I've got a 94 S-10 Blazer with an automatic transmission. When I was driving to work this morning I was getting on the highway and couldn't get into third gear. From what I've been reading on a couple different threads, it sounds like I might be stuck in limp mode. I don't have any check engine lights though. It sounds like it just goes from 2nd to neutral. I tried adding some Lucas transmission fluid additive but it didn't change anything (actually 1st to 2nd was a little smoother).

For about a week before this, there were a couple times when it would go from 2nd to neutral, but if I laid off the gas and accelerated again and everything would be fine and it would shift normally.

Anybody experience something like this or have any ideas?

 

my '01 started doing something similar about a week ago, but I have no idea yet what is causing it.

 

Check out this thread and see if one of the symptoms fits the bill:
4L60E Information & Common Problems - Compilation

 

Thanks for the reference! I was looking for a something like that for a while last night but couldn't find it. I'll have to check on some of those later today.

If it were to be something like this

How much would something like that cost? My baby is close to death and I don't know how much more money I want to invest in it.

 

If this is something that just happened suddenly, I would take a guess at it being something electrical in the transmission. A problem with the 2-3 shift solenoid can cause this condition.

Here is a schematic view of the valve body showing the solenoid locations:


If this is a problem with the 3-4 clutch pack, then a full rebuild is in your future. You should call around to see what the prices are in your area because they can vary quite a bit. A used transmission will reduce the cost a bit, but health is a difficult thing to gauge...

 

I just realized something... I don't know how to check a shift solenoid to see if it's bad. How do you go about doing that?

And this is kind of unrelated, but I was also wondering why overfilling the transmission fluid is so bad? Just a curious what happens mechanically that makes it such a bad thing to do.

Thanks again for all your help so far!

 

CLICK HERE and scroll down a bit in the file to see the resistance values.

Overfilling the transmission causes fluid to be held up in the transmission case where it gets in the way, adding drag and heat into the transmission. It also can result in excessive foaming of the fluid as it gets thrown about more than it should if it were to be all draining back into the pan at normal level.