legacycentral bbs

Okay guys, so I finally got my auto transmission swapped. I was feeling good for about 5 minutes until I realized it wasn't shifting out of first on its own. However, when I manually shift it 1st, to 2nd, to 3rd, the car does so just fine. Also none of the dash gauges are working (temperature, gas, rpms, mph, etc, etc) Is it possible that perhaps I accidentally plugged something into the wrong spot? Would these two problems be related to one another? Or is the tranny just bad? This is my first tranny swap in my life so I wouldn't doubt if I made some errors.

It's possible something didn't get plugged back in. Can you provide some details on all the work you did, what you disconnected, etc?

Okay, so I replugged the following (I'll describe them the best I can): The two huge plugs near the middle of the transmission(one on driver side and the other on passenger side) that run off of the transmission and into the wiring harness as well as the O2 sensor, and the 4 separate plug-ins that are connected to the bracket right underneath the intake. Also plugged in all the vacuum lines that run to the intake as well. And obviously the all the bolts that mount the transmission to the car/engine.

also I was thinking that since my speedo is working would that possibly be the reason for the car not shifting past 1st gear because the car can't physically detect that its going a definitive speed?

Is speedometer working or not working? If the speedometer is NOT working, it can cause some pretty weird issues, but I don't think I've seen it where the car wouldn't shift out of first. However, anything's possible.

The connectors behind the battery that come from the intake manifold have the coolant temp sensor and other associated wiring from the engine. I would start there, unplug the connectors make sure everything is clean and that the wiring looks good and the wiring loom is not cut or mangled anywhere.

My bad I meant not working. Literally nothing but the back light on the dash works. The only thing I noticed on the car that was a little loose was a ground wire that went from the tranny to a ground on the car. I'm literally stumped

Okay, welp. I got all the gauges to work with the exception of the Speedometer and the Odometer. I'm thinking the VSS may be bad but the CEL is not on. So I'm also thinking that perhaps the Speedo cable could be bad where it plugs into the transmission. If the VSS is bad I could see that affecting the transmission, if the speedo cable is bad could that still affect the transmissions shifting? If it doesn't is it fair to assume that tranny is trash if it's not the VSS?

I checked the trans code (both current and previous) and they both came back normal. So it's obviously the speedo cable. Now which part of the cable, I don't actually know, but I'm hoping that it's not the part that goes into the dash and is the part that plugs into the transmission.

Now if it is only the cable, is it still a possibility that it's effecting the transmission? Or is that probably a no go since all the sensors are fine and the trans is just bad?

It's possible that the speedo not working could affect the trans.

When my car was AT, I did drive it when the speedo was out, and it did shift, although it did shift a little erratically.

Welp it appears the that the whole cable is bad. It very easily pulled out of the firewall, so it obviously was not attached into the dash. And the plug into the transmission appears bad because the little "flat head looking piece" pretty much fell out of the socket holding it into the trans. So I'm gonna have to buy the OEM plug into the transmission as well as the cable.

The cable may just not have been plugged into the combination meter. If the cable is still in one piece inside the sheath, it may still be ok. You'll probably have to pull the gauge cluster to check though.

Just thought I'd update. The cable base was in fact bad. Once I replaced it the transmission began shifting. I've still got more work to do as now the speedometer "clicks" and of course it "clicks" the faster it goes. Could lubrication or perhaps the angle of the cable be the reason for this? Also HUGE SHOUT OUT to Josh. If you hadn't helped me so much I'd still be at square one.

Glad you got it figured out and you're welcome for the help.

I would start with lubricating the cable. You should be able to pull the inner cable out of the cover, lubricate it, and stick it back in. You may need to rotate it a few turns by hand so it gets seated. I'd recommend pulling it out via the end that connects to the transmission. That way you don't have to mess with stuff under the dash.

awesome, I got the ticking to go away. My only other problem is how to full seat the cable into the cable base. How does it stay in? Do I pinch the little prongs on the base together to pin the cable inside or does it just sit in there and I pull the rubber cable cover over it?

There should be a little metal clip that keeps it in place. I don't have the part # easily available at the moment. Was there a clilp there when you removed the cable base piece?

Ah yes, you're right once again. The cable base that I ordered did not come with the metal clip, I just took it off the old one and there it went. Awesome. You have to be the most knowledgeable person I've ever encountered on the interwebs.