Saturn Vue trans is toast, I think...

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hardcore302

hardcore302

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I was driving on the highway, and the 6t70 started acting funny, holding gears and then popping into proper sequence.

I lost everything over third, it seems like. I also lost reverse and manual functions.

It threw a code P0700, central trans something or other.

I've been scaring myself all day by reading about the dreaded "wave plate"" failure, which seems to be common with these transmissions. The car is not under warranty, as it is a salvage. It has 35k miles.

I have about three dollars to my name, as I have just signed a contract for my first house. Closing is soon.

Just venting, I guess, but is anyone familiar with my problem?

Thanks!
frown.gif
 
Originally Posted By: hardcore302

I have about three dollars to my name, as I have just signed a contract for my first house. Closing is soon.


Explains why having savings and an emergency fund is critical. Even if having just done a big purchase.

Sorry to hear it. 35k is low, but what was the salvage? Was it wet or had something happen that would have caused fluid loss or something?

Maybe youll luck out, but if not, have you started looking at used transmissions??
 
I could always take a pension loan in an emergency. This house just had to be had.

It was hit in the front. There was radiator and support damage, along with everything in front of it. Frame was straight. Got a great deal on it. 5k with 22k miles. 3k to fix like new. I don't think this was the result of the crash.
 
with that kind of deal the 1.5k-4k to rebuild or replace with used shouldnt be too bad.

did you check the fluid level?


also as was mentioned the p0700 code doesnt really mean anything helpful.. its just that the transmission wanted the check engine light on.
 
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P0700 is just an indication that the TCM requested that the ECM turn on the check engine. The driveability concerns you are having, sound like "limp home mode".
If P0700 has set, other codes are pending. The codes that follow will give a better indication of what is going on with the transmission.
 
although i am not a trans guy. You can try to disconnect the negative terminal from the battery and then reconnect it in 15 minutes and see what happened it could have a cracked tcm and it may have got wet it does not seem like the trans is shot. How does the fluid smell?
 
Did you check the transmission fluid level?

Sometimes an old trany will leak fluid, and act up when it gets too low, and sometimes adding trany fluid to bring the level back to normal gets it to run fine. I have had a couple of cars like that, and was able to get several years out of them by just putting enough fluid into them to get them to read full.

Then again it might be shot, they do wear out sometimes.

So check the fluid level when it is on level ground in park with the engine running at proper idle speed. If the fluid is low, you might have lucked out and only have a trany low on fluid.
 
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Originally Posted By: Rand
with that kind of deal the 1.5k-4k to rebuild or replace with used shouldnt be too bad.

did you check the fluid level?


also as was mentioned the p0700 code doesnt really mean anything helpful.. its just that the transmission wanted the check engine light on.




Betting the crash had something to do with the failure...what if they locked the trans before the crash? A failure later on would be common...

Just saw this on a Focus...
 
Originally Posted By: hardcore302

It was hit in the front. There was radiator and support damage, along with everything in front of it. Frame was straight. Got a great deal on it. 5k with 22k miles. 3k to fix like new. I don't think this was the result of the crash.


I don't know...if the trans cooler is integral to the radiator, and that was damaged in the wreck, coolant may have contaminated the ATF and caused bad things to happen. Did you check the ATF prior to the failure, and if so how did it look?
 
Does GM know it's a salvage?
whistle.gif


Get it scanned, it could be something dumb like a pinched wiring harness.
 
Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
Originally Posted By: hardcore302

It was hit in the front. There was radiator and support damage, along with everything in front of it. Frame was straight. Got a great deal on it. 5k with 22k miles. 3k to fix like new. I don't think this was the result of the crash.


I don't know...if the trans cooler is integral to the radiator, and that was damaged in the wreck, coolant may have contaminated the ATF and caused bad things to happen. Did you check the ATF prior to the failure, and if so how did it look?



^^ that's where I'd start....
 
Originally Posted By: MrQuackers
Is that a Honda transmission?


I think the 6T70 is the joint GM/Ford transmission.
 
Originally Posted By: daves87rs
Betting the crash had something to do with the failure...what if they locked the trans before the crash? A failure later on would be common...
Just saw this on a Focus...


Can someone explain how a front end collision could damage the transmission internals, please?

I ask because our '05 Caravan tranny went south at 100k miles, about 30K miles after my wife was in a 20 mph front end collision. Supposedly the 41TE trannies were "cured" of their previous multiple woes (who knows) and I changed the fluid/filter on it several times.

Just curious. THANKS!!
 
Originally Posted By: doitmyself

Can someone explain how a front end collision could damage the transmission internals, please?


For one, everything in the transmission ends up being subjected to huge deceleration. Oftentimes collisions also result in huge shock loads through the transmission, which could manifest themselves later as internal parts failure.

I don't think a lot of people appreciate the huge energy forces involved in collisions and that the force ends up being dissipated through almost every component in a vehicle. I've seen some very strange parts break in collisions that weren't even involved in the collision itself - rear speaker grilles that explode in front-end collisions for example.
 
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