Ok guys I need HELP..... Car was driving fine, stopped at stop light, light turned green and car would not move. No gears at all.. Transmission fluid doesnt smell burnt or anything.... What should I be looking at?

 

As unfortunate as it sounds, the symptoms point to the torque converter turbine shaft having been sheared.

If you dont know, a torque converter is basically the clutch mechanism for automatic transmission cars, and acts based on fluid principles. Essentially it is a pump filled with trans fluid. The Flywheel connects to your engine and is what transfers the power to the turbine section of the torque converter. As the engine rpms increase, the fluid pressure in the turbine section builds, allowing more and more power to be transmitted to the output shaft, which is what turns your gears, and thus, turns the wheels.

So, the part is probably still spinning properly, there has just been a physical disconnect in the shaft. Unfortunately I dont know how much a torque converter costs in labor to replace, if that truly is the problem, but the part itself on rockauto.com is just over 100 dollars.

Hope this helps you figure it out!

 

So I need to start tearing it apart?

 

If you are mechanically sound and think you have the ability to repair a transmission AND you have something else that will get you where you need to go in the meantime, I dont see a reason against it. I have never actually worked on a transmission, because I focus more on engine problems, but people tell me that Automatic trans are much more complicated than a simple 5 speed manual considering everything has to be just so for it to work properly.

Its your car, and you can do what you want, but take it under advisement that when you get down to it there are many things that could happen.

either...

(1) thats not the real issue

or

(2) It is the issue, and may have caused many other internal problems that might be beyond just a backyard repair

 

If you do decide to do it, I would invest in Chilton/Haynes repair manual and a GM repair manual. That way you have the broadest range of information available to you as you go through the steps

 

Someone told me to check Shift solenoids....

When car is running there is no abnormal noises.

 

That would be a much cheaper alternative, probably a good idea to start with the cheapest thing then work your way up. From what I know about solenoids, you would most likely have had issues leading up to the total failure? Over shifting? Problems shifting into and out of gear?