[W126 Coupe] HELP! Car Salling!!!!!

[David Fatovic]

I am no expert he says.  Dick, you are one of the most
knowledgable people on this list.

I did have the car at operating temp, I drove the car
into the garage (which is level) to test the fluid
level.  The fluid was the correct redish color, with
no foam and no burnt smell.  I replaced the fluid and
filter last year.  Not many miles on it.  My father
pretty much drives to the office and back.  I did not
drain the torque converter as well as the tranny, just
what comes out when you remove the drainplug and the
pan.

The tranny modulator.  Is that the piece that is
connected to the throttle linkage towards the back of
the engine bay?  It is connected to a wire that has a
red cover on it?  You can adjust it by loosening the
screw and moving the two slide plates back and forth? 

That one?

I shall try.

David

--- Dick Spellman <spell.yy at verizon.net> wrote:

> David:
> 
> Just confirming that before you topped off the
> transmission fluid.  You 
> warmed up the engine, the car was on level ground,
> and you sat in the 
> car and placed the shift selector in each of the
> gears for a moment or 
> two and back to Park before taking the reading?  If
> not, check the fluid 
> level again after doing the above steps.  When was
> the last time the 
> transmission was serviced?  Was the torque converter
> fluid drained in 
> addition to the main tranny case when the filter was
> done?  What color 
> was the fluid you checked today, was there a burnt
> smell to it, was it 
> foamy?
> 
> If you corrected a vacuum problem by replacing the
> hose, that would 
> explain the improved idle.  It could also improve
> vacuum pressure to 
> other devices like the modulator on the
> transmission.  The modulator 
> regulates the interval between shifts so you can
> smooth out a firm 
> shift.  The more you smooth it out the more wear you
> create on the 
> clutch plates and so on because you are extending
> the amount of time the 
> plates are permitted to slip before fully engaging. 
> This improved 
> vacuum may have resulted in the modulator being set
> way too smooth from 
> the previous poor vacuum levels.  Having said that
> and I am no expert, 
> I'd start with the transmission fluid level, service
> done, etc. before 
> digging further.  I would not drive the car until
> you resolve the 
> problem you describe.
> 
> Dick
> 
> David Fatovic wrote:
> 
> >OK, so here is a new twist.  I am starting to feel
> >like the cartoon character trying to plug the hole
> in
> >the damn by putting his finger in it.  A new one
> pops
> >up.  I checked the trans fluid level this morning
> and
> >it was right at the low line.  I added a touch to
> >bring it within the lines on the dipstick.  But now
> we
> >have a new problem.  I changed one vacuum tube this
> >morning, the one going from just in front of the
> fuse
> >box (it connects to a 4 way hose connector) and
> goes
> >to the back of the engine just below the throttle
> >linkage.  Now the car seems to idle better (a
> little
> >high) but now when you have the car in gear and
> >accelerate from a dead stop, the RPMs go up but the
> >tranny is not engaged or does not have gear or
> >something.  Once RPMs get to about 1500 then the
> car
> >goes in to gear and the car starts to move.  This
> to
> >me is very strange, almost acting like it has no
> fluid
> >in it and not enough pressure to push the plates of
> >the tranny together to drive the car.
> >
> >Any ideas?
> >
> >Thanks,
> >
> >David
> >
> >--- Dick Spellman <spell.yy at verizon.net> wrote:
> >
> >  
> >
> >>Hi David:
> >>
> >>Yes there is a vacuum hose on the intake manifold
> >>that runs down to the 
> >>transmission vacuum modulator.  If it's loose or
> >>disconnected you will 
> >>get a hard (almost like a bang) shift between
> gears.
> >> If you say that 
> >>the car is hanging in lower gears too long then
> I'd
> >>start by adjusting 
> >>the Bowden cable and check all of your engine
> >>regulating linkages for 
> >>proper adjustment at the same time.  If you then
> >>notice a lag between 
> >>shifts I'd work the vacuum modulator (T)
> adjustment
> >>to get the correct 
> >>shift firmness.
> >>
> >>Was this car doing this before as well???  Have
> you
> >>checked the trans 
> >>fluid level?  When was the last time the tranny
> and
> >>torque converter 
> >>fluids were replaced?
> >>
> >>Dick
> >>
> >>David Fatovic wrote:
> >>
> >>    
> >>
> >>>Are there any vacuum hoses that connect the
> vacuum
> >>>system to the transmission?  I got it to the
> point
> >>>where it wont stall anymore, but it has some bit
> of
> >>>      
> >>>
> >>a
> >>    
> >>
> >>>hard time shifting up.  It will sit in the lower
> >>>      
> >>>
> >>gear
> >>    
> >>
> >>>at 3K RPM.  When I lift my foot off the gas it
> just
> >>>keeps gear and slows the car down.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>Thanks,
> >>>
> >>>David
> >>>
> >>>--- Dick Spellman <spell.yy at verizon.net> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> 
> >>>
> >>>      
> >>>
> >>>>David:
> >>>>
> >>>>When you say you cleaned under the throttle
> plate,
> >>>>you were referring to 
> >>>>the air volume meter???The plate just under the
> >>>>        
> >>>>
> >>air
> >>    
> >>
> >>>>cleaner?  The 
> >>>>throttle body is at the very bottom of that
> entire
> >>>>assembly.  It's the 
> >>>>first item bolted to the intake manifold.  If
> that
> >>>>throttle plate does 
> >>>>not fully close the TPS will see an 'open' which
> >>>>will mean that the idle 
> >>>>will sit lower than normal.  The idle may
> stumble
> >>>>        
> >>>>
> >>a
> >>    
> >>
> >>>>bit where it's lower 
> >>>>than prescribed.  If you put your foot on the
> >>>>accelerator while in park 
> >>>>and bring the rpms to say 650 (normal idle) is
> the
> >>>>engine nice and 
> >>>>steady?  If it is, you need to test the TPS and
> I
> >>>>think you'll find it's 
> >>>>simply a carbon build-up on the throttle body
> >>>>preventing the plate from 
> >>>>closing fully and the TPS from reading 'closed'.
> >>>>
> >>>>To test for a vacuum leak, remove the air
> cleaner
> >>>>assembly, take a spray 
> >>>>bottle filled with water and work the spray a
> bit
> >>>>        
> 
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