The G type trans in fwd Mazda F2T cars is known for 5th gear pop-outs. Had issues with mine. I blew up the trans in my Ford Capri, the 4 speed with external shift linkages, via a clutch dump. I was extremely dumb with that car...
Haven't killed an auto yet but haven't owned many.
This brings me to the other reason why I think manuals are more reliable.
I hate the way most auto boxes are programed, most just annoy me to drive they way they are always looking for that last tenth on gas mileage. My current Mazda 5 does not annoy me nor does my Pathfinder, in fact neither did my Maxima. Apparently I'm only annoyed my non Jap programming. I don't like when they start out in second gear, I do like when they down shift on deceleration.
Maybe the constant gear hunting and converter unlocking just freaks out my internal mechanical sympathies.
I like buying manuals because I feel it's harder to hide problems.
That speaks to one of the greatest things about manuals or the worst thing about autos, which is that a manual's problems can be detected and diagnosed almost entirely by ear before taking it apart, while an auto can operate silently until it suddenly fails and you have no idea the extent of the problem until you disassemble it. This is really crucial for getting a good deal on a car that cost less than a transmission rebuild on itself. Buying a cheap car with a bad auto can be like throwing money out the window unless you have the werewithal to repair it yourself, and even then by the time you're done you may still wish you just hadn't done it.
In reply to Vigo :
An automatic can be easily diagnosed. Look at and smell the fluid. Take it for a drive.
Manual transmissions can hide their issues too. You wouldn’t be the first person fooled by sawdust in the gear oil or 90 weight gear lube used instead of ATF.
A clutch can take a blast of a fire extinguisher and give a slipping clutch one last day of use.
Bearings in a manual can go bad, the case can oval out. Worn syncro’s temporarily hidden.
Knowledge is king, if you know manuals well good for you, you’re one of a dying breed. I know manuals too, probably rebuilt a lot more than most. But even I know that automatics offer benefits manuals no longer can.
frenchyd said:In reply to Vigo :
An automatic can be easily diagnosed. Look at and smell the fluid. Take it for a drive.
I hope that's true and I learn how soon. 1.5 years of frequent driving and I still don't know what's causing my 4r70w to shudder. Yes I have tried the popular fixes. I'm 80% sure the TC is just worn out but until I can diagnose the sporadic engine stumble that doesn't throw a trouble code, I'm not certain. I'd hate to pull the trans and find out I had an ignition issue somewhere. Back when the shudder started I paid a trans shop to diagnose it and they claimed not to find any issues. Now that it's worse they might, but I don't care much anymore. If it blows up at least I'll know for sure what the issue is.
RealMiniNoMore said:ProDarwin said:What are some cars that are known for automatic transmission failure?
Almost anything with a 4L60E is suspect.
Almost any T-5 backing a V-8 is suspect.
Appleseed said:RealMiniNoMore said:ProDarwin said:What are some cars that are known for automatic transmission failure?
Almost anything with a 4L60E is suspect.
Almost any T-5 backing a V-8 is suspect.
Or a V6. Or an I6.
I hope that's true and I learn how soon. 1.5 years of frequent driving and I still don't know what's causing my 4r70w to shudder. Yes I have tried the popular fixes. I'm 80% sure the TC is just worn out but until I can diagnose the sporadic engine stumble that doesn't throw a trouble code, I'm not certain. I'd hate to pull the trans and find out I had an ignition issue somewhere. Back when the shudder started I paid a trans shop to diagnose it and they claimed not to find any issues. Now that it's worse they might, but I don't care much anymore. If it blows up at least I'll know for sure what the issue is.
