PLS HELP... Auto Trans on '92 323 going..... only 1st and 3rd work!

[Devl323]

Yeah i guess after 2-1/2 years of autocrossing & the fact that i'm almost at 232,000 miles I shouldn't be surprised, eh?
But seriously, this means that i will be looking into some kind of swap very very soon....... but i am piss poor broke right now....
So before any of that, i have a question for you all.......

How can i still salvage the tranny since i can't afford to do a thing right now???
Anyone had any similar experiences??? Any people know the Auto Transmission quite well???

Here's what i'm working with since Sunday, Jan. 11:
-First, there's no CHECK ENGINE light!?!
-There's No Park (its still in drive when i shift to P)
-No Reverse (its kinda between neutral and drive when i shift to R)
-No Neutral (its acting like drive but only stays in 1st)
-Drive is okay but skips 2nd...... between 3500 & 4500RPM it shifts from 1st to 3rd
-Then it kinda goes into overdrive-lock but at 60mph it's pegged @ 3500RPM which is not the normal 2000RPM
-70mph is @ 4000RPM....... so i am generally keeping it below 3000RPM as much as i can.
-When i start the engine, if i do not have the handbrake up and foot brake pressed, the car moves as soon as it fires. Something's stuck in there!

Her days are numbered and i need what i have to last me as much as possible.
What can i do? Please help!
Looking only for uphill, flat or spots i can drive through so i do not have to push later is getting annoying as heck.

Thank you,
Vlad

[MazdaRacer]

Nothing you can do on a brownbag budget....it may be the trans ECU, linkage or it's toast. I guess you could try resetting the ECU (remove negative battery connector, step on brakes for 20secs, replace megative terminal) Dunno if that resets the trans ECU as well or not...never owned an ATX trans. Other than that dude, your pretty SOL.

[skr33t_rac3r]

it could be ur auto clutches cause it sounds similar to wut was happening to me. if u put in drive and hit the gas does it take a second before it moves

[Kevin]

easiest thing is to borrow what credit you've got, do an all out lx swap with a first gen auto tranny from the junkyard.. or rebuild the one you've got yourself. at your rate, it sounds like the transmission is either fuxored, or the linkage is off. in my g/f's eclipse, the linkage took a **** and the car wouldn't move into park.. couldn't put the car in reverse, and to park/be able to start the engine, you had to slide the shifter into reverse. take it to a tranny shop and see what they can pin out for you.
peace

[Devl323]

Thanks for the input guys. Keep em coming. I'll see what a tranny shop will diagnose for me for free, or at least for just a few bucks.

easiest thing is to borrow what credit you've got, do an all out lx swap with a first gen auto tranny from the junkyard..

Till i get a job, the credit i have needs to pay rent and bills etc.

if u put in drive and hit the gas does it take a second before it moves

No, in all the gears (D, S and L) as well as in Neutral, she goes just fine with no delay or hesitation.
You wouldn't even be able to tell there was anything wrong until the shift skipped 2nd.

I have considered replacing the ECU (or PCM as Haynes calls it)
But is there a seperate tranny computer or has the PCM got it all???

[bruce95fmla]

Damn, what's really messed up is the fact that I have to realize that you don't have a job and you need a tranny....

The best thing I can say ,, Try and get a auto tranny from a BP and then put it in the car.
That will be your best bet at this time.
If you can do the work yourself, it will save you some dollars.
If you need tech support you have plenty members on the board and plenty phone numbers to call ... just pm any of us for tech support (hehe)

[Devl323]

Yeah tell me about it..... but as far as getting a job, i have been asking around and 3 of my Mazda Club members said they are pretty sure they can hook me up..... and they are engineering positions too....
Plus, as a wedding present (yep i got married on Jan. 1st), my best man and a good friend of mine said they'd split the cost of a good BP w/ 5speed tranny for us.
So in the next few weeks i hope i'll be in the middle of the 1.8 DOHC swap and then i'll be in good shape......
Thanks very much for the tech support offer though...... it's likely that i'll need it.
Laters,
Vlad