Sloppy Transmission Shifts, HELP!!

[brandonl2000]

So of course with my luck: one problem after another. 03 Prix with 101k miles. Now what the hell? I was under the impression these trans were better, wtf.

So anyway, the MAIN problem is a very very sloppy 1-2 shift. It has been doing it all day today. It takes a good 2 seconds to finally go into 2nd gear. It happens most frequently under light throttle. It will reach the top of 1st, hang up for a second or two, then finally go into 2nd. It's so annoying.

Other than that, 2-3 will shift the same way on occasion, and tcc lockup feels kinda crappy at times, just jumpy, but not enough to notice or even call a problem at this point. I would say the main issue is simply very slow, sloppy shifts.

Otherwise, today I went 3/4 throttle I'd say while I was on the highway and it did something strange when it kicked down in gear, I can't explain it. kinda like a slip or a jump, kinda slam-ish.

I added Lucas...seemed to help it out some, but didn't cure it at all.

So what could it be? Trans going out? Need fluid change? Or should i just push the whole car off a cliff and call it a day?

The fluid looks decent I suppose, it's not dark or anything and it smells like trans fluid should smell lol. When the axles were changed I added 1.5 quarts afterwards to make up for the loss. And when I check it, its sort of hard to read, but judging by the holes in the stick, it's barely low if at all.

Thanks!!

[BillBoost37]

History of maintenance on the trans?
Did you scan for codes (even if the light isn't on)?
Do you have an aeroforce or scan tool to watch temps etc?

Is the motor running funny at all? MAF/TPS has a lot to do with shifting.

[brandonl2000]

History of maintenance on the trans?
Did you scan for codes (even if the light isn't on)?
Do you have an aeroforce or scan tool to watch temps etc?

Is the motor running funny at all? MAF/TPS has a lot to do with shifting.

i have nothing, no way to scan or monitor a thing. engine runs like new..

as far as trans maintenance, im not sure. i know that it's been shifting great and the fluid doesnt look/smell bad... just came out of no where.

[BillBoost37]

soo you've never changed the filter/fluid. Might be time to crawl under her and give her a tranny service. I'd toss one bottle of lucas stop slip or the lubegard stuff that most trans places like in with teh refill.

If you want to see how ugly your fluid really is.. wipe it on a white cloth/paper towel. Red fluid doesn't look quite as clean/red when you do that.

[brandonl2000]

soo you've never changed the filter/fluid. Might be time to crawl under her and give her a tranny service. I'd toss one bottle of lucas stop slip or the lubegard stuff that most trans places like in with teh refill.

If you want to see how ugly your fluid really is.. wipe it on a white cloth/paper towel. Red fluid doesn't look quite as clean/red when you do that.

true. well i'll see if i can't get a filter/fluid change going on. i hope that fixes it too. im so not in the position to be biting off any repairs that large.

[Zef_66]

And when I check it, its sort of hard to read, but judging by the holes in the stick, it's barely low if at all.

Make sure to fill the trans all the way to the top of the XXXs. I have had issues similar to you describe, and find the fluid is on the low side. When I fill it to the top of the XXXs, the problems go away. I would try it.

But yes, definitely do a pan drop and filter change. These trannys are okay if you take care of them. If you beat on them and never change the fluid, they won't last.

[brandonl2000]

Just got through with a pan drop, fluid and filter change. Ran it through the gears, drove it a few miles or so, shifts beautifully and on time so far. So we will see how it goes.

I will post pics up of the old fluid and what not later on. Sadly, it was indeed getting a little dark, but it smelled decent. It was more of a purple than a brown, still had a red tint to it.

Oh, and the magnet had a small layer of metallic material, and the bottom of the pan looked pretty clean for the most part so I hope it will be okay from here on out.

[BillBoost37]

Keep in mind. You changed abotu half the fluid. In 6mo's to a year or less... do another service. That'll freshen up more fluid and you'll be on your way to having a happy tranny in no time.

Usually only the one on the prime corner is a happy tranny.

[blazineagle]

I'm having the same issue. I've got an "05 GP w/ 94,000mi on it. Sloppy shift from 1st to 2nd and a bit from 2nd to 3rd. I experience the same weird downshift thing you described when on the highway or at higher speeds. It's fine in OD. Another thing that's been going on is that I have a bit of roll-back when at a light or stopsign and take off from park. Also, when I reverse out of a parking spot and throw it into Drive, it kind of hesitates into gear, almost like it's slipping, but that's every once in a blue moon. Anyways, just made a trip to AAMCO (dont have anywhere to work on the car because I live in apartments and don't have the time), and they went ahead and dropped the pan cause they couldn't get it to act up (only does it when it's warmed up). Had a bit of oil in the fluid, and the fluid was dark, a few small chunks of shavings besides the normal wear and tear. They said it's most likely something to do with the clutch, but wont know for sure until they open her up. Right now, I'm waiting to see what they say. I thought before hand that it was just a matter of a fluid and filter change and to check for vacuum leaks, but nothing came of it.

