The Car Care Clinic with the Dr John

2001 Chevrolet - pressure loss problem - Is the transmission toast?

Carl in Manchester

Question

One of my sons decided to take a short trip to town in his brother's 2001 Chevrolet. About a mile from home, the car stopped. He said the revs went up to about 4000 and it was only doing about 30 MPH just before it quit. When I got home I decided to check it out. I checked the A/T fluid, it was down about a quart. The car will not move, regardless of which gear it is in. The check engine light is on. It has 4 codes showing on the ALDL. Is the transmission toast?

Answer

Would you like peanut butter or jelly to go with that toasted transmission Carl? It doesn’t sound good. There is a pressure loss problem and with those codes it’s likely that it’s more than just low fluid. You can check with a transmission shop but I’ve got a feeling that transmission is toasted and a rebuilt or replacement is in your future. Shop around for a good honest, reliable and trustworthy transmission shop though.

Good Luck!
Dr. John