2001 Pontiac Grand Prix SE from North America - Comments

Transmission fluid leaking all over the place.

Car usually starts jerking when it slows down to about second gear speed that, especially when the car warms up, that is, there is an Engine (or transmission) jerking after shifting when the car is hot.

I have a 2001 Pontiac Grand prix 3.1 Liter.

I took it to a lubrication place to change the oil and filter, and then they suggested me to do a Automatic transmission Fluid change (with pan), which I accepted.

Now about 3 weeks after the Automatic transmission Fluid change my car first started showing a "change oil" lights on, and now it is leaking pretty, pretty bad transmission oil all over the place.

I took the car back to the lubrication place and they say they don't know what's happening because all they did as change the Automatic transmission Fluid and that they are not mechanics and suggested me to take the care to a mechanic as soon as possible.

So I took the car to a GM service right away (because it was the only mechanic nearby), and the GM guys said they would have to first take out the transmission pan to check it (will cost $200,00).

After taking the transmission pan out GM says now that something is spilling the fluid all over the place, something is forcing the fluid out of the transmission.

But to see what is doing that, they say they will have to take the whole transmission down to see what's wrong, and they think it might be transmission failure.

So what should I do? I am a girl and know nothing about cars.

Could this transmission problem be caused by the stupid people in the lubrication place?

Could they have damaged my transmission by only changing the transmission fluid?

If so then they should pay to fix it right?

How can I charge then for that?

Before the Automatic transmission Fluid change the car never had any leak at all.

But I did noticed for quite sometime now, that my car usually starts jerking when it slows down to about second gear speed that, especially when the car warms up, that is, there is an Engine (or transmission) jerking after shifting when the car is hot.

Thanks in advance, please help as soon as possible, because my car is there and I don't know what to do.

Anyone?

Please any insights into my problem will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Carol B.

The transmission fluid leak may have been caused by the guys at the lubrication place overfilling the transmission after they changed the fluid, which could cause the fluid to be forced out of the dipstick tube and/or breather. They may have also not replaced the transmission pan gasket or installed it improperly, which could also cause a leak.

Proving that either of these things happened would be difficult now, however, as the pan has since been removed and the fluid drained out again.

My advice would be to have the pan replaced with new gasket, have the transmission refilled with the correct amount of fluid, and then see whether the leak is still occurring. If it is and they still tell you that they have to remove the transmission to find out where the leak is coming from, I would get another opinion, and not necessarily from another dealer's service dept. See if you can get a recommendation from friend/coworker for a shop that (hopefully) will not try to rip you off. There are only a few places that a transmission can leak fluid from and not all of them require the transmission to be removed in order to fix them.

Oh and I would not return to that lubrication place again either...

Carol, Sorry, I responded, but my comment was never posted. It sounds to me like when the lubrication place changed the fluid, they messed something up. Either they didn't tighten the pan correctly, and the fluid leaked out through a loose gasket, or they put in the wrong fluid, or they overfilled it and blew out a seal. They should pay, I think, if you can prove it. I wouldn't pay to have the transmission torn apart. I would just have them drain out the fluid that's in there, and have them replace the filter and pan gasket, and put the pan back on correctly. Try that before paying for another transmission. Don't let them talk you into an expensive transmission rebuild. Also, buy a Haynes Manual or Chilton's Manual for your model car, and learn some background information to avoid getting ripped off by all these people.

Carol,

In all probability all that is required is for the fluid pan to be reseated with a new gasket, or with silicone sealant and the oil topped off. (this is a procedure for an automatic Mazda, written by some English guy, but it should give you the idea - http://www.mx6db.co.uk/?loc=4&id=10&view=guide)

Depressingly, it sounds as if the GM dealership has figured that you don't know anything about cars and are trying to screw you for a new transmission.

My suggestion is to find a decent independent mechanic who will do an honest job for you, or be rather un-female and do the job yourself.

