Auto Guru's needed

[to4garret]

Not a 4G buuuut....

i've got a 99 Verada as a daily people mover, and i've had mys suspisions that the auto has been on its way out for a while.

looked like the previous owner(s) may have not serviced it regulary, when i flushed the auto it was almost black sludge.

anyhow, about one month ago i was jetting along the freeway then the auto felt like it wasnt in gear, i planted boot and it just felt like a slipping clutch. eventually a funny light came on the dash and the ecu for the gear box must have put it in limp home mode.

now im a slack fucker and didnt do anything about it, the next morning everything worked fine, as has for the last month or so.

today how ever, its like in neutral.

basically, start it up, select any gear, R-D-3-2-L and it just free rev's till about 2.5krpm then sort of jumps/creeps forward.

i assume its stuffed, probably the pump?

oh, yea yea its not low on fluid either

 

[DOUGMO]

yep, common fault in them for the pump to explode-i dont think there is a cheap fix either and there are a few different types of trans in them too. does it have an extrenal oil filter ot internal?

 

[to4garret]

well i changed the external filter when i did the flush, however i dont know shit about auto's (looks like i will be learning fast) so it could have an internal one too.

 

[DOUGMO]

nah at the end of 99-start of 2000 they changed to an internal style filter-most guys i have spoken too cant fix them for a reasonable price, so you may be best to look for a second handy---just make sure you match the f4a#@$%*...... number on the top of the trans and get one with an external filter still--they wont shift/work properly otherwise

 

[to4garret]

yea found a box from a 99 3.5L (havent matched numbers yet) for $400

guess what im going to be doing this weekend.

POS!

 

[DOUGMO]

good price for sure if it matches up

 

[crossam]

i just wrecked my 98 magna with the same problem after being told be the auto mob would cost me 2400 to rebuild it exactly the same prob box full of neutrals good luck

 

[to4garret]

yup rang some friends at mitsi and was told just the valve body was $600, basically a full replacement and recon would be in the 2k-3k mark once you factor in a new pump and clutches etc, plus labour.

pisses me off.

found out the automatic gearbox is a F4A51 just FYI

 

[to4garret]

wonder if a KM221 locked in FWD with custom pedal box and linkages would work

missus would kill me though, she cant drive *ahem* reach clutch pedals

bloody short asses!

 

[1 Quick Cyborg]

lol sorry too hear bro. if ya need a hand at all give us a yell aye. well after i get back from bunbury if i still go down.

 

[to4garret]

update:

couldnt be arsed doing it myself, took it to a local work shop. they found a box for $600 and $300 out and $300 in, soo $1200 changed over price.

too easy, car was promised back within 5 working days.

went to pick the car up the following week. problem. the gearbox they put in had something wrong with it. it wouldnt shift gears automatically. you needed to move up the gear manually. they said they can get it rebuilt for $800. no worries i said.

two and half fucking weeks later, i finally picked the prick of a car up today.

they stripped and checked the gearbox and found nothing wrong. so them believing its an electrical issue started changing gearbox sensors, ecu's etc. he mentioned they tried two different ECU's (believing its also the trans ECU) and the car wouldnt even start.

basically they said, "the gearbox we put in, isnt the exact same one that was in the car, its ever so slightly different internally, it doesnt seem to work in your car, for $1800 we can get the proper gearbox, or rebuild your destroyed one for $2800"

i said fuck ya, give me the car back and i'll pay what i owe. oh and plus the proper ECU for the gearbox you guys through in (thinking i could wire it in)

when i went to pick the car and ECU i noticed they were trying to run the car with a 6G72 ECU (the verada's a 6G74) no wonder it wouldnt start.i left the ECU with them and just bailed.

been driving around in it abit tonight and i've figured its got to be something kinda simple.

it wont shift into 1st gear, but once moving if you shift into Drive it will shift up and down between 2nd-3rd and 4th. just wont go into 1st.

im not %100 sure where to start, but i brought a magnarse workshop manual so i think i will go through and back probe the auto wiring and hope something sticks out like dogs balls.


bloody thing!

 

[DOUGMO]

they have deffinatley fitted the wrong box,unfortunatley i dont think its that simple unfortunatley, with these boxes you need to match the code on the trans exactly to the letter eg:f4a...b5b or b5a etc... or the ecu wont talk to the box. even the ones with the internal fileter are different and the nember can be the same on the top

pita big time

 

[to4garret]

yup thats what the auto guy said, the box that was in there was a F4A51????B and the one they fitted was a F4A51????A

im not giving up hope though, it shifts fine once moving. it could even be a matter of finding the correct TCU/ECU to run the box.

 

[DOUGMO]

yup thats what the auto guy said, the box that was in there was a F4A51????B and the one they fitted was a F4A51????A

im not giving up hope though, it shifts fine once moving. it could even be a matter of finding the correct TCU/ECU to run the box.

good luck, but i would be going back as they have clearly fitted the wrong box mate:fuuuuu:>.<, they cant tell you its the same box when its not and then take no responsibility for it not working properly. bad form imho

 

[to4garret]

yea they took responsibility for it, but it was still going to cost $1800 - $2800 for the proper box.

plus labour. i cant be bothered spending that cash on a car thats only worth 4k at the most.

mechanically the box they fitted is fine. electrical shit it reasonably easy... i hope

check back in two weeks, the car will probably be burnt to the ground.

 

[DOUGMO]

"goes looking for matches"

 

[milkandoj]

Dont spary paint it like the galant lol

 

[to4garret]

yea soo....

i had a quick look over the weekend.

i compared the wiring with the workshop manual and everything checks out ok, back probed to the ecu everything tests perfect and all the wires are in the correct spot.

tested the resistance of all the solenoids in the valve body and they check out good.

so from a wiring perspective everything seems good.

i have a couple of thoughts at the moment.

the solenoids in the valve body, im sure they're run on a duty cycle to maintain a set line pressure. im thinking perhaps the first gear solenoid needs a higher duty in the 3.0L box compared to the 3.5L box.

next is perhaps it requires first and second gear solenoid to be energized to select first. i noted that to get third gear both second and third are turned on.

finally it could just be a piece of shit and should be driven off a cliff.

 

[Jonson]

Sell the auto trans you have fitted and buy the proper one 2nd hand. Would be a much faster process and properly matched.

 

[to4garret]

most people would do that jon, but im not spending anything more on this bloody car.

the box is in, its mechanically fine. surely it can be made to work.

im looking at it in a similar fashion to people putting 055's onto VR4's... once upon a time someone would've said "just fit an aftermarket ecu, it'll be much easier"