Transmission ?

1994 sonoma was running great. This morning I plowed out of a foot of snow in ohio and made it about two miles before I realized I wasnt sliding on ice but my truck wasnt shifting gears. A few seconds later and I was at a dead stop in the middle of the street. The engine was still purring like a kitten. A year ago this happened and I added a quart of transmission fluid and havent had a problem since. Now I am getting the car towed home. The fluid didnt work. Other than a year ago I never noticed any transmission problem. Any ideas?
Thanks

 

It's worse to have too much fluid than not enough, never over fill it. Hope you are checking the dip stick.

See if it will run in reverse gear. Sounds like pressure plate and throw out bearing problem.

 

Thanks for the info.
Yes I probably now have too much fluid.
I tried in all gears and nothing seems to be shifting. Dont feel any change in the truck while shifting. It has had some loud shifts(park to drive) on occasion but always ran great after. They just towed my truck with the front end lifted up,I thought rear wheel drive meant tow with the back up! Thanks again for the info ..........Hope it isnt too hard to repair ..............

 

Does the fluid smell burnt?

Loud noises when shifting? Sounds like you might have shredded your gears. Open up the rear differential and see what comes out.

If this is 4x4, you can activate it and see if that helps. If that does not work, that means your rear end is ok, and you actually have a tranny problem. Either way, sounds like a expensive repair.

 

Hi thanks for the response.
A year ago I pulled out the dipstick and it broke in half! it had fluid bubbles stuck on it and still to this day those same bubbles are there................
Yes when I go from park to drive it occasionally sounds like im physically forcing two pieces of heavy metal together. I have never changed the differential fluid because I didnt know it was necessary. My dad mentioned one time that my drivetrain(?) was making a noise-vibrating(?),not sure if thats related. Its not a 4*4 so ill have to drain the differential only problem is the trucks out by the curb and a 1/2 foot of snow and a incline might keep me out of the garage. Any opinions on if its worth it to repair because thier are heating/air issues as well. I was hoping to restore it better but not sure its worth professional help or if I have the knowledge to replace tranny and or diff gears. 94 sonoma sl short bed 110,000 miles. 4.3 v-6 Decent body.

 

[QUOTE=JOEF11367;1126403]They just towed my truck with the front end lifted up,I thought rear wheel drive meant tow with the back up!QUOTE]

A lot of the RWD GM stuff can be towed from the front short distances at low speeds. I don't have a reference book that goes back to '94, but generally the restriction is <35 mph and 50 miles (cummulative). It's generally a good rule of thumb to only tow from the front with a RWD vehicle when absolutely necessary, like for instance if you have a flat tire on the front.

 

They didn't put the rears on dollies?

 

A few miles on city streets wouldn't have mattered; 20 miles down the interstate at 70 mph and I would be worried. Also if it was a MOPAR product or an import, which tend to be more restrictive.