P0741 Torque Converter stuck off

[Wacko]

Dropped my car off at a local Caddy dealership to check the A/C and the Check Engine Light. I knew the CEL had to do with the TCC slipping according to Autozone's scanner. I thought I'd have the dealer confirm it. They said the tranny fluid looks like it has never been changed which is probably accurate as the car has 63K miles. They suggested a fluid change for $199, though they used the word flush which worries me. I prefer a straight drain-refill.

Then they wanted to sell me an injector cleaning for $129. No thanks. At least not until I know for sure that the tranny is fine.

Then he said, for the stalling, the Crank Position Sensor has been updated and they can replace it for $377. I said I have no stalling problems. Pass for now. The car has had the CKP replaced by a previous owner.

One of the motor mounts is nearly gone. $345. I have evidence of this being true, so go ahead with that.

One grand later in recommended repairs and we still haven't talked about the cost of repairing the A/C.

On the good side, if the TCC solenoid is gone, he said they wouldn't have to pull the motor to fix this. So, perhaps it is not a huge expense. I've heard horror stories that about the P0741.

The lesson here. Replace your trans fluid and scavenger screens every 30K or so for this trans.

[aurorabrain]

Which motor mount cost that much? I'm looking in the GM Parts catalog and the most expensive mount I see for an '01 Aurora 4.0 is $111.78. Maybe that price was with labor? But at $70/hr labor thats over 3 hours, I don't know what your shop charges, but in my area dealers are $70/hr. From the looks of the other quotes, I'd say your dealer is WAY expensive.
Some of the large transmission part manufacturers say that an "IDEAL" fluid change interval is 12k miles. I'm pretty hard on my Aurora, and for that reason I am a little extreme on maintenance, so I do this. In any other NORMAL driving situation, 30k would be just fine in my opinion....

[Wacko]

Yes, this was with labor. I'm sure their labor is expensive; I'm just north of Boston. Cost of living adjustment, I suppose. However, I compared the quote for replacing the CKP sensors with what Marc paid earlier this year and his NY dealer charged him about $50 - 75 more, if I'm not mistaken.

I knew I was going to take a bath on that, I didn't know if I would have the capabilities to change a motor mount, so I bit the bullet.

[mission008]

hey wacko, whats the deal with your AC? i'm having problems with mine and im going to be taking it in within the next 2 days or so....did u find any prices on fixing it?

[Wacko]

Yeah, they are charging me $375 to find the leak, replace the discharge hose (leaked) and fill with 2 pounds of R134a. That's probably steep but I'm just glad it wasn't the evaporator which is in the dash and very labor intensive. They do give a 1 year warrantee on parts. Not sure about labor.

You might take it in sooner rather than later. The temperature is really heating up tomorrow and this weekend.

[mission008]

Yeah im going tomorrow actually..... $375?! I'm going to have them diagnose it for me at first and then if its something like a hose or fitting or something I'm going to do the repairs myself.

[Wacko]

Picked up the car last night. Put about 30 miles on it since. It's like a completely different car now! The transmission is so much smoother. It used to shift hard into second gear and was rough. We'll see if the mileage improves. If the trans lasts a few years, I'd say it was worth it.

Having A/C is sweet. Now I don't have to worry about the windows fogging up.

The engine used to torque so much it would rub against the top radiator hose. Now with the new motor mount, it is real smooth.

Next, I'll order the CKP sensors and replace them myself. That should take care of a slightly rough idle and may even give me more power or better mileage.

$979 was the total bill.

[stevensolds]

lol at 63k your mounts had to be replaced. I cant imagine what mine are like then, they say all of them are cracked and the motor moves like a fish (i shouldve have known better, i knew it did that).

Well good thing its back on the road now. I went through 3 or 4 of them $900+ bills so at least you dont have to.

Also did you drain your trans fluid (DONT do the flush)? Mine was at 80k and believed it was the first time for it.

[Wacko]

I realize that some advise against the flush. This is a highly debated topic regardless of the make of the car/transmission. The fluid had 63K miles of questionable use on it. Hard miles, I don't know. The problem with a straight drain is the majority of the old fluid remains in the torque converter. So if your objective is to remove as much of the old, contaminated fluid, you don't have much choice. They also claimed they replaced the scavenger screens. I looked under the car to see if I could see evidence of them having dropped the pan. It was not definitive but it appears that they did.

[greatv8]

Wacko: My check engine light came on last week. My mechanic said the code indicated something with the transmission, perhaps the torque converter. Is that the problem you had? Did simply changing the fluid take care of the problem? He also told me that he thought GM had had a recall on this, but I haven't found anything. Please let me know, as I must take it in to a Caddy dealer as well. Thanks

[Wacko]

The actual trouble code was P0741. Basically, TC not engaged or slipping more than 100 RPM difference. They did a BG Transmission Flush and that has solved it for the past 3 weeks. I asked them if they replace the scavenger screens in the transmission. The service guy says they do. But I think he was full of it. They didn't even drop the pan; they connect a machine to the trans cooler lines and flush it that way.