The car has 112000 miles on it. The transmission seems to shake a lot at idle. It also seems to shift roughly when not accelerating at a good rate. Any suggestions?
the shaking at idle is either a miss or u have a broken motor mount.as for the tranny change the fluid a couple of times and should help it if not the only other alternative its to change the trans witha rebuilt
Since the engine and transmission are solidly bolted together the roughness could be an engine miss. If you know how, check the spark system to see if it is electrical, or the injectors to see if one of them is bad. I have a 96 with 164,000+ and road test reports I read written when the car was new, complained about the firm shifting of the transmission. The recommended fluid change interval is 45.000 mi. for first and 30,000 for subsequent. There is no filter that is accessible to the shadetree mechanic. only a drain plug on the rear or the transaxle assembly. Fluid change is as simple as removing the plug, wait until all the fluid drains and refill. If you are not able to do that, take it to a reputable shop to have it done.
try having the transmission fluid and filter changed, it may be that the bands inside are starting to slip or the filter is clogged. You should change your transmission filter and fluid at least once a year unless you do a lot of heavy driving, then you should do it at least twice a year to keep the transmission in its best shape. Also, adding a bottle of additive to the transmission (I use LUCAS Transmission Oil Treatment - works wonders), can help out a lot inbetween changes.
