Thread: Shifting hard

Check engine light on? Does it have harsh shift all the time or just after driving for awhile?

May try cleaning the MAF sensor. What shift is hard? Upshift and downshifts?

Try getting it scanned with the proper software not a code reader. Check for pending codes.

What did you actually do? Cold air intake and all is good? Was any other work performed?

if that problem comes back, pull the trans harness connector on the trans, and cut the brown wire on the bottom row of the connector- for the TCC clutch.
then clear all the codes, disconnect the battery then reconnect, and drive it.
stop/go mileage will be the same, if not even better. my 3800 w/4t65e got 22-23mpg average before and after disabling the TCC clutch
no difference.
you can put a switch on it to engage only on long highway trips, but then you run the risk of it eventually having harsh shifts again.
the only way around it is, pull the trans, have it completely disassembled, cleaned, and also flush the converter, or replace the converter.
because the clutch dust created by the TCC running its normal duty cycle on/off, goes through the trans and clogs up the valve body valves and solenoids.
that trans was a total compromise from day 1 design, and it's a wonder some of them run 175-200k miles before clogging up.
anytime you have a harsh shifting, or stuck TCC clutch on a 4765e, always cut the brown wire, clear codes, and disconnect battery to clear TAPS first,
it will save you months or years of diagnosing and money, and also a high dollar trans rebuild bill.
you can drive the car a long time with the TCC wire cut.
the only other problem is, the trans cooler in the radiator may also become blocked from clutch dust eventually, and the trans or engine may begin to run hot on summer days, driving up long hills.
hard shift condition arises when the computer senses an upshift taking longer than .6 second. it jacks up the line pressure creating harsh shifts.
this also sticks the TCC on.
another band aid fix is the accumulator shift kit, which quickens up the shifts and tricks the computer into thinking everything is a-ok.
but it's a lot easier to cut one wire and clear codes, than pull pan, drain fluid, and install a shift kit.
the TCC is the cause of all these harsh shifting problems, it's a half-aszed sacrificial design.
my car had a code TCC solenoid stuck on. I was able to drive it with the wire cut but it also had a lazy 1-2 shift.
so I had to put in the 4 solenoids and shift position sensor.
had it not been for the lazy 1-2 shift due to that solenoid being lazy, I'd have just kept driving it with the wire cut,
and not put any solenoids in.
word to the wise- if you change transmission on these cars, and put a used trans in,
just put the solenoids and sensor, and the shift kit in, right off the reel, before installing the new trans.
half of the junkyard transmissions out there need it. if you put the new trans in and it acts up,
now you have to pay again, to drop the side subframe, take the side cover off, and change the solenoids.
damned complicated transmission these are, and a needy b-itch too...
if they put a 5 speed stick in all these 3800 equipped cars, they'd be legendary like a GTO by now
instead of this temperamental 4t65e