"Hold" Light flashing on 92 Gen ! with A/T
 

I have a 92 Protege LX with auto transmission with 156,000 miles. Yesterday, the 'hold' light on the instrument cluster started flashing. I noticed that the transmission is only shifting through the first three gears...it is not entering 4 and the lock up torque converter does not feel like it is engaging.

I don't want to sink a lot of money into this car due to the mileage. However, I didn't want to buy a new vehicle until fall...thinking we would get an MPV since we had our first child.

Questions:
1) Is there a fix for this issue other than putting in a rebuilt transmission as suggested by the dealership over the phone?
2) I've read elsewhere about pulling diagnostic codes. How do I pull the codes?
3) Can I continue to drive the car with only the first three gears, our will it completely self-destruct? It's only used to do a short commute.
4) Any recommendations gladly accepted.

Thanks for your assistance!

alright. Listen to me. Sounds like you have an automatic.

On the shifter, there is a little button, it says HOLD. push it and it should pop back out. then the HOLD light will go out.

I guess its just a restricted driving range.....i dun know really what the button is for. Look in your manual. It should tell u more about the HOLD mode.

But its just a little button. Push it and it will make the light go out. If your still having problems. u can also unplug the HOLD switch by taking apart your console (where your shifter is) and unpluging the wire. if that STILL doenst make a difference, then consult a mechanic.


:beer: :mach:

Some answers/opinions:

1) Usually a blinking hold light indicates transmission problems, a sign of imminent ATX failure. If you join the Mazda Protege Egroup and MX3 Egroup and search for blinking "hold" light through the messages you will see it is a problem w/ Jatco 4E-AT (F4A-EL) trannys. If I'm not mistaken, ATX 626's suffer from this problem of ATX failures while the engine is running like a top. Reading a tranny bulletin shows that the check engine light illuminates when the tranny shows hard fault but I've heard otherwise. Tranny shops make more money by putting a rebuilt in rather than fixing one particular part in the tranny. Most of the time, not just one part is broken, all parts are worn and just replacing one will usually bring fault to other weak but crucial parts of the tranny. There are other possible problems such as line pressure and such, I don't have my shop manual with me perhaps someone else does and can tell you diagnosis signs.
2) Which brings us to this all important question, there is a tool Mazda uses to pull up error codes and I have heard that there are sequences in the "blinking hold light" that can suggest where the problem is. Again, I do not have my shop manual in hand (handy little book which cost $10 off Ebay).
3) Yes, if it still moves you can drive it but I doubt it will last till the fall, do you have another car to drive? Just the other day I say a 1990 Protege for ~$900 in the paper, less than the cost of a rebuild (Currently it catches up to $1400-$1600 for a new tranny around here.)
4) Invest in another properly maintained, pink ATF filled Protege w/ relatively low miles to last you the fall (60-100k miles) or try to get the new MPV. Even if you sell the Protege to add to your downpayment, the value will sadden you. After a tranny and filter service at my cousin's shop, Rob ATX master told me to expect 20-80k more miles, currently 110k miles, from the ATX because of the amount of metal shavings accumulated on the tranny pan magnets.

rethym and 90&00 Protege,

Thanks for the meaningful response. The car's in the shop right now...transmission specialist, not dealer. As I began describing the symptoms, he finished the list, so I feel like he knows what's going on. He's going to run the diagnostics and let me the outcome.

If it demands a new/rebuilt trany, I'm retiring the car. I got my money's worth out of it (10 years and 156K miles). I don't expect and residual value...but then I never buy a car with that in mind. I buy'em, run'em till they're dead, and start over. It would have been nice if it held together a bit longer, but I got no complaints.

While driving it to the shop this AM, I also noticed teh speedo needle quivers a bit when coasting at around 40 mph. I'll let you know the outcome. Thanks for your help.

It sound like something is wrong in the tranny, it will not shift to 4 th because the hold will not allow it to shift up from 3rd. The hold button holds the gear and will not let it shift up, it is used for up hill driving usually. Try to pop the button out because sometimes those buttons get stuck and will trip out.

Tranny Update
 

You win! Shop just called back with diagnostic code 55, used black box computer to override pulse generator and car shifts into overdrive again. Looks like I'm back on the road for $200.

Regarding your comment about replacing the tranny....$1,800 for a rebuilt unit plus labor. not worth it IMHO, given the mileage and my need to get a larger vehicle due to 10 month old's huge collection of necessary equipment (stroller, pac n' play, etc, etc). Buying used (salvage) is a bit of a hit or miss, and I got burned once before, but that's another story.

I have no place to part the thing out when the time comes, either. The wife is not one for having a dismembered car sitting in the yard. Typically, I donate my old vehicles to the Kidney oundation and take the tax break.

Interestingly, the dealer had no interest in even looking at the car. Diagnosed it over the phone as a shot transmission with installation of a rebuilt unit as my only option. And this is from their good service writer. That's why I went to an independent shop.

The shop I picked was very clean, very brightly lit, and the tech knew what I was going to say before I could complete the sentence, ragarding what was going on with the tranny.

Thanks again for your assistance. Your suggestions gave me more confidence in the shop that I selected for the repair.

PS: The car is an LX, Elegant Beige I believe is the color description, with power mirrors that work fine. Don't think you would be interested in the mirrors, given the color :D .

Isn't it refreshing to know that there are honest Transmission shops around? Finding a local one is a gem. My cousin's shop gets most of their clients from word-of-mouth and referrals. You should see the numerous letters they have received from people, definately something you don't see often at chain shops. Dealers aren't usually interested in picking apart a tranny or fixing a much cheaper part. Much easier for them to simply suggest to get a rebuilt to everyone, knowing many who aren't inclined to find out more info or spend the time waiting for repairs. Tax break is the way to go, they tow it for free! Gotta admit though, the Mazda just keeps going.

Yep, got no problem with the longevity of the Protege. It's my highest mileage car yet. Going back aways, we got 145K out of a 79 Dodge Colt, 143K out a Plymouth Horizon, 110K out of a VW Golf (premature death due to accident), and an F-250 at 140K (still in the stable). We got a Honda Accord, but it's just a pup compared to the rest of the them. You'll note that a couple of these are not particularly well known for that kind of length of service.

The transmission shop was referred to me by our baby sitter's husband. He seemed pleased with them and so far I am, too.

I'm hitting that point of major maintenance again soon...I'm up for brakes all the way around (pads and discs), 3rd timing belt, tires, and I'm getting a hint of a click from one of the CV joints (geez, I don't know how many of those we've gone through). I'm hoping to limp into the fall and get something new.

The tax break thing...well, it makes you feel good that someone's getting something out of the car. It's worth next to nothing as a trade-in...just makes it harder to figure out what the real deal is.

Thanks again for your help.

ok was just readin thru these... i got the same prob.. but mine.. however .. its like when the cars warmed up... i turn off the engine n start it again.. the lights gone !!... so ne idea wat my prob cud b ??? (92 323 dx)...