What is this, please?

[tani]

I am a young driver and I have no experience in driving in such a cold and snowy wheather in winter. I have a Chevrolet Cavalier 1997. Yesterday it was -6 degree and I let all the day the car outside from the morning till evening. So in the evening I started the engine and it started imidetaly without problem.I didn't wait for the engine to get warm eungh.I moved the car back and forth from the parking and I backed up for about 30 metres. Then I put the gear into D-drive but the car would not move!! I heard a "dry" noise from the engine. I could not understand why the car was not moving.. I put the gear in P-park and waited for about three minutes with the engine on. After that I tried to drive again. The car moved but with difficulties and I could not speed up according with the gas. As I drove for a while I could feel the power of the gas better. Has this problem to do with the engine, transmission or something else? I changed the transmission oil and filter about three weeks ago and the motor oil last week.
Could somebody tell me please what could it be? Or, should I always wait till the engine gets warm enough end then drive away?
Thankyou.

[ovr50]

I doubt it has anything to do with cool weather as -6C is not very cold. Sounds more like a mechancial problem and some of our mechanical genie (Barrie, Roadr, Johngenx, ArcticS, etc) will be able to comment further. BTW - whats a "dry" noise from the engine???

[barrie1]

Before you attempt to move the car again just start it up to warm up. Take about 10 minutes to make sure and then check your tranny fluid level. If you have leaked out the fluid the car's tranny will slip and hardly pull the car. It can also make some dry grinding noises as well.  Recheck for leaks in the oil pan gasket area as well as the tranny pan.  I suspect low fluid level in the tranny. I will also add Welcome to the Forum  Tani  

(Message edited by Barrie1 on December 18, 2004)

[articsteve]

I second Barrie's opinion. You got the tranny serviced 3 weeks ago and now you have classic signs of low tranny fluid.

Even cold and sitting overnight, pull the tranny dip stick and see if there is any tranny fluid on the stick whatsoever.  Wipe cloth clean first.

Not uncommon for new tranny pan gaskets to leak.  The cork gaskets are bas for this.  Usually they need to be retighten as a matter of course after a few weeks if cork style which are still good gaskets.

Freezing weather compounds this type of typical problem.  No damage done either.

Only other thing is if the tranny dudes might have not put Dextron tranny fluid into your tranny.  If problem isn't low level then check that out.

[Roadrunner]

Ditto on the above. When the engine/tranny is cold, the fluid reading on the trans. level dipstick will be high. But at least it shows you do have fluid. Warm engine to operating temp., take the vehicle around the block to warm the tranny fluid a bit, then with the vehicle once again LEVEL, wipe the stick clean and dry, check the trans. fluid level according to the instructions marked on the dipstick. Tranny fluid doesn't get burned up like gas but can leak out via gaskets and if over-heated, will turn a dark red and will have a burnt smell to it.

Just one more note: in future, when using the vehicle when it is cold (below freezing temp) start the engine, let it run for a minute before moving and when you do, proceed down the road at a slow speed to let the tranny fluid circulate through the gears. Try to keep speed at/or under 30km for at least one km. Heat is the tranny's biggest enemy.
Welcome to the forum.

[ovr50]

See, I called for 4 mechanical swamis and 3 of them answered just like that. Want to see me turn water into wine? That takes a bit more practice, but I'm getting there.......

[safristi]

I'll have a barrel of Chablis and ten Nebuchanezers of Champagne OvrLord....if I bring my matchbox Ferraris can you turn them lifesize...reaching to touch '50's hem..ahem...about those loaves & fishies....

[ovr50]

Only if you say "may I"......

[tani]

Thank you everybody.  
My problem with the transmission fluid is that my model has no dipstick that I can check the fluid level in it. It has just the lid without a dipstick. According to the manual the transmission of my model is called "not owner's servicable transmission". By the way can the lid without a dipstick be replaced with a lid with a dipstick in these models (Cavalier 1997)? Is any other way that I can check the level of the fluid?

[barrie1]

I would check with a tranny professional on that as I would hate to see Damage caused by this alterration if it would even work. Every car should have one but some of the builders are leaving this out.

