SMHJR89

I bought a 1996 Monte Carlo z34 2 years ago for $200. I thought it was a steal, yeah? It had 160k miles on it and the guy was complaining of an electrical problem because he replaced his battery and his alternator and then his alternator failed again.

Upon closer inspection I find that it's a Power Steering line issue. A simple replace of that line prevented the fluid from leaking and getting into the alternator. Some time later my passenger side wheel bearing started to go bad so I replaced it.

All-in-all pretty easy so far.

I was driving one day and my transmission started to slip. I got a little worried and checked the fluids, they were fine. The guy who I bought the car from said he kept pretty good care of it. I decided to run a conditioner in it. Ran the conditioner, changed out the fluids and viola! the problem was solved - for 2 weeks. After the 2nd week it started shifting hard again and eventually dropped out completely and wouldn't shift at all.

I ordered a Reman Transmission for close to $1,000 and put it in. Now, when it comes to transmissions I'm not very knowledgeable. The transmission was put in with my Dads help, as he's been a mechanic for years and is extremely knowledgeable about mechanic and electrical work, but is in the same boat as me when it comes to transmissions.

We only had a few scissor jacks and what not to work with but after long and arduous labor, we got it swapped. We noticed while the intake was off that the upper intake plenum was stripped. Which could also lead to the first two codes I pulled (listed below). After that, I was driving my car almost a year later and it started to smoke from the serpentine belt side of the motor. I thought it may have been the water pump so I pulled the pump and went to replace it. After pulling the pump I noticed it was actually my A/C Compressor.

I said screw it, I have the pump off and the new one, I may as well replace it. I ordered a new A/C Compressor (still haven't charged it), and a new filter for it. I managed to get all the parts in and when I got to replacing the water pump, I noticed the bottom bolt hole had been stripped. This is why I don't allow people to work on my car because if I'm getting the job done, I want it done right. This is the second stripped bolt hole I found.

Regardless, I had to tap it out and helicoil it (again, only with scissor jacks to lift the motor to get my work done). After getting the water pump back on and reassembling my vehicle, I started it and she ran fine. Ahh, satisfaction.

The transmission always shifted well, and still shifts well with one exception. If I put the transmission under a load and get it past 3500 RPMs, it won't shift. Instead the transmission will drop out and it'll shoot to about 4000-4500 RPMs depending on my demand and it won't shift nor accelerate anymore. This has been an issue since I installed the Reman Transmission.

Now, the transmission (Reman) sat for some time before we were able to put it in. I don't know if that threatened the integrity of it at all. My Service Engine light was on so I decided to run a code check on it. It threw me 3 codes.

P0304 - Cylinder 4 Misfire
P0410 - Secondary Air Injector
P1870 - Transmission Component Slipping

I'd wager the first two codes are from the fact that I have 3 valves on the top side of my vehicle stemming from the upper intake that are plastic and cracked. I have them electrical taped and zip tied to try and retain compression but it still loses some (and would love to find out where I can go to find replacements for these, I can submit pictures if needed). The first code could also lead to me believing I need a quick tune-up with some new wires and plugs.

I'm contemplating pulling my brake booster line, closer to the firewall, and lighting a cigar to hold at that end and allowing the vacuum to suck up the smoke and push it out of wherever I may have a vacuum leak occurring through the intake system (which I have a pretty good suspicion that it'll come from those broken valves).

The third code worries me. I'm not sure what to think of it or where to head with the information but I saw some Lucas Transmission Fix that claims to help slippage and seal leaks. Does anyone have any input on this situation at all? I'd love some feedback. Any and all help would be appreciated.