Hey everybody. First i'll apologize for re-asking questions. I've read through several of the threads, but i'd like some opinions, since none of the issues seemed to match mine perfectly.
NEWBIE QUESTIONS: I've been led to believe at other forums that the 4T65E and 4T65E-HD are less prone to 4th gear damage than the 4T60E predecessor. The impression i got is that the 4th gear stripping was mostly not a problem in the T65 and beyond. First, which of the two would the 98 GTP have? 65E or 65E-HD? Second, i see a lot of posts in here about the 4th gear stripping. Is that still a major issue with these?
THE CAR: 1998 Grand Prix GTP, 147,1xx stock miles for both tranny and engine.
THE PROBLEM: Sometimes the transmission decides it doesn't like 4th gear much. When that happens, the RPMs jump about 500. Manually selecting third at these times no longer changes RPMs, but manually selecting 2nd does. This convinces me that i've lost 4th gear. The problem has (thus far) always happened at least 15minutes into a drive.
Turning the car on and off again briefly solves the problem. I found that out when I got gas.
The drop out of 4th generally happens on an incline, though not enough of one to force the engine out of 4th. I can make it up those hills in 4th if it is willing to use it.
THE ABNORMALITIES: This never happens on the highway I have yet to be in a position to try it, but i believe that if I were to go 65+ when this was happening i would still get into 4th gear. I haven't confirmed that yet though. Also, it will reset mid-drive to get into 4th again at lower speeds (45+ if maintaining speed). By this i mean it will sit in third for a while, with nothing i can do about it, and then it will drop into 4th like nothings wrong all the sudden. This can happen on a decline, flat plane, or incline.
I actually came to this forum thinking it was a malfunctioning relay for the performance shift causing the transmission to randomly select in and out of the performance shift option - the shifts come later all the way up while this is happening, which is the description of the performance shift. However, what i've read here says that performance shifting should be less noticeable, since i'm being transferred up ~500rpms on my shifts, rather than 100-200rpms. Could i still be correct in my assumption? Is it a larger problem?
I bought the car two days ago and noticed this before i got home, but thought maybe i didn't know the car well enough to be sure. By yesterday i was positive, and having looked into it today i'm worried i bought a car with a faulty transmission. I don't know how long it's been happening - the seller didn't bother to mention it or i wouldn't have bought. I'm about ready to call him and ask for my money back.
Originally Posted by 02NavyBlue
