I have a automatic '93 Pontiac Bonneville, nice interior, beautiful paint job with just one problem: while Im driving (or just starting up) my car slips gears and goes into nuetral. Its an automatic as I mentioned before, and this happens with out me touching my gear stick. I've recently figured out that if I put it into first gear before I start to drive and let it sit from 1-8 minutes it slips into gear automatically and faster than if I just leave it in the gear I want it to go into. It commonly happens when I stop or slow down fairly hard, or have been stoped dead at a red light for more than 30 seconds. I've checked and refilled the transmission fluid, no signs of anything there as it is clear and clean. We heard that the '93'* might need an extra half quart of transmission fluid so we re filled it, but the problem remains. Please help me, Id really like my car to start to work!!

You're in Philomath? I think we're a whole 15 miles apart!

Howdy, neighbor! I just happen to own an Actron scantool, and also have a 93. I might be able to help diagnose that little problem for you! I'll let some of the better gearheads chime in here first, though.

Give us some more details? Do you have an SE, SLE, SSE, or SSEi? How many miles? Trans ever been rebuilt?

Wheee...a neighbor!!!!!!! My dad is Kirk Swaney, he also works at HP and thinks you might know him?? Well anyways our car is an SE, with around150,000 (alot, I know) miles on it. And we dont know if the Transmission has ever been rebuilt, as we just bought it about a year and a half ago. Anything else???

Angel, I put a sticky note on your Dad'* computer awhile ago about the Bonneville Club. You have the white SE on his screensaver!

I'm Bill Wren. He knows me

I'm gonna be out of town for the next day or two. We've got some VERY good gearheads that will chime in, then we can work something out for getting my scantool on your car. Maybe your Dad can drive it in to work, or we can meet somewhere. The scantool can really tell a story. I'd really like the chance to see and feel what it'* doing, since you live so close and I know you

We're a pretty helpful bunch around here.

I have had similar issues with trannies before. Right now I am on my 3rd one for my SSEi and thinking #4 will be due spring sometime.

I just checked my fluid level today and topped it off. I found that depending on the state of the engine and tranny you might get different readings on the dip stick. I just want to make sure that you followed the testing procedure in your manual to get the most accurate level read.

Mine said I was just fine when I tested it cold this morning. After I did what the manual said (driving around for a while, going thru ALL the gears, letting it sit for 5 minutes..etc...) I got a different reading that said I was a little bit low. I topped it off and went for a drive and the slipping I was feeling before was gone (or so it seems for now).

Also, is the fluid nice and red still? or is it discolored or have any impurities in it (like little metal shavings)?

Well we followed the procedure described in the manual for checking trans fluid, and it still said it was fine. However for about a week after we put in an extra quart the car didnt slip as much, so Im thinking that topping it off every week or so could fix our problem. The trans fluid was a clearish red, and no metalic residue or anything. Oh, and we ARE planning on replacing the filter soon, just to make sure that isnt the problem!!!