Thread: 01 4t65e tranny shudder problem

Originally Posted by Trannyman95

The MAF has a direct effect on transmission line pressure. A dirty MAF can cause low line pressure.
Something else on this note- Changing/Upgrading your MAF sensor to a larger one, porting your throttle body, larger intake piping ALL effect MAF signal. When you make the pathway larger you slow down airflow across the MAF sensor and guess what- lower trans line pressure, especially at WOT on the high end of the scale. Not something you think about but when you experience it first hand and see the results you never forget.


We started to offer a Combo Kit for the Transgo Shift Kit as it includes a new filter and required gaskets to install the shift kit. The basic $64.95 kit is considered a rebuilders kit and does not include any gaskets. As a bare minimum the accumulator body gasket should be replaced if you are going to install any shift kit.

As Bill said above the shift kit will help to clean up your shifts but is not going to address your whole problem. The whine noise could be a number of things. You mention it happening in gear, but does it make the noise if sitting stopped while in gear? There are a lot of posibilities and some are fairly common in these transmissions that will cause a whine. Also check your engine accessories and idler pullies- they can fool you and make plenty of noise and a stethoscope will help isolate the source. Your slippage on take-off and banging into gear could be result of a few other problems and most likely worn seals and worn input clutch apply piston as this is fairly common. Here is more info on this- No Forward Cold

If I put it in 1st gear when stopped there is a whine there faintly, the second you take the shifter away from "1" on the gear selector the noise isn't as loud..it's hard to explain. If I have the car in "1" and I'm moving it whines REALLY loud, and if I move the shifter into "2", "3" or "D" before it even shifts to the next gear the whine is already gone...? When in Neutral or Park there is no whining noise. We have gone over the pullies, we just replaced the waterpump when we did the UIM/LIM gaskets, brand new tensioner as well. The car is quiet as anything aside from the motor when the car is in Park or Neutral.

I'm hoping the whining noise is just that the filter is clogged/dirty and isn't allowing adequate fluid flow. I will be ordering the shift kit either later tonight or tomorrow and we might do it Friday night or over the weekend.

Should I run a type of seafoam or any tranny additive thru the tranny before we drop the pan?

And is Valvoline DEXTRON III/Mercon pt # VV353 on Autozone the correct fluid to use when refilling?

Thanks!!

Originally Posted by Trannyman95

When you pull the shifter down into manual 1st gear there will be an audible noise from the pump as the transmission is basically running at max line pressure in this range and that is strictly a mechanical function of the transmission as the higher line pressure helps with extra holding power for engine braking while coasting down. This is normal though some make a bit more noise than others.

If your trans is making more noise after you drive it for a while and it is warmed up then likely that is result of code P1811 setting from shifts taking too long and when the pcm sets this code the transmission goes into max line pressure to prevent slippage. When you shut the car off and restart it this resets until you drive it again. No check engine light will set and often a cheap code reader will not detect this unless the code is present with car running. If your filter is very dirty and restrictive then it is due to a lot of debris and it came from somewhere which means there is deeper damage. Normally if the filter is plugged to the point of noise from the pump or torque converter it is result of the torque converter coming apart and putting a lot of fine debris in the fluid so hopefully you arent at that point and since it still drives without leaving you stuck then I doubt it is a problem.

I am not a big fan of additives unless you are trying to fix something to buy a little more life out of the trans. As Bill mentioned you could try adding a bottle of Lucas transmission additive and several guys have tried this with good luck to help with intermittant problems. Lubegard Red is also a good additive. Dexron III fluid would be safest since your transmission has not been serviced. Dex VI is a good fluid but it would be better left for use in a fresh rebuild or a lower mileage transmission that doesnt have as much age on the fluid. There have been several guys that had slippage problems when going from old fluid to a synthetic with these transmissions like Bill mentioned earlier. The pcm will adapt to this, but if the transmission is already worn then it doesnt have much window of compensation before a code will set.

Alright sounds good man. Since it's loud after driving for awhile how would I know if it sets a P1811? The shifts aren't hard at all, they're usually a lot less "firm". It shifts like ass after driving at 70-85mph for awhile. Like I said, if I turn the car off for awhile and start driving again it will shift fine, yet still whine quiet a bit...never as loud as when it's in "1" though. We will find out what's going on inside the tranny soon when we drop the pan. I'll make sure to take pictures of what we find. I hope it's not too bad.

Don't get me wrong, it has these little issues once in awhile but I drove it a LOT today, 45+ miles around city; speeds less than 55. I would do light take offs from stop signs and red lights, and semi hard launches from them too and it didn't even think twice...

What's a scanner that could read those transmission codes? My dad has a small red mac scanner at home but I'm not sure if it will read the tranny codes... The Mac Tools is a ET80 Handheld OBD2 Scanner.

Would like to provide a quick update. Ordered the kit last night and it shipped out today. Expected delivery date is Monday the 27th, and should be installed a few days after that. I'll get pics when we take off the pan!

I tackled the shift kit myself tonight. I waited until my dad got home to make sure if I got stuck anywhere that he would help me. BTW, it hasn't done the shuddering since 3 days after I posted about it....weird but whatever. The fluid was in there for 117k miles, and came out like it was water, that's how old it was. Luckily, the pan had NO surprises for me! The magnet had stuff on it but that was expected. There were NO chunks/slivers/nothing on the pan, just the normal stuff, for a 117k mile car. I followed all instructions that came with the shift kit, and a little help from the thread on LS1Tech forum. Put it all back together, filled up with 7 quarts of Valvoline MaxLife Dex/Merc III and a bottle of lucas trans fix and took it for a drive. It shifts like a dream, and the whine when in "1" is now GONE, reduced to BARELY being able to hear it.

I started it at 6:30, ate dinner thru it, and drove it at 9. Not bad for a 16 yr old doing it by himself.

Here is a video that I took when I went out. The SVS light is on because I do not have my high beam bulbs in so it can't turn on the DRLs, I had it scanned at the local Chevy dealership. Also had them address the problem I was having with the connections under the seat that triggers the SRS light to come on the dash....all fixed!

VIDEO0002.mp4 video by bmcgee101 - Photobucket

I am in love!

Originally Posted by copgtp

Good job man!

Thanks bro! I put 170 miles on it the day after I did it, and it has never driven better! Seems like I should get a lot more out of the tranny now..