Rubber trees make rubber o-rings for transmissions.
Problem: I have a 1993 Buick Lesabre with an automatic transmission problem. On cold days it takes 20 minutes to a half an hour to warm up the car before it can go forward in gear or in reverse. Now that the weather is warmer it takes about 15-20 minutes to move in gear? I know it’s the transmission but has this happened to anyone else? any suggestions from other Buick owners have had this problem?
Possibilities: To start with, this is not a Buick only problem, any car or truck using automatic transmissions (instead of manual transmissions) can experience this problem. In reality this is a hydraulic problem. Why? An automatic transmission is nothing more than a complicated hydraulic pump. It is full of rubber o-rings and seals to keep the hydraulic pressure, which is created by a pump assembly, in the proper passage ways.
An automatic transmission can produce from 60 (PSI) pounds per square inch of pressure up to over 300 PSI. That is a lot of pressure. So anything that uses rubber seals and o-rings to contain hydraulic pressure is capable of having the problems described above.
What happens to the transmission to cause this issue? Simple. The rubber seals and o-rings become brittle after getting hot and cold every time you start the car and drive it. When a compound like rubber goes through extreme temperature changes over many years, it loses it’s abilities to stay soft and supple.
What you are experiencing is hydraulic pressure pushing past the brittle seals when the transmission is cold. As the transmission gains warmth and the seals become soft and supple they can hold hydraulic pressure. The colder outside it is, the longer it takes to get the warmth to be effective.
Basically you have three choices. One choice is to move to Florida where you don’t have to deal with cold weather. Another choice is to get used to warming up your car. There is no magical cure or additive that will solve the problem, so don’t go with that avenue or you will cause more transmission damage.
The sure cure to this problem is a rebuilt transmission. The only way to cure the problem is to change the seals and o-rings. In order to do this the transmission has to be completely disassembled. Chance’s are there is plenty of wear in other transmission parts, since this is probably an older car. Especially at the mileage this problem occurs at.
With that thought in mind, the wise thing to do is contact the sales staff at GotTransmissions.com and speak with a member of our company about how we can outfit you with one of our quality transmissions. 866-320-1182.
