Questions and Answers

Pontiac Trans Am Delayed Shifting Q. Hello Vincent. Thanks for taking the time to help me out. First of all, I really don't know all that much about cars other than "push the gas and go!", so I may have some trouble explaining what is going on. I do not, however, have a problem with taking things apart and fixing them so this should be fun.

I have replaced lights and done other little things. Nothing much under the hood though. But I would love to learn!

Okay, here is my car description:

• 1998 Pontiac Trans Am
• V-8
• Automatic transmission
• 90,000 miles
• ABS, P/S, A/C

Now, the problem; The car does not shift properly. What happens is when you go from a stop the RPMs will go very high, almost to the red area, before it will shift. OR, If I take my foot off of the gas for a moment around when it should shift and then hit the gas again it will shift. This is what I have gotten in the habit of doing. It only seems to be this first shift that is a problem. I don't notice any other problem when going down the road. Just this first shift.

Now, as I said, I don't really know much about cars so there could be something else that I am not noticing. I never actually notice another shift at higher speeds so maybe there is another problem that I am missing. But everything seems and sounds fine to me.

Also, when I shift from reverse to drive it takes a few seconds for the car to make the change. I could just sit there and rev it for a second. But if I do that it will slam into gear hard, so I don't do that! hehe...

Now, I have read several things about a governor gear in automatic transmissions. It sounds like when this gets worn out you will see very similar problems. Do you think this could be my issue? Does a 1998 Trans Am have a governor gear? I assume so. If so, where would it be?

Like I said, I have no problem with taking the car apart, to a point, if you can point me in the right direction. If you don't think that is it, do you have other ideas?

Thank you so much. I really hope I can spend $20.00 to fix my car instead of a few thousand to get a new transmission. If you have further questions let me know.

Thanks again!!
Kevin

A. I hate to say it but a transmission is one of the most complex parts on a car! The delay between reverse and drive sounds like it's time for an overhaul. Just my opinion but this is usually a sign of seals inside that are bad. You could try to change the fluid but I doubt it will help.

If you do have fluid changed, you may find all kinds of stuff lying in the pan. If you do this yourself you will hide this valuable clue from a transmission guy that needs to know what's in the pan. There are lots of national chain stores advertising free test drives and diagnostic checks. Give one a try.