So I'm driving back from college this afternoon and the Cavy begins to stall and sputter when I go to break for a traffic light. Didn't really have a choice and I needed to stop, and it stalled. I thought it was pretty odd considering I had been driving for about 25 minutes without any problems. So I just started back up, and put it in gear while the light was red. I drove off and everything seemed fine.
Drove another 20-25 minutes and dropped my roommate off at his house. Had the car parked, turned off, unloaded his stuff. Get back in the car and leave. About a mile down the road I go to stop for a stop sign. Again it sputters and stalls while braking. Start the car, idles fine, turned right over. I put the trans in Drive, and it stalls??? Now the engine is no where near cold. So I started it again, waited like 30 seconds, revved the motor. Engine sounded fine. Put the trans in drive, stalls...So I waved a truck around me. Put the trans into neutral, and rolled it back like 10 feet. Go back in started it up. Engine is fine. Put the shifter into first, gear goes in! I drive ~1-2 miles home. No problems. Shut off the car, no visible problems of leaking, overheater etc.
I unload my stuff, and take a second look. Car seems fine top and bottom. Wait for about two hours, and decided to pull the car in after dinner. Car started up, drove it right into the garage (Cavy gets the reserved outside spot lol). Nothing seems wrong, so I called my regular mechanic and he says that the 3 speeder auto had some kind of problem with an overdrive sensor. All it does it kick the trans into 3rd gear to help conserve fuel (?), and if it fails, the trans will stay in 3rd gear (hence the stalling). He said its was a pretty common problem for the Cavy & family GM vehicles. He said there isn't a way to change the sensor without pulling the trans, and the easiest fixed that was used for the problem was to simply unplug the sensor from the trans. Its located on the front of the trans case should be a 3 or 4 prong plug.
He seemed to know exactly what I was talking about and even described the problem better then I could to him. He son also drove one when he was in high school, lol. I am assuming he knows what he is talking about, but it seemed odd that you could just unplug the sensor. (?) Has anyone else heard of this??? Or does anyone else know of a similar solution to this problem?
1987 Cavalier 2.0 OHV
-A work in progress, one step at a time-
--->Body restore/repair
------> Shaved antenna, 80's Trans Am wing, 90's Grand Am Fogs
------> Spray Bomb to a Gunmetal Gray
--->Custom CAI, 2.2 Header swap, crazy exhaust from previous owner
--->Soon to be sporting 195/65 R14 on Amercian racing rims
Very simpe problem! It's the TCC switch torque convertor clutch switch and yes it will cause the car to stall when coming to a stop or taking off.So yes the guy was somewhat correct u simple can disconnect the switch which is toast and the car will run fine maybe less mpg but,recommend replacing part which does not require removing trans ,it just screws in and replace ur tranny fluid which is history bc the fluid is no longer doing the job,heat and protection wise and needs to be changed just like motor oil.This is nothing new bc it affects many gm cars just the same the fluid breaks down like oil and does not protect against heat etc and burns up the switch as a result.
Sweet!
Thanks for the info! Yeah he said it would probably cause me to loose some mpg, but it would let the car run.
Is there going to be trans fluid running out if I pull the sensor out? I would like to know, cause I'll find a catch pan to prevent a mess in the garage...
If its a simple bolt in and out I'll do it myself. I'll go looking for a replacement TCC, any recommendations? (i.e. don't use Niehoff, GP sorsen, etc, etc, I also have a Ford Contour and there is an aftermarket of non O.M. parts that are as bad as the failing parts)
Also is the Cavy just a simple drain plug to do the fluid? Or does it require a mechanic visit? I've know several vehicles to have a plug that will drain the case and you can change about 70-75% of the fluid that way. And same as before, any recommendations on ATX fluid?
Thanks again! I was really worried that this may be taking the Cavy off the road, especially as I've spent a good amount of time fixing it up!
1987 Cavalier 2.0 OHV
-A work in progress, one step at a time-
--->Body restore/repair
------> Shaved antenna, 80's Trans Am wing, 90's Grand Am Fogs
------> Spray Bomb to a Gunmetal Gray
--->Custom CAI, 2.2 Header swap, crazy exhaust from previous owner
--->Soon to be sporting 195/65 R14 on Amercian racing rims
Yes, as Ron mentioned its not that hard to replace the TCC and you get to put new fluid & a filter in there while you're at it. I would recommend replacing it, especially with $3+ gasoline!
