HELP!! 98 cadillac seville sts transmission wont engage!!

cortewardy · #1 (**permalink**) 10-20-07, 10:53 PM

Hello, Im new to cadillacforums.com..this is the only site with excellent detail, pictures, directions, and people willing to help that know Cadillacs!

Basically my 98 cadillac seville sts with 101,000 miles is not drivable. I recently bought the car for $4500 black on black moonroof,tvs,rims, stereo,tvs, etc. Too good to be true apparently because I believe the tranny was going out and this why the guy i bought it from sold it for so cheap right, of course he didnt mention the tranny and there were no signs when i test drove it. Anyway the car drove okay for a week the car has power yet it felt like it was a v6 kind of power like something was holding the engine back..the previous owner told me the car needed a tune up and a motor mount, I could feel the engine hoping around when on the freeway.
Between the engine and transmission, somewhere towards the right under the hood where the transmission is located there was a whining sound whenever i accelerated in park or any other gear. I couldnt figure out the sound. Anyway I installed new spark plugs in the engine and before i replaced the spark plugs the car made a high pitched vacuuming sound from the right side of the engine to the left of the radiator reservoir tank( where transmission and engine connect). I moved some things out of the way to get to the rear spark plugs and I believe I put everything back the way it was.....
However the next morning i got on the freeway and once i hit about 55 mph the car stated acting as if it was running out of gas eventhough it showed just under a quarter, i got gas and returned to the freeway and once i hit 55mph the car it again bogged down ..the rpm's reved almost to red line then it would go down then back and fourth..I had to floor it to gain any speed and once i exited the freeway i stopped at the light and went to accelerate when the light turned green and the car acted a if it was in neutral..i tried all gears and nothing happened, no movement at all. I cut the car off and back on and shifted into drive and no movement at all again.. I let the car sit for 12 hours and tried to get something out of it..it let me go in reverse for like 10 seconds and then it went out after i pressed the gas the car would slowly creep then stop moving and im back to square one ..it just seems like its in neutral or park..all the gears shift without any resistance like the tranny was disconnected...
If anyone out there can assist me I would be very appreciative.. do i need a new tranny? I dont have any codes related to transmission..i have a egr code and catylalic converter code which are both current and need replaceing.. any help or advice would be great

**Ranger** · #2 (**permalink**) 10-21-07, 12:15 PM

Have you checked the obvious. Trans fluid.

CadillacSTS2003 · #3 (**permalink**) 10-21-07, 12:50 PM

picts?
i think i know the car from your description

cortewardy · #4 (**permalink**) 10-21-07, 02:42 PM

Im in sacramento, ca and where are you located? I dont have pics right atleast i dont know how to load them on here yet .but its the loaded black paint and black leather with the moonroof and woodgrain and all the bells and whistles..i think its worth getting a tranny for because everythinng else( the interior no rips or scratches , the engine, body and paint, are excellent, and only 101,000 miles!...so basically im trying to get some help i have got a quoted deal on a tranny for my exact model for 650 used and 600 installed..I paid 4500 cash for the car with rims, 4 tvs, kicker speaker system and subs, clean title, yet i the tranny just went out...my question to you is it worth fixing or should i just sale it? I love the car because i can very well say its a 2003 model and blue book even for a 98 is 7-10k..i figure id be breaking even if i fixed the car because i got it at such a low price.

cortewardy · #5 (**permalink**) 10-21-07, 02:56 PM

I just towed it to the house last night after letting it sit to see if it would move after living it alone for 15 hours or so...it moved for like 5 seconds in reverse..then it just started reving the engine and the transmission was just spining but no traction ..its like it was in neutral again.. But I checked the oil and it looked very full...perhaps i should drain most of the fluid out and see what it does? My mechanic said he would drop the oil pan and check for fragments and stuff when i get some money to buy the tranny. I looked under the hood at the shift link and it was moving when i was shifting the gears but like i mentioned before there was no resistance in the shifter at all..didnt seem like the tranny was engaged or like it was seperated from the engine... The amount of fluid and pressure within the tranny has a lot to do with it obviously,but im curious as to why the tranny will engage for a few seconds and then disengage..that seems electrical..like a sensor is holding it back or something..i was very detailed in my first post about the rpms raceing up and down as if it was running out of gas..that also seems electrical..but this is my first cadillac so i am turning to you all out there to give me some assistance.oh yea the motor mount is busted i believe its under the engine connected to the firewall not sure but the engine moves around back and forth like a fish violently when im on the freeway..Is this the cause for my tranny being blown? and the previous owner had not maintained the car either as the air filter looked like it was shanked it had cuts all in the middle of the filter ..it was very dirty..so that means everything else on the car such as the tranny filter had not been changed right? again any help would be great thanks.

