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Dear mon,
Good p.m. and may this find you well. Your post raises a few questions:
(a) When was the tranny last completely flushed (i.e., all fluid replaced, versus draining the pan's contents, which are about 1/5 of the total)?
(b) When the tranny was last flushed, was Synthetic ATF used, or regular ATF?
(c) Is the ATF a pale rose red, or is it dark red, or is it brownish/black?
(d) Is the ATF clear, or it is cloudy/milky?
If the ATF is off-colour, i.e., not rose red, it is well overdue for a complete flush. This will take about 12 quarts of fluid: the AW71 tranny holds 9 quarts, so 12 quarts will ensure that all old fluid is removed.
If the ATF is cloudy/milky, that is a sign of water infiltration. That suggests a leak in the transmission oil cooler. This cooler is part of the radiator, on the passenger side (USA/Canada models). When this cooler fails, the radiator must be replaced. Flushing the tranny removes any trace of water. Water in a tranny attacks the glue, used to affix the clutches. Glue failure = clutch failure = tranny failure.
I'd reflush with Synthetic Fluid. If that - and a kickdown cable adjustment and/or replacement - does not put things right, find a good, low-miles, used tranny.
Do not have a rebuild job done. That's a waste of money. AW-71 trannies fail so rarely, that you can get them from a salvage yard, for short money (US$300). The salvage unit will need to be flushed twice: first with "Wal-Mart" ATF (Dexron III Mercon) - for 1,000 Km or so - and then with Synthetic ATF (e.g., Mobil 1).
Hope this helps.
Yours faithfully,
spook
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