Tranny hesitation and shifting hard

Sep 22, 2004 10 Replies

I have a '93 1500 2wd truck with auto tranny. Lately it has had a hesitation engaging when taking off from a stop. It also shifts quite hard, it used to be a very smooth shifting trans. It has the proper amount of fluid in it. Does this sound like a simple fluid change or is it more problems?



BTW - 180K miles on it


Did you check the ATF level like it was motor oil, or according to the directions (= engine warm, running, idle, tranny in Park)? Could be it needs the bands adjusted, or it may have a pump going out..if fluid level is correct when checked under the right conditions, have it checked out by a tranny shop

Yup - I checked it correctly. I will probably take it in, but hate to throw money at a truck this age.

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1) it no doubt has a P-1870 code stored which means the converter clutch regulator valve has worn the bore, causing slip which caused the ECM to jack up the pressure to compensate which causes the hard shifts 2) the AFL (actuator feed limit) bore is probably worn out too which causes the delayed engagement

That doesn't sound good. How much could I expect to repair it, if this is indeed what has happened?

take it to a shop that does a lot of GM trucks

tell them you want the Sonnax 'Sure Cure ' kit put in the valve body

price will vary, I'd charge 475, refundable toward a full rebuild if it didn't fix the problem, or if the unit needed a full rebuild within a year

Ya but your a stand up guy. Shouldn't he ask them to diagnose it? If he goes in and tells them what to do, shouldn't he expect $475+ and a big ol' F*ck You if'n it don't fix it?

GMC Gremlin

I had a 98 3500 dually that had a hard shift and hesitation.... believe it or not it was some kind of a fuse. That's it.....

Have a Great One ! Bob :)

you know, we need a FAQ around here

the problem is that the bore in the valve body for the 'torque converter regulator control' valve has worn

oil leaks past the valve instead of applying the converter clutch in the converter

the ECM sees the slip, and jacks up pressures to compensate

if you scan it, you will have a code P-1870, 'Transmission Component Slipping'

at your mileage, it's a toss-up whether to fix only the problem or to do a complete overhaul plus fix

destination

thanks for the reply Time to go to autozone and pull the codes I already know we have a prob with an O2 sensor or two.

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