2005 transmission problem

[smfoley1]

My baja is not downshifting correctly. When it tries to drop a gear to climb a hill the rpms jump way up, almost redline and then the transmission violently slams into gear. Fluid levels are fine. Any ideas...

[anarchy1024]

Has any work been done to it recently? Did the problem start off that bad, or did it gradually become worse?
Has the fluid been replaced recently, and if so, was the correct fluid used? I've seen several posts online about mechanics who accidentally drained/filled the wrong component... or used the wrong fluid (e.g. filling the transmission with the fluid that should be used for the center differential).
Have you checked if there are any fault codes (including pending codes)? I think you'll need a special reader for the transmission control module, but I'm not sure what that would be.

My dad's Camry had a problem similar to that (although likely not as bad as what you describe)... ended up being the torque converter (I think).

[smfoley1]

It has gotten worse/more violent over time.
About 3 years ago I brought it in for an oil change and they accidentally drained the tranny fluid. I picked it up and tried to drive it home. The car would barely go or was very slow in getting moving. Once they realized what had happened they did a full transmission drain and fill.
The problem didnt start till much much later than that though. probably at least a year later.

[anarchy1024]

Maybe it's relevant... did they drain the transmission, leave it empty, and overfill the engine oil? Or put engine oil in the transmission? If the latter, and if they weren't able to get all of the oil out (which is pretty difficult to do), I'd think it could cause slow damage over time. Has the fluid been replaced since the mistake?

Some auto parts retailers offer free loan-a-tool and/or free code read services. If there's a trouble code present, it could give you some info on next steps. You could also check the color of the fluid on the tranny dipstick and see if it's correct.

Anyone else here have some ideas?

[smfoley1]

I checked the ATF fluid. It is a red color. Im assuming its dexron. I did notice that he fluid level seems to be high. Its over the Full HOT level on the dipstick. Could this be causing the problem?

[TastyHuman]

This was a problem with my 2003 Baja too. Same symptoms, high revs, violent banging. One time I was at speed on the highway and it banged so hard my wheels chirped.

Dealer wanted a bundle to replace transmission with re-manufactured unit. I did some research and found a great local rebuilder who found the forward clutch unit in the transmission was gone. He rebuilt the transmission with high quality parts and applied all the factory updates for $1500 less than the dealer wanted to just replace it. Now it is smooth as can be.

[smfoley1]

I have also had the wheels chirp on the highway a couple times...seems like the exact same problem you had. Was yours also an automatic? Where did you have the work done and if you dont mind me asking, what did it cost?

[TastyHuman]

Yes, automatic.

Tim's ATTCO transmission in Beaverton, OR repaired my transmission. Great guys with tons of experience.

IIRC it was in the $3-3.5k range for repair, dealer was looking for $5k.

[smfoley1]

unfortunately Im on the east coast...I guess Ill have to do some poking around to find a transmission rebuild place