You'll need the TCC Solenoid, a transmission pan gasket, filter, and Valve body cover gasket (or side cover gasket depending on what auto parts store). And a few quarts of Dexcron III ATF of whatever brand you wish. The only issue I had was snaking the wires through the factory protector so they don't get chaffed by the parking pawl actuator rod, or whatever that rod in there is...but its worth doing.
V6Z24.com has a good writeup of the procedure here:
http://www.v6z24.com/howto/tcc.
Good luck!
Thanks for the link on the How to. I'll get looking over that shortly. Good to know that this should be an easy fix!
Now the only question is, can I drive the Cavy ~70 miles on two 33-35 mile trips with the sensor unplugged? I need to drive up to school for Monday and back home on Tuesday.
1987 Cavalier 2.0 OHV
-A work in progress, one step at a time-
--->Body restore/repair
------> Shaved antenna, 80's Trans Am wing, 90's Grand Am Fogs
------> Spray Bomb to a Gunmetal Gray
--->Custom CAI, 2.2 Header swap, crazy exhaust from previous owner
--->Soon to be sporting 195/65 R14 on Amercian racing rims
Abosolutely, you'll just rev a little higher on the highway in 3rd gear and notice a few MPG loss but the car will run & shift just fine.
http://www.partsamerica.com/ProductDetail.aspx?MfrCode=GPS&MfrPartNumber=TSS20&PartType=424&PTSet=A
Just want to double check before I order parts, this is the correct piece right? Its labeled as a kickdown solenoid.
1987 Cavalier 2.0 OHV
-A work in progress, one step at a time-
--->Body restore/repair
------> Shaved antenna, 80's Trans Am wing, 90's Grand Am Fogs
------> Spray Bomb to a Gunmetal Gray
--->Custom CAI, 2.2 Header swap, crazy exhaust from previous owner
--->Soon to be sporting 195/65 R14 on Amercian racing rims
Yep, that's it. Good luck with the install, its not that bad of a job.
It is an easy job--I did it on mine a few years ago. BTW it's also called a lock-up solenoid. How old is your tranny mount? While the cover is off that is a good time to check or replace it, as it is easier to access then.
Well I wanted to post an update.
Everything appears to be in operating order! New gaskets are on, new solenoid in place, new trans filter is in, and new fluid down the tube! Was running short on time because I needed to leave for dinner, but I got in a 15 minute pace of idling and then took a ~3 mile ride. Came back and the car is sitting in the garge without any apparent leakage! I also added in something special, check out the pictures!!!
old fluid, damn it toast! Oh and btw, best use of a sled ever, outside original purpose...
Suprise Number One! : These are a set of 14 year old Amercian racing wheels that came off a local Sunbird! I found them in the paper while I was eating lunch wednesday! Needless to say I had them by 4pm, and for the tune of $60. They have a good pair of BF goodrich Traction T/A's! I already looked into getting another set mounted for the rear, the price tag will be ~150-160.
(hard to see last one, but there is a huge difference in wheel well fillage!)
I love these things because they fit the car because they are early 90's rims that completely match the time frame it existed in!
Work in progress:
Surprise Number Two! : Since the side pan was loosing all its coating I decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to paint both pans. Since the only engine temp paint I had was black (which is terrible for leak idenification) I picked up something else...
1987 Cavalier 2.0 OHV
-A work in progress, one step at a time-
--->Body restore/repair
------> Shaved antenna, 80's Trans Am wing, 90's Grand Am Fogs
------> Spray Bomb to a Gunmetal Gray
--->Custom CAI, 2.2 Header swap, crazy exhaust from previous owner
--->Soon to be sporting 195/65 R14 on Amercian racing rims
That looks good and the job is a very satisfying result of the end result.I see u have the old star wheels like I do.Next ? is if u ever want to part with the chrome center caps I would gladly pay u say $30 or so or what price u feel good with parting with those if u do.My cavs centers are gone but 1 and cannot find a set of replacements.If u want to keep them I can understand and will continue to look.Nice job on the pan too I would have went semi flat black but I am just keeping my ride inline with stock appearance and such.
Nice work, she'll give you many more miles now without any transmission troubles. Nice call on the Chevy Orange paint, looks sharp
