TheGreat1x2002

i had one real quick question. Im not sure what this problem is so i now im going to experts in ProtegeClub. See my problem is that my car would take so long to shift gears. it would shift at 4,000rpm. shifting to 1st and 2nd gear is good...it will sometimes shift to the 3rd gear...but it will never change to the 4th gear....so my car can;t go faster then 60mph...when i hit 60 my car stales and starts jucking back and fort and it seems like i lost hella horsepower...and when i press down on the pedal the rpm just goes up and the car doesn;t do anyhting...like its on neutral or something

Some of my freinds say that i lost an cylinder or something...some say its my transmission...some say "your car is F***ed dude"...???

I went to ammco they said it might be a clogged exhaust, my engine, or transmission. So i went to Midas they said that my exhaust gets really hot and it won;t shift or something like that...they said it was my caddy...not very sure

WHATS WRONG WITH IT??? thanks for any help

stormtown

When it pulls through the first 3 gears, is it missing and sluggish? If so, I'd check for a cracked spark plug wire or boot going through the valve cover. Had a similar problem and this was an easy fix.

dewey

It could be a lot of things, based on those symptoms. One thing it could be is a partially blocked or clogged exhaust. Sometimes exhaust pipes get dented or crushed, and catalytic converters can break inside and cause a blockage. When this happens, your motor can go faster and faster without producing much more power, and a lack of accelleration might cause a lack of shifting.

Most shops should be able to do a backpressure test. They hook up a pressure gauge at several points in your exhaust system in order to find the blocked section. If it is your catalytic converter, then you're looking at some bucks to replace it, but otherwise replacing a section of pipe should be cheap.

If you take it to a muffler/exhaust place, they are likely to want to sell you a whole system, even if only part of it is bad.

One thing you can do yourself is to get under the car and look for any obvious dents or crushes in the exhaust pipe. Careful: it'll be hot if you've run it at all.

Maxx Mazda

I second the "dude, your car is fucked!"