Hi All, after reading some of the problems with automatics, I haven't come across anyone with it slipping in the forward gears. I tried Seafoam but to no avail. I have a spare trans from my 98 but will it fit? The manual says to pull the engine and transaxle as a unit but can it be pulled separately? I would appreciate any help.

 

I'm sure it can be pulled separately, but without knowing what the hell you're working on, you won't find any suggetions here. What year and model cars are you talking about? If it's an S-series car with the TAAT-4 transmission, I'd suggest finding a replacement valve body for it. They're notorious pieces of crap.

 

The car I'm working on is a 97 SL2 with a 1.9 DOHC and auto trans. The car moves but is sluggish like it's slipping. It seems fine in reverse except for hitting have when put in gear. Any idea what replacing the valve body entails? Are there any ball bearings that might fall out that I should be a where of? Thanks for chiming in.

 

sat,

please configure your forum signature to be like ours: Name, location, year.model, mileage for all saturns.

Go to upper right of page.
Clk on name>>userCP>>edit signature on left side.

Thanks. Also please get your post count up to 10 ASAP or your acct will be nixed for inactivity. Post pictures, respond to off topic posts, etc.

 

reverse slam is quite common. Input shaft nut
many bizarre home remedies can be found on the net by searching "saturn reverse slam"

As for the forward gears, how is the trans fluid level, what color is it, and does it smell burnt? When was the last trans fluid change?

Many on the board have done S series valve body replacements (Rube, sw2cam, etc). They should chime in with hints or maybe a pointer to an existing youtube vid.

as for tranny swaps, the 97 and 98 auto trans are swappable.

As far as pulling the trans vs engine + trans, most elect to remove them as a unit. I'm sure it's been done both ways. The info and pros and cons are out there on the net.

 

It's really not that difficult, unless you have ABS. If so, you have to take the ABS unit loose from the frigging master cylinder in order to get enough clearance to get the transmission pan off the tranny. Yes, the pan is on top of the tranny. After you get it off, there are a few bolts to remove and a linkage rod. That's about it. The hardest part of putting in another valve body was getting the linkage rod back in the hole. Took me about 7 tries before I finally got it in there, but after I got it all back together, all was good. Don't waste your time with the "reverse slam" crap you'll find on youtube. It didn't work for me and I tried it several times. I tried it before and after fluid and filter changes and there was NO difference. The valve body cured my problem. I still see the SC2 around different counties every once in a while. The SC1 I sold is somewhere in Mississippi.

 

notice i said there were many bizarre home remedies.....

I never said any of them actually worked though others swear by them and the myths live on.....

the existing youtube vid ref was for valve body repl vid, not someone leaving their car in reverse up against a brick wall for 20 min......

 

Thanks guys, I appreciate all the help since I'm new to working on Saturn's. My 97 SL1 which has 133K has always been dependable so I have only changed oil and tires. I decided to purchase the other two to make one for my Granddaughter. Just a little set back but nothing I can't handle. I decided to pull the engine and trans on the parts car since I've already pulled the head, timing cover and all the pulleys. Just having a little trouble with removing the drive shafts.


Derf, hope my signature block takes.

 

I hope someone out there can give me step by step instructions on how to upload pictures. I'm lucky to be able to post this, much less upload pictures. Heck my grandkids kid me about my dinosaur cell phone. Can't text either. help!!

 

Hi all, after replacing the head on the 97 SL2 DOHC 1.9 automatic, I got her running so I decided to take her on a test run. Well, reverse engages with a loud clunk but doesn't slip. I can't that for any of the forward gears though. It does move but slips. So far I did the ohms test on each solenoid and they each check out at 5.5-5.7 ohms. I'm wondering if I should replace the valve body or replace the trans. I just hate to tear apart my good spare trans. Any ideas is appreciated. I'm hoping someone has had this problem and found a cure. Thanks guys.