Auto Trans Jerks

[Mr. Fix-it]

I am the proud owner of a beautiful 2003 Areo 9-5 with only 84,000 miles, I think it is starting to show it's age.

When shifting into drive from neutral the car feels as if it has been rear ended. It still jerks when when shifting into gear while holding tthe brake firmly but does not jerk as hard.

A few days previous I had a leaking transmission. I put in some Blue Devil transmission seal restore. A day later this started. I was sure that the leak repair had ripped the transmission. I stopped at Auto Zone and was told it is most likely a motor mount.

When I got home I allowed the auto to cool over night. The next day I tried to raise the passenger side with a bar but it is stable. It moves about 3/8", then stops. Maybe it is one of the other mounts.

Any ideas?

Thanks

[Voyageur]

First of all, make sure you don't have any mechanical leaks (meaning coolant lines or anything that can be fixed just by tightening up the bolts etc).

Then you will need 3 things to revive your transmission:
1) Amsoil Synthetic ATF (http://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-produc...?code=ATFQT-EA) (This is the best tranny oil you can buy)
2) Lubegard 63010 Additive (http://www.amazon.com/Lubegard-63010.../dp/B002MB57UI) (This stuff eliminates shudder like a champ)
3) ATP AT-205 Reseal (http://www.amazon.com/ATP-AT-205-Re-.../dp/B000NVW1LM) (This is a great sealer used by pro mechanics)

Yes, that stuff might cost more than your regular ATF but you won't regret it. Your transmission will run like new.

Here is how to drain your ATF. Easy stuff. (http://saabworld.net/f29/saab-9-5-au...2-3t-2-3t-474/)

Come back and thank me later for saving you tons of $$$.

P.S.
If you are a cheap bastard, here are alternatives for the first two options:
1) Valvoline Max Life Synthetic ATF (http://www.valvoline.com/our-product...e-dex-merc-atf) ( DO NOT BUY THE BLUE VALVOLINE ATF - IT'S JUNK)
2) Dr. Tranny Shudder Fix (http://www.lubegard.com/~/C-230/Dr.+...t+Shudder+Fixx) (Good idea to buy 2 of these as they are only 50 ml or smth like that)

[nordwulf]

84K miles is nothing and barely broken in for the 2.3 engine with 5-speed transmission. I would only follow Saab recommendations which is Mobil 3309 (or similar Toyota IV) fluid for your transmission. Saab recommends never to use any synthetic fluid in these transmissions so I would never use Amsoil synthetic. And never use any additives at all.

The hard shifting is common with these transmissions and is most likely caused by a faulty valve body /solenoids in your transmission. Search for this and you'll find threads on Saab forums describing and repairing the problem. Mine with 100K miles has some hard shifting between P and D bit not enough to spend a lot of money on it.

Replacing the front transmission torque mount gave some improvement but the medium hard shifting between P and D and occasional hard down shifitng is still there. As long as it is not getting worse, I am not too concerned.

http://saabworld.net/f29/front-torqu...b-9-5-a-30097/

[Voyageur]

84K miles is nothing and barely broken in for the 2.3 engine with 5-speed transmission. I would only follow Saab recommendations which is Mobil 3309 (or similar Toyota IV) fluid for your transmission. Saab recommends never to use any synthetic fluid in these transmissions so I would never use Amsoil synthetic. And never use any additives at all.

The hard shifting is common with these transmissions and is most likely caused by a faulty valve body /solenoids in your transmission. Search for this and you'll find threads on Saab forums describing and repairing the problem. Mine with 100K miles has some hard shifting between P and D bit not enough to spend a lot of money on it.

Replacing the front transmission torque mount gave some improvement but the medium hard shifting between P and D and occasional hard down shifitng is still there. As long as it is not getting worse, I am not too concerned.

http://saabworld.net/f29/front-torqu...b-9-5-a-30097/

I knew this would happen... Here we go again:

Mineral Mobil 3309 is inferior to full synthetic oils in just about every way. Just because Saab "recommends" it does not mean you can't use anything else. Saab also recommends changing engine oil every 15k miles - surely you wouldn't do that, would you? Amsoil makes pretty much the best fluids money can buy. Their products are absolutely safe. I've run synthetic ATF for years and it's been fantastic.

