99 Corolla DOES NOT MOVE!!!

[nos92lx]

Hi all,

I am hoping someone can help me here....

I have a 1999 Toyota Corolla with an automatic transmission and about 91,000 miles on it. It has been sitting at my mom's house for a few months because I travel for work and am never home. During that time, it was never started so the battery died.

Last week, I had it towed down to a shop to get a new battery put it in. The guy at the shop threw new brakes in it as well (it needed fronts).

I drive it for 1/2 a day and all seems well. Then I noticed a little slip of the tranny. I drive a bit longer and it is slipping worse and worse. I went into a store, come out an hour later, start the car, put it in gear and nothing. Car would not move in any of the gears, including reverse. I was able to feather the gas and get to to barely slide into gear to make it the 2 miles home.

I think the transmission is shot. Can a tranny go as quickly as that? A few slips and then nothing? That day was the first day I ever felt the tranny slip at all. If it needs replacing, how much will this cost me?

Thanks,
Wayne

[Donald]

First thing I would check is the transmission fluid level.

[waitin4BOOST]

Sadly mine died about the same time...all of sudden too.

Check the fluid level and colour....should be some form of red'ish tint (cherry cough syrup if the fluid is good), anything brown or remotely red is no good.
Also check the front engine mount on the tranny....mine was busted, the insulator was pretty torn up and most likely the cause of tranny failure.

You can usually tell if the mounts are bad when the D/R gear engages pretty rough.

[nos92lx]

I am am traveling again, so can't check it now. If the tranny level was low or brown, would it cause the symptoms I mentioned above? I wonder if a flush of the fluid would help?

If not, what would a replacement tranny cost? Would a rebuild be cheaper?

I am so mad. I was going to sell the car when I got back. Now I have to deal with all this.

[Bitter]

its all downhill after the first slip, you should have stopped right there and had it towed to the shop.