I’ll try to start at the beginning…
I have a 1999 Chevy Tracker with about 155K on it. Up until now, I have had no major repairs. I have paid the most to have the AC fixed twice. Other than that it has been brake pads and oil changes, and thats it.
about 2 weeks ago I noticed that my car seemed as if it was going to stall when I put it in REVERSE. It didn’t happen every time I put it in reverse, but it happened fairly often. It would run very rough and seem like it was going to konk out, but it never did.
I had my oil changed two days ago
Now, the problem seems to be worse. When I put the car in reverse it doesn’t seem to go into gear right away. Normally, when I put the car in reverse I could feel it rock backward and I would need to keep my foot on the brake to avoid moving backwards. Now, I can feel it go into gear, but it doesn’t seem to rock backward at all…in fact sometimes it almost seems as if it is going to go forward when I step on the gas. Once I hit the gas it starts to go backwards, but it runs very rough, then when I let off the gas it jerks and doesn’t just keep rolling backward…it almost feels like it goes into drive or something. And once again, it doesn’t do this every time…sometimes I back out of my driveway without having any of the above happen.
I also noticed that it seems to take a lot more to keep my car up to speed on a highway. To keep my car going between 65 and 70 miles an hour I’m running at about 4000-4500 RPM and the engine just sounds like its working really hard. If I take my foot of the gas the RPMs will go down, but as soon as I step on the gas to accelerate the RPMs shoot way back up to the 4500 range. I think I also notice more exhaust than usual, and it seems like I am tearing through gas.
Assuming your machine’s an automatic, the news might not be good. A delay in finding forward or reverse is a sign of expensive trouble, so I’ve heard. I believe prospective buyers of automatic vehicles are advised to rock the selector back and forth a few times to check for this phenomenon.
Somebody more kowledgable than me will doubtless be along soon to tell you why.
Of course, with the high engine output required for a given highway speed, as you described, it’s not just low on transmission fluid, is it?
I will check the transmission fluid…I thought they took care of (or at least checked) that kind of thing at the Jiffy Lube, but maybe they forgot or something
It sounds like the transmisison is having issues.
The 4000 RPM on the freeway indicates that the transmission is not shifting into the highest (or 2 higest gears)
Do a proper check of the trans fluid. If the fluid is low, this could cause problems similar to what you describe. If the fluid level is normal, then it is probably time to take it to a pro for a diagnosis.
BTW is the check engine or the transmission warining lights on?