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ok, so as usual it did go away after a weekend of letting it sit while i was out of town and no one driving it. as for the fluilds, i do the tranny flush every 50-60k filter and all. just did it @130K. its not the button, ive tryed that while sitting in all gears parked and moving, even reverse- no go.the coolant fan does run all the time even with all the air control knobs off. i always let the car warm up for about 5-10 min. in the morn. or afternoon when leaving work, the fan still starts up when the car does. so im wondering if the guy with the nova is possibly on the right track with a possible sensor issue.the trans will go thru all four gears when driving just not the last, ive had the thing up to six grand and still didnt shift into od. i didnt have it @6k for long either, im not gonna blow it up, lol. if you guys have any other ideas let me know.oh, while the engine light was on there was no code spit out either.thanks

had a similar problem in my g6. wouldn't shift outta first at times, other times it wouldn't go into 4th. was a defective gate valve. they had to tear apart the tranny to replace it. has worked beautifully ever since.i'd not advise continuing to drive with it in the event is mechanical. i did and something finally broke, stalled out the car and ended up stranding me on the side of the road. threw codes and everything. managed to "limp" to the dealership, but was an unpleasant experience.

Ok great that you do and did the flushes, that is important. The coolant sensor COULD be the fault if that sensor is not reading temperature correctly then it could be sending that bad info back to the powertrain control module to keep the car in closed loop for warm up. It is either closed or open loop, I always get them mixed... I say this also based on your fan issue...That said I would put a coolant temp sensor on the car for a try if it is not too expensive. I have no idea where it is but can look on the GM serv manuals. The other thing to check is your radiator. If it is getting plugged up from the bottom, I could see this too throwing off the coolant temp sensor. Use an infrared thermometer and point it at the lower section of the rad. You can also touch both the upper and lower rad hoses for temp. If after it has been driven awhile and either hose is cold and not real warm, you have an issue in the rad. At 153K I am sure you rad may not last many more years. Going to check the serv manuals, be right back...THE COOLANT TEMP SENSOR IS A GUESS BASED FROM YOUR OTHER POST, I AM NOT CERTIN OF THIS SINCE I HAVE NEVER HAD THIS ISSUE...

Here is the procedure on replacing the coolant temp sensor... IM me and I cna print and email you the procedure with the pics. It does not look like a hard job to do at all. Drain the engine coolant. Refer to Cooling System Draining and Filling in Engine Cooling. Disconnect the ECT sensor electrical connector (1) from the ECT sensor (2) located next to the upper radiator hose on the cylinder head. Remove the ECT sensor (2) from the cylinder head. Installation Procedure Notice: Replacement components must be the correct part number for the application. Components requiring the use of the thread locking compound, lubricants, corrosion inhibitors, or sealants are identified in the service procedure. Some replacement components may come with these coatings already applied. Do not use these coatings on components unless specified. These coatings can affect the final torque, which may affect the operation of the component. Use the correct torque specification when installing components in order to avoid damage. Install the ECT sensor (2) into cylinder head. Tighten Tighten the ECT sensor to 20 N·m (14 lb ft).Connect the ECT sensor electrical connector (1). Refill the engine coolant. Refer to Cooling System Draining and Filling in Engine Cooling.

Here is what I found under auto trans for no OverDrive...No O/D-3, 3-2, or 2-1 Kickdown Problem Action Faulty shift solenoid Inspect the shift solenoid. Fault within electronic control system Perform the Powertrain On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) system check. Faulty valve body Inspect the valve body.

The car is not giving any codes then right? I assume you would have mentioned it if so. I do see now in this post the light WAS on. Who connected it to see there was no code stored? The light came on for some reason and should be stored in history (a good scan tool will tell you this) unless it was cleared. A good scan tool may also be able to monitor the trans while driving and lead to the issue. Mine will do this... Possibly even make it shift into OD by command. I am not sure if a trans code with trip the light though myself. If you are ever in my area we can use my GM Tech 2 and hook it up to see for free.

hey guys thanks for the info. what tech center are you at, milford?the temp sensor sound logical and so does the silonoid too. ill have to get the service man. for the car. i only have the owners manual. if you could email me the manual portion for the sensor for the rad the would be great. dos194@gmail.comthanks agian to all of you.

Heres a bunch of manuals from the matrix site http://matrixowners.com/?showtopic=63212

That pic is the Tech Center in Warren. I used to work there but the Tech Center is near my old building when I took that pic. I will email you the sensor replacement procedure. Again though, I am not sure this is the true cause of your intermittent OD issue... Just wanted to state that again!The better first check is of there is a P code stored. That would pinpoint the issue better.

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »had a similar problem in my g6. wouldn't shift outta first at times, other times it wouldn't go into 4th. was a defective gate valve. they had to tear apart the tranny to replace it. has worked beautifully ever since.I've never heard of a gate valve. What's that?

The possible reasons I can think of for missing O/D.A TCM/control system related problem. A quick check to see if this is the case is to look at the shift control signals to the shift solenoids. Also failsafe is O/D so this seems to suggest a mechanical problem - of course the shift solenoid could be mechnically jammed.There are 2 shift solenoids and the binary bit pattern (00 01 10 and 11) gives you the 4 gears. I think you will be possibly be missing other gears if one of the solenoids went out due to this but I need to check the table for this info. If the problems is electrical like a broken coil you should get an error code.stuck 3-4 shift valve.leaking seals or sticking clutch piston in the underdrive clutch .The last one will require teardown of the trans. Go from the easiest to the hardest in order until you find the issue - hopefully it is nothing major.Have you tried a simple fluid change and filter/pan magent clean - that may help if some debris has jammed the clutch piston or shift vale.

Quote, originally posted by blue_can »The possible reasons I can think of for missing O/D.A TCM/control system related problem. A quick check to see if this is the case is to look at the shift control signals to the shift solenoids. Also failsafe is O/D so this seems to suggest a mechanical problem - of course the shift solenoid could be mechnically jammed.There are 2 shift solenoids and the binary bit pattern (00 01 10 and 11) gives you the 4 gears. I think you will be possibly be missing other gears if one of the solenoids went out due to this but I need to check the table for this info. If the problems is electrical like a broken coil you should get an error code.stuck 3-4 shift valve.leaking seals or sticking clutch piston in the underdrive clutch .The last one will require teardown of the trans. Go from the easiest to the hardest in order until you find the issue - hopefully it is nothing major.Have you tried a simple fluid change and filter/pan magent clean - that may help if some debris has jammed the clutch piston or shift vale.I agree and think it is more mechanical or a command issue. Above he stated he just did and has done the fluid changes.

Sorry I'm down with a cold and probably missed that part. Time to have it correctly dianosed. Based on the symtoms I'm also more inclined to say mechanical but hopefully it is inside the valve body which is a much simpler job than pulling the trans out.