rummble at higher speeds

I'll delurk and take a stab at this one. I had an '86 Ford Aerostar van that had a vibration similar to yours, I think, anytime the TCC was engaged and going up a slight hill or at higher speeds. I could feel it in my feet and the rear view mirror would shake to the point of becoming blurry. Tried wheel balance, checked driveshaft weights for being slung off, etc. etc. Finally changed the trans fluid and it stopped. The TCC was slightly slipping under load due to what I guess was contaminated fluid. If I remember it right, I only had about 40,000 miles on it at the time. Hope this helps.

Garrett Fulton

Where do you feel the vibration?

If you feel it in the wheel, chances are it is a tire or front end problem.

If you feel it in the seat, it is more likely a drivetrain related problem.

Both scenarios you describe are possibilities, although the transmission is more rare. Given the age and miles, why not change the fluid anyway?

I will change the oil but if that is not the problem it will have to wait. I need to fix the problem at hand first. Money is an issue I am on disability.

It seems in the seat and floor. The steering wheel dose not shake. And it seems to be on the right side of the car.

Check the wheel bearings. Especially on the right side.

Rotated tires and went for a drive. The vibration is still there and found it to be more when going up a hill. At this point I am thinking it is the transmission and will try to get it flushed tomorrow.

Front wheel drive Toyota's are famous for cupping the rear tires. They make a rumbling sound, and a vibration. It changes if you go over a rise or drop in the road. You can feel the tread of the tire and it's obvious.

Al

This is a Buick. I would never drive a Toyota.

My Regal was the same though. Rear tires cupped badly, but would last forever if you could stand the noise.

Thanks but I don't think it is the tires. They look and feel good, and I would think if it was the tires they shake would not stop if I speed up or let off the gas. The shake would continue until speed is lowered.

You have a balance problem in the right rear wheel, apparently

It may not be the tires in this case but tires will indeed cause this kind of problem Tim. Out of balance tires, low air pressure, will both react this way. Out of balance in particular, will act up at specific speeds or speed ranges.

Took it in for a transmission flush. Was told they found shavings in the pan and it needs to be rebuilt. They did the flush. My question to them was why did you flush it and charge me $120 if it needs to be rebuilt? Seems like a waste of money. They will refund my money if I have it rebuilt by them. Like that is going to happen. I will drive it and see if the flush helped and maybe by spring I can have it repaired.

They had to do the flush to find the shavings. They did labor and supplied fluid, so some charge is fair.

The fact that they found shavings though, may or may not mean that the transmission has to be rebuild. They came from someplace, or course, but it may be a simpler fix. Ask around about reputable shops just in case.

With 106,000 miles is some shavings in the oil normal?

Yes... but...

A lot is in the definition of things. How big are the shavings? All transmissions collect shavings in the base pan. That's why there is a magnet glued to the pan of a tranny. How big those shavings are makes a lot of difference in determining if there's a problem or not. This is not the kind of thing that can be explained in a forum like this, to the point of properly interpreting what's appearing in your pan. You really need to get a second opinion if you don't trust the shop you took your car to. One might ask why you took your car there in the first place, if you don't trust what they tell you.

In short though, 106,000 miles would not be out of line with the need for tranny work. ATF (not oil) should be changed between 30,000 and 50,000 miles on most cars. I'm guessing this is your first tranny service on this car (?). What kind of driving is the car subject to? I'm sorry to have to ask - don't recall from earlier in the thread - what year and model car is this?

I just purchased this car last summer so I have no idea what service was or was not done. This is a transmission shop. Only experience with them is this issue and my daughter took her Jimmy there. Her tranny was shot no question about that. So I trusted them because of that. Now I question them. Sure it needed a flush but I question why they did not call me when they found the shavings on the magnet but they continued with the flush and put the pan back on. Why put all that new oil in it?

I agree they had labor in it and should be paid for it but to continue it my concern. Labor could of been $30 with no parts instead of the $120 with labor and parts.

This shop I took it to told me a flush in most case's will fix the problem, they did say in may not. HOWEVER I called another shop and was told they have a service bulletin that dose say this can be a fix for the problem I had. HOWEVER it is for Ford transmissions not for GM. Because of this I think I was mislead by the shop I took it to.

It sounds like your wallet got flushed, see it quite often in the dealer I work at. The tcc could be causing it, tap, or ride the brake very lightly at speed. This will disengage tcc due to brake input. I am a bit confused though, may have misread. Is this a vibration felt, or a vibration type noise heard? TCC typically applies at around 45 mph/3rd-4th gear. The shifting in/out of overdrive(4th gear) can be remedied, drive in (d) range 3rd gear and see what happens. The engine may rev a little higher and load qualities change, but if your rumble strip symptom still occurs or not is the answer. You could even be experiencing a misfire. Try duplicating the symptom on a grade(uphill), if this influences it you might look in the secondary ignition system(plugs, wires). Nowhere in the post does it say what year the LeSabre is, its obvious that it is pre-obd II(1996). Had a vehicle(pont. bonneville) several years ago that had two converters put in for a TCC shudder that was just a leaking plug wire. Gerald