Questions and Answers

Problems, Problems And More Problems

Q. I have a 2.0 liter turbocharged 1995 Eagle Talon automatic with 75,000 miles EFI. For the past while my car has had trouble shifting. At first it was just from 1st to 2nd gear but now it has trouble in all gears. When it tries to shift you can tell it gets stuck and the car will just sit there and shake until it pops into gear again. Is this my transmission and if it is do i need to buy a new one or just replace a part.

The 2nd is that when I have my car in reverse or 1st gear my motor will skip and shake, and 3rd one of my tail lights and brake lights on my rear right side don't work and the bulbs aren't burnt out and the fuse isn't burnt out. Please help me.

Mitchell

A. Your first problem sounds like a definite transmission problem. You may have a clogged transmission filter or dirt in the valve body so I would recommend a transmission fluid and filter change before doing anything else. You have a 50 - 50 chance that this will correct the problem. If it doesn't, then you'll need to take it to a transmission shop for diagnosis.

Your second problem may or may not be transmission related. I would think it's more engine related. If the car has not been tuned up for a while, I would start with that. A new set of spark plugs, cap, rotor and wires will do wonders for the way the car runs.

As for your third problem, there could be three possible problems. First there is no power to the bulb. You can check this with a 12 volt test light. If there is no power you will need to trace the wiring back to find where the break in the circuit is. Second is a bad ground, which can be tested by using a jumper wire to ground the socket or, third, the socket itself is bad.