Today, I fixed the a/c in my Intrigue. One of the gears in the passenger-side blend door actuator got a huge crack in it, rendering the whole thing useless. Two trips to AutoZone later (the first time I ordered the part, it didn’t make it onto the delivery truck ) and I’ve got cool air blowing out of the passenger-side vents for the first time in about a year.

Today, I also noticed that something else is wrong with the car, and I’m worried that it’s the transmission.

Back in July, I went to look at a 2002 Taurus SEL, because my local Chevy-BPG dealer quoted me $1167 to fix the blend door problem (thank God for the internet, I fixed it myself for $140). I was hesitant to sink that amount of money into the Intrigue, so I started looking around to see if I could find something newer. Long story short, while I was on the dealership’s lot, one of their detailers backed a Beetle into my Intrigue. I wasn’t in the car, nor was my friend who came with me, so no injuries or anything, and it wasn’t that fast of a crash to begin with. The only obvious effect was a slightly bent front plate and bracket and some scuffs to the paint, but I did see how much the car got rocked back-and-forth.

On the way home, I noticed that the car would make something like a bucking motion when I was in 4th and lightly accelerating between 40 and 50. I had it taken the next day to our mechanic and they said that there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with it. It’s been doing that ever since, but they told me it might need a tune-up or the fluid flushed and replaced.

Fast forward to today, the car made the same bucking motion, but this time, it happened right after I backed out of the parking space at the AutoZone. It did it when I accelerated out of the parking lot and a few more times at low speeds as I was driving home. I took it around the block after I installed the new blend door actuator and it seems to do it every time I put it in gear and drive off, accelerate from a stop, and then at a few other random spots. The tach goes a little crazy when this happens, jumping along with the rest of the car from 2000 up to 3000 and then back down again, which seems to me like it is something with the transmission.

I remember something like this happening to my mom’s Venture before we got rid of it; we took it to the mechanic and IIRC, he said it was a band that needed tightening.

I’m really hoping this isn’t anything sinister…any thoughts?

Have you just checked the fluid level at all? It could simply be low.

If it's low, you probably need at least a gasket change... but if you're going to do that, do the filter too.

Today, I fixed the a/c in my Intrigue. One of the gears in the passenger-side blend door actuator got a huge crack in it, rendering the whole thing useless. Two trips to AutoZone later (the first time I ordered the part, it didn’t make it onto the delivery truck ) and I’ve got cool air blowing out of the passenger-side vents for the first time in about a year.

Today, I also noticed that something else is wrong with the car, and I’m worried that it’s the transmission.

Back in July, I went to look at a 2002 Taurus SEL, because my local Chevy-BPG dealer quoted me $1167 to fix the blend door problem (thank God for the internet, I fixed it myself for $140). I was hesitant to sink that amount of money into the Intrigue, so I started looking around to see if I could find something newer. Long story short, while I was on the dealership’s lot, one of their detailers backed a Beetle into my Intrigue. I wasn’t in the car, nor was my friend who came with me, so no injuries or anything, and it wasn’t that fast of a crash to begin with. The only obvious effect was a slightly bent front plate and bracket and some scuffs to the paint, but I did see how much the car got rocked back-and-forth.

On the way home, I noticed that the car would make something like a bucking motion when I was in 4th and lightly accelerating between 40 and 50. I had it taken the next day to our mechanic and they said that there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with it. It’s been doing that ever since, but they told me it might need a tune-up or the fluid flushed and replaced.

Fast forward to today, the car made the same bucking motion, but this time, it happened right after I backed out of the parking space at the AutoZone. It did it when I accelerated out of the parking lot and a few more times at low speeds as I was driving home. I took it around the block after I installed the new blend door actuator and it seems to do it every time I put it in gear and drive off, accelerate from a stop, and then at a few other random spots. The tach goes a little crazy when this happens, jumping along with the rest of the car from 2000 up to 3000 and then back down again, which seems to me like it is something with the transmission.

I remember something like this happening to my mom’s Venture before we got rid of it; we took it to the mechanic and IIRC, he said it was a band that needed tightening.

I’m really hoping this isn’t anything sinister…any thoughts?

First off, scan for codes. Also, you don't mention what engine/transmission you have. Do you have the LX5 Shortstar 3.5L with the 4T65-E transmission? If so, then this could be a common and expensive solenoid, or maybe a throttle position sensor.

It's a '98 with the L36 3800 Series II and 4T65-E.

The fluid was a little low; once my dad got home, we put some in. It didn't seem to work, because the problem was still there. And now it's doing something else: when idling in park, the engine will run fine for a couple seconds and then start to sputter for a bit, then catch itself just before it stalls. Dad says if it were a bad plug or plug wire, it wouldn't be so intermittent; he thinks it might be something with a vacuum hose.

No codes came up when I plugged in the scanner and none of the gauge lights have come on.

dirty injector or failing fuel pump?

sounds similar to my monte's #4 misfire. 3.1L, but moved the wires from my sister's 3.4L grand am, and maybe the coils... but the rough intermitant idle... sounds similar.

Way for me to make a mountain out of a molehill...I took it to our mechanic yesterday, and a set of bad spark plugs and even worse plug wires later, the car's running better than the day I bought it.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone.

Well duh! You should have changed the plugs 37k miles ago according to your sig.

I guess when I bought it with 112,000 on the clock, I assumed the plugs were either new(er) or they'd be changed soon. Soon turned into 25,000 miles later...

so my experience was similar. good to hear you got it taken car of....and prolly pretty cheap.. certainly compared to tranny repairs. lol