!!!!! EMERGENCY, please help if you can!

[Mybluelt4me]

Hey everyone, I am writing to you from Days Inn in El Reno Oklahoma about 100 miles east of Amarillo, Texas..

I bought my 2014 Chevy sonic LT with 161,000 miles on it. Everything seems to be going good except for this “clunk“ that I would feel when decelerating from high speeds down to first gear. I’m now reading on this form probably too late. That is actually kind of normal for the Chevy sonic.

Anyway, I’ve just taken it across the country from Michigan to Phoenix and I’m not quite there yet. I’m trying to make the run in two days yesterday I left Michigan at 4 AM and I arrived in El Reno at approximately 12 AM today.

The trip for the most part was very uneventful. With the exception of the fact the check engine light was on when I left however, we reset the code the code was talking about a mass airflow sensor being replaced which we replaced and we fixed a sway bar before I started my journey.

Again, it was a pretty smooth trip. The radiator fans have been on the whole time on the trip and my air conditioning is not working and we think that’s a thermostat sensor.

approximately half hour before my destination, I stopped off at a gas station and when I started again, I noticed that it took a second to shift from 1st to 2nd and then from 2nd to 3rd the best way to describe. This is the sound like it was in neutral when I push the gas for the transmission, caught the gear.

I returned it to the highway to continue the last 5 miles to the hotel once I got up to high-speed and put the cruise on. I didn’t feel a problem anymore however, when I got off the highway to go to the hotel, I felt it slipping again I’m absolutely petrified to continue my trip and don’t know what to do.

Should I try to Phoenix have someone look at it over the weekend? Should I go to Amarillo and see if someone can pull a code from it or I know you guys mentioned changing fluids you mentioned checking a few things, but I’m on the road road in the middle of a 2000 mile trip and that’s only one way I’ve still gotta go back another 2000 back to Michigan

I’m hoping someone out there can give me a hand. I’m not looking for money just advice on what to do next. I’m supposed to leave the hotel at 6 AM to continue my trip to arrive in Phoenix by 9 PM tonight.

I will gladly deviate for an hour or so if necessary to make sure the Sonic is running good but again I’m not feeling any problems when I reach highway speeds

Thanks for chiming in. I can’t wait to see your responses are sleeping right now, but hopefully someone reaches out soon.

Sonic currently has 162,134 miles on the car. I am unaware of any mechanical services or attempts to fix/replace/rebuild the transmission in this car prior to me owning it.

EDIT: I will probably have already left the hotel and be back on the road by someone in time someone reads this. I will look under the car for any fluids. I’m not sure where I would check to see if the fluid is burnt under the hood. As soon as someone replies, I’ll reply back thank you..

 

[Amish_Country_Sonic]

By the time anyone responds to you on this web site, you would be a grandfather and your Sonic would be a distant memory. For a light years response, and I mean a very long time, I would go to this Facebook Sonic group that I belong to. This group will post at least 4 post's a day and more, with a very active participation. here is that group link along with another very good non Facebook group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/437272846317888

 

[Amish_Country_Sonic]

And, another group that is really good on a web site just for Sonics. https://www.reddit.com/r/ChevySonic/

 

[Mybluelt4me]

By the time anyone responds to you on this web site, you would be a grandfather and your Sonic would be a distant memory. For a light years response, and I mean a very long time, I would go to this Facebook Sonic group that I belong to. This group will post at least 4 post's a day and more, with a very active participation. here is that group link along with another very good non Facebook group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/437272846317888

Yeah sadly that’s the case for most things, everyone would rather buy Zuckerberg another yacht then to use the message boards.

As for the car it was running great at 6am, I just stopped fo gas after driving 584 miles. It’s slipping in first and second, higher gears no issues YET!

@Amish_Country_Sonic if you know anyone on that group that could push my membership through I’d appreciate it, or maybe you could start a post for me??

 

[Amish_Country_Sonic]

Yeah sadly that’s the case for most things, everyone would rather buy Zuckerberg another yacht then to use the message boards.

As for the car it was running great at 6am, I just stopped fo gas after driving 584 miles. It’s slipping in first and second, higher gears no issues YET!

@Amish_Country_Sonic if you know anyone on that group that could push my membership through I’d appreciate it, or maybe you could start a post for me??

You can join the 2 groups like I did, its easy, just go over to both of them and create a user name and password!

 

[RichSPK]

Ugh. F'ing facebook.

So, your Sonic is an automatic? The engine type is probably irrelevant, but it wouldn't hurt to mention it. My experience with automatics ended with TH-350s & -400s decades ago. You may be looking at a new transmission or simply replacing a sensor that's preventing the transmission from shifting correctly; I don't know.

I'm amused that you say everything was going good except for this and this and that weren't working right.

 

[ozonetrooper]

Only took the FB sonic people two days to approve my membership request.

Have you had the transmission fluid level checked ?

If you do not know how to check the level take it to an Autozone or similar place and they should be able to do that.