[camarobuyer86]

I live down in Florida.  Grew up in new york,  didnt stay in New york.  we moved when I was 16.  So Im an adult in Florida trying to keep a job and pay the bills.  I cant imagine the headaches of scrounging up time and money to buy snow tires, snow chains, and then slip and slide my way to work every day.  Of course I lived in staten island.  so if we had never moved, I would have probably commuted to work every day.  Drive to the train. park at the train. take the train to the ferry. ride the ferry to manhattan.  hop a bus or a subway in manhattan.  sounds like a headache?  in winter, those people should be glad to have public transportation.  In march, after the snow is gone, and the weather is warming, then I can see driving into the city every day.   warm spring day: ya got the windows down, the radio is on!!!  hell yeah!!  after christmas, who the hell want the winter weather!!!    MY APOLOGYS to anybody that doesnt like me rambling on like this.

[barrie1]

We are turning Green with envy as you are not here. Its minus 29 celcius which is around minus 5 in Farenheit outside right now. Even Santa is freezing out there.

[articsteve]

Gm parts counter guy should be able to tell you.

I cann't believe that.  GM, GM, GM, where art thou heading?

[barrie1]

Have you done one of these Artic, GM has been building Transmissions for many companies for years including Ford,Jag, Rolls Royce  and many more since the late 40's. Some things are inter-changable but I am not sure on this one. Are You?

[maritime_storm]

Not to sound ignorant, I've never seen an auto equipped Cavalier without a dipstick, take another look for it. How did you refill it after changing the fluid?

[runwhatyabrung]

Lots of GM cars are coming out without a dipstick on the slushbox. My Alero is one of them, all they have is a screw-on cap to use when you refill the transmission, of course they did not put a drain plug on the transmission pan either.  

[articsteve]

You kinda lost me Barrie, but I did the brakes on a 96 Cavalier about 3 weeks ago and I was amazed how clean and solid the body was for an untreated car.

I suppose this unit was the top model as it had ABS and 2 air bags that all seemed to work.  It had a wrecker motor in it.  The young girl had bought it with 290,000 km on it.  It was a 5 speed and even though it drove like a truck, it was strong.  I went to check the oil and the dipstick is attached to the fill cap and I thought that was pretty weird because you are pouring the oil right down into the oil pan instead on the valve train.

As far as GM trannys go, yes they have made some good ones.  I long for the late 70s and early 80s and GM was certainly providing durable products back then.

I have a recurring nightmare I will share with you'all. WARNING:  It is horrifying.

I wake up in a sweat and go to the garage and my Bimmer, little Porsche, SIR and Talon are gone and replaced by my father-in-laws 2000 Buick LeSabre; a $32,000 car that comes with drums brakes, virtually no head restraint for anyone taller that 5 feet and a shoulder safety belt that is incorporated into the top of the most flimsy and unconfortable seat that a buyer should not get for $32,000 (back in 2000).

Out of respect for the X-mas season and GM lovers, I wouldn't go into what is really bad about the car.

[barrie1]

What I am saying Artic is that GM has been making Automatic transmissions since the 1940's and have also produced them for many other Manufacturers of Cars including The 1st Ford auto trannies. The are still standard equipment in the Rolls Royce and were used in the Jag as well for many years. Sometimes parts interchange but I don't know for sure on this application. The 1st auto trannies were produced in 1970 by Oldsmobile and then installed in the Caddi's after that.

[articsteve]

Yes, I drove a 96 VanPlass Jag for a couple of months and it had a GM tranny and it was smooth as could be.

They just seem to underscore themselves on the small points that seem to people off.

[barrie1]

GM has a certain arrogance about them that they forget who they are. They are one of many Companies vying to sell us their product. They have made some very serious contributions to the automobile in the last 100 years or so including the 1st Auto tranny. They have made them some of the best in certain models like the TH400 which is almost undestructable. Since then when they hit the 4spd auto trannies or more now they are having problems. Thats not just GM but all of the brands. The trannies of to-day I think are very much underengineered.