Auto Tranny only starts in first if manually selected

[KevinCoughlin]

Just got a 91 DX in trade with an automatic trans. It works fine if you manually start in low, and then shift to drive. If you just leave it in drive, it seems to start in second gear.

Transmission was replaced by the previous owner (who traded it for an old mobile home to the guy trading it to me) - but she might not have connected all the electronic bits correctly? It is all undocumented so it is like a mystery.

Car is dirty, nasty, and filthy - but seems to run okay and with a little body work, a lot of scrubbing, and maybe paint be a decent car. I'm looking forward to making a basic commuter out of it (that means keeping the automatic - my wife does not drive a manual very well).

Thanks.

http://www.wihandyman.com/forum/images/smilies/newbie.gif

[MADMIKE]

An easy way to verify that the shift solenoids are working is to allow the car to warm up to operating temp, middle of the temp gauge.

Place the car in 1st and use the HOLD button on the side of the shifter*HOLD light on*. The HOLD light should come on the dash. Press the HOLD button when you have reached the desired speed*HOLD light off* and the car should now shift into 2nd gear.

Shift into '2nd' and press the HOLD button again*Hold light on*. This will hold 2nd until you reach the desired speed again and press the hold button again*hold light off* and the car should now shift into 3rd.

Shift into '3rd' and press the HOLD button again*HOLD light on*. This will hold 3rd until you reach the desired speed and press the HOLD button one last time*HOLD light off*. If you are traveling above 45MPH it will shift into OD which is '4th'.

If the transmission responds to your manual commands the shift solenoids are working.

You can remove the large rubber intake tubing between the throttle body and air meter, its a lazy 'S' shape, along with the battery and battery tray you should be able to see the top of the A/T very easily along with all of its connectors.
Verify that all the connections are fine and that none of the wiring has been damaged, cut, or hacked. You may wish to unhook the connectors one by one to verify that they are seated correctly into the receptacles.

I have noted that unless you come to a complete stop the A/T sometimes does not down shift to 1st all the time. Drive around the block and see if this is the case, if so it may just be a function of the shift program.

There are a few adjustments that can be made to the A/T.
First gear band can be adjusted for proper torque specs. Found in Chiltons

The throttle valve cable can also be adjusted for proper pressures to each gear selection. This requires a high pressure 300psi gauge for testing. There is a pdf online but I cannot located it at the moment.

There is a down shift electrical contact located under the dash on the accelerator pedal. Chiltons just specifies the pedal should be 7/8s down to the floor before engaging.

Verify that excessive slop is not in the throttle cable. When we acquired our car the cable would pull 1/2" before it would pull the throttle open. This adjustment, along with the TV cable adjustment are made at the throttle body itself.

The big problem with these transmissions is they are very susceptible to overheating, which plays hell with the shift solenoids.
I recommend bypassing the crappy in rad cooler and purchasing a simple 3 or 4 row auxiliary cooler too keep the F4EAT/F4EAL happy.

We had an incident where after a long day of traveling mostly in hilly terrain the transmission would not shift correctly and the HOLD light began to blink erratically. I had to shift the car manually using the HOLD function to get it to shift correctly. Since installation of the cooler we have not had any issues.

If you need any of the above mentioned specs I believe I have them, somewhere

[KevinCoughlin]

Thanks - I'll give that a test tonight. I'm leaning towards improper connections made when installing - possibly electrical. I know that if you shift it to low, it starts in first. I had not played with the "hold" buttons, but if you just pop it into drive after it is going (shifted out of first to second) it seems to shift alright from that point. I THINK it gets to overdrive. The guy I'm getting it from says he brought it up to 90 just to see how it did, and said it seemed very smooth.

I will be a bit more precise in my testing and pay attention to what speeds it seems to be shifting.

[MADMIKE]

The problem with the '90SE and '91-up DX models with A/T I don't think any came with Tachs. So unless you pay attention to the gear shifts it can be a bit hard to notice them if you are not use to the car.
The other thing is I believe with the gear ratios, peak torque rpm for the SOHC is at 80MPH in 3rd gear, so it will pull smoothly up to that speed.

The other thing is that the 323s with the B6 and AT have the same transmission BUT the final drive is 3.73:1 rather than B8s 3.47:1.

Here is a site with some good general info on Proteges if you are interested.

http://www.protegefaq.net/

[KevinCoughlin]

I did not even check last night - but if there isn't a tach I'll have to add one. I prefer a gauge that tells me something over a light that informs me I've been an idiot!

[KevinCoughlin]

So, you're right - no tach. I'll have to add one very soon. However, as I actually had my hands on it properly and started checking it out more thoroughly I think it is only currently using first and second. Shift into the lowest gear, and it takes off fine. Shift to the middle gear, and it shifts. I did not go over 50 - because it felt like it never shifted out of second. Now - this is second on an automatic.... I could have gone faster - but I'd rather find out WHY it does not shift.

During the entire time - the HOLD light was blinking on and off in a steady pattern. Nothing I did to the button would change that. I will have to try and hunt up what the heck that means.

On the plus side, for an older car with 165k on the odometer (and for some time the speedo cable was broken) it rides very nicely. Great road feel - my wife says it is "swoopy". After I fix this one up - I'm afraid I might have to think about another one (with a manual) for "fun" in case she steals this one from me.

[redprotegelx]

Check the 10 pin connector on the top of the transmission. I had the same problem early last month. Most times, the car would start in 2nd gear and it wouldn't go into 4th. I could manually take it to 1st. That kind of told me that the problem was electrical. Anyway, in my case, it was the yellow wire, pin 8 of the 10 pin connector. Honestly, a freaking rat had chewed through it... along with my wiper ground and a section of my washer tubing. Parking close to trash in this city can be costly. Anyway, I'm just glad I was able to solve it without taking it to a transmission shop. My problems were solved with a soldering iron.

See the image below... pin 8 is the lockup pin. Your case may be different. At least make sure you're getting continuity. Anyway, good luck.

[KevinCoughlin]

That must have been it. I cleaned up a bit under the hood (dirt and grease) and pulled and reseated all the connections to the transmission - and it works as advertised now. I got some water in the distributor cap (I know - but I did not get it covered quite right) and that confused me for about 5 minutes why it died half mile from the house.... but after drying off the inside and putting it back on - off I went. Four gears, and the hold button working like it should.

Now - I need to see about that oxygen sensor. I'm thinking the wire hanging down that looks like it SHOULD go there and doesn't - that's a problem, right? (No, you don't need to answer that!). Tomorrow will be changing all the fluids - since I have NO idea how it was maintained. Either I will kill the tranny that was almost dead but not quite - or I will be performing proper maintenance. Either way - I'd rather know now, than when my wife is driving home in the wee hours of the morning.