Full synthetic ATF will provide much better heat protection & performance and will absolutely not mess anything up in your tranny, OP. Don't pay attention to boogeyman stories. Most people who stick to standard mineral atf have never even tried synthetics so they have no clue what they are talking about. They are giving you advice biased by their fear of trying anything other than what the manual says. They are not speaking from experience.

Additives I mentioned are very well known brands and absolutely 100% safe.

OP should absolutely not put up with hard shifting. It might be "common" but it's definitely not "normal." In fact, I am willing to bet you have hard shifting because you are using sh1tty standard mineral ATF. Switching from Mobil mineral to full synthetic will by itself likely fix the hard shifting, proving my point about full synthetic oils being superior. The Lubegard additive is for extra protection and shudder elimination (100% safe), and ATP 205 is a great non-petroleum based sealer used by experienced mechanics.

Chances are OP does not have to replace anything other than the ATF. That's why I said in my original post that I "saved him a ton of $$$."

[nordwulf]

Most people who stick to standard mineral atf have never even tried synthetics so they have no clue what they are talking about. They are giving you advice biased by their fear of trying anything other than what the manual says. They are not speaking from experience.

I haven't seen any real experiences from owners beside you who switched from mineral to synthetic ATF in the 5-speed automatic. I agree Saab hasn't been always right in their service recommendations like 15K mile oil changes. In other areas like spark plugs, it is very important to only use the recommended plugs.

Without any long-term owner experiences, it is a difficult decision to switch to something different. Especially when Saab mentions specifically not to use synthetic ATF. Same goes for additives.

[Mike Brennan]

Wulf is correct. The man from Atlanta with 18 posts who insists he is an expert on fluids isn't. Also, you do not put additives in this transmission. Now that you have you need to drain it out, perhaps 5 drains and fills or go to a shop that will drain it all out with a machine and put in the correct fluid. Your problem is more than likely motor mounts.

[XLR99]

As one anecdotal experience, my car has had Redline D4 in it for the past 100k or more; currently at 173k. When I got it at 155k, I did a few dump/fill cycles since the fluid looked abit dark at that point, and have been doing a drain/fill on a 10k schedule. I'd say shift quality is very good, about on par with our 2012 Odyssey, and better in some conditions.
I agree the OP's issue could be motor mounts as well. I've been deferring the rear mount on mine, which does clunk going into drive. Hopefully next weekend for that project.

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[southsaab]

I'm coming to this thread late, and you have probably solved your issue, but I was faced with a similar problem about ATF fluid supply when I got my 9 5. I had no local supply for 3309, but I was able to order a case from Amazon, and did a change. I was thinking seriously about synthetic, but got a real good price for 3309. Quite honestly I've no experience with synthetic ATF, have used Redline MTF in a manual Saab, and it worked fine.


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[southsaab]

I cut myself off. You don't want to use leak additives because they can soften and swell seals , which is good short term, bad long term. The issue about the Saab tranny is that it's basically a Japanese transmission, Aisan, and it has its own needs fluid wise. Could get into a long, technical discussion about trannys and their needs. Anyway, I hope you got your problem sorted, and if you did use synthetic ATF and it worked out for you, let us know.

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[bandasaab]

Compare the viscosity index numbers and viscosity in different temperatures such as -40, -10, 40, 80, 100 degrees (centigrade of course&#128521 then you'll there's a big difference between synthetic and mineral ATF specs. Happened to me when I was trying to find an ATF for my 4-speed auto. Even though there are lots of ATFs that stated they meet or exceed Dexron III specs, most of them, especially synthetic oil, were way off from Texamatic 7045 specs

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