2000 SS, Won't reverse, shifts fine.
 

Hi,

My 2000 Monte Carlo SS has been doing fine for the most part until today. Shifter handle was a little bit tighter than usual when shifting into Reverse for a few weeks before however. Today I started to feel it slip a bit when pressing the gas in reverse, progressively getting worse until I tried to back up on a sloped driveway and it was stuck, almost no power whatsoever. (I was able to get out by driving forward through someone's yard lol.) It is able to reverse only on flat pavement, if I keep it at a very low throttle level it can still catch and barely move. Any more than a tiny bit of gas and it just revs. It still shifts fine from all appearances, and there is no slipping I can detect when moving forward. Possibly related, accelerating while turning causes a sort of mild vibration/grinding feeling from somewhere, which feels like braking with warped brake disks. The car is usually parked on a steep driveway which I have been backing it out of (uphill) almost daily.

Any idea on what is likely the problem? Is it possibly the transmission solenoid or some other part I can have replaced, or does it look like I need an entire new transmission?? Car has almost 102k on it and also needs a $450 tuneup/valve cover replacement. However, besides all that it is in really great condition for its age, worth more to me than I paid, and I would hate to part with it. At the same time, $1600 for a replacement 4T65E transmission + $700 for labor would be a huge stretch for me. I'm a poor college student working 2 jobs, both of which I essentially need my car for, and really don't want to think about buying a car I can't afford right now. For now I just avoid driveways and dirt roads with no turn arounds!

I'm going to talk to several shops tomorrow morning to have it looked at and get quotes, but I'd like to see what you guys with Monte Carlo experience would suggest for me.

Any help appreciated, thanks so much!