Hey i have a galant 97 (automatic) ES and for some reason i can't go in reverse. i can change the gear but the car wont move. im hoping my transmission didnt have seizure. what could it be?and if its bad am i gonna have to waste my life savings????????

 

str8dominican,

You poor son-of-a-gun. Without looking at your car I can't know what's wrong with it, but I know of a couple of things that can cause the problem you're experiencing.

- Your automatic transmission fluid is hopefully not the original fluid. Most manufacturers recommend changing the fluid and filter at 50 or 60k miles. If this has not been done, it is worth doing. There are also some additives that on great occasion can free up a sticky valve body (assembly in the bottom of the automatic transmission that controls shifting).

- I've never had a Mitsubishi or any other front wheel drive transmission apart. I would expect that the anatomy is very similar to that of the rear wheel drive. A rear wheel drive transmission will usually contain an intermediate and a reverse band (piece of metal with a brake-pad-like coating on it) that wraps around the clutch housing. When the reverse band breaks, she won't shift into reverse. If this is the problem, the only remedy is to remove the transmission and replace the band.

Good luck, Jeff

 

mitsu automatic transmissions are weak. very small clutches and gears. you're probably going to have to rebuild, go to a trans shop