People should read their owner's manuals. My 2001 Pontiac's owner's manual CLEARLY STATES that unless you are towing a trailer or doing nothing but stop and go driving "the transmission fluid never needs changing". I have never changed the transmission fluid in any of my couple of dozen cars. A good friend of mine who works for a major transmission repair chain told me years ago that the biggest mistake people make is having their transmission fluid changed when there is no reason to. I had asked him if he thought I needed to change the fluid in my Ford (which had 196,000 miles on it at that time) and he said it would probably do more harm than good. Many dealerships talk people into "preventative maintenance" that is not required, or even good for the car. If the transmission is shifting properly it should NOT BE MESSED WITH. Sadly, the reviewer found that out the hard way.

To 18:20, I used to feel the same way, but I'm not sure anymore.

I know for the 1970's and 1980's cars that I used to drive (and still drive), the owner's manual said the same thing, that you never needed to change the transmission fluid for the life of the car, which I took to mean 100,000 miles. It seemed to be true, because those cars would still drive fine even when the fluid had turned orange at over 100,000 miles and they were 15 years old.

I think to some extent the "transmission flushes" that everybody is offering are a scam that probably do more harm than good, and there are several comments on this site that talk about how the transmission died within a couple of weeks of having some lube place flush the transmission fluid.

On the other hand, owner's manuals now give some pretty short intervals for transmission fluid changes, like 30,000 miles, and it gives the impression that the more complicated automatics are more fragile than the old 3-speeds. And then you have examples of many new cars with transmission problems when they didn't change the fluid.

I would be tempted to have it changed on the recommended schedule, but only by a qualified, reputable dealership that knows the vehicle.

My suspicion is that these lube shops probably put in the wrong type fluid, which burns up the bands and pumps, or they overfill or underfill, or don't tighten the bolts correctly on the pan, or don't actually change the filter, or get dirt inside the case.

OK well despite what anyone else says that is the lube places fault that your transmission is doing that they may have improperly put your transmission back together. I do not have it anymore, but I did have a grand prix same year my transmission pulled as well. When most of these places do a transmission fluid change they drop the trans pan. The only way to insure proper quality is a power flush because nothing is taken apart. This problem is common with lube places you have a case, definetely. If you have any questions send me an email at banshee_tk58@yahoo.com I would gladly help you put together everything you need to prove who's at fault.

OK guys thanks for your help, I really appreciate it, even the criticisms to my girlish behaviour, and I know that I should learn more about car's mechanics, but I hardly have time to keep up with my full time studies and part time job, and based on my own experience, I find it hard to believe you can find a decent independent mechanic - or the Holy Grail :).

Back to the problem, now I decided to take the car to another mechanic to check the car (had to towed the car, because the fluid leaking was so bad that I could not drive it).

This new mechanic said he could not find anything in the car so he has to take the transmission down to try to find the problem (basically the same thing the GM guys said), but he haven't got back to me yet.

Now I would to know if there is any chance that just by changing the transmission fluid (with pan) might have caused all that problem in my transmission, to point of a possible transmission failure?

As I mentioned before the car had been jumping, jerking, that is, there's a slippage, it jerks, jump out of gear as the transmission shifts, mostly into 2nd, but if I accelerate up to 40 or 50, it doesn't jerk until after I ease off the gas.

And that has been going on for quite some time now, but when I took it to check it some time ago, the technician stated the problem couldn’t be duplicated.

I believe it could not be duplicated because the car starts jerking only when it reaches certain temperature level, around, I think, 85 C degrees, and I don't think they drove the car enough to replicate the problem.

I just want to mention that to make it clear that the transmission has not been shifting properly, and to be fair with the guys from the lubrication place.

However if what the lubrication place did is the actual cause of my car's transmission problem then I'll give them the bill, and Hopefully get them to pay for it.

Thanks.

Believe it or not, we have a 1955 Pontiac that has the old 4 speed hydramatic. It has NEVER had a fluid change. It still drives and shifts fine. In fact, no one in the family even remembers ever ADDING any fluid to it. It has been in the family for THREE GENERATIONS and has outlived TWO of its owners. This is one TOUGH Pontiac. It was driven almost daily up until about 1988, and since then has been repainted and is now used only in parades or car shows. It is 100% original.

