Urgent VS Transmission Help Needed

[Terror-D]

I brought a Holden Commodore / Berlina (3.8 eco) 1995 or maybe 1996 around 6 months ago. Just brought it up to road standard, 4 new tyres and put in a 2.5 exhaust. The car has been running great, till late...........

I did a little paddock bashing at a friends place, nothing major and the car went sweet for about a week after that then the trans started going weird - Park = Park, Reverse = Nothing, Neutral = Forward, 1/2/3 = Forward. So, no reverse...

Gets odd though, after around 2 days reverse came back? the car went sweet for around 400kms them went back to the same problem.

I checked the trans oil and it is low so I am going to put some more in tomorrow, I spoke to someone on the phone and he thought I need a new gearbox??

No error lights have ever come on the dash either!

Urgent help please, I have an 800k drive coming up in 2 days and I really dont want the trans to go on the way...... Any ideas????????

[HICOMPVN]

sorry dude, your gunna have to look for a new tranny, sounds like the reverse neutral solenoid could have shat it'sself, and the low oil wouldn't have helped when paddock bashing

[Terror-D]

Damn! what is a reverse neutral solenoid? So putting new oil in wont help? Will it just be that gear that's gone, will it be okay for me to drive the 800kms or will the other gears progressively go????

[hako]

Have a good look underneath where the electrical connector joins the transmission...possibly this got damaged in the paddock (stones/grass etc) and is causing an intermittent connection. If a solenoid has gone it should log a code and go into Limp Home Mode. If it was the sunshell gone, reverse would not have come back.
I wouldn't slash my wrists yet...... top the oil up, throw a can of treatment (any brand though dearer the better) and keep your fingers crossed. Treat it gently and don't forget your phone! If you have time do a filter/oil change on the trans.
Good Luck.

[Terror-D]

Thanks for the info, where are log codes displayed? do you need to hook some diagnostic tools up to see what the code is or does it come on the dash?

How does one go about doing filter / oil change on the trans, is it a matter of removing the driveshaft and draining or is there a sump? I should really look for myself but that involves getting a jack / axel stands...

It just seems to me like all the gears have god mixed up or something, it's almost like reverse is neutral now and neutral is drive.. I dunno.. Toped up the oil with some expensive stuff, need to get some treatment still though. Im gonna take it for a good drive with the new oil and see if anything changes.

[scozz76]

make sure your selector linkage isn't loose or has slipped - adjust it if needed

[greenacc]

you don't know if there's a sump on your tranny ? Maybe that is the problem, your sump is gone !!

[hako]

Check error codes follow this link:Checking error codes VR/VS (Revised)
As scozz76 says; check the selector linkage (get under divers side and locate selector arm on side of box - see if it's loose/bent) ........and the wiring as previously suggested. If the paddock you bashed had long grass/scrub it may be damaged.
Do a search on "changing transmission fluid" on this forum for the instructions on changing filter/oil.
It's not rocket science as long as you think about what you are doing.
Good Luck.

[robbbbo666]

ok i dont know if its just my amazing gearbox but mine did that, and it went back to normal, and has never gone back to doing that after 20,000ks, i also snapped my park gear while wheels were spinning on stands and a mate forgot to brake and put in park, but then 2 days later it started working again :P

although when in a gear, it does neturalise until the motor catches up with the tranny, well spins in sync with it,

like if im in first and accelerate to 50 and ease off it'll neturlise, then when i accelerate it neturalises until it get backs up to rpm for 50km/h and goes again

but yer need to change the tranny, so any guides??

[smoken_VS]

mine has that same problem with my vs ....someone get a easy fix?

[itchy123]

you don't know if there's a sump on your tranny ? Maybe that is the problem, your sump is gone !!

lol i found that quite funny

[slipstream001]

sounds like the gear selector link could be bent as the selector turns its possibly out of line, is it hard to get it into park ? because if its bent upwards then the distance will be shorter therefore putting the selector into park or maybe 1st will mean stretching the bent rod. if the solenoid is gone in the valve body wouldn't replacing the solenoid be a possible option ? also there are a few electrical connections inside the gearbox that possibly ( though not much of a possibility ) you may have knocked loose, if the main plug has been knocked loose then that could be another problem. the gear selector linkage is on the passenger side near the back of the box you will see a thin round rod, the main wiring plug is on the drivers side ontop of the oil pan you might see a round plug with a rubber boot. also changing the oil is a matter of unbolting the 100000 bolts around the trans oil pan lowering it carefully and getting rid of the old oil, buy a trans service kit and you will see the big plastic thing which is the filter, pull the old one out gently if the rubber seal stays in the gearbox leave the new one off. tap it gently with your palm till its seated properly, clean the trans oil pan and dry thoroughly before it goes back up then refill with oil. all you need is a 13mm socket for the whole job

[Brett_jjj]

buy a trans service kit and you will see the big plastic thing which is the filter, pull the old one out gently if the rubber seal stays in the gearbox leave the new one off.

If the old seal doesnt come out when the filter is removed,you just gotta pull the old seal out.I carefully collapse the thin metal part of the old seal inwards with a screwdriver and it comes out easily.Better off using a new seal with a new filter,especially when theres one there already supplied with the filter.I just put some new fluid on the new seal,push it onto the filter and push the filter and seal back up into the trans firmly.