Cutlass bursts into reverse but lurches into drive.

Asked by indigo1384 Jun 22, 2015 at 04:45 AM about the 1997 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme 4 Dr SL Sedan

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I recently bought a used 97 cutlass
supreme with a lot of small problems.
So far the engine And transmission
are fine (its column gear shift though
which I hate with a passion) though it
needs a battery mount and a window
fix on the passenger side. My problem
is when I shift into drive my car
doesn't move forward as fast as it
should. I have to literally put the pedal
to the metal to get her to put on
speed. In reverse though she
explodes to life. I can just barely
touch the gas and be thrown
backwards. Any ideas?

3 Answers
65,510

firebird338 answered 9 years ago

First I would check to see if your transmission needs a filter and fluid change. As long as it shifts to all the gears right now you may be able to save it. The trans fluid should have a red color to it if it looks brown its burnt needs to be changed.

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18,685

munron answered 9 years ago

I'm not sure how a transmission that won't move your car properly can be considered "just fine". That said, save your money. Additives are not going to fix your transmission. As firebird said, check that there is enough fluid in the transmission. If not, fill it with the cheapest transmission fluid available that meets the spec for your car and see what happens. If it starts working properly drive it for a bit to make sure and then service the transmission with fluid and a fresh filter. If filling it up doesn't make the problems go away take it to a reputable transmission shop for a diagnosis. Hope you didn't pay too much for the car. Sounds like it might be a money pit, so be careful.

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