Took it to the dealer today. They said the transmission was about out of fluid and that a transmission service would fix it. I asked where the fluid went since there are no leaks. He said he has seen where the transmission can get an air pocket and the fluid gets burned up. I have never heard of this. I know the fluid is burned, i looked at it when I looked it over. I did not check the transmission fluid after driving it. (shame on me). I told him to go ahead and do the trans service since I know it does need it. This could explain the the wierd shifting pattern as well. If this fixes it, I am going to be pretty embarrased.
Well the problem is gone. Talked to the mechanic. He said it wasn't out of fluid, just a quart and half low and extremely burnt. Said the pan is pretty shallow so a quart is a lot of fluid. Part of me wants to believe that they fixed something simple and then dinged me for a tranny service. Oh well, it cost me $160 to get it fixed. Im a little embarrassed that I didn't check the fluid level more closely. I pulled the stick when I first looked at it, just to note the fluid color. It was dark but it was on the stick. Since the trans was cold, i didn't bother looking at the level. Was going to when I got back from the test drive but forgot. Then after I bought it and this cutting out thing popped up and didn't even think about the transmission. Never would have made the connection between the engine stalling and low trans fluid.
Oh well, what are you gonna do?
