My 95 Vette has a problem going into 2nd gear.....I can force it, but it is ugly. None of the other forward gears have problems.
I found the the lockout solenoid was already disconnected so I reconnected it to see if it made a difference, and it does not.

So I wonder if the solenoid is bad maybe???

How can I test to see if the CAGS is causing the issue or if the tranny is going bad.

I get no 1 to 4 light on the dash, at any time....I don't even know where it is, wonder if the bulb is burned out.

Thanks

 

CAGS has nothing to do with holding the gear shift in reverse. Sorry, time for a ZF6 rebuild.

 

Not really concerned with the reverse issue.

 

CAGS works under these conditions:
you're in 1st gear (of course)
you're at 35% throttle or less
you're between 15 and 21 mph
engine coolant temperature is greater than 171 F (77 C)
And CAGS will then lock out 2nd and 3rd gears.

Simply disconnecting the wire from the solenoid will keep the trans from locking out 2nd and 3rd so if you have done that or the "Eliminator" has been installed, there is a trans problem. How old and how many miles are on the clutch??

 

I have a service receipt from a local Chevrolet dealer that state they rebuilt the transmission in 2011 but used aftermarket parts. They state on the receipt that there is no warranty since they used aftermarket parts. They also state that they had to order a clutch from summit racing.

Not sure what is going on....since I am new to this 6 speed transmission. Were OEM parts not available in 2011?

SO I have to assume the clutch is fairly new. The car only has 90K miles on it.

 

It's hard to say if every ZF part was (or still is) available through the GM parts system, but using aftermarket parts should not have been a reason to not provide a warranty. Any competent auto repair shop that would do a trans rebuild would offer some sort of warranty for parts and labor even if it was for something like 90 days.

I know for a fact that dealers don't always use 100% OEM parts for repair work. If an aftermarket part is available locally for a needed repair and can be acquired immediately, many dealers will buy from local suppliers rather than waiting a few days to get parts from regional distribution centers.

While Summit Racing is a good source for name brand performance parts, again, there should have been local suppliers that would have had clutch assemblies in stock for same-day delivery. Even if stuff wasn't on a shelf, one or two days would be at the high end of delivery times.

So whoever owned the car back when the trans work was done probably got hosed on the work, not to mention the lack of a warranty and probably the cost of the work.

For the shifting issue, it could be that whoever did the rebuild may not have re-assembled everything properly or simply didn't know what they were doing. Just because it was done at a dealer does not mean that the techs were experts on ZF trannies.

 

There is a handwritten note on the service order that says "customer has been advised of the 2nd gear problem and will be coming to pick up the car"

The bottom line on this service order is $3870. I would think giving it back to the customer with it not working would not be right. But who knows.

 

For that amount of money, the owner could have picked up a good used ZF and had it installed for around half that amount.

If the note said the customer was taking the car with a known and unresolved issue, that usually means the owner either wasn't willing to pay to have the problem fixed or the dealer was incompetent and the owner decided to not to have then touch anything at that point.

 

I had my ZF for my 89 rebuilt by a local trans shop that I have used for years. They said Ford trucks use ZF's and they were very familiar with them. They told me that the bearings and synchros kit alone was approx. $2k from Zf. I took the trans to them and the total bill was around $3.9k.
I don't understand aftermarket parts but a dealership would charge alot to pull a trans.

If ur going to do it, do it right.