dnewton3
Staff member
Arrrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhhhhh .....
Having a problem with my 1995 Villager tranny. I've searched and not found any info here specific to my concern, so I'll take any sane advice, and possibly insane, at this point.
History:
1995 Villager with 242k miles on it. Has had a flawless tranny up to this point. In fact, it still drives and shifts fine even now. Last week I had to remove the upper intake manifold to replace the fuel injectors on the back cylinder bank. Other than normal lube and filter service, the tranny has needed nothing. Even have a UOA from the tranny; totally fine.
Let me give you the sequence of what I did, so it will make some sense:
Engine begins to run rough last week, says the wife and kids.
Replace plugs - no change.
Replace plug wires - no change.
Test front bank fuel injectors; one has high impedance; out of spec.
Need to test rear bank injectors; remove upper intake.
Find one bad injector in back as well; replace all three because it is a flaming PITB to get to them, so I only want to do this once ...
Put all back together; engine will not idle correctly and has a cyclical up/down rpm action from 1500-2500 rpm; will continue this until you give some throttle, and then rev's immediately to 3000prm.
Start testing all possible sensors and such; TPS, IAC, FIC, BPA, etc. Finally notice that the cruise control is actually making it run high; seems to be inadverently actuating; so I disconnect it. Now, it runs and idles normally.
But when I was testing some of the electronic controls, I hear this clear and distinct "buzzing" coming from the tranny area. It's not hydraulic; the engine is not running. The noise is most certainly a buzzing as if there is an electronic aggitation.
Suspect the NSS (neutral safety switch; aka range sensor); check it by the manual and is fine. I remove it from the mounting location but leave it connected, and can still hear buzzing coming from down low, while the NSS is in my hand; cannot be the NSS.
Trace down the wire loom running into the tranny that has to be the electronic solenoid actuactors for shifting inside the tranny.
I can make the buzzing stop by unplugging the connector, so at this point I'm fairly sure it's the solenoid pack for the internal tranny works.
The story does not stop there, however ...
The buzzing ONLY happens when NOT at idle. When the engine is not running, but the ignition is "on", and the throttle is closed, there is no buzzing. But when you lightly open the throttle (hand rotating the throttle drum where the cables connect), the buzzing starts. This is (presumably) because once you open the throttle, you break the connection in the switch. Most folks don't know that there are often TWO electronic pieces in a TPS (throttle position sensor); one is a potentiometer that varies resistance, the other is a simple switch that is closed/opened upon throttle movement. The former is what the ECM uses to determine fuel injector rates, while the later is used as part of the start-safety routine. I'll be honest and say that I cannot remember at this very moment if the switch is NO or NC, because I've tested so many items over the last three days that my memory is fuzzy at this point. But what I can tell you that it checked fine by the manaual procedure and specs, and even was duplicated in results when I tested it against a brand-new one right out of the box. So, what is happening is that when the throttle plate in my van is closed, there is no buzzing, but as soon as you open the throttle, and manipulate the TPS safety switch, the tranny solenoid starts buzzing.
So, I think I have a good idea of WHAT is causing the noise; it's the tranny solenoid. But the underlying question is WHY is it making this noise?
I have a few thoughts here, and this is where I could use some BITOG input if anyone has had experience with a similar issue.
- the ECM could be going bad, and sending errant voltage to the solenoid.
- the solenoid itself could be going bad
- the alternator could be bad; the rectifier may be failing and leaking AC into what I presume should be a DC circuit
- main wiring harness could have a bad connection
As for those three things, here's the issue with each:
- replacement ECMs are availble, but not cheap. Hard to do because it's burried up under the dash
- tranny solenoid is available, but not cheap. Never replaced one before; looks as though I could accomplish it, but with a lot of time consumption. However, I am making a LOT of presumptions here. I assume I can drop the pan, disconnect the solenoid, and then pull the harness through the case hole?
- alternator is the easiest to replace, and not too expensive. The voltage is rock steady, and since everything else in the van works fine, I doubt the rectifier (which is inside the alternator) is bad
- wiring harness is very hard to troubleshoot; wrapped tight, and very hard to get to, and also no aftermarket replacement available (not yet checked on OEM replacment, but I'm sure it would be VERY expensive, if so). To replace this is a major undertaking; lot's of stuff has to come off because some of it is under the intake
I don't want to just spend money on replacement components in a guessing game. Let's face it; the van isn't worth much. I'm not going to throw $1000 into it and "hope" that I have "guessed" which part is bad. I do not mind spending money on a good fix; that does not bother me at all. What concerns me is spending money on a SWAG, and throwing money away.
Now, believe it or nor, the van still drives fine. It shifts normally, makes no odd sounds (other than the buzzing upon open throttle). There are no leaks or any other tell-tale sign of problems. Part of me thinks I should just let her drive it, and it will fail when it fails. But that is typically not my nature; I try to be pro-active and fix stuff before it fails, or at least address it as soon as it fails. Knowing something is wrong, and doing nothing about it, just eats away at me in no uncertain manner.
