Okay, starting out with what happened, so you guys have some background info. I was driving home last night in pretty thivk traffic, but it was moving okay, about 55mph. I came up to something in the road, with the sunfire's "great" headlights, I thought it was a small box or a piece of foam or something. Since I had nowhere to go, there was trafic, I couldn't swerve to miss it, I decided to try and stradle it. Well, turns out that it was a medium sixed floor jack. The thing slammed into my subframe, got lodged under my engine, broke loose and launched the back end about a foot off the ground as it shot out the back.
I pulled over in a parking lot and was inspecting my suspension and wheele and tires when my gf pointed out that my car was leaking something.. badly! It was dark, so I couldnt tell what it was though. I drove it home (about 2 miles) and it left a thick, solid trail of fluid the whole way home. When I got close to my house, something under the hood started to make a grinding noise when i would hit the gas, and the tranny started to slip a bit here and there. I thought it could be a busted oil pan at first, but would that effect the tranny? I checked the oil dipstick, and it reads full, so maybe it was tranny fluid?
What do you guys think? And how much would repairs run me?

Sorry, thats "thick traffic" and a "medium sized floor jack"

I cringed as I read this and literally said "ouch" when you hit the Jack!!

I know about the crappy Sunfire headlights!! I thought it was just me but apparently not.

You checked the dipstick of the engine and the transmission?

My guess is you knocked a leak into the auto trans pan and you had enough fluid to make it home.

Jack it up nad take a good long look under the car, there is probably damage all the way back. Check the fuel tank and brake lines as well. The exhaust might be askew also.

Determine where the leak is and fix it. Put oil back in the trans and see if the car Gods have smiled upon you today or not. Grinding noise isn't good nor is slippage. A used tranny will set you back a fair amount of coin. Then you've got the installation of it.

If in doubt get a good buddy who knows cars to look at it for you, I don't trust repair shops, the good honest ones are few and very far between.

let us know what you find

dave

Best advice I could tell you, Is to jack the front of youre car up. See if u can see anything damaged, Least then you got an idea where to start youre repairs. Sounds to me you hit the tranny pan. If the tranny is slipping. If youre unable to inspect it, Try youre local garage, So be able to give u an idea.

Sorry to hear about that.

Good Luck,.

I can't find the tranny dipstick, IIRC, it doesn't have one? When the weather gets better, I'll get some friends to help me push it into the driveway so we can jack it up and inspect it. If not, I'm just going to have it towed to a shop, I trust a shop's work more than I trust my own, and I wouldn't have much time to work on it anyways.

I went out today and started it up, it ran fine, the engine seems to be in good shape, although I didn't let it warm up. I popped it into gear (auto) and the idle seemed to drop lower than it usually does when I did. Then i hit the gas and I noticed the tranny was slipping severely. I had to press the gas about 50% more than I usually would just to get it moving. At idle, it won't go anywhere at all. And when the wheels are turned, the car revs to about 6k before it even thinks about moving forward. And the tranny won't shift unless I let off the gas for a second. So it's definitely the transmission.

Also, we've been getting alot of moisture (fog, rain) lately, and my car's been sitting outside on the grass. could there be a chance that some moisture's gotten into the tranny? And if so, would it cause rust or any seizing of the gears in there since the fluid's gone?

You need a new transmission, I guarentee you thats the problem.

You busted the transmission oil pan, drive it hom without any fluid because it lost it all.



- 2004 Cavalier - 124k, owned since new

Am hoping your transmission only needs an oil pan replacement and a fluid refill.

About getting a new pan, I believe the dealers want $150 or more, so a transmission
repair shop that has totally junk transmissions is your best bet. (Take your old pan for them
to match it perfectly.) Cost then is approximately $25 for the pan, vs. $150.

Wrecking yards don't want to strip a transmission pan because it ruins the "core" value
when rebuilders pick out transmissions they want to buy. Don't bother with wrecking yards.

Good luck to ya !

i dont think a wreaking yard would be bad in this case... its a sunfire... not a vette or something... You'll find hundreds of them.. most with trannys intact... If the guy is just scrapping it, he wont care if u want to pull the pan off it... or the whole tranny if that is your problem..

But yeah.. best of luck... heres hoping its just the pan...

I hope it's just the pan too. I still ahven't had a chance to look under it yet as I don't own a jack. I'm having a friend bring his and a few jackstands over when he has a day off.