I got a 2001 Blazer 4.3 4x4 with an auto transmission. I have never had trans problems or even any indication of trans problems. Yesterday when I left work I was accelerating down the road i n a normal fashion when my transmission sounded like it jumped out of gear. I pulled over and stopped. I cycled thu the gears and put it back in drive and the results were the engine revving and a slow creep forward. I got moving enough to turn around and go back to work ( maybe a quarter mile or so) while it slowly accelerated. As it gained speed i could feel it bouncing in and out of gear. I put it neutral and coasted back into a parking spot. When it stopped I checked and it would not go in reverse, and drive was just the engine revving and it barely moving.

If it was giving me problems previously I would understand it would be just wearing out and going bad. But it has never had an indication of any problems whatsoever.

There is fluid and its not burnt smelling or brown.

Is there something I can look for? I know how transmission shops like to tell you rebuild rebuild rebuild. So I wanted to know if there is any simple things I could check before I get an outrageous estimate on a repair that may not be necessary. Vacuum lines? modulators? sensors?

Has anyone else had this situation before?

Thanks

 

Could of gone into what's called limp mode to protect itself my 94 did it when a wire shorted going down from the harness but the reverse being gone mean prob toast

 

If you do a search there are a few threads with symptoms and solutions for problems. It sounds like you are in trouble with needing a rebuild. Can you start out if you put it in 2nd gear to start out? Let us know what you find out and we can go from there.

 

ok.... so I had my blazer towed back to my house. This morning I started it up and it goes it goes into gear, but after a slight hesitation. Reverse as well as all other gear selections worked, but like I said after a slight delay. I backed out of my garage, and pulled out of the driveway, (slight incline) - no problem. I went around the block and it slipped between second and third for a barely noticeable time. Drove back in garage. The main thing I notice is like when I first put it in gear, either Drive or Reverse, it reminds me of a stick shift that has a clutch wearing out; it spins up a little before it catches, Whereas the other day I was getting very little forward or backward momentum.

 

Fluid is low and or the clutches are wearing out. Automatics do have internal clutches. Drop the pan and check the screen to make sure it isn't clogged and to see if there is any metal or fibrous material in the bottom of the pan. That would be clutch material. bad news.

 

well i dropped the trans pan...no chunks, no pieces, actually super clean. not hardly even much in the usual muck that tends to gather.

 

Then it may be a seloniod problem and that can be fixed. These 4L60's are a little different than what Im used to Im an old Turbo guy but there are some servicable parts in them. Just got to get it narrowed down.

 

Didn't have time to post all the info from dropping the pan. when the pan was dropped...the filter fell out with it. it seems that the filter came loose where it shoves up into the transmission. After I cleaned out the pan and put the new filter firmly back in place, bolted it back together and added fluid, it seems to working like it was. Although I worry about limping back to my work parking lot with it bumping in and out of gear or no gear at all and what damage could have been done to it under my panic attack.

At any rate. if any thing changes I'll update...

 

IMO if you kept engine speed below 2000rpm you might be alright. Limping it like that definately caused problems but it's unlikely that you will see any issue until you get the engine into its power band like flooring it or else towing. If you get into either of those two conditions and start to feel it shudder then it's slipping and complete failure will follow as it gets worse.

 

the rpms were kept down and considering it was only a few hundred feet back to my parking lot and a drive around the block maybe its all good