we have a 2001 chevy malibu automatic with 119,000..we have never had a problem with it but this past Moday?

Question

morning, i started it up and right away the chk eng. lite came on and stayed on..when I backed out of the drive everything seemed to b ok but when I put the car in drive it seemed to shift pretty hard and then shifted pretty hard into 1st gear..after that it ran smooth..I have been drivivng it all week and the chk eng lite is still on and it is still shifting hard into drive and 1st gear but it has not gotten any worse..I took it to auto zone and they hooked it up to their little comp gauge and said it showed to have a code indicating that a vacuum hose mite be off somewhere??? We don't even see any vacuum hoses..any ideas.. we have recently had some medical expenses so I dnt have the $ to have a mechanic check it out..I called 4 diff ones and they said 100.00 just to tell you whats actually wrong..in our owners manual it says you shouldn't even have to check the transmission fluid..only change it out completely after so many miles..any good mechanics out there???

Sorry..but will a loose gas cap make the tranny shift hard into drive and 1st gear? If the tranny is going out is that a sign or would it just go out all @ once? I also should have mentioned that my son did drive it over the weekend and he said he was MAD @ his girlfried and when he was pulling out of her drive before the car stopped he slammed it from reverse to DRIVE..yes, that was stupid of him but could that have caused some damage?? He did tell me the truth and offered to pay for the repair but then again he is only 17 so ot may take him a long time to pay me back if he tore the tranny up..thx..I love this site,,people are always so helpful

Answer 1

It would have been helpful to have included the code number in your question. You're not going to get much help without it.

Answer 2

Since everyone is saying check for a vacuum leak the best way to check is to take a hand held propane torch, turn it on but DO NOT light it, and with your Eng wormed up running run the touch along anything that looks like it might be a vacuum hose, if the rpm changes as you pass the torch over something you have found your leak.
Of course you don't want to do this for an hour inside a close shop but you should already have good ventilation since you have to have the car running already

Answer 3

Disconnect the battery to reset the computer.
Check for the vacuum leak by spraying a small amount of WD 40 or Carburetor cleaner on to the vacuum lines in short bursts . When the spray hits the leak area the engine should rev up a little or stumble depending on which spray you use. If you don't know which does what, then spray a little into the carb while the engine is running.

Answer 4

Find the vaccuum hose with a tear or a hole or one that is disconnected. You will have to get in there and hunt around. Should be one about 3/8" that goes toward the tranny.

Answer 5

Start it up.
Open the hood.
Now, listen for a sucking/hissing noise around the engine.
You may need to slide your hand behind the engine intake to find the vacuum port that is sucking air.
The little hose should be dangling near it.

Answer 6

there is very little that is vacuum controlled on your vehicle...check...e.g.r. valve connection....power brake connection.....in any case this should not affect your transmission.....have you ever had the fluid& filter changed?...there is also a trans. lock up selonoid on your transmission....check these out ...& get back to us....good luck!.........by the way....don,t listen to those who tell you that there is a vacuum line to your tran,s....hasnt had a vacuum modulator for over 20 year,s.