Mark C · #6 (**permalink**) 10-21-07, 03:17 PM

Transmissions shouldn't need a filter changed until at least 100000 miles unless it sees some extreme service (like a taxi cab). When you say you checked the "oil" you did check the transmission fluid level (under the air intake tube between the engine and the air filter box) and you did it with the car running in park, right? What color was the fluid red, redish brown, dark brown with flecks of silver in it (let it drip off the stick onto a peice of white cardboard)?

CadillacSTS2003 · #7 (**permalink**) 10-21-07, 05:40 PM

sounds like the clutches are bad...

cortewardy · #8 (**permalink**) 10-21-07, 06:00 PM

thanks for the quick reply..i checked the fluid level and it looked very full like i said and it was a pretty clear redish brown color ..i didn't notice a smell besides the smeel of tranny fluid and metal..but as for burn smell there wasn't any sign of it. Do you think the tranny some how got disconnected due to the engine moving around...due to the busted motor mount? I do recall going over a speed bump and my front shocks are bad and the car got a good slam after going over the speed bump..maybe that did it? because right after the speed bumps i hopped on the freeway befcause there are lots of speed bumps in the apartment and i got on the freeway immediately which is right across the street from my apartments.. would you suppose that the tranny was already going out and that last speed bump which gave the front in a good slam, was the last straw for the transmission? because immediatly once i got on the freeway the car acted like it was out of gas, the rpms were going up and down and the car was jerking then i got off the freeway came to a light and once i accelerated after stopping the car was as if it were in neutral and no gears worked not even reverse..i cut the car off and back on and it kinda lurked or windind up momentum and accelerated around 5 mph then it just went out completely.the engine just revs and the tranny just spins..would any sensors cause this or anything i can get to without dropping the tranny? there are no tranny related codes either just camshaft sensor, egr sensor and catylatic converter code. by the way is there are chat room on this website anywhere for faster communication? cause i really need help before i start dishing out money as cadillac has rigged these cars so that only the cadillac dealers know what and how to fix broken cars. thanks for the help again. o yea would it be the flywheel? just curious

cortewardy · #9 (**permalink**) 10-21-07, 06:05 PM

thanks for your help and reply... are the clutches are located inside the tranny? what are the syptoms..are they like my syptoms? would that mean a new tranny or overhaul?

CadillacSTS2003 · #10 (**permalink**) 10-21-07, 06:05 PM

if it was bad enough to YANK the tranny away from the engine then your exhaust would be destroyed and TONS of metal would be herd as the flywheel desintigrated
in other words, VERY unlikely...

CadillacSTS2003 · #11 (**permalink**) 10-21-07, 06:09 PM

did you try moving it in DRIVE after you let it sit
i only see mention of you moving it into reverse after letting it sit

cortewardy · #12 (**permalink**) 10-21-07, 06:20 PM

thanks again for the reply..Ok so its not the flywheel then its just a bad tranny..clutches as someone mentioned? i can replace the tranny for 1100 installed out the door but im hoping that its something electrical like sensors or something but im starting to feel out of luck and p'd off because i just got the car last week! as i see you have 6 cadi's would u think its worth fixing or should i sale it as is considering i just paid 4500 cash for it last week? O yea after dropping the oil pan what if there isnt any metal fragments in the oil, i know you may not have all the answers, but then what would you suspect thats going on?

cortewardy · #13 (**permalink**) 10-21-07, 06:24 PM

o yea to cadillacstst2003 - yes i did put it in drive to see if it would budge after letting it sit...im even inside the car now as i am reading your replies.i tried all gears nothing happened..no resistance from the shifter either as you shift gears..just revs the engine and tranny is spining..

CadillacSTS2003 · #14 (**permalink**) 10-21-07, 06:29 PM

ill bet the linkage came off
check under the hood
youll see a cable running to a metal arm down by the tranny (as opposed to the cable by the throttle body)
if it was an electrical issue you would have a code so thats not it
check the cable

cortewardy · #15 (**permalink**) 10-21-07, 06:35 PM

i see a short metal bar moving better yet...if you can show me how to upload photos i can take a picture of what i believe your talking about...anyway when i shift the short metal bar not cable moves as i go from park to neutral to drive 1, 2, and 3 basically all the gears..is there a cable like the one attatched to the throtlle thing used to rev the engine under the hood? or did u mean a short metal thing that moves? itll be better if i can show u..so let me know how to post pics...i see the icon bu it asks for a url address.