For some reason it only goes into drive when it wants to?

DANGCAPRICE

MEMBER
1989 CHEVROLET CAPRICE
V8
2WD
AUTOMATIC
75,000 MILES

I have a 1989 Chevy Caprice Classic. It has 75k miles on it. Just put in a new radiator. My car was running good before, but it seemed to run low on tranny fluid pretty often. Well now it turns on, idles fine, reverse works, but for some reason it only goes into drive when it wants to. This is my first car, and I want to know if I'm looking at a normal fix, or if I have to get a whole new transmission. Basically, is it saveable? I cannot afford a tranny, so I don't want to waste the money to have it checked out if I don't even have enough to fix it. Thanks in advance if anyone can help figure out whats wrong.

1 Reply

KASEKENNY

MECHANIC
18,907 POSTS

I would start with checking the fluid level and condition.

This is by far the leading cause of this issue. Low fluid level will cause all sorts of issues but the most common is non engagement or slipping.

If it were me, I would go ahead and service the unit and make sure that it is okay.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-service-an-automatic-transmission

If the fluid is changed and it still does this then more then likely this is going to be a pump issue. So we would need to inspect the fluid for metal and debris.

If any is found then we need to check the line pressure next. I attached the info below on how to do this. If it is low then you will at least need a pump and I would put a converter in it at the same time.

However, no matter what it may be a good idea to rebuild the unit since it is coming out for this anyway.

Please let us know what you find or questions you have on this and we can go from there.

Thanks

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