Hard shifts

Kspinazzola · March 30, 2020

I have a 2014 Silverado with a 6 speed auto. 135K. I get hard shifts between 1-2 and 2-1 and anytime I downshift going up a hill it shifts very hard. It also likes to shake sometimes.
I’ve read a lot on this issue and still haven’t found a fix. I’ve been told GM considers this “normal” and it has to do with the programming of the transmission for better mpg.

anyway I’ve done tons of research and haven’t found any real fixes. Many people say buy a tuner but some people have said they bought one and weren’t able to fix the hard shifts with it. I don’t wanna spend $600 and not be able to fix the problem. Is there any way to guarantee better shifting? Different fluid? TCM update from GM?
honestly if I can’t fix the shifting I’m gonna trade the thing for an F-150 or Ram.
I am a huge Chevy guy so I hate to do that but I really hate the shifting on this truck.
Anyone have any advice? What would you do in my situation?

Edited March 30, 2020 by Kspinazzola
Adding info

Doublebase · April 3, 2020

Honestly, hate to be Debbie downer here but I think this is what you get with these trucks...the transmissions shutter, they shift late, they shift early, they shift hard (sometimes), soft (sometimes), they seem confused at times to just what they should be doing.

And if there is a cure I'd love to hear it. The best I've heard is to eliminate V4 with a tune or range device. I have 50k miles on my truck, owned since new...serviced the unit twice now, never towed, plowed or hauled anything of consequence. I'll be shocked if this thing makes it to 135,000 miles before exploding.

gone_fishing · April 4, 2020

Has the transmission fluid ever been changed?

Bob2C · April 4, 2020

Honestly, hate to be Debbie downer here but I think this is what you get with these trucks...the transmissions shutter, they shift late, they shift early, they shift hard (sometimes), soft (sometimes), they seem confused at times to just what they should be doing.

And if there is a cure I'd love to hear it. The best I've heard is to eliminate V4 with a tune or range device. I have 50k miles on my truck, owned since new...serviced the unit twice now, never towed, plowed or hauled anything of consequence. I'll be shocked if this thing makes it to 135,000 miles before exploding.

You are correct about the tranny. It’s clunky to say the least. Mine sometimes gets confused and doesn’t know what to do. I just shrug it off and drive the damn thing. If it breaks it breaks.

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Doublebase · April 5, 2020

12 hours ago, Bob2C said:

You are correct about the tranny. It’s clunky to say the least. Mine sometimes gets confused and doesn’t know what to do. I just shrug it off and drive the damn thing. If it breaks it breaks.

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Honestly, that is pretty much my plan now. I’m at 52,000 miles, I only have 8 thousand miles left of power train warranty. I highly doubt if I take it to the dealer they will say anything but “normal”, so I haven’t even bothered. I may end up taking it just to document it, but my thinking is...if I can get to 130,000-150,000 miles before having to put a tranny in it, I guess I’m “ok” with that. Not ideal, but I can live with that. The weirdness of the tranny I can live with...and I can live with knowing that I have to kick the rpm’s up before going up a hill on the highway (or it will shutter/misfire), what I can’t live with is this thing exploding before 100,000 miles. Not with the way I baby it, and not with the way I maintain it. THAT would bother me. I’m at 52,000 miles and I’ve already done one pan drop and filter replace and two fluid exchanges. So it’s not for a lack of maintenance.

Bob2C · April 5, 2020

Honestly, that is pretty much my plan now. I’m at 52,000 miles, I only have 8 thousand miles left of power train warranty. I highly doubt if I take it to the dealer they will say anything but “normal”, so I haven’t even bothered. I may end up taking it just to document it, but my thinking is...if I can get to 130,000-150,000 miles before having to put a tranny in it, I guess I’m “ok” with that. Not ideal, but I can live with that. The weirdness of the tranny I can live with...and I can live with knowing that I have to kick the rpm’s up before going up a hill on the highway (or it will shutter/misfire), what I can’t live with is this thing exploding before 100,000 miles. Not with the way I baby it, and not with the way I maintain it. THAT would bother me. I’m at 52,000 miles and I’ve already done one pan drop and filter replace and two fluid exchanges. So it’s not for a lack of maintenance.

I’m at 22k miles and thinking of doing a fluid exchange through the dipstick rather than dropping the pan. I believe that the filter is nothing more than a rock catcher. There is a magnet to attract any metal particles. So to save myself hassle I’ll leave the pan in place. Thoughts since you did the pan drop.

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Doublebase · April 5, 2020

Just now, Bob2C said:

I’m at 22k miles and thinking of doing a fluid exchange through the dipstick rather than dropping the pan. I believe that the filter is nothing more than a rock catcher. There is a magnet to attract any metal particles. So to save myself hassle I’ll leave the pan in place. Thoughts since you did the pan drop.

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Well, it’s kind of funny...I initially did a drain and fill through my dipstick tube at around 22,000 miles, then a year later at 45,000 miles I dropped the pan and changed the filter.

I think a simple exchange through the dipstick tube should be fine. My filter looked fine at 45,000 miles and my magnet didn’t look too bad. The reason I did a pan drop was because I wanted to see that magnet (simply because I thought there was something wrong with the way it was shifting and I wanted to see if there was metal on it - there really wasn’t).

