I have a 1994 3.0. It has 278,000 miles on what I believe is the original transmission. I took it to have the yearly emissions test done recently. It did pass the test. The technician noticed that the transmission slipped when the test machine placed a load on the engine. I have notices a drop in gas mileage and less power as well. It is able to get up to speed without too much trouble. But, does not pull as strong on hills or upon acceleration. The transmission shifts smoothly through all the gears. It goes into gear without hesitation in the mornings and at all other times. I am wondering if I need to replace or rebuild the transmission or if you guys think flushing the transmission would help. Any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated.

 

Getting all the old fluid out using a gentle flush outlined in the stickies is a good idea. Do not have a commercial flush machine do it, they do a lot more harm than good.

With that many miles, the trans likely needs to be rebuilt. I have never been a fan of swapping transmissions, you can take the one you have which even if broken, you know its history. You know that some 12 year old didn't try to fix it. If you get a wrecking yard one, odds are actually very good that they are as bad or worse than the one you have. These are vehicles that are in the wrecking yard for a reason. Most of them are not as well taken care of as the one you already have.

To begin, you really need to have the transmission diagnosed. We through a forum can do a lot of guessing about what might be going on, but a forum is limited in how it can help in such matters, especially when you don't actually know whats wrong yet.

You could be suffering from a leaking valve body that cannot maintain engagement pressure, excessively worn bands and clutches, internal cross leaks, etc. Without a diagnosis, you really can't tell. It is quite unusual for an all original A4LD to last as long as yours. Typically these start showing signs of problems between 80,000 - 120,000 if neglected, and might get to over 200,000 if very well maintained.

 

Thanks for your comments ans suggestions Khan Tyranitar. I plan to see about getting someone to diagnose the problem with my transmission tomorrow or very soon. I will post the results as soon as I can. Thanks

 

an obvious cause is low fluid level checked when transmission is warmed up.