Car with no power to Move?

Tiny
MING FENG
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Someone says the transmission type could be on the driver's side door. Mine does not have the info:
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Thursday, September 26th, 2024 AT 1:59 PM
Tiny
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Pictures:
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Thursday, September 26th, 2024 AT 2:11 PM
Tiny
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Gear Shifter
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Thursday, September 26th, 2024 AT 2:25 PM
Tiny
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And front panel
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Thursday, September 26th, 2024 AT 2:25 PM
Tiny
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You're not going to believe this. Your vin number takes me to a manual transmission vehicle. Ugh! Have you owned the vehicle since it was new?

Joe
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Thursday, September 26th, 2024 AT 3:45 PM
Tiny
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I drove manual transmission car before. This one isn't manual.
I bought it from a close friend. He is not handy and cannot even change engine oil so he cannot modify the car. He is the original owner and if someone else made big changes to the car, he would have told me that.
I thought it over. The chance that two dealers checked it wrong is not big. They told me it is a non-cvt four speed automatic transmission car. So I think I can use either the Castrol or Valvoline fluid to flush the transmission.
Thank you so much.
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Thursday, September 26th, 2024 AT 4:06 PM
Tiny
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Hi,

Understood. If possible, could you let me know how things turn out for you? I'm hopeful and interested in knowing if that resolves the issue.

Take care,

Joe
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Thursday, September 26th, 2024 AT 6:04 PM
Tiny
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Of course. I think I will finish flushing it in the middle of the next week. Will keep you informed. Thank you so much for all your great help.
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Thursday, September 26th, 2024 AT 8:24 PM
Tiny
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Joe,

After letting the car sit for a while, I was even able to drive it up onto the ramps. Then I drained the transmission fluid and added new fluid. Then I testing it, there was no change†the issue persisted.
I'm planning to do it a second time. This time, I jacked up both sides of the car instead of using a ramp. This way I can work on it and can test driving while in my garage. When I started the car, I observed a couple of things. First, the ABS light on the dashboard came on. I think that might be normal since both wheels are off the ground. Second, the driver's side wheel was spinning but stopped after about two minutes. When I revved the engine, it started spinning again. However, the passenger side wheel never moved. I tried manually spinning it, but it didn't help. The passenger side wheel behaves differently from the driver's side†it doesn’t spin at all.
I also watched a YouTube video that showed an external transmission filter located under the air filter box (see picture), but it was for a 2006 Honda Civic. I plan to remove the air filter box to check if my car has one as well.

Thank you very much,
Ming
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Saturday, September 28th, 2024 AT 7:10 PM
Tiny
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I checked and there is no external filter for the 2001 model.
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Saturday, September 28th, 2024 AT 7:36 PM
Tiny
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The video shows what the setup looks like. After the driver's side wheel stopped, I pressed the accelerator, and it started spinning again. Additionally, when I put the gear in Neutral and revved the engine, the driver's side wheel is also spinning. (Not sure if the video can play)
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Saturday, September 28th, 2024 AT 8:00 PM
Tiny
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Is it possible that the passenger side wheel is disengaged somehow, and with only one wheel receiving power, there's not enough force for the car to move?
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Saturday, September 28th, 2024 AT 8:22 PM
Tiny
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Hi,

If you have one wheel/axle disconnected from the transmission, the car won't move. Power is distributed to the wheel of least resistance. That would be the one not connected in this case.

Here is an easy test. If you question a broken axle or CV joint, place the vehicle in park with the parking brake off and see if it holds. If you can move the vehicle like it's in neutral, we need to check the axles.

Let me know.

Joe
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Sunday, September 29th, 2024 AT 6:12 PM
Tiny
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I checked as you suggested. I also went under the car to see. The axle is good.
So still the transmission has problems. The axle end is disengaged inside the transmission.
The first flush doesn't help. I will do another flush to see if it makes any difference.
Thank you very much.
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Sunday, September 29th, 2024 AT 6:43 PM
Tiny
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Hi,

If the axle end is disengaged inside the transmission, that is why it won't move. Save the money on the fluid and let's get the axle back into place.

Is there anything you can think of that may have caused the axle to disengage? Does it appear broken?

Joe
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Sunday, September 29th, 2024 AT 8:05 PM
Tiny
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Hi Joe:
Please correct me if I'm wrong. I think the end of the axle shaft goes into the transmission. I suspect there might be a clutch-like mechanism inside the transmission that connects to the axle shaft. It seems this mechanism might be slipping, preventing power from being transferred to the axle. What I mean is for the system to work properly, both sides of the clutch mechanism must be functioning correctly to engage. While the axle is in good condition, it seems that the transmission part is unable to hook up the axle gear and it just slips.
Thank you for all your great help.
Ming
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Sunday, September 29th, 2024 AT 9:59 PM
Tiny
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Ming,

The axle attaches to a slated gear inside. Has it come apart from that point? Could you take a couple pictures of what you see and upload them for me?

Let me know.

Joe
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Monday, September 30th, 2024 AT 8:01 PM
Tiny
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Joe,
It doesn't come apart and looks normal from the outside, but it doesn't spin. I think the slotted gear might be slipping. The unfortunate part is that I searched online, and people say this issue within the transmission can't be fixed.
Ming
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Monday, September 30th, 2024 AT 8:33 PM
Tiny
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I also compared it with my other car and noticed that, although the driver's side wheel can spin, it feels much weaker. It seems like the slotted gears on both sides inside the transmission are having issues, possibly due to dirt buildup. This is a 2001 car with 101616 local miles, and the transmission fluid has never been changed.

This experience has taught me a lesson. I have two other cars, a 2000 Mazda MPV and a 2014 Toyota Camry, both with around 140,000 miles and also without a transmission fluid change. I had planned to do it soon, but after watching YouTube, I found that many people recommend changing the transmission fluid every 60,000 miles. They also say that if a car is well past that point, like over 100,000 miles without a fluid change, it’s better not to do it, as it could cause issues like slipping. Despite it not making much sense to me, given how many people have said this, I think it's best to take their advice.
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Monday, September 30th, 2024 AT 9:13 PM
Tiny
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Hi,

If the transmission fluid is extremely dirty or burnt, you are better off leaving it alone. If that isn't the case, you are fine for changing it.

Let me know if I can help in any way.

Joe
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Tuesday, October 1st, 2024 AT 7:19 PM

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