Hard Shifts and Occasionally Dead

[sparksm]

I am still new to the whole 3G thing. Problem is that the car seems to be shifting harder and harder all the time now when warm. The tranny fluid is ok from what little I could read on the tiny dipstick. When it is cold it seems to shift much better and more in the "correct" rpm range. Any ideas past the tranny itself or torque converter?

Also, just randomly it will die. I could be on the highway, a street, or at a parking lot and out of the blue the car will not jerk, jump, or make any noise and before I know it the car is dead. Every time I can restart it right away, but when on the highway I know I will get burned sometime in rush hour or in a place with no shoulder. The only odd thing with this issue is that when it happens all the relays (turn signals, wipers, etc) don't work until I restart. Trust me... it is hard to signal over 3 lanes w/ no blinker and a dead car.

Any help is appreciated.

[keruhas184]

does it die when you change gears, or just step on the gas?

If it's the latter, check your fuel pump. I'm not qualified to help you with the former.

[zero.counter]

Transmission: Add some Lucas Tranny fluid on your next change. If you notice an improvement, your gear teeth are not catching and are either warped or some are broken. The fluid's viscosity when under high temp creates a greater bond like an VLSD.

Car Stalling: Check the battery terminal cables and for arcing. Ensure that the fuel delivery is not compromised in any way. The batterie's charge needs to be checked as well. Sounds like a serious electrical short is occuring somewhere, possible ground out.

[3G Jester]

could be plugs, fuel pump orrr you might be running to rich.

[sparksm]

The times that it has died it is just out of the blue. Not during a shift or anything specific each time to my knowledge. It could be during a certain occurrence and I am not catching it. The only "common" thing I can think of is that a LOT of the times it died when it was cold out. Most of them 32 degrees or less. I guess the reason I started the thread is because it happened recently and it was pretty cold out. Is there any common below freezing issues or is there any prep I should do for the winter?

I'll look into the Lucas Tranny fluid. I assume it is a little different than normal? If the gear teeth are messed up, is that a temperature sensitive issue with shifting?

I have redone some of the battery stuff already when I installed a small amp. The cables looked good but I did restrip and put newer terminals near the posts and newer battery. Any thoughts as far as maybe a power issue to the fuse box? That would be hard to troubleshoot though.

The plugs/wires are about a year old and I think they are ok because there are no signs of misfire or any sort of engine stumble. Never really thought about running rich. I did adjust the idle from "feels like a diesel" to "acceptable" about 4-5 months ago. I think the fuel pump is original but I think it is more electrical than anything.