[Heavenly Trouble]

JUST bought 91 SHO and its in serious trouble. First problem being that my "boyfriend" (HA) thinks he can fix any vehicle with parts from any car in his back yard! I wish I could make this car invisible to him. I really need to get MY car fixed the right way very soon before he gets ahold of it!!! Only have time for one problen now. I just lost first gear and the power is almost gone on highway driving. Many more problems with it but gotta go. Please help

 

[93 sable]

We need more info to be able to give suggestions to what may be wrong.

Losing first gear sounds like a big problem, is it an auto or 5-Speed? What happened when it stopped going into 1st gear?

losing power on the highway could be a lot of things, but that's a very general question, more info is needed, such as other symptoms, etc..

 

[zeptoplix]

It would be a 5 speed. (all first gen sho's mtx) If your boyfriend thinks he can fix anything, he won't be able to do much on an SHO... the room is very limited and you need lots of patience to do even the simplest of things (i.e. changing ur plugs or plug wires) But as the last guy said we'll need more symptoms to help you..
welcome to the club!

 

[Tman]

i can help you out but you need to be specific with the problems and explain what exactly the car is doing. I think you may either have a pressure plate or blocking ring problem for the first gear problem. Does it even go inot first or do you have to force it? Does it grind when you try to engage it. As for the power at highway speeds it probley a ton of things. Plugs, wires, dirty maf, dirty intake and secondary butterflies. Is power down all through the powerband and speeds or just at highway speeds? Just try and get me some more info and i can give you a better answer but i have done pretty much all i can.

 

[Heavenly Trouble]

Sorry I didnt give more info. It is a 5 speed mtx. When I got the car a couple of weeks ago, i had to slam it in first. Now, it goes into first but its acting like its in third. Third is still in place. And now it seems that I have to shift into third around 40mph. Im not liking that. It sounds awful. Im also thinking motor mount and transmission mount probs..
Also, what is the loud clicking when turning right?

 

[Bob Gervais]

Loud clicking would be a CV joint gone bad. Replace the whole axle shaft, you'll have them out when you do the trans anyhow.

Is the clutch pedal hard to depress?

 

[Tman]

:withstupid: but when you try and engage first from say neutral with the clutch depressed does it make any noises or make a loud grinding noise? Also with the car off does it go easily it gears like can you go through all the gears with the engine off.

i also got an other idea just sell it to me and i'll gladly take it off your hands :uptosumpn:

 

[Racer X]

Being a 1991, it may be a cable shift. If the cables aren't adjusted properly, or are missing mounting clips, that could cause it to shift into 3rd in the 1st position. As far as no power on the highway, that could be a miltitude of problems, from clogged catalytic converters, to a dirty MAF, need of a tune up, a seriously foregone 60k service, bad sensors... it's a pretty healthy list.
Do you have any check engine lights yet?

And most importantly... welcome to the TCCA. B)

 

[Heavenly Trouble]

:roflmao: Not a chance. Id sell my BMW long before.
Are the cables easy to adjust or replace missing mounting cables? Shifting into first, theres no noise or grinding, and theres no problem going into any gear with the engine off.
As for the highway driving, it honestly scared the hell out of me. I cant begin to describe the noises, and I seriously thought it was going to fall apart. Like the engine coming through the hood. And on the off ramp, it was smoking under the hood, but no overheating, nothing was low, nothing was burning

 

[Bob Gervais]

There's no adjustment to the cables. If one was not attached, it would not shift into gear.

From the sounds of it, I'd say the blocking rings are worn.

Another thing to check is the oil level/condition of the oil in the trans. Before I changed mine, I had a little trouble shifting.

I'll attach a link to a Shotimes article on how to add a drain plug to the trans. I found this the easiest way to get the job done. Once that's in, the fluid will drain, and you can plug it up and add new fluid. It takes Mercon/Dexron 3 automatic trans fluid (even though it's a mtx).

Drain Plug Installation

As far as the low power, etc. it could still be a lot of things. Doubtful, but do you have any service records on the car?

 

[Heavenly Trouble]

Imagine this, I have all work and service invoices plus all reciepts for all the parts that have been bought for it.. Wait, at least back to 95. I see a lot of lifetime warranties, but are they still good if from a previous owner?

 

[mrclean]

One thing to look at for the low end power issue, is there any oil in the plug wells when you pull off the plug wire? If there is, your plug wire might be destroyed due to the oil, along with your plugs. In which case they will need to be replaced. If this is the case, you should also replace your plug well seals, and since you say it seems to be neglected, this could very well be the case. Also, as they said, the MAF might be dirty, in which case you could take the sensor out and clean it off with electrical contact cleaner and let it dry off and try it then. You can also talk to some guys at www.shoforum.com, because they also have a lot of guys who have procedures with pictures for doing these things. Also, with reguards to the smoke coming from under the hood, did you happen to try and smell the smoke, because it could be a crack in your exhaust manifold, if it smells like exhaust. If it is white, then it could be your radiator leaking on to your engine from a small crack or something, because I had that problem with mine. It took awhile for the fluid to be low, like a couple of weeks, then I would see that my resovoir was almost empty, when it was full before, and the radiator was a little low. But Despite the issues, I do wish you Best of luck with the SHO . Also, welcome to the TCCA!