I think my transmission failed because as I drive into the parking lot the car just stopped moving. Engine running good, no heat or oil problems but I heard this pop then the car stop going. Can anyone tell me what would cause the transmission to stop working like that? The half shafts are fine and the drive shaft too. Originally I thought a U joint broke or the half shafts to the wheels broke but everything is intact. No smoke, or leaks just stopped. I have read that a rebuild of my transmission would be around $3000 but in Southern California it would be more. Hope you guys can help.

 

WendellB, I would start with checking the fluid level. It is possible that your fluid level got too low and this is causing the tranny to not be able to build up pressure, causing it to fall out of gear. The next check I would do is to have someone look under the car as you put it in gear. The check will be to see if the driveshaft is spinning or not. This will narrow down whether the problem is up front in the tranny or if it is something with the rear end. Having a popping sound makes me think rear end. But, can't say 100%. Much beyond that, I can't think of any other checks that you can do.

I guess the one last check (and this is a long shot) is to shift the car to say '2' and see if the car will move. If it moves in some gears and not others, then your problem may be a solenoid, not a mechanical tranny issue. A solenoid is much cheaper to repair than a complete rebuild.

 

It "never happens" - but instead what DOES happen is the trans/car get confused when one or both of the little bolts (8mm hex I think) holding the shifter cable to the trans side (under the car) fall out or get loose.