[big red]

Hey guys i just bought a '97 4x4 ext cab s10 automatic trans and i love it. the thing is on the way home from buying it it would only go into fourth gear upon letting off the gas so much it would slowly decelerate and going down hill it would go into fourth also. other than that it shift great, there is not metal or shavings on the dipstick and the fluid is very clear, like new fluid. then about half way home "service engine" light comes on so i have it checked at Advance auto parts and its a tranny code P187 "manufactures code". it gave me no bad part info at all. so i had them erase the code and it went into fourth fine after that even under acceleration it didn't shift into third, but once i turned around it starting doing the same crap of staying in third.

I am at a loss as to what the heack is going on

 

[84fiero123]

Sounds like someone just changed the fluid before you bought it to mask the burnt smelling fluid.

Sorry but if people never change the fluid in their automatic transitions and then all of a sudden do after never doing so believe it or not it can trash a trany.

 

[FireRed]

not sure if these later trannys have "vacuum modulators" but that is a similar issue that I had quite a few years back. Took it to the shop a five minute ride and a 20 minute fix and I was gone and happy.

Phil

 

[MrShorty]

Not every code reader can read manufacturer specific or transmission codes. The first step in diagnosing this is to find someone with a code reader capable of reading transmission codes.

Your '97 has a 4L60E transmission, which is all electronic controlled -- no vacuum modulators.