I am having shift promblems 1st and 2nd sometimes

Kenneth_400ex_z71 · September 16, 2003

i bought a 2001 chevy silverado extendedcab 4x4 lt rental truck and it rode good and they had papers where the oil has been changed and stuff and a few other people bought there cars from rental companies and had good luck so i gave it a shot....

everything seems to run good but i have no transmission leak... and somehow i had to put a transmission fluid in my truck twice.. it wasnt very much but ... if shift funny when i have to stop and go... it seems like if i put it and 3 and tow haul mod it will shift smoother.. but if i keep it in over drive there like a slight viberation before it goes into second.. could this be my imagination....

is there anything i need to look at or check?? cause like i said there is no leak and i been under it with a friend neither one of us can find a leak... so where could the tranmission fluid be going .. .is there anything safe i could put in it to shif smother... but it only has like 44000 miles on it .. .and i would hate to be adding stuff like that already.. ..

also i didntd know what oil they used so i switched over to penzoil 5-30 and seemed not to be ysing any oil so far... is there anything wrong with making the switch to penzoil??? i knew that had nothing to do with my transmisson though.. juist another thought wondering in my mind...

also is there anything else that could be causeng the shift ? casue everything else is pretty smooth.. ?

thanks for any help that i can get ... . like i said i only had it for a few months .. and it was a rental truck .. i got the carfax history report on it ..

Wingnut · September 16, 2003

Change the filter...(Service the tranny). Dirty transmission fluid will definately make it vibrate at a shift and/or shift funny. If you feel rich that week, and if its your cup of tea, go have it flushed. Thats like $120 plus.

Changing the oil shouldn't be an issue.

Welcome to the forum by the way

Kenneth_400ex_z71 · September 16, 2003

thank you,

are you sure i outa change the fluids cause someone told me once you did that it can cause stuff to leak.. .

and i had a 97 and i changed fluids and it didint do anything it still shifted the same....

but if it was dirty why is it using it???

it only shifts hard ... if i am going 55-70 long periods of time.. or in a line of red lights...

i dont know how to explain it .. but if i change the transmisson oil who should i let do it ?

Kenneth_400ex_z71 · September 16, 2003

maybe i need a transmission cooler or something... it never does it when i just hope in it and go .. .just does it when it gets hot i guess...

it runs a hair over 210 all the time. but i know thats the coolant gauge... ??

Wingnut · September 16, 2003

Definately go have the tranny serviced. 44k miles is a lot without it.

Lots of places do it, he!!, even Wal-Mart does it here. (Oklahoma)

It will cost a bit more than most are comfy with, but you are stuck with that unless you want to do it yourself. It is a messy affair beacause you have to take the pan off to get at the filter.

Last I checked it was around $70 smackers plus the fluid...They (any service center) will try and sell you a "flush service" for around $120. I can't give you advice on that one...It can be debated for hours on whether or not a "flush" is really effective.

But yes SERVICE YOUR TRANSMISSION, and do it ASAP! If it causes leaks, then your tranny had issues to begin with.

New trannys are very expensive, second only to the engine in replacement cost. Servicing it will not hurt it in any way. And if I were you, I would have that sucker changed by the time you read this.

Wingnut · September 16, 2003

And a tranny cooler is never a bad idea.

Heat baaaaaad.

Kenneth_400ex_z71 · September 16, 2003

what kind of fluid should i ask them to put in there?

also what does the flush do ?? and what are the pros and cons

thanks i dont want to seem like a post whore i am just worried about missing up my transmission ...

so the symptoms that i am telling you that my truck is having is an easy tranmission fix???

like i said it runs real good .. but if i stop and go a lot it starts wanting to do a little viberation between first and second..

or if i am on a highway then have to stop and take back off it does it... if that makes since to you

anyhow i have to hit the sacks if anyone else could recommend anything i sure would be thankful

Wingnut · September 16, 2003

what kind of fluid should i ask them to put in there?

also what does the flush do ?? and what are the pros and cons

thanks i dont want to seem like a post whore i am just worried about missing up my transmission ...

so the symptoms that i am telling you that my truck is having is an easy tranmission fix???

like i said it runs real good .. but if i stop and go a lot it starts wanting to do a little viberation between first and second..

or if i am on a highway then have to stop and take back off it does it... if that makes since to you

anyhow i have to hit the sacks if anyone else could recommend anything i sure would be thankful

They will put the proper fluid in it, I wouldn't be concerned about it.

