Hello,
My wife has a 2000 Pontiac Grand Am, as seen above. The car recently started having issues, especially when cold, where the RPMs will rise when in gear but the car will not accelerate. It happened from 25 mph and lower while in a subdivision as well as around 45 mph on city streets. I have a feeling this is a transmission issue, but don’t have much experience when it comes to transmissions. Anyone know what the issue is, any help would be appreciated.
That would called the transmission is slipping. Or the transmission no longer produces the proper hydraulic pressure so it functions.
The first thing to do is locate the transmission dip stick and pull it out to check the fluid level/condition. If the fluid is black and has an acrid burnt smell the transmission is done.
Tester
I don’t think the '00 Grand Ams had a dipstick, so your best bet is going to be to find a good independent transmission shop. Going to a national chain like AAMCO is generally not a good idea since all they will do is say you need a complete rebuild whether you need it or not.
Yep. You’re right. There’s no tranny dip stick. It’s a sealed transmission. This means the transmission should last the life of the vehicle. Now you know the life of the vehicle.
Tester
Yes, as above, this sounds like a clutc or transmisson problem. Is it an auto-xmission in the car? Then the first thing to do would be to make sure all the routine xmission service is up to date to bring it up to the manufacturer’s service recommendations. Ask your mechanic to change out the xmission fluid, put in new, and clean/replace the screens and filters etc at the very minimum. That might improve or even fix the problem. Usually in my experience auto-xmssion problems show up first at slow speeds, like when you move the lever from park to drive, it takes longer than expected before it catches. And the same delay is often observed, except into Reverse. Do you notice any of this?
If this car has a clutch, then the problem is likely the clutch is slipping. In any case, a good mechanic can easily diagnose whatever the problem is by doing a test drive. You may want to adjust your budget by the way. I expect you are looking at a $1500+ bill if you have an auto xmission, and $500- $1000 if you need a new clutch.
Its an Automatic transmission.
there is a plug on the passenger side of transmission underneath the vehicle to check the fluid level but would require a rack to do so since it has to be level to get a good check,but if u see no evidence of leakage it is probably toast