Bought the car 2 months ago from 92 yr. old first owner who had put only 50,000 miles on it in 20 years. I changed all the fluids, flushed the trans, changed the hoses. I have put 5,000 miles on it, and it runs, sounds, and looks brand new. Mechanic suggests putting a shift kit on it since it was "broken in as a short-drive car" and towing would be a different use. I already had planned to put a class 3 hitch and a transmission oil cooler. Is this all I need? What is a shift kit? What exactly does it do? How will it change the performance of the transmission? Thank you.
A shift kit is always a good idea when hauling a trailer. It is a kit that is installed in the transmission made up of gaskets seals and other small parts. Fairly easy to install. This makes the car shift faster, without lag in between gears. Normally if you had a tachometer your car may drop 1200 RPM'S while shifting, but with a shift kit, it would only drop 600 or so RPM"S Easier on fuel, and easier on transmission. Good investment in my opinion. Happy travels and cheers from Nova Scotia
Testimonial: "Thank you for the good information and quick response. I doubt that I could think so fast in chilly Nova Scotia. Stay warm there!"
SOURCE: Should i change tran fluid on xg300?
just change it,oil too old,it might low too coz of the shudder.
SOURCE: Engine overheats
As you probably know, you're not alone in this. There's many reports of the PT's overheating.
In my research, there's a couple of things that you haven't mentioned that are worth checking.
1. Have a pressure check done on the cooling system. This will possilbly show you a leak in a head gasket that could be allowing coolant into the the cylinder, or exhaust.
Another way to check is there's a test kit that can check if there's combustible/emission elements in your coolant- one of the above tests would be worth doing to see if with all the overheating if the cylinder head may have warped and allowed leakage at the head gasket.
2. There's alot of talk in the forums about the fan motor on your car. Apparently this fan is a 2 speed unit and even if the fan is working it may only be working on the lower speed. The fan contacts tend to wear out and it may be on yours that the low speed is working, but the high speed may not be.
Good luck on this... seems to me that with this much of a problem there would be need for a dealer recall..
Testimonial: "Thanks. I'm puzzled and frustrated. I've spent hundreds of dollars with no real relief. Other PT Cruiser owners hav the same problem. "
SOURCE: 5 speed manual transmission really hard to shift/change gears
The transmition is not the problem. The cables that run from the shifter to the transmition are the culpret. I recently rescued my wife from the road when the linkage broke on our VUE. I purchased new connectors and cables from the dealership and replaced them. For those that have the proper knowledge and skill set, you can replace them yourself. Others are better off having it done at a shop. The following is my personal experience and is not meant to be a guide, repair manual or procedure for those who lack formal automotive repair training! The new shifter cables come as a set. The cable with the white housing does not seem to be a problem. The cable with the black housing controls the push forward-pull back and the cable with the white housing controls the side to side movement. I found that the new cable with the black housing had the same sort of stiffness when I pushed and pulled the cable by hand. Then I noticed that the cable end was bent, causing it to bind in the housing. I straightened the end by bending it with my hands untill I felt the least amount of binding or resistance when pushing and pulling it. When I installed it the difference was amazing! I kept the old cable set for emergencies. The only tools you need to replace the cables and couplings are a 7mm socket on a screwdriver handle, a phillips head screwdriver and a pair of needle nose plyers. Remove the center console, (4, 7mm screws) and electrical connections. Then remove the plastic panels around the shifter, (7, phillips head screws and 2 plastic push pins) associated snap together panel fasteners and electrical connections. Pop each cable end off it's shifter joint/ball and push the collar back on each cable housing anchor. Pull the carpet back and push the rubber grommet through the firewall in the passenger footwell. Then pop the cable ends off at the transmition. Pull the old cable set out and reverse the procedure to install the new cables. There is an adjustment of the cable length. This should be done before replacing the plastic panels and center console. The new cable ends that attach to the shifter can be positioned/adjusted. Looking at the old cable pair you will see where the old clips were positioned and can start with that. Then run the shifter through all the gears to make sure they all engage. If you run out of travel on the shifter handle re-position the clips on the cable ends, as needed, to get full gear engagement without running out of travel.
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