Transmission Slipping post-Reman

[PR3MO]

Greetings, readers. 🙂 I've got an '03 LeSabre Limited (pictured in the avatar) that my grandfather owned until he passed it down to me. I enjoyed and still somewhat enjoy the hell out of it. However, it had about 132k miles on it and is now on the ~164k mile mark. Also, being the stupid teenager that I can be, I admittedly did not treat it well. I drove fast, and not always on pavement. I also felt tough and for some reason messed around with the gears a bit, which eventually caused the car to buck while shifting even in (D). I understand now how asinine I had been and all of the insults can be thrown at will. The transmission was going, and it was all of my fault.

Anyhoo, things had gotten so bad, the car began to stall when sent to an idle. Braking around 10mph to stop was rough, and soon the car was lifeless. Recently, the car got a remanufactured transmission, which my father and I hoped would solve the issue, and it did - to an extent. He says it does still stall at times (which it failed to do when I just road-tested it for an hour today), and it's clear that the car has trouble shifting gears, particularly the first few (as I didn't trust going above 45). Whether relevant or not, the fuel pump is also going, so I figure I'd throw that in there. I'm wondering anyone has an idea as to why it still has trouble shifting. Was the reman a faulty one? Are there other possible, unlisted parts that could have been damaged in the past that continue to affect the vehicle?

I'd just like some suggestions, if not for help fixing, then for some peace of mind. I love this car - had so many memories driving it with my friends. We even named it, "The Buck". 😎

Thank you for reading, and if you commented in some form, much appreciated!

 

[HotZ28]

We all love our Buick's, but when they exhibit problems such as you have mentioned, they can become a burden, rather than an asset. What type of fluid was used in the rebuilt trans, Dexron VI, or Dexron III? You may have an inferior rebuild, but I would try Valvoline Max-Life full synthetic fluid for a few thousand miles before condemning the replacement. Did the trans have a warranty??

 

[MelsRegal]

Was the torque convertor replaced, if the lockup feature engages when you come to a stop the car will stall.

 

[PR3MO]

We all love our Buick's, but when they exhibit problems such as you have mentioned, they can become a burden, rather than an asset. What type of fluid was used in the rebuilt trans, Dexron VI, or Dexron III? You may have an inferior rebuild, but I would try Valvoline Max-Life full synthetic fluid for a few thousand miles before condemning the replacement. Did the trans have a warranty??

Dexron VI was the fluid type used in it. Not certain if it did due to father doing replacement/purchase, though I will ask him.

As for the torque converter, I don't believe it was replaced. I remember him talking about it when the vehicle got really bad. I assume not replaced, though. Would be a good place to check, though, true.

 

[HotZ28]

The torque converter holds about half of the fluid in the trans system & is a normal replacement with a rebuilt trans. Old fluid can contaminate the rebuilt trans. If the torque converter was not changed, then you had an less than knowledgeable installer, or rebuilder. Normally, a rebuilt trans comes with a new torque converter and a warranty if the instructions are followed, which include cleaning & blowing out all trans lines.