# Transmission trouble **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** noises, transmissions, riviera, buick\ **Created:** [September 5, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/transmission-trouble/54698 "2010-09-05T16:41:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lerch04](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c37758/32.png) [@lerch04](https://community.cartalk.com/u/lerch04)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/transmission-trouble/54698/1 "2010-09-05T16:41:08Z")
Hello everyone, I am a grad student (read: poor) and I think the automatic transmission on my 1964 Buick Riviera may be sick. Almost every time I shift gears, there is a loud CLUNK sound, and the car lurches slightly. This has been going on for at least a year, but as it twice as old as I am, I expected the car to have a few problems. I don’t know if this is relevant, but I only drive the car about 5 or 10 miles a week, on weekends. I never take it on the freeway. One of the things I have learned from Click and Clack is that NOT driving a car every day may cause issues, although I don’t know if this is the case for me. ---
**Author:** ![Docnick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Docnick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Docnick)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 4:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/transmission-trouble/54698/2 "2010-09-05T16:45:50Z")
No matter how little you drive, it’s time to take this car to a good independent transmission shop and have it examined. With any luck it is something not serious, more like needing a fluid and filter change and adjutments. I takeit this is a mechanicall controlled transmission, less complex than the electronic ones to diagnose. What, if any maintenance have you done on the transmission so far? ---
**Author:** ![cigroller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@cigroller](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cigroller)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/transmission-trouble/54698/3 "2010-09-05T18:04:36Z")
It will cost little to nothing to just have someone look it over. You could just need a new mount in which case you’d be better off figuring it out sooner rather than later so that you don’t end up breaking other things. ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 2:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/transmission-trouble/54698/4 "2010-09-06T02:30:03Z")
Your Buick Riviera is a rear wheel drive. The symptoms you describe may be caused by a defective universal joint. This is an inexpensive repair. If this is the case, the problem isn’t the transmission. One universal joint connects the transmission to the driveshaft and a second universal joint connects the driveshaft to the differential in the rear axle. A knowledgeable mechanic can tell you in a few seconds if this is the problem. ---
**Author:** ![lerch04](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c37758/32.png) [@lerch04](https://community.cartalk.com/u/lerch04)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 4:27am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/transmission-trouble/54698/5 "2010-09-11T04:27:47Z")
For the transmission, I actually have only had the fluid changed, and that was about a year ago. Since I drive the car so little, I don’t really pay any attention to the mileage indications for maintenance (i.e. change the oil every 3000 miles). ---
**Author:** ![lerch04](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c37758/32.png) [@lerch04](https://community.cartalk.com/u/lerch04)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 4:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/transmission-trouble/54698/6 "2010-09-11T04:28:42Z")
Okay thanks. When I take it in I will mention that as something to have them look at. ---
**Author:** ![lerch04](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c37758/32.png) [@lerch04](https://community.cartalk.com/u/lerch04)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 4:29am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/transmission-trouble/54698/7 "2010-09-11T04:29:51Z")
Thanks. I’ll ask them to look at the mounts.