I was driving up a fairly big hill in Connecticut using cruise control (65 mph). The trnasmission downshifted, and the car started to rev (speedometer and tachometer) and slow down. I then felt a clunk and the car started to go again. The car kept on doing the rev up and then clunk as it gradually slowed down. Putting the car in Park caused a grinding noise, and Park did not keep the car from rolling. What did I break?
If the car did not stop rolling in park, then the parking paw is broken. Have you ckecked the fluid level?
Yes the fluid level is fine. Also we lifted the car yesterday, and removed the transmission pan. We noticed that when the front wheels are rotated the shaft that goes through the transmission does not turn.
well some times the parking pawl will do a lot of clicking but won t actually break. put the car in park and try to push it. if it won t move you got lucky and did not break the pawl.
of course it sounds like you have bigger issues anyway
Right, I just went out and bought a rebuilt transmission. Will be putting it in next week.
Sounds like a CV joint broke. If an axle continues to rotate when the car is stopped the park pawl won’t engage, it will ratchet. With the vehicle on jack stands hold the right axle and try to rotate the tire, try the same on the left. One of them could have broken inside the joint.
You broke something in the final drive. I am assuming this is an automatic so there is no center differential to break. So the break may be in the pinion and ring gear of the front final drive; one of the side gears or spider gears of the differential; the internal splises of the side gears; the external splines of either half shaft; or a broken constant velocity joint in one of the front axles. I would lean toward broken teeth in one of the side gears in the differential as this might catch and release as teeth parts got caught in the mesh thus allowing the engine to engage and disengage randomly. Also the lack of Park function indicates that the final drive is disconnected from the parking pawl and cog wheel.
Is there a core charge on the old transmission? If not tear that puppy down and find out what happened.