Today I drove my 2004 Dale Jr. to my house 30 miles away(I currently live with my fiance) to pick up my mail. I left the car running and got the mail. I got back in the car and noticed my battery indicator in the instrument cluster display was on. It wasn't on when I first parked. As soon as I shifted into reverse, the light went out.

I had noticed right before this when I had gotten into town, that the tranny seemed to be acting funny, like it was slipping a little and like it wasn't shifting at the correct time.

I went to Autozone and had them check my battery and charging system. Battery tested bad and alternator tested good.

I bought a new Duralast Gold and installed it there. Tranny still acted funny when I first left Autozone but the closer I got to my fiance's house, it seemed to be shifting and acting normal.

I don't know how much a good battery plays into all of the electronics on this car working correctly and is why I ask this question.

Car has 98,500 miles on it. I changed the tranny fluid and filter at around 90,000 miles using Valvoline Dextron VI. I don't beat on this car because I know these tranny's are not the strongest.

This car does sit a lot and is probably why the battery went bad. The battery had just been replaced right before I bought the car in Dec 09 and the bummer is that it had a 3 year free replacement and the battery was still under that. It had an August 09 date on it. The battery was a Bosch. Since I didn't have the receipt and I don't know where the previous owner bought it, I was SOL.

So, has anyone had a bad battery cause some shifting problems?

Wayne

 

Hi `Wayne & yes a bad battery can do that...

Below are some links to check out...

1. Transmission Problems Caused by Battery Terminal Corrosion

1. 
   
2. www.atra.com/.../transmission_problems/transmission_problems_cau...Cached
   
3. Nov 18, 2011 – Corroded battery terminals or cables can cause all sorts of ... Automatic Transmission Rebuilders Association ... Every so often you notice it: The transmission shifts a little late, ... Your local ATRA Member shop is equipped to service your car's battery, including cleaning and repairing any issues with the ...
   
4. Bad battery cause the transmission to go into limp mode?` [Archive ...
   
   
   
   [Archive] Bad battery cause the transmission to go into limp mode?` Automatic Transmission Tech. ... I recently killed(then jumped) the small battery I have installed in said car and then ... I had the same problem with my car the alternator went bad, but ever since I put the new one on the tranny does not shift ...
   
   
   Get more discussion results
5. How to Determine If You Have a Faulty Transmission | eHow.com
   
   
   eHow | How to Videos, Articles & More - Discover the expert in you. | eHow.com › Car Repair & MaintenanceCached - Similar
   
   Here we will look at several common automatic transmission problems you are likely to encounter in ... If the transmission is shifting abnormally, this might be the cause. ... The signs and symptoms of a car battery going bad are similar to other
   

 

Space,
Thanks for the information. It makes me feel a little better. I didn't drive the car today so I don't know if it is still acting up. I Can't afford a tranny rebuild at the moment. Thanks.

Wayne

 

It's probably one or more of the solenoids going bad

Pressure Control Solenoid
TCC Solenoid
and of course the 1-2 and 2-3 shift solenoids.

Make sure you have enough fluid in it. If you do, you got some work to do.

Check your SES codes. P1811 means you need to replace a solenoid or two in the tranny, and it doesn't trigger the SES light to come on I believe.