[brandonl2000]

hmm. vacuum leaks??

well i know that i changed fluid and filter and it has never shifted better. i can start off in first and BAM 2 second gear. and the aggressive way i drive, i need shift after shift immediately.

also, idk if you have done this, but flip your dog bones. it will help shorten the shift, thus making it more instantaneous.

[brandonl2000]

UPDATE:

Since the pan drop the trans has been 100% good to go awesome. I was so proud of it. After 100k miles of (I assume) the same fluid, it instantly improved. It WAS shifting slow between 1-2 and "hanging up" between gears if you will. That all was solved with the pan drop done on 7/20/11

However, since I've had the car since March, it slipped in 1st maybe twice. Well I assumed it was just a fluke. However, here lately it has been slipping more in first. If I just spiritedly leave from a dead stop it does okay mostly. But if I'm in traffic or something and ease off from a stop (while still in 1st) and try to give it more throttle a few seconds later it slips out of first for a second. So that's weird thing #1. It done it 3 times today, and maybe a week ago it did it 3 times. It's just random. Also did a 30WOT roll today and it handled like a champ. It seems to slip in 1st more when under less power and you try to increase it while still in 1st.


Well today along with the 3 slips in first, it also hung up between 1-2 again (like the previous problem) and shifted slow. But it just happens randomly so idk.

Checked the fluid, fluid is up to level. Does not really smell burnt just like funky trans fluid. Wiped it on a white napkin, and the fluid appears pinkish but overall is more gray/brown. So you can judge for yourself below.

Here are the pics:



As you can see the 3 times I checked it from the stick. Fluid appears pink but there is black gunk it appears or something idk. One wipe was really black as you can tell.

Sooo as Bill suggested, I'm wondering if a second pan drop will help since it's only had one two months ago in its whole life. My thinking is a pan drop only does half the fluid so half of it was black and sorta burnt and now I have new fluid mixed half and half with that. So yeahh.

Pan drop? Solutions? Comments?


THANKS!

[blazineagle]

This looks like what my fluid looked like when I ended up deciding to bite the bullet and take it in to AAMCO. There was oil in the fluid from a bad torque converter, a washer completely gone on one part, and an issue with the clutch assembly and a chain being too loose and hitting the housing. In all, I believe that the clutch assembly is what really was causing the problem, but getting everything else taken care of and a lifetime warranty on the beast isn't all that bad, but I did drop a lot of $ on it. Here's a link related to this problem. 4T65E Transmission 1-2 Shift Shudder at Light to Moderate Acceleration

[brandonl2000]

ah that sounds like exactly what im experiencing. feck. im a struggling college student i can't afford this...

wonder how long she'll hold up?

[BillBoost37]

There are other choices. It's called swapping the unit. JY's can charge from $150 up for a new one and then there's guys like me that always know of one for sale. i know of one near my area that is a recent rebuild.

Looks like in that post GM is correcting a short piston lip issue.

Would a pan drop help, tough to say. How long will it last, another tough question.

[brandonl2000]

There are other choices. It's called swapping the unit. JY's can charge from $150 up for a new one and then there's guys like me that always know of one for sale. i know of one near my area that is a recent rebuild.

Looks like in that post GM is correcting a short piston lip issue.

Would a pan drop help, tough to say. How long will it last, another tough question.

As in swapping in another tranny from a jy? oh what fun. you can't even find a gtp around here much less an 03. damn this car is so temperamental it drives me crazy.

i'm gonna try a pan drop and we'll see. last pan drop didn't have any rubber chunks or anything and the magnet just had normal wear and tear metallic material so i find it odd. idk. we'll see how it goes. hopefully it doesn't give out on the kcgp (1000 mile round trip for me).

[BillBoost37]

You won't get chunks or material from what goes wrong.. that's the beauty of it..you can't see it, you can only feel it in the shift.

[BillBoost37]

And...an 03 huh? Ewwwww

[brandonl2000]

And...an 03 huh? Ewwwww

yup and here i was thinking okay 03...maybe it'll hold up better. heh, guess not...

just gonna ride it out till it breaks i reckon. try to hold it together with love and bubble gum i guess.

[brandonl2000]

Well done a pan drop last night. the fluid looks excellent now. still slipping in 1st gear when leaving a dead stop. so i know there's no good time estimate...but what exactly could it do when it gets worse and breaks??

[BillBoost37]

Well...it's going to stop propelling the car forward and or backward.

Nice thing is..you have 4 wheels, so it doesn't fall over if you stop.