Hi there, I am new to this group. I would like to say hello to all. I have a 2002 Sunfire with 2.2 non ecotec and auto tranny. It worked great and loved the car. Yesterday while driving, the car just quit moving as if it was put into neutral. I have no forward gears at all but do have reverse. I backed it about 12 blocks to a friends house and there she sits. Any ideas?

It sounds like the transmission is broken, I would recommend doing this, I would get the tranny inspected to see if their is enough fluid in the transmission. Then get change the tranny fluid and filter changed to see if that corrects anything, If not then Its sorry to say U needa new or used transmission.

Good Luck.

Would you not suspect some kind of electrical problem with perhaps the shift solenoids or TCM seeing as it still has reverse. The tranny never slipped or banged in its life and there has never been one drop of fluid on the ground so I cannot see the tranny being "shot"

The problem with your theory of it being a solenoid is that in reverse, park and neutral the 1-2 solenoid is energized. This is the same solenoid that is energized in drive for 1st gear and also manual low. So if that solenoid was faulty, you wouldn't have reverse. In second gear, both solenoids are off, so assuming your 1-2 solenoid has to be good to have reverse, then you should also have 1st and 2nd gears functioning.

If the TCM is faulty, I believe it will allow you to "limp home" with some transmission functionality.

The input sprag is the only component of the transmission that will affect all forward gears but let reverse function even if it is faulty. I hope for your sake I am wrong and maybe someone else has other ideas.

If TCM was faulty you would have third gear, it isnt that.

Any noise when put in D, sounds like the trans pump is gone, or your forward clutchs are gone,

Time for a rebuild


- 2004 Cavalier - 124k, owned since new