My EV seems to have a bad transmission. The dealer says it needs a new
one, and this he has decided upon only seeing and smelling the
transmission fluid. The van does not shift properly through the lower
gears, but runs fine at highway speed. Downshifting to go uphill is
sometimes troublesome.
If you're getting all the gears OK and it's just a matter of the shift points, I don't think you have a trans problem at all.
The rebuilder suggested that perhaps the "adaptation program" wasn't run
after the computer lost its memory. Is that possible?
Maybe. I find that it also can just get "confused" trying to satisfy the driver based on past driving-style learning that conflicts with current/immediate-future driving conditions.
Could that destroy a transmission?
Doubtful.
Or could it mean that I just need to have the "adaptation program" performed
It's very easy to do yourself. Do it.
Thanks most recently to dave_king_ev posting these up in another forum, these are the steps:
1. Turn on the ignition (don't start the engine).
2. Turn the ignition off.
3. Turn ignition on again -- without starting the engine -- and depress the accelerator all and hold the pedal there for at least ten seconds.
4. Release the accelerator pedal.
5. Start the engine in the regular manner.
6. Drive, making sure that the transmission shifts through all gears.
and the ATF flushed?
and filter changed. Although if the above reset fixes it *and* your fluid is nowhere due for it's "every 40K change", it might be a waste of effort at this point.
