I have been having problems with my 72 buick skylark lately.. i am uncertain about how to go about trouble shooting the problem so that i know how to go about getting it fixed, I dont want to go to a shop and get ripped off because I have no idea what I am talking about. like i stated before i have a 72 skylark 350 2bl , automatic trans for couple of weeks there has been a strange vibration coming from underneath my car.. the best way to describe the vibration is, if you were to be driving on the highway and you drive over the rumble strips that alert you that you are driving close to the edge of the road. I always assumed that the vibration was caused by something dealing with the front passenger side wheel. then the problem got worse of course. i checked my transmission fluid it is full, there isnt any observable leaks that i can see coming from then trans. the last time that I drove the car, I had a difficult time driving it up a hill and as i was going up the car started to slip backwards. also while driving , while in the 1st and 2nd gears as i press on the gas there feels like there is little to no acceleration ..the harder i press the gas the engine revs but I go nowhere. could this be a trans problem or a driveshaft problem? if my description isnt clear enough are there any other things that i could possibly do to diagnosis my problem before i go to the shop tomorrow? i really dont want to get swindled thank you for your help
Definitely a transmission problem, don't drive it anymore until you start checking things out. Check fluid level with engine running, trans warmed up. Fluid should be bright red and translucent, not dark or cloudy. When was the last time the fluid/filter was serviced? Devon
I aside from adding fluid , I havent not had the transmission fluid serviced.. what are the chances that a simple flush and fluid change could resolve my problem??
It's a remote possibility. The reason I say "remote" is that if the filter is plugged enough to prevent correct pressure to the hydraulic clutches inside the transmission, the slippage you mentioned may have already been enough to damage them. But, it's a low cost to do the fluid/filter change and still worth the effort in my opinion, especially if it's not been done in a long time. Devon
do you have any advice on how to not get taken advantage of when I have it towed into the shop tomorrow?
What's "the shop"'s reputation and your relationship with them? If you don't know, that's a tough one. If they're worth their salt, they'll listen to your concerns and diagnose the issue properly. You can always specify that you want the fluid/filter serviced and that's it, but like I said before that's only an off-the-cuff first move and it may solve the problem temporarily, permanently, or not at all. Another culprit may be the transmission cooler being plugged. Diagnosis is key. Devon
I sincerely appreciate your help.. I was just going to take it to aamco , b/c they are more reputable when it comes to something this major
Glad to help, I feel your pain. I have problems with my transmission too, and I'm going to have to deal with it soon. I built it in the late '80's and it's tired; I'll be lucky if I remember what the heck I did to it back then so that I can get another 20 years out of it! Devon
when u state that your rpms rise but u get no pull from the tranny, indicates clutches. another consideration could be the torque converter.
Bolding mine. Back in the day, Aamco had an extremely BAD reputation. Maybe they've cleaned up their act, or maybe they just saturate the airwaves with smooth-talking banana-oil salesman. I'd strongly recommend asking your coworkers and friend for referrals before you go to Aamco.
Adrian I bet a board member has a good used one close to you, install it yourself. All the experts here can guide you thru if you need help. Save a ton of moneyo No:
I took my 72 204z to aamco back in the mid 80's because the manual 4 speed got stuck in reverse. They charged a young 20 something me a few hundred dollars and the car did the exact same thing 2 weeks later. They told me it would cost me another $100 for them to take it out and examine the trans to see if I did something wrong to it. IF they determine it was a warranty issue, they would repair it again for free, but the $100 fee to diagnose the problem would still be due. That was the last time I will ever use an aamco.
