Saturn sky jerks when shifts down

SOURCE: 2004 Saturn Vue shifting problem

You should probably check the shifter cable. I had the same thing happen and then I couldn't shift into 2nd, 4th, and reverse gears. Then the cable snapped and I had to replace it. Be careful "man-handling" the shifter. If you break the shift linkage at the base of the shifter it's about $45 from the dealership. It's cheap plastic and doesn't take much to break. If you really want to know if it's the shift cable and not the gearbox crank the engine, have someone hold the clutch, disconnect the shift cables from the box, and manually shift the gears. If they move smooth, it's probably your cable which would mean there's a kink in it somewhere. You can't fix that. Depending on the VIN you're looking at anywhere from $189 (what mine cost with tax) to a little over $200 (from the dealership brand new). Talk to the parts desk at a Saturn dealership and they can tell you which one you need. Hope this helps

SOURCE: 2001 Saturn SL2 shifting hard jerks...sometimes

This could be a dirty filter. i would start there and replace fluids with lucas tranny fluid. Does it change when the car warms up i wonder ?

Ricky Gittins

• 715 Answers
• Posted on Jun 26, 2009

SOURCE: Do I have linkage problems, or something more

Ok, remove the console so you can look at the shifter, there is a plastic piece that attaches the cable to the shifter knob, this breakes, you can go to Saturn ,but they want almost $200 for both cables (they don't sell the plastic piece) BUT THERE IS GOOD NEWS, Napa sells the plastic replacement part at a cost of $20 I am assuming that your car is a manual, part is fairly easy to install,(remove the shifter without removing the cables)
Good luck

SOURCE: 1997 sL1 Saturn manual transmission hard to change gears

The dipstick is behind the battery, below the master brake cylinder and is not the clutch reservoir. It has a red flip top handle instead of a ring like most dipsticks. It was hard for me to find due to engine grease. I had the same problem and was able to see that I was low on fluid (only a little) and adding fluid helped the problem. Questions? kurt1431 at comcast dot net.

Jta91

• 99 Answers
• Posted on Jul 30, 2009

SOURCE: Jerks going into 3rd Gear

You the beginnings of what is known as the reverse slam. If caught early enough it is fixable. However, most times a rebuilt valve body is in order. I do it for around $200. For the record any late 1992-2002 valve body will work, those are the type II. Type I won't work and is 1992-early 1992 years.