I'll take advice please!
Having a problem with my 1995 Villager tranny. I've searched and not found any info here specific to my concern, so I'll take any sane advice, and possibly insane, at this point.
History:
1995 Villager with 242k miles on it. Has had a flawless tranny up to this point. In fact, it still drives and shifts fine even now. Last week I had to remove the upper intake manifold to replace the fuel injectors on the back cylinder bank. Other than normal lube and filter service, the tranny has needed nothing. Even have a UOA from the tranny; totally fine.
Let me give you the sequence of what I did, so it will make some sense:
Engine begins to run rough last week, says the wife and kids.
Replace plugs - no change.
Replace plug wires - no change.
Test front bank fuel injectors; one has high impedance; out of spec.
Need to test rear bank injectors; remove upper intake.
Find one bad injector in back as well; replace all three because it is a flaming PITB to get to them, so I only want to do this once ...
Put all back together; engine will not idle correctly and has a cyclical up/down rpm action from 1500-2500 rpm; will continue this until you give some throttle, and then rev's immediately to 3000prm.
Start testing all possible sensors and such; TPS, IAC, FIC, BPA, etc. Finally notice that the cruise control is actually making it run high; seems to be inadverently actuating; so I disconnect it. Now, it runs and idles normally.
But when I was testing some of the electronic controls, I hear this clear and distinct "buzzing" coming from the tranny area. It's not hydraulic; the engine is not running. The noise is most certainly a buzzing as if there is an electronic aggitation.
Suspect the NSS (neutral safety switch; aka range sensor); check it by the manual and is fine. I remove it from the mounting location but leave it connected, and can still hear buzzing coming from down low, while the NSS is in my hand; cannot be the NSS.
Trace down the wire loom running into the tranny that has to be the electronic solenoid actuactors for shifting inside the tranny.
I can make the buzzing stop by unplugging the connector, so at this point I'm fairly sure it's the solenoid pack for the internal tranny works.
The story does not stop there, however ...
The buzzing ONLY happens when NOT at idle. When the engine is not running, but the ignition is "on", and the throttle is closed, there is no buzzing. But when you lightly open the throttle (hand rotating the throttle drum where the cables connect), the buzzing starts. This is (presumably) because once you open the throttle, you break the connection in the switch. Most folks don't know that there are often TWO electronic pieces in a TPS (throttle position sensor); one is a potentiometer that varies resistance, the other is a simple switch that is closed/opened upon throttle movement. The former is what the ECM uses to determine fuel injector rates, while the later is used as part of the start-safety routine. I'll be honest and say that I cannot remember at this very moment if the switch is NO or NC, because I've tested so many items over the last three days that my memory is fuzzy at this point. But what I can tell you that it checked fine by the manaual procedure and specs, and even was duplicated in results when I tested it against a brand-new one right out of the box. So, what is happening is that when the throttle plate in my van is closed, there is no buzzing, but as soon as you open the throttle, and manipulate the TPS safety switch, the tranny solenoid starts buzzing.
So, I think I have a good idea of WHAT is causing the noise; it's the tranny solenoid. But the underlying question is WHY is it making this noise?
I have a few thoughts here, and this is where I could use some BITOG input if anyone has had experience with a similar issue.
- the ECM could be going bad, and sending errant voltage to the solenoid.
- the solenoid itself could be going bad
- the alternator could be bad; the rectifier may be failing and leaking AC into what I presume should be a DC circuit
- main wiring harness could have a bad connection
As for those three things, here's the issue with each:
- replacement ECMs are availble, but not cheap. Hard to do because it's burried up under the dash
- tranny solenoid is available, but not cheap. Never replaced one before; looks as though I could accomplish it, but with a lot of time consumption. However, I am making a LOT of presumptions here. I assume I can drop the pan, disconnect the solenoid, and then pull the harness through the case hole?
- alternator is the easiest to replace, and not too expensive. The voltage is rock steady, and since everything else in the van works fine, I doubt the rectifier (which is inside the alternator) is bad
- wiring harness is very hard to troubleshoot; wrapped tight, and very hard to get to, and also no aftermarket replacement available (not yet checked on OEM replacment, but I'm sure it would be VERY expensive, if so). To replace this is a major undertaking; lot's of stuff has to come off because some of it is under the intake
I don't want to just spend money on replacement components in a guessing game. Let's face it; the van isn't worth much. I'm not going to throw $1000 into it and "hope" that I have "guessed" which part is bad. I do not mind spending money on a good fix; that does not bother me at all. What concerns me is spending money on a SWAG, and throwing money away.
Now, believe it or nor, the van still drives fine. It shifts normally, makes no odd sounds (other than the buzzing upon open throttle). There are no leaks or any other tell-tale sign of problems. Part of me thinks I should just let her drive it, and it will fail when it fails. But that is typically not my nature; I try to be pro-active and fix stuff before it fails, or at least address it as soon as it fails. Knowing something is wrong, and doing nothing about it, just eats away at me in no uncertain manner.
I'll take advice please!
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