Alright, so I have a ATX. And when i start my car, and put it in gear [D], It will go and then it'll shift into 2nd gear, then its like its stuck in [N], and then from there i'll put it in Low, drive, overdrive, and reverse. And it does the same thing. inorder for my car to go probably 20 yards, i gotta shut off my car and restart it and then put it back in drive for about 10 seconds then it just into goes into [N]. I cant figure it out. I just change my fluid. and the tansmission isnt very old at all. and i havent been hard on it at all either. So im really confused at this point. If anybodys got any info on this please comment.

From what I'm to understand about the zx2 ATX, they're poop. I don't know for sure. I'd have to say it sounds like the tranny's going out... but I guess you knew that.

probably your bands are gone or your pcm is messed up

The bands are gone. Rims on an ATX will do that, coupled with driving hard. The ATX isn't bad on stock rims ... not great either.

damn that sounds exactly like whats up with my tranny.

What do you guys mean as in "my bands are gone" cause i have no idea what that means... Is my tranny gone or can these things be replaced?.

My pcm might be bad, i got a couple laying around i could test out.

its an auto, auto trannies use bands and gears and fun expensive stuff like that. if your tranny is doin the same thing mine is, which it sounds like it is, then you need to salvage a tranny or get the one you have now rebuilt. the bands are used to create friction in the gear you need, please correct me if i am wrong someone, and when they wear out they loose their friction ability and they slip, thus you lose or just plain dont get a gear.

trannies usually have a different controller than the pcm, the pcm is the powertrain control module, it generally moniters the engine and emissions. i have a pcm and a tcm, transmission control module. i would be looking at salvage for a new tranny if i were you, but if you want to be sure for your money that it wont happine again for a while, hopefully, then i would go the rebuild direction.

I had the same problem on my last car (97 dodge stratus)...transmission needs rebuilt or junkyard transmission...or a 5spd swap :D

Well, when i drained the transmission fluid there was barely any in there, and it was pretty much black. So maybe i need to let the transmission fluid cycle through or something?. And another thing, i really dont think my tranny is shot cause it isnt very old at all. And i havent been rough on it at all. So it's gotta be another problem. I donna i just need some suggestions.

it doesnt matter how old it is, it has alot of parts to it, in most instances the more complex something is the more things there are to go wrong with it. you are right it may not be shot. or it might be. but to find out will cost money to get a salvage will cost money, to get it rebuilt will cost money. the fun part is making the right decision on what expence to make. cottman transmission does a service the they tear down the tranny and do a diagnostic and tell you what they find, and at that point its your decesion whether you get it rebuilt or what ever the problem is. cottman transmission shawnee mission prkw and neiman. it costs around $3XX.XX

Thanks man, for the advice.

no prob

If there was almost no transaxle fluid, that's bad. Take the whole pan off (about 15 bolts), and let it drip clear, then replace the pan. Fill it full with ATF, and let it sit in drive with the e-brake pulled, idling, for about 5 minutes. Flush and repeat one more time. Then flush and replace the gasket and filter, and fill up with the final batch of ATF. Should behave better, unless you actually broke a band.

It's worth the $12 in ATF to find out ...

There's a trick I've heard of, but haven't tried, where after the first flush, a guy filled the ATX back up with water. He then drove hard around the block once, and pulled the pan off. The water had heated up so hot that it scalded all the deposits off the transaxle ... and large chunks of black crud were coming out the bottom of the ATX. He flushed all that out, replaced the water, and did 2-3 more times ... then did the 2x ATF flush to get the water out.

I don't necessarily condone that ... but if the transaxle is already dead ...

Can i get this at like any auto parts place?.

The filter kit? Should be able to ... they're not that expensive either. You can buy ATF anywhere that remotely involves cars.

moved!

admins do your job!

I strong recommend AGAINST water in the ATX. Water doesn't have much lubricating ability, that would just kill the transmission completely dead.

Dropping the pan, changing the filter, and new ATX fluid sounds like a good first try. I'd guess you'd spend $30 for the filter and the fluid.

Can you be more specific than "not very old". How many years/months has the transmission been in the car? How many miles (approximately) on it? Do you have a receipt for this transmission - since it sounds like it isn't the original tranny in the car? Was there a warranty on the tranny? (Hence the need for the receipt to verify things...)

If the tranny isn't very old, and the fluid is dark black, that isn't a good sign, but perhaps it was just low, and cooked the fluid that remained.

For most cars (I don't own a ZX2, so it could be different, but probably not) the correct procedure for checking the ATX fluid is:

Drive car around a few miles to warm up fluid (if possible).

Park car on a level surface. With e-brake firmly set. (If no e-brake, get a friend to hold the brake firmly.) Move gear shift through Park, Rev, Neutral, Drive, 2, 1, etc. and back to Park.

(Some cars should be checked in Park, some in Drive - check your owners manual.)

With engine still running, pull the ATX dipstick and check fluid level. It should be at/near the "HOT" mark on the dipstick. Fluid should be dark red and smell slightly like roasted nuts - but not burned.

There are several types of ATX fluid. GM vs. Ford vs. Mopar. (ATF-3, ATF, etc.) Use the right kind for your car and don't mix unless it's an emergency.

Don't overfill.

Notice how this is very different from checking the engine oil.

If fluid is black, or smells burned, it's a sign of trouble, but a good first step is to drop the pan and change the filter and fluid.

The torque converter holds some fluid too, and dropping the pan doesn't allow the fluid in the converter to drain. Most of the time, it's OK if some of the old fluid stays in the converter. If you're really concerned about this, Jiffy Lube and dealerships have a pump/vac machine that will take nearly all the fluid out and refill. Or, the do-it-yourselfer can disconnect the cooling lines between the ATX and the radiator. The tranny will pump all the old fluid out of one line, and suck fluild (or air!) in through the other line. So you can rig up a bottle or pan to catch the old fluid while siphoning in new fluid from a fresh container. This can get messy.

I agree with you Rodney on the water thing. The lack of lubricity was what the guy was playing on. It was a POS car with an even older transaxle, and he just lucked out that it worked.

Another thing to check is the radiator fluid. Most ATX cars circulate the tranny fluid through a separate line in the radiator. If the radiator fails, and lets the engine coolant mix with the tranny fluid, it's bad news. So it's a good idea to check the radiator fluid to make sure it's still greenish and not brownish. Brown indicates either oil or ATX fluid in the radiator.

thats what happined to me.

well you may need a new torque convertor or at least get it out and flush it. if you cooked all those deposits are sitting in there causing problems. bryans idea of water is interesting but i wouldnt be brave enough to try it. flush the fluid a few times and hopefully you can get most of the crud out and it will be working again. i just hope you didnt cause any permanent damage by running on practically no fluid