But the pan drop isn’t that hard to do, you just really have to pry down on the exhaust to get the pan out. And if you do a pan drop, DO NOT try to replace the little gasket that holds the filter up into the transmission...just use the old one that’s in there. It’s a royal pain to get the old one out. Very difficult and once you start, you can’t turn back. That’s what I did - I started trying to remove it...I destroyed it, it was stuck in there and then it took me 15 minutes of prying from tight different angles, to get it out. And I knew that would happen, yet I tried anyway. Stupid.

Bob2C · April 5, 2020

Well, it’s kind of funny...I initially did a drain and fill through my dipstick tube at around 22,000 miles, then a year later at 45,000 miles I dropped the pan and changed the filter.

I think a simple exchange through the dipstick tube should be fine. My filter looked fine at 45,000 miles and my magnet didn’t look too bad. The reason I did a pan drop was because I wanted to see that magnet (simply because I thought there was something wrong with the way it was shifting and I wanted to see if there was metal on it - there really wasn’t).

But the pan drop isn’t that hard to do, you just really have to pry down on the exhaust to get the pan out. And if you do a pan drop, DO NOT try to replace the little gasket that holds the filter up into the transmission...just use the old one that’s in there. It’s a royal pain to get the old one out. Very difficult and once you start, you can’t turn back. That’s what I did - I started trying to remove it...I destroyed it, it was stuck in there and then it took me 15 minutes of prying from tight different angles, to get it out. And I knew that would happen, yet I tried anyway. Stupid.

Great. Thanks for the info. Fluid extract it will be this time.

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Bob2C · April 5, 2020

Well, it’s kind of funny...I initially did a drain and fill through my dipstick tube at around 22,000 miles, then a year later at 45,000 miles I dropped the pan and changed the filter.

I think a simple exchange through the dipstick tube should be fine. My filter looked fine at 45,000 miles and my magnet didn’t look too bad. The reason I did a pan drop was because I wanted to see that magnet (simply because I thought there was something wrong with the way it was shifting and I wanted to see if there was metal on it - there really wasn’t).

But the pan drop isn’t that hard to do, you just really have to pry down on the exhaust to get the pan out. And if you do a pan drop, DO NOT try to replace the little gasket that holds the filter up into the transmission...just use the old one that’s in there. It’s a royal pain to get the old one out. Very difficult and once you start, you can’t turn back. That’s what I did - I started trying to remove it...I destroyed it, it was stuck in there and then it took me 15 minutes of prying from tight different angles, to get it out. And I knew that would happen, yet I tried anyway. Stupid.

Forgot to ask. How much fluid did you extract when not doing the pan drop?

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Nor Cal Z71 · April 16, 2020

On 4/3/2020 at 11:58 AM, Doublebase said:

Honestly, hate to be Debbie downer here but I think this is what you get with these trucks...the transmissions shutter, they shift late, they shift early, they shift hard (sometimes), soft (sometimes), they seem confused at times to just what they should be doing.

And if there is a cure I'd love to hear it. The best I've heard is to eliminate V4 with a tune or range device. I have 50k miles on my truck, owned since new...serviced the unit twice now, never towed, plowed or hauled anything of consequence. I'll be shocked if this thing makes it to 135,000 miles before exploding.

I had the hard shift issue, took it in several times and dealer said it was normal. Finally the dealer installed a "revised" valve body. I don't have the hard shifts anymore, but it also doesn't go into V4 like it used to. Gas mileage suffers due to this... pisses me off. At $3.00 a gallon for gas (arbitrary number) that's $12.00 every tank full. For me, that equals $ 624/year.

Doublebase · April 16, 2020

2 hours ago, Nor Cal Z71 said:

I had the hard shift issue, took it in several times and dealer said it was normal. Finally the dealer installed a "revised" valve body. I don't have the hard shifts anymore, but it also doesn't go into V4 like it used to. Gas mileage suffers due to this... pisses me off. At $3.00 a gallon for gas (arbitrary number) that's $12.00 every tank full. For me, that equals $ 624/year.

Wow, never heard of that one before. Sounds like it “worked”, but didn’t work.

Captain Insaino · April 22, 2020

Try driving around in tow/haul mode. I have a 2015 Silverado work truck that has this issue. All city driving. Dumb workaround, but it works for me. It changes the shifting characteristics a lot. The only time I notice a hard up or down shift is when I forget to turn it on. Been doing this for 4 years. My Tahoe doesn't have this problem.

Nor Cal Z71 · April 22, 2020

3 hours ago, Captain Insaino said:

Try driving around in tow/haul mode. I have a 2015 Silverado work truck that has this issue. All city driving. Dumb workaround, but it works for me. It changes the shifting characteristics a lot. The only time I notice a hard up or down shift is when I forget to turn it on. Been doing this for 4 years. My Tahoe doesn't have this problem.

And you have the 6 speed. Add 2 more gears and then add 2 more. There in lies most of the problem. Also EPA standards can't be achieved with tow/haul mode. I'm back to the same fuel economy as my old full size 2004 pick up truck.

Pretty soon it's gonna be a single speed.