2000 le sabre gears shifting hard or slipping

try this.... How to Release Shifter thatis Stuck in Park

Hello Joe.
please say what works and does not.?
and on what road surface you are on, pavement, dirt, ice? what?
and what does winter mode mean. tell actual shift modes.
and what transmission options you have.

no do not rebuild anything, first is diagnosis.
never guess. or go broke fast,

• 130-hp, 2.2-liter I-4 (regular gas)
• 205-hp, 3.2-liter V-6 (regular gas)

• Transmissions:
• 5-speed manual w/OD
• 4-speed automatic w/OD

4x2
4x4
limited slip diff option?
Mode select transmission? option 4x4
this is part time 4wd and is not AWD , all wheel drive.
as such it is not for dry (ice-less) pavement and is for offroad.

so what surface are you driving on. 1st.
then in what mode.
are you messing up and using 4x4 on dry pavement
see here for what happens doing it wrong.
http://www.rubicon-trail.com/4WD101/driveline-bind.html

if you wind it up. the gear shift can lock up.
the solution is 2 ways.
drive to dirt shoulder and move slow and shift back to 2WD.
or if can't do that. (no grass , ice, no dirt)
jack up a front tire. and do same.
this unwinds the system.
then shift to 2wd.
some rare cars have partime system with a hidding slip clutch that
prevents wind up. this car dont.
nor does car have an AWD center differential.
good luck.

sounds like you may havea torque converter lockup issue, one way to check is while in slower traffic (15-35mph) gear down your transmission such that you are at a higher rpm (2000-2500) then take your foot all the way off the throttle, if it is in lockup your engine rpm will stay about the same, if not it will go to about idle.

If the tcc doesn't unlock while shifting it will shift very hard and if it slips it will make your temperature increase

Check the output sensor on the transmission,
With out a speedometer the transmission does not know how fast you are going or when it should shift

A reason for hard shifting could be a problem with many things with various degrees of seriousness. It could be your ATF( automatic transmission fluid) is low or broken down and old. This would cause the hardness and the reason for stop and go traffic effecting it. Another possibility is your transmission is just shot, and the timing gears inside are worn and not properly shifting at the correct RPM causing a **** during shifting.

Some possibilties, not all!

~Lucas

On a lot of vehicles there is a transmission speed sensor that receives data that tells it how fast the car is going and shifts accordingly. If this sensor is bad the transmission can't function properly. I would have this checked, they are not that terribly expensive, and not that hard to change on most vehicles. Hope this helps.

I had this exact problem on my 2005 5.3L Suburban... It would shift into 1 and 2 and reverse, but not 3 and 4.

I took it into a transmission shop, and he said the 3-4 shift solenoid was burned up. Wanted 1500 to fix it. Far from home, so I have to pay it.

check the vehicle speed sensor and the throttle position sensor if one of them are bad the transmission may not know when to shift

Had the same problem. had the soiniod body changedbeginning of winter. Tranny shift Smoother but problem can back the next spring but less often then before.

Noticed that it was happening on hot day and after driving no more than an hour. Noticed that it was happening also in stop and go traffic.

Sometimes just putting the Tranny at Park and stopping the engine on a RED light fixes the problem.

I haven't gone back to the Tranny Shop.

could possibly be the locking converter selinoed.