First off, yes i know the auto isnt the best trans for the car but its what is in it right now and i dont have the cash to do the swap.

From what i understand the second gear in the n4ael is the "soft spot" of the transmission - as it is in any for that matter. There is a transgo kit to fix the burning out problem.

What id like to find out from anyone whith helpful info is - do you have any tips for me on fixing this pos, other than doing a manual swap. i know manual a/t jatco trans, not these import electronic ones - for all i know it could be something simple that needs replaced.
Before second gear failed, i was and still am having issues with 3rd/OD kicking in and out at low speeds.. under a load. Seems the trans is shifing too early then kicks out do to load. what the H is this?

What is the difference between the N4ael and the R4ael? Other than the obvious designation that the R is a better performing transmission.

Since i KNOW this is going to be a pain in the *** - does anyone have a working auto trans they have from a swap - they theyd like to get rid of for a ~ cheap... ill come pick it up within 150 miles of 46845 - thats for wayne, indiana. this is completely end the misery of not having second gear.

 

when was the last flush???

 

Shifting issues in an automatic is usually hydraulic related, so I would assume just by your description of the problem, that you have a valve stuck in the valve body.

 

the last flush - its hard to say really. I bought the car with 74k miles on it and i dont know its history. judging by the fluid, its still light in color but the smell is a little of a concern. ~its been hot or burned before. Im going to drain it and put some new fluid in it monday.. probably wont help but its worth a shot.

Stuck valve huh, i take it youve run into this before on these? So is there a DIY method youd suggest?

Short of draining the fluid, dropping the pan and running the valvebody in a clean tank , i dont know what else to do. Trans flush is about 150 bucks give or take 30 depending on the place. rebuild kit is about the same....

 

A trans flush probably won't help, never has really in my experience. It may help for a few weeks then the vavle becomes clogged again. I have a manual rx7 so I dont know rx7 wise, but from my experience as an automotive technician, clogged valves are the #1 cause of automatic transmission issues. I agree with your thoughts, to drop the valve body and wash it real good. MOST of the time, the valve body is the culprit with problems in gear changes and in some cases a mechanical kick down system can cause the issue, but that still involves the valve body.

 

I found a transmission guide on here posted by cochran racing, im going to go through that thing and see what i can find first. Luckly my fathers a mechanic and i can hook up his solus to the thing to check codes too... maybe that will give me an idea.
Thanks for the help guys
chris

http://www.cochran-racing.com/FSM/s5...ansmission.pdf

 

a manual swap really isn't very expensive...

in junkyards near me you can find a manual transmission for $90

sure there are a lot of other parts you need, but you could probably do it for under $300 fairly easily and it will transform the car.

that being said, I don't really know what to tell you. you'll find most of the people on here don't have much if any experience with automatics since the ones for rx7s were so terrible and not very plentiful.