Dexron II automatic transmission fluid (which I believe is what General Motors use) shows measurable degradation in performance after 300 hours and visible discoloration after 600 hours in tests.

Gee, I can just imagine who was responsible for those "unbiased" tests. I bet the company that makes (and SELLS) the transmission fluid had a LITTLE BIT to do with that, but I'll be forewarned. IF I should ever need to add any transmission fluid (I haven't in 58,000 miles) I WON'T buy that brand if it degrades in such a ludicrously short time (which figures out to about 20,000 miles, which is ridiculous). My GM owner's manual states very emphatically that I DON'T need to change my transmission fluid EVER. Why on Earth would I pay $200 for a service the MANUFACTURER OF MY CAR says I DON'T NEED?? That makes absolutely no sense at all. I think dealerships and transmission shops take major advantage of people who never bother to open their owner's manuals.

Thanks for the warning about Dexron. We'll be sure to buy a different brand.

"Thanks for the warning about Dexron. We'll be sure to buy a different brand."

That might not be a good idea. Back in the 1970's, tranny fluid was tranny fluid, more or less, and it didn't matter much. But now, different vehicle manufacturers seem to build their transmissions with a specific fluid required. I never used to pay much attention to fluid type, either, because Chryslers didn't have their own brand, but I'd generally put in Dexron I, II, or III because that's what the local hardware store carried. Apparently that changed at some point, because in the 1990's it seemed like people started having problems with Chrysler minivan transmissions because they burned out from adding the wrong transmission fluid (in my opinion).

The transmissions now seem to be a lot more sensitive or fragile, and when they say "Use only Mercon" or "Use only Dexron III" they seem to really mean it! Changing transmission fluid also depends on use. For light duty commuting, you probably don't have to change it, although you should check the fluid level every month as part of a good maintenance habit. Do people know how to check their fluid correctly anymore? If you're playing "fast and furious" or driving under more demanding conditions, or towing a trailer, you should look at the "severe use maintenance schedule" and there they will recommend that you change things with greater frequency compared to the "light duty" schedule.

All fluids, materials, and mechanical devices break down at some point, that's just the way it is. I'm also a little skeptical of the "test" cited above. It could be easily argued that transmission fluid or oil begins to "break down" the minute it is poured into the car. The real point is how long it conforms to its designed specifications. I mean, the very first time somebody starts the engine on a car, that engine has already begun the process of breaking down, yet it will more than likely continue to function for another 200,000 miles before really "breaking down."

I normally take great care of all my cars, but over the past few years I have been very busy and tend to just change the oil (the most important part of maintenance in my opinion) and let everything else take care of itself.

I drive one Ford and one GM vehicle and they tend to spoil me, as I have never had ANY problems with EITHER make.

A short time ago I was changing the oil in my 2001 Pontiac, and it dawned on me that in nearly 60,000 miles I had NEVER CHECKED the transmission fluid, power steering fluid, coolant level or brake fluid (I HAD checked the brake pads at 50,000 and they showed virtually no wear). At that point I checked ALL the fluids and found them all to be nearly full (none needed any additional fluid).

Since I don't pull a trailer or drive in stop and go traffic, I don't feel I need to change my fluid and filter until at the very least 100,000 miles if I decide to keep the car that long (and I may, as it is still just like a new car in every respect).

There are signs that your tranny my need to be replaced.

If it is Dark Red and has a smell to it than it may need to be replaced, some people are lucky and never change it even when it has these symtoms, but that is Russian Rulet.

If your car has over 75000 miles and the tranny fluid has never been replaced, because what causes tranny failure is SLIPPEAGE AND HEAT

and if you chose to run you tranny in these condiions with dirty fuild and a clogged filter you my be driving and youR trAnny my go out with out notice, maybe one gear, maybe a seal leak or maybe it begains to slip.

Changing your fuild will not harm your tranny, but not changing it when its bad iS like driving on warn tires, yes they my get you to where you want to go, maybe not, its the chance you take.