Hopefully someone out there is great at figuring out a problem based on a super vague description of the problem.
Cutting to the chase; 2nd gear on my cobalt gone. It happened after it was making a shift for 2nd when it gave a strong tug and and the rpms revved up almost like in neutral.

Now when driving, just when you'd expect it to shift into 2nd, you feel a slight gentle tug and a minor (100 - 200 rpm) drop then its like it is still in first as it revs up to around 4000 rpm before going right to 3rd.

I doubt it is the clutch pack for 2nd since it never was slipping or showing signs of slipping before. My best guess is a seal somewhere kicked the bucket or a solenoid stopped working.

Any thoughts anyone?
Hopefully the trans isn't shot since that'll most likely result in the car being totaled.

 

I call cams....lol im jk not sure what the prob is buddy but hope you find a solution

 

What happens when you drop to "L" when going over 40 mph?

Sounds like its done for though.

 

Out of curiosity how many miles are on it?

 

Just about 81k miles are on the car. You can put the selector anywhere you want but it wont ever get 2nd. Just a soft soft soft tug when it goes to try to get into second but nothing happens and it keeps going along in first until it shifts into 3rd.
I can't try any suggestions now though since I dropped it off at a service center since I'm starting a new 6 month internship over the summer next week and need it working by Monday.
This isn't the first time this car kicked me in the teeth and ran off with my wallet though. I'm starting to think about replacing it even if this does wind up to be a cheap fix.

 

I just had mine replaced a month ago.

Welded the 3rd and 4th clutches together.

 

I'm surprised mine hasn't imploded @ 136k

 

it may be a broken accumulator piston, although i dont see that happening often with the 4t45e. it wont be a solenoid problem, there are 2 shift solenoids used for all 4 gears, a bad solenoid will generally make the car have only 2 gears, as well as set a solenoid electrical code.

its really a tough call to say what happened, however the damage is now done and the transmission is going ot have to come out and all apart. its possible a piston delaminated, however its also not very common. being the rpm does come down a little when it attempts to shift to 2nd its no going ot be a broken planetary gear or stripped splines. when it comes apart you will find 2nd gear clutch burnt up.

 

I'm hoping to hear back from them later today. If the trans is shot then I'm going to have to think long and hard if I want to keep the car. I'm still hoping for good news today and that it's something simple. I just don't have the time or money to be feeding this thing parts. About 3 weeks ago it already sucked me out 1200 bucks because its timing chain guide fell apart and almost ruined the engine when it came out of time. Bits and pieces of the plastic trim fasteners are dropping off left and right, both rear calipers need to be replaced since something went wrong with the ebrake ratchets in them, both vvt solenoids needed to be replaced, horrible piston slap on cold mornings (maybe not a problem but really annoying), replaced flex pipe when the stock one split open.

 

Look around for a used one. I found mine for $270...but labor kills if you cant replace yourself

 

So it seems that these trans either hold very well or basically get fucked over. Least theyre semi cheap

 

Well I got back word today. They dropped the pan and found what was left of the second gear clutches in the pan. Either heat or rpm or both caused it to shatter. Since I need the car back asap we're just swallowing the the cost on this one at around 3 grand for a gm remanufactured unit (parts + labor + tax).

 

You can get a used 4T45 for $400 at a junkyard

 

srsly...do this

 

Buying a new trans is just silly in this situation. If you gonna spend that type of money then buy a built one from ZZP. I really hope the dealership doesn't take advantage of this guy

 

a used transmission isnt always the best way to go. yes, you can get a 4t45e for around $400, if you pull it out yourself. at my sop we generally end up paying $800-1200 for a used transmission, delivered to our door, depending on what its out of. now, add in labor time, re/re of a cobalt automatic is listed at 8.0 hours, add in 1 hour for changing parts over and changing the axle seals and front seal, and replacing the filter. shop rate at my shop is just under $100/hr, so we will roughly say $900 in labor. add in around 10l of dexron VI fluid at around $4/l, thats another $40. so your roughly at $2k to put a used transmission in your car, and that falls right into the average of a used unit being 2/3 the cost of a rebuilt transmission. now keep in mind that most used transmission come with a 30-90 day warrenty, however the auto wreckers does not pay the labor or cost of new fluid, so if the used, unknown condition transmission fails, yes you get a new one, however you need to pay close to $1k to get it replaced again. now your at the same price of a rebuilt transmission.

believe it or not, its the truth. i go through this with customers on a daily basis. everyone thinks you can buy a used transmission and slap it in their car for a few hundred bucks, its just not the case anymore. i suppose at one time you could, but you were at the same risk of it not working. i had one job a few years back where we put 4 transmission into one car before we got one that sort of worked ok. the guy could have bought 2 rebuilt transmission for what it cost him. a used unit may be good if you can do the install yourself, your only real risk you have is your time. however most people cant, swapping a transmission in a modern car isnt something most can undertake on jackstands in their driveway.

 

Time constriction and the guarantee of the transmission working is why we're getting the one from GM. I know I can get a physical transmission for 200 some bucks but I drive around 450 miles a week so I need something I can rely on. I don't think I would have felt confident in one I just pulled out of a wrecker yard and had my friend help install. Sharkey is confirming what I was already suspecting. Thanks
I'm done playing with the car though. At least my 2.4 seems so fragile that anything added to it just breaks it. I was going to get a supercharger for it this summer but with the transmission going and the chain guide a few weeks ago I just don't think this car would survive it and I don't see the point pouring in $ to make it survive it just for 50 or so extra hp. I'm jealous that other people's 2.4s are adding 75 or 100 more hp and not coming apart but I'll just wait until the next car.