The vehicle has a hundred and twenty five thousand miles changed transmission filter and fluid it was the first time it has ever been changed seem to be shifting okay when I got back but now every once in awhile it's just down hard
Automatic trans are about the most neglected thing on a car. If they are working fine no one seems to pay them any attention till it is too late. Being one of the most expensive repairs on a car this is just wrong to neglect it. Key to long life is service before there is a problem. Servicing after a problem can even be worse on one, but it's hard to know which would help, sometimes service can bring it back if there was just a restriction in a fluid passage or stopped up filter.
SOURCE: transmission/shifting 2001 Sante Fe - Hyundai
Sounds like you might have serious internal transmission problems.
As soon as you can, get someone with a code reader to plug in the vehicle and find out what the code is for the Check Engine light to come on. Might give you a better picture of what`s going on.
It could also (cross your fingers) be something more usual like a clogged transmission filter (located inside the pan), or shift solenoid.
By the way, have you checked the level, look & smell of your transmission fluid?
Level should be checked with the vehicle running, after passing it in all gear ranges on the shifter, and putting it back in park (Check it on "cold" or "hot" level depending on if it`s been driving for a while or not).
As for look and smell, it should be reddish and not smell burnt. Hard to describe the smell of burnt transmission fluid, but normal fluid does not smell too strongly, kind of sweet. Burnt oil is usually black and has a strong odor. If the oil is burnt you have internal damage to the transmission.
One piece of advice I give you is get it fixed as soon as possible because if you don`t already have serious internal transmission problems, the longer you wait, the more chances you have of getting some, to the point of the vehicle just refusing to move. And believe me, speaking from experience, the transition point from the symptoms you describe to total refusal to move and the need for a tow/transmission rebuild is not that long usually.
SOURCE: hard down shift
I've read article after article on Chrysler forums where anything other than Autopar ATF in their transmissions cause problems, erratic shifting, etc, including what your experiencing. The techs that deal with it daily through Chrysler/Dodge shops, say there is some properties or chemicals in Autopar fluid, that others just don't have, no matter what they say, and they have proven it, time after time, with symptoms that disappear, just by changing fluids to Autopar. My wife's relatives own one of the more respected & trusted repair shops in our area, and they swear by that rule too, because they've also experienced it in the past. I'm naturally assuming you know that your experienced enough to know how to install filter properly & what to watch for, so with that said, I hate to say it, but Mopar ATF4 is the one & only fluid for best results. P.S. I recently had my transmission with 260,000km. replaced at Ontario Reman, whom back when I was with Chrysler, was the sole supplier of rebuilt engines & transmissions for Chrysler. When I questioned them on the fluid in my new/rebuild they responded with same answer, Mopar ATF and nothing else. If you do some googling on it, you'll find many that went to quick lube or similar for same service only to experience shifting problems etc after. Switched back to autopar as advised & problems went away. Can't say 100% that's your problem, but if it were me, I'd change it.
SOURCE: 2000 GMC 2500 4L80E hard shifting after warm up
1st and 2nd shift solenoids has sediment causing them to stick.or you got damage leaking seals. it might help if you put a little transmedic in transmission dont over fill. if your valve body full of sediment it causing valve in valve body to stick.this might help still might have to go in transmission.
SOURCE: 2003 BUICK REGAL TRANSMISSION PROBLEM.
This is a common problem on some GM cars. There is a pressure control valve in the side cover of the transmission that needs to be replaced. The transmission does not have to be rebuilt. You will need to get a side cover gasket also.
SOURCE: 2002 cougar transmission filter
A CD4E transaxle has a internal filter and can only be changed by taking transmission apart.
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