trans is hunting for gear...2003 dx model

[gentlejax]

I got symptoms of 2 things all tranny related but I think its a sensor or something and not the actual trans.

the car is not mine but its for sale where I work and we dont have a mechanic..


1st...at nearly any speed when you touch the gas pedal just slightly the throttle will act as if the pedal is pushed to the floor...

it downshifts and takes off like its floored but its not....if I push the pedal the rest of the way it doesnt affect the acceleration at all...its like its already full throttle...


2nd....going down the road at say 50-60, if you let off gas the car will downshift almost immediately and stay there unless you push the gas again.....if the foot is not applying gas then the tranny seems to not know what gear it wants to be in...

at that point the car should be in overdrive at that speed...but it seems to want to drop down....

like if it was a 5spd and you dropped it down to 4th....

I may need to drive it some more to get more details..

will a scanner pull a code..? I thought it might be a TPS (throttle position sensor or something)...

but I am not familar with these cars,

I searched but didnt see a similiar case..

thanks

[gentlejax]

ok...I narrowed the weird shifting to between 40-50 MPG

when decelerating from 50mph and down...the car will act funny and downshift at exactly 44mph and somewhere between 46-48MPH


that is the only speed it happens...

Mike

[wheresthericego]

maybe the ecu is messed up causing sparatic shifting..
Check all eletrical connections at the tranny and also check the tps connector

[shameem]

Is the check engine light on - even if its not on try to read codes with a scanner -

If you can get a good scanner that can show realtime variables - then look at the TPS readout from the scanner to see if anything is wrong.

[gentlejax]

tried to read the codes with small shop scanner...no codes...

the shifting is not sporadic...it happens at the same speed during deceleration every single time...its constant..not sporadic...

took car to shop to see if they could pull code...

my guess is TPS..but I dont know these cars at all..

[crazycanadian]

TPS is a good guess.. with out looking at the car I would say you are on the right track... but I can't be sertain..

[1Mazda323Fan]

If there is a problem with the throttle position sensor, the vehicle speed sensor or the ECT sensor, it will most likely throw a fault code which can be read with a scanner. Remember, if the check engine light is on, but there are no engine codes, check the trans ECU. Aldo, check and make sure the throttle cables aren't adjusted too tightly, as this would also cause the problem. If the trans fluid is burnt and/or low, it could also cause the problem. Check all wiring and connectors for damage, pinching or corrosion. If all of this is good, it might be the shift solenoid inside the trans ECU itself went bad.