96 Saturn won't go into reverse when engine is warm.
 

Hello, folks,
I'm trying to get some possible reasons why my 96 Saturn SL2 won't go into
reverse when the engine is warm. If I put it in reverse right after I start
it, it'll back up, but if the engine has had time to warm up, it doesn't move.
It's like it's in neutral. The car also shifts a kind of hard.
I've checked the automatic transmission fluid, and it has enough, and the
fluid isn't burnt. I had a Grand Am that did the same thing, but never figured
out why. The thing is, with the much lighter Grand Am, I could just put a foot
out the door an push the car backwards. Saturns weigh more, though, so I can't
push it as easily.
The car has about 145,000 miles on it, and it's always had a shifting hiccup
accellarating between 35 and 45 miles per hour, at least for the 8 months I've
had it. But now, this new issue, and the "Service Engine Soon" light it on
What might be the problem? Could it be something simple/cheap, or am I
looking at $800 worth of transaxle repair? I'm not sure the car is worth that
much, but I still owe a little more than that on it.
Any ideas or advice on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for any
help,
Tedrick

Sounds like you may have developed a problem with the pressure
regulator. The internal pressures are higher in reverse than in forward
speeds in most transmissions. With that many miles on it... you may
want to think about a replacement trans mission if the rest of the car
is worth it.

Professor
www.telstar-electronics.com

Thanks for the info. Is this something that'll get worse over time, making the
forward gears also inaccessible? Honestly, the car may not be worth replacing
the transmission, but I can live without reverse if needed, for a while, if the
rest isn't going to follow suit.
Tedrick