Pulling the dipstick is useful if the fluid has been overheated or if there is a lot of clutch material coating everything (grey coating on the stick etc). If you have a bearing or bushing problem it won't show up in the fluid but could be detected by the debris in the pan. I'm just saying these things in general, not related to a shudder. Torque converter clutches in old 4spds generally only engaged in 3rd and 4th gears. So, if your problem only occurs above say 35mph at light throttle, that correlates to the conditions that the converter clutch would engage in. Older transmissions with lockup clutches also generally unlock the clutch with any brake application, so if you can make it shudder and then brush the brake pedal with your left foot and the symptom immediately goes away that also correlates to converter clutch. The converter clutch is somewhat akin to a manual clutch disc in that it is a large diameter so 'looseness/play' between the clutch disc and the shaft it splines onto can cause some decent runout at the edge of the disc and cause the clutch disc to rattle against the friction plates until the slack is gone and it's fully touching. They also have damper springs like a clutch and if those fail and you get the engine down to a low enough rpm you could get a continuous shudder (vs the other ideas which would only shudder while the clutch was engaging). Hopefully that helps. But, you mentioned a possible misfire. Misfires at lowish rpm (sub-2k'ish) while the converter clutch is locked can give you a pretty serious vibration in the driveline. The less cylinders you have, the more pronounced as the time between power pulses on the crank is greater, giving you a lower frequency shaking for a given crank rpm. If the truck shakes continuously at low rpm while the converter is locked you may have a misfire. That type would generally be ignition related. If you can make it do it continuously in the driveway then you can chase it in the engine bay with a temp gun on the exhaust ports or by unplugging coils/injectors looking for a lack of change (power balance test). If you can only get it to do it on the road, just make it do it until the check engine light starts to flash. Old fords are super annoying about not popping misfire codes until all the OBD monitors are complete, but im pretty sure they're required by law to flash the light and post a code for any misfire bad enough to overheat the catalytic converter, so make it act up as long as possible and see if the light starts flashing. Or if you have a scantool Ford was actually one of the better ones about having misfire counters in datastream when not all brands did. Some combination of all that should help you determine whether its a converter clutch engaging issue, a converter clutch engaged issue, or a low-rpm/high-load misfire that you are only feeling strongly because the torque converter clutch is locked up.
I will second what Vigo says about misfire. I thought the trans was fragged in our 2003 F-150. Bucking and massive deceleration, like it dropped 4th gear. Turns out a bad wire on cylinder 6 would drop in and out. It was weird.
I rebuilt the 4L60E in my van twice, once with a cap and rotor once with plugs and wires. It acted just like a bad converter or slipping clutch.
Sometimes the automatics take less than manuals. The GMPP tune kit for Solstice/Sky limits power lower for their automatic than for the Aisin manual trans.
I've never trashed a manual gearbox, not even racing, but I had an automatic go in my Chev wagon tow car once (thankfully not while towing). I managed to drive it home two miles by going backward - reverse was the only gear that sticl worked. A friedn had another auto kack on him.
Having said that, I've been favourably impressed with the old Chrysler Torquflites.
pres589 said:The G type trans in fwd Mazda F2T cars is known for 5th gear pop-outs. Had issues with mine. I blew up the trans in my Ford Capri, the 4 speed with external shift linkages, via a clutch dump. I was extremely dumb with that car...
Haven't killed an auto yet but haven't owned many.
It's also known for exploding the diff if you spin one tire in the ZX2.
Same for VW 020s, and they often didn't even need to get stuck, the rivet that held the crosspin in rhe diff would work loose and then Self-Machining Syndrome occurred, mainly on 16Vs.
Subaru manual transmissions are not known for their strength, either, when considering the splitcase 5 speed units.
I am thinking here of problems that result in actual carnage, not wimpy things like grindy synchros. Also not considering user error/abuse like the synchro spline foldover problem that VW 02J/M and 01E transmissions had.
Honorable mention: The T5 was baaaarely rated to handle the torque of a 5 liter V8 and they were common to break 3rd gear when used. And then there is the early ND 
Knurled. said:pres589 said:The G type trans in fwd Mazda F2T cars is known for 5th gear pop-outs. Had issues with mine. I blew up the trans in my Ford Capri, the 4 speed with external shift linkages, via a clutch dump. I was extremely dumb with that car...
Haven't killed an auto yet but haven't owned many.
It's also known for exploding the diff if you spin one tire in the ZX2.
That's a diff issue. Same goes for the Saturns. At least in the Saturn case, the manual and auto use the same diff.
ProDarwin said:Knurled. said:pres589 said:The G type trans in fwd Mazda F2T cars is known for 5th gear pop-outs. Had issues with mine. I blew up the trans in my Ford Capri, the 4 speed with external shift linkages, via a clutch dump. I was extremely dumb with that car...
Haven't killed an auto yet but haven't owned many.
It's also known for exploding the diff if you spin one tire in the ZX2.
That's a diff issue. Same goes for the Saturns. At least in the Saturn case, the manual and auto use the same diff.
....Where was this info when Quaife still made diffs for Saturns? Dangit, amother opportunity gone.
True those are diff issues, BUT it is true that manual transmissions cannot be as idiot-proofed as an automatic. Modern automatics hardly wear largely because the computer will shut the throttle/cut fuel/pull timing during shifts. Not like the old days when a smooth shift required slipping the clutches/bands while under load.
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