Yesterday, all of a sudden, my wife was driving and said something is not right. The engine RPM was faster than it should be on the highway and a hard shift from start.

Well, we figured out that the car was skipping second gear and overdrive was not working. It would start in 1st just fine, but since second didn't exist, it would rev until it reached the appropriate speed to shift into 3rd. From there we could drive fine, but at 60mph or so we were already at 300RPM, and no shift down to overdrive.

The little "wrench" symbol comes on whenever we go through the first run through the gears, and stays on until the car is turned off. Overdrive switch causes light to come on dash but doesn't seem to affect transmission. Fluid is okay.

I don't want to run to a transmission place just yet and potentially get ripped off with an expensive overhaul that I might not need.

The problem started just after getting oil change at Walmart. Coincident??

Do you have a suggestion?
2008 Tribute, 144,000mi, 4 cyl.

 

My current plan is: On Monday I'll take it to a mechanic I have known for a while. He will read the codes and do some kind of exam. I have told him, and I will emphasize, that I am not ready to spend a lot of money. (possibly I just want to trade it in on something else). Anway, keep me informed. Hopefully, the problem may be simple and will only involve a sensor replacement or some such.

 

What oil was changed? Engine oil or Transmission oil?

 

(grim_reaper asked about fluid change.....Walmart just changed the engine oil)

I took the car to a local mechanic we have used. Good guy, I value his advice. He checked for codes...there were none. He has used one transmission specialist down the road for the past 15 years - that he trusted. Tranny guy said I had broke a band. The same band is used for 2nd and 4th(overdrive). We discussed repair vs rebuild. Rebuild costs twice as much as repair and comes with twice the warranty period.

To get a frame of reference, I called a local dealer. The transmission as a part from Mazda costs $4400. Labor to install: another $800 to $1000. With tax maybe $5800 total. That's close to what we paid for the car 1-1/2 yrs ago.

My tranny guy is going to do the rebuild for $2000. He'll give me a 12 mos 12,000 mile warranty. Wife and I talked about what to do. We like the car enough to keep it rather than look for a replacement. Really no serious dislikes about a Tribute.

Fingers are crossed.