MX-3.com

Hi, I'm new the this board and I feel very lucky to have found it. I have a 1994 MX-3 that I've had for a couple of years and I LOVE this car.

I am having problems right now with the ATX, at least I believe it it the ATX. I have not driven the car but for a couple of times in the past year due to being unemployed and no income to get my tags renewed. Anyhow I went to drive it the other day and it would not start in "park", but would start in "Neutral". Also it the RPM go high before it automatically shifts in from 1st to 2nd. I have no changed any fluids since I have had the car and I have not given it a tune-up.

Does anyone know what could be causing this problem. I don't know a whole lot about cars and like I said I have gone through a rough time with employment late (working pt now), so I don't have a whole lot of money for fixes. I love this car so much and it's so much fun that even if the fix would be pricey, I could let it sit and save the money.

Thanks in advance!

Hi Brad welcome to the site. Why not start by telling us where your from. Someone here might live close to you.

I'm in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, just south of Milwaukee.

Here's a thought...could be the shift linkage out of adjustment. If it is, and it's not being engaged fully in park, then it wouldnt start. When you say the RPM's go high before shifting, do you mean when you move the selector to drive, it rev's high and then clunks into gear...cuz if so, then that could also point to linkage issues...but if you're meaning that as you drive it, it revs pretty high before finally shifting into the next gear, then that could point to a number of issues. Easiest fix would be a direct swap for a used ATX...a step up would be converting it over to manual...search around this forum, as there are many posts on ATX issues, and I havent F*cked with those in a few years. Good luck, and welcome to the site.....

There is a product available called Trans-x that makes your automatic transmission fluid thicker, and adds life to it. That could potentially cause the high rev, or if you were low on fluid it could cause that. It could be a ton of things but fluid is the easiest to check and fix.