The flush is just a way of insuring that all the old fluid is forced out of the tranny.

Some say this is detrimental to the life of the seals and other things in the tranny.

Others say that it is very good for the tranny and swear by it.

I have never had it (the flush) done on a single vehicle, and only lost one tranny....And that was not related to the service history on the tranny. But I can see how it could be a good thing. I just aint gonna pony up the cash for it when all my trannys have worked great without it.

The symptoms that you are listing could definately be your tranny asking for a fluid change.

Other than that, there is pretty much no such thing as a cheap or easy transmission fix, because just about everything requires them to remove the tranny from the truck to work on it....$500 smackers....and thats before they work on anything.

Import Hater · September 16, 2003

it wasnt very much but ... if shift funny when i have to stop and go... it seems like if i put it and 3 and tow haul mod it will shift smoother.. but if i keep it in over drive there like a slight viberation before it goes into second.. could this be my imagination....

There is also a factory bulletin regarding a light throttle 1-2 shift shudder/chuggle. Interference from the alternator causes the shift solenoid to go goofy.

Just to let you know in case the fluid change doesn't help...

Rob

Kenneth_400ex_z71 · September 16, 2003

There is also a factory bulletin regarding a light throttle 1-2 shift shudder/chuggle. Interference from the alternator causes the shift solenoid to go goofy.

Just to let you know in case the fluid change doesn't help...

Rob

it sorta sounds like that s**t shudder / chuggle...

also i have noticed that my lights sometimes go dim and then they go back to normal in the next second.. i mean you wouldnt have noticed it if you didndt drive it all the time... cause i had my gf and she said i was losing my mind when i told her ever thing went dim and went back to bright.. but i seen it happen...

would that be a sign of alternator promblems?

Import Hater · September 19, 2003

Dim momentarity? Do you see the voltmeter drop too?

Rob

Kenneth_400ex_z71 · September 20, 2003

it was to fast to check but if i go cruise the strip tonight i can sure check... everything has been doing pretty good her recently .. no bad shifts or anything...

since we are talking about transmission would lucas oil be a good idea to throw in when i get my tranny changed..???

also everyknow and then i go from 1,2,3 , 0d sometimes .. when i am bored is that putting anystress on the parts??? does gm not recommend that .. i do not have an owners manual with my truck and i dont really know what i can and cannot do ???

Wingnut · September 20, 2003

That depends....Are you going 60 when you drop it in 1, or 2? That would be bad.

As far as your lights go, almost every truck I have had...The lights will dim -just a hair, and only for the blink of an eye- when a high-load accessory kicks on. Like the AC, Defrost, an amplifier, etc. I wouldn't be concerned about it, it's most likely just your alternator playing catch-up with the load on the electrical system. But if you get industrious, and it's making you nervous, go down to Autozone, or Oreilly's, or whatever your autoparts store is, and they will test your battery/alternator setup and they will let you know if it's functioning properly.

Are you running and aftermarket stereo setup? Amps?

Import Hater · September 20, 2003

I wouldn't advise a whole lot of time in "2." it forces the transmission to start off the line in 2nd, and will only drop to 1st on a full throttle request. Starting off in 2nd alot will build up alot of heat and wear out the transmission just a little bit quicker. Also, frequent downshifting to use engine braking will wear that tranny out just a little quicker too.

I would advise against the Lucas stuff. Dunno if it really does any good or not. Just put some good DexronIII, perhaps synthetic, and you'll be fine. If you want to do something while the pan is off...why not put in a TransGo kit?

Rob