Hello all! New member, glad to be here.
I have a 2004 Saturn Ion, 2.2 ecotech, just under 119k. I've been experiencing rough shifting (kicking into gear) and I noticed lately she doesn't always shift like normal. I'll be sitting around 2500 rpm for a long time after accelerating on the highway before she finally decides to shift. On a related note, when decelerating on hills my rms shoot up to about 3000 even though im braking the entire way down, before decreasing to almost 0 at the bottom. What could be causing these issues? No engine codes, scanned weekly
A transmission flush and new oil + filters could help. its a fairly cheap option to begin with, instead of rebuilding or exchanging the transmission/clutch.
Try adding Lucas Transmission fix to the existing transmission fluid without flushing or adding any new fluid, trust me, sounds crazy but many times it works over replacing with new stuff!
My Saturn L300 (2.2L ECOTEC engine)'s transmission started acting up, too, at around 125,000 miles, and I brought it to a trusted mechanic who drained what little transmission fluid was left and filled it up. It worked! I've been doing a drain and fill of the transmission fluid once a year ever since. Did NOT do a flush, just a drain and fill. Still runs well.
GM says it's a lifetime deal, no need to service or fill, when it comes to the transmission but you have to consider that for GM, the "lifetime" of a car is five years before you go back to them and buy a new one. Over time, that oil will get contaminated from the wear and tear of shifting. In my case, some of it leaked out ever so slowly over ten years... thus the need to drain, and then refill. (I don't know about that Lucas transmission oil additive though. If the simple drain and fill doesn't work alone, add Lucas.)
