idle is fine when in Park, I'm hoping I'm not having a clutch problem.

I'm going to call Lube Express Monday for an estimate, I can't do anything else, I'm broke right now. Some may not believe or give a damn, but it is the truth.

I did tell My sister in law about this, She said this is serious.

I moved this here from the Don't know thread, since it seems no one was paying any attention...

I don't think it is the transmission, stalling in gear is usually an engine problem. I think it is time for a set of spark plugs. Does it run rough while in gear at idle? If it does, that is misfire, and a tuneup is the best place to start.

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Vacuum Hose Leak. or

Diaphram Leak. or

Corrosion caused bad connection on A Control Board. or

Corroded Battery Connection. or

.......

Hot and Cool Yappin'

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May we All have a METAMORPHOSIS. REASON. GOoD JUDGEMENT and LOVE and ORDER!!!!!

I don't think it is the transmission, stalling in gear is usually an engine problem. I think it is time for a set of spark plugs. Does it run rough while in gear at idle? If it does, that is misfire, and a tuneup is the best place to start.

I'm no "grease monkey" but 30+ years of owning and doing basic maintenance on my own and spouses cars, I would have to agree with J. Mileski diagnosis "engine problem(s)". Rough idle and/or stalls while in gear are the first sign you car needs a tune-up.

Dirty Spark Plugs and the associated Wires are most common causes of a misfire - in that extreme desert heat the wires get dry and crack faster than in other parts of the US; a clogged/dirty fuel filter is also a remote possibility.

I don't know if CA has a program like we have in TX that if a car fails the mandated state inspection you *might* be eligible for some state "pollution reduction funding" to get the emissions back in to compliance.

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The symptoms MIGHT be a transmission problem, particularly if the fluid and filters have never been changed, but I would be looking at engine related issues first. If the fluid is low then you can, on some transmissions, get a stall when sitting in gear with the brakes on, also if the filters are dirty then the transmission can be reluctant to go into "slip" mode. Many places will do a fluid change, but not change/clean the filters as that can be a lot of workshop time on some models. Dirty fluid can lead to all sorts of internal issues - scored brake bands, blocked servos, blocked passages (some are VERY small), so the problem may not be cured by a simple fluid change, but require a lot of additional work and that "ain't cheap".
So, before going for the transmission have the simples listed looked at - plug leads, air/vacuum pipes - now that would be a good place to start - they are 16 years old and bound to be approaching their life end.

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?

That all depends on if the cross member is bolted or welded in - Ford did both at various times in the life of that bodyshell design.
If it is welded, and they have to drop the bottom of the transmission to get at the filters expect a VERY big bill, much more than the $quoted - $20 labour will only cover s simple drain and refill, not the clean/replace of the filters :-(

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Bob Smith
Member of Seti PIPPS (Pluto is a Planet Protest Society)
Somewhere in the (un)known Universe?