I have an '01 Impala with the 3800/4T65E trans, all stock with 244K miles on it. Trans seems OK for the most part. No clunks/slams when shifting from P. 1-2-3 shifts fine, TCC seems to operate like it should. Shifting into 4th is a little bit funky though. When it goes into 4th, you can feel the car pulsing or stuttering slightly, like it's trying to fully engage the clutch pack. The tach fluctuates by about 100-200 RPMs while this is happening. It takes about 2-3 seconds to stabilize, and then it does fine. If I lift the throttle for a second or two at the shift it will stabilize quicker. No codes present, cruise works fine, down-shift seems to be normal. I have not done a lot of troubleshooting on it at this point, but I do have a trans pressure gauge that I can hook up to see what it's doing. I am not a trans expert by a long shot, but I am hoping that it might be a solenoid problem. I've felt one of these transmissions strip the 4th clutch hub before, in a '00 Montana that we used to own. It hit 4th gear, shuddered for a second, and that was it. 4th gear departed the premises, not to be seen until the trans was rebuilt shortly after. The trans guy showed me the hub. Stripped smooth like it had been machined that way. This Impy is not doing that. I have not dropped the pan yet, but I have changed the fluid. Vacuum pump kept my hands clean, lol, but the fluid was a little darker than I like to see. Shift feel improved slightly, but nothing drastic. Any ideas?
Dave
