'95 CS convertible fails to upshift in turns

[Human]

I just got off the phone with the transmission shop and they are definitely rebuilding another transmission to go in the car. The core just came in today and they'll start rebuilding that one tomorrow. Should be ready next week. We'll see how it goes from here.

[Human]

I was surprised to get a call from the transmission shop earlier today that the 'vert was ready. Based on my previous conversation with them, I wasn't expecting it until next week. The bill was worse than I'd expected at $2,100 but that included $600 for the transmission core. If the invoice is any indicator, the rebuild was pretty comprehensive. The car drives fine although it's a little sluggish starting off. Once it gets out of first gear, it's fine. The best part is the slop in the shifter is absolutely gone. Pull the lever back to the detente at 'D' and it's firmly in drive. I tried to engage the guy in conversation about the old transmission but he's apparently one of these people who tries to get through life with as few words as possible. 

We had heavy rains here yesterday, which I believe was the remnants of hurricane Sally, so there was a ton of water in the vinyl boot into which the top folds. Fortunately, a couple of minutes with a wet/dry vac and a wipe-down with a towel took care of it. I'm thankful the boot is watertight, even if the top isn't. Oh well, that's something else I can start saving up for, along with the air conditioner and the ABS. Such are the joys of owning an older car.

[Human]

AAAAAAARRRRRRRRGH!!!!!!!
I just went to take the convertible out for a ride and it won't go into reverse to go up the driveway. It'll go into drive but not reverse. Back to the shop on Monday for them to get it right.

[Human]

I got the 'vert back this afternoon. Turns out a cable needed to be adjusted. It's now working fine, forward and backward. I took it for a little shake-down run, about 35 miles or so, the lag I felt in first gear was present at first but it went away and didn't return after the transmission got warmed up. I guess things just needed to settle in a bit.

UPDATE–Well, it seems it's still not cured. I went to back the car out of the driveway earlier today to take it for a state inspection so I could renew the registration and I still can't always find reverse first try. Whereas the previous transmission had slop between Drive and Third, this one has it between Reverse and Neutral. I have to jiggle it back and forth a time or two to get it into reverse and I don't really feel it in the shifter, just when I take my foot off the brake and it starts moving backward. Of course, an incline can make that deceiving. Oh well, guess it's back to the shop once again.

Edited September 23, 2020 by Human

[Schurkey]

$600 for a CORE???

$600 should get you a Treasure-Yard transmission with a 30-day warranty.

[55trucker]

Hmmmmmmm........the *core* is supposed to be an exchange rebate that reduces the overall price of the rebuilt item purchased, so what you're saying is that the trans shop charged you $2700 to supply you with an over-the-counter rebuilt trans?

.....something smells not-quite-right there.

[Human]

12 minutes ago, 55trucker said:

Hmmmmmmm........the *core* is supposed to be an exchange rebate that reduces the overall price of the rebuilt item purchased, so what you're saying is that the trans shop charged you $2700 to supply you with an over-the-counter rebuilt trans?

.....something smells not-quite-right there.

Not exactly. The out-the-door price that I was charged for the transmission rebuild was $2,100, including $600 for the replacement core. The net cost for rebuilding the replacement core was $1,500. There's a three-year, 36,000 mile warranty on parts and six months on labor. I plan on holding them to that until they get this reverse issue solved to my satisfaction. Hunting for reverse--or any other gear—on a manual transmission is one thing but it shouldn't happen with an automatic.

[Human]

Between weather and work, I haven't had time to get the convertible back over to the transmission shop but I've driven the convertible a few times and sort of figured out what's happening. As I've mentioned before, if I pull the shift lever out of park, back to the first stop, it's in neutral instead of reverse and watching the gear indicator on the console when I do this, I can actually see the red light move just past the 'R' . To get the car into reverse, I have to stop moving the lever at a point when it feels like it's halfway between Park and Reverse. At this point, the 'R' is illuminated and it is indeed in reverse. While this works okay in the short term, I'm concerned that it could lead to problems later on, so the first chance I get, I'll be taking it back to the shop, yet again.

[55trucker]

Sounds to me by what you're describing that the trans shifter cable mounted on top of the trans housing is out of sync.

Somewhat surprised the the trans shop didn't get the cable position properly set before they gave the car back to you.

 

 

Edited September 29, 2020 by 55trucker

[Human]

Yes, I'm surprised–and disappointed—as well. This shop has been in business since 1968. One would think they'd know what they were doing.

[Human]

I did not have time to take the car back to the transmission shop this week but I have made a point of driving it around a bit. Surprisingly, the shifting issue has gotten better. If I move the lever gently into reverse, it's fine. It's only when I get in a hurry and pull the lever back a little too hard that it goes into neutral but the gentlest nudge puts it back into reverse. As a rule, I'm not one to slam the shifter around but that's more slop than it should have but it is workable. I'm hoping this coming week will be a little calmer so I can get it back to the shop again and get things adjusted right.