flashing hold light

[nitebatman]

I have a 92 automatic and about a week ago the hold light started to flash in sort of a timed flashing pattern. <BR>I figured out from the past posts that it means a transmission problem. I flushed the fluid and junk, and it stopped for about a day or two.<BR>Now it's back to flashing again, only now when I am braking or at a stand still.<BR>I would rather not have to take it to Aamco or another transmission shop if it is something I can do on my own.<BR>Any ideas?<BR>If I have to go in, I would at least like to have an idea of what could be wrong. Because right now, I don't have a clue.<BR>Thanks for any help.

[neverenuff]

Hey man whats up?Dude i have the same prob but let me explain ok i just got my trany done not to long ago when i got it back that hold light was flashing but i also did'nt have the speedo cable hook up they forgot to hook it up so once they hooked it up no more flash now recently i painted my guage cluste and had to unscrew the cable again and i am painting the shifter pannel so in order for me to get the pannel out i had to cut the hold button wire in order to get the shifter knob out.so now the hold light flashes but only on cold start up it weird any how id say try to unscrew the cable and then rescrew it and see what happens .if it works let me know.<P>l8ta

[Skiddy]

I don't think the hold feature has really anything to do with the tranny. There is a button on the auto shifter and if you push it, it HOLDS the gear so you can accelerate up hills or want to pass someone easier. If your tranny is running fine i wouldn't worry about the light, it is probably a loose cable.

[nitebatman]

Thanks for the advice Customs. <BR>But I got a dumb question for you. I'm not at my car right now and I want to be able to handle this as soon as I get home. <BR>What does the speedo cable look like? [img]shrug.gif"%20border="0[/img] <BR>I hope that is the problem.

[neverenuff]

Well I got to tell ya i undid mine and out it back in and it solved mine after I wrote the post I said f*#k it and went out there and did it.it comes out the fire wall on the drivers side about level with the speedo cluster and goes right down into trany you have to unscrew the intake first to get to were it goes into trany.hope that help let me know how you made out.

[ras]

The flashing hold light means your transmission is going south. Mine started that about 2 months ago, and one month later I had to have it rebuilt. So don't ignore it. Mine did exactly the same thing. Then it started to slip going into gear. After that it would only go into 2nd not Drive. In drive the car would just rev like it was in neutral. Good luck.

[renef]

Flashing HOLD light means your transmission needs a checkup.<P>Problem Soleniod - common<BR>Transmission Fluid - commom<BR>Clutch - common<BR>Overheating - possible<P>Regardless of what the actual problem is, it's going to be expensive.<BR>Make sure they put back all of the sensors and grounding cables.<P>You reset the ECU by removing the negative battery cable and step on the brake for 6-8 seconds.<P>RF

[spllogics]

i have the same problem , i tok mine to a tran. shop and they said my tranny didnt have a 2nd gear anymore. they will usually test it for free and tell ya what the problem is , but make sure to get a 2nd opinion from another shop.

[alanp]

I have a similar problem with my daughters 1992 MX-3. The only strange thing about it is that the HOLD light blinks even when the engine is off, but the key is turned to the "START" position.<P>Any suggestions?

[spllogics]

mine is the same way , even if its cut off and in start it blinks , it aggrivates me .

[cap4004]

I just found a TSB released by Mazda in 1998 with info on a possible cause of the flashing hold light. I have included the summary below. Unfortunately, I do not have access to the complete bulletin. My hold light is also flashing, so if someone could post (or email) a scanned copy of the bulletin, that would be great! Otherwise, maybe someone with access to it could provide some details...<p>Summary of TSB 01098
SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT ERRATIC SHIFTING, O/D OFF INDICATOR LIGHT FLASHING WITH MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP ON AS A RESULT OF THE VALVE BODY HARNESS (TRANSAXLE FLUID TEMPERATURE SENSOR CIRCUIT) BEING PINCHED BY A METAL CLIP WHICH IS ATTACHED TO THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL VALVE BODY, CAUSING A SHORT / OPEN CIRCUIT.

[cap4004]

How to check transmission codes when the hold light is flashing:
Under the hood, on the drivers side find the diagnostic connector. Under the cover of the connector, there should be a terminal diagram. Jump the TAT and the GND terminals. Turn the ignition to ON (no need to start the car). The flashing pattern of the hold light should have changed. The code for Vehicle Speed Sensor (common) is six short flashes followed by a 4 second pause.
Let me know if you get a different code, and I will look it up. (This info is for GS models, prob. the same for both, though.)