I'm trying to figure out if I have a transmission issue with my van or I need to look somewhere else.
Most of the cars I've owned have been manuals. I'm trying to figure out if my van's automatic is about to [censored] out or if a simple filter change or possibly a transmission flush is in need.
According to Wikipedia, the transmission in my 1998 Chevrolet 1500 Express van (5.7l 1/2 ton) 4 speed automatic is a 4L60e. Does that sounds correct? A mechanic at the Chevrolet dealership actually told me these transmissions were robust but GM front wheel drive automatics were junk because they won't last more than 100,000 miles.
This van has 143,000+ miles on it. I bought this van from my father and have no idea if he ever had the transmission filter changed in it.
I'm not real sure if this is a transmission issue but yesterday my wife and I were on a day trip (about 100 miles) and we stopped to get something to eat.
When I got back in the van and proceeded to pull out on a slight incline, the van started making this jerking sensation at very low speeds. Above 5 or 10 mph, it smoothed out.
This tended to happen for about 5 miles when pulling out at every red light. At one point at a red light I proceeded to change lanes and gave it some extra gas to get around a slow moving vehicle and the van seemed like it was sluggish then all of a sudden picked up speed.
The problem eventually went away. We made a few more stops before reaching the interstate. At one point I checked the transmission fluid with the engine running in park. The fluid was a bit dark. Not a good sign from what I once saw on my wife's Buick shortly before the transmission [censored] out.
After may 50 miles, we came to a red light. I pulled out and the van seemed to be OK but then it made this slight thump. Like something had slipped.
This same thump seemed awfully familiar. If you have read my previous posts about the sprague clutch on the 4 speed gear on my Trabant 601 not engaging. Since sprag clutches are also used in automatic transmissions.
Just based on my experience with failing automatics, they usually don't give any warning when the fail. Once they start slipping, they self destruct rather quickly. My father's 1994 Plymouth minivan made it 1/2 mile after the transmission started to slip. My wife's Buick said it maybe 60 miles.
This van made it 100 miles home. So based on that, the transmission is probably saveable.
If an automatic transmission has "issues" does it act as the same as a manual transmission with a worn clutch? So when you pull out does the engine rev up but nothing happens? That's not what I am experiencing.
Or does it jerk until the vehicle starts moving? That is what I am experiencing.
Does it make it a clunk after pulling out from a red light? Once.
I had a 2006 Ford Explorer that developed torque converter shudder. Hard to explain but it basically felt like the transmission could not make up it's mind what gear it wanted to stay in. And the RPMs would "lope" every 5 seconds if set on cruise control.
I had the dealership give the transmission an enema. I don't know how this machine works but it seemed to do the trick.
I've heard mixed opinions about flushing automatics. Some people say flushing the transmission does more harm than good. That it breaks up build up and get's into the parts. Or it will blow the seals out of the transmission.
I've even heard some people say simply changing the filter and replacing the fluid will cause it to die an early death. That's stupid.
My guess is in these situations, the transmission was probably on it's last leg to anyway and no amount of work was going to save it.
So is what I am describing sounds like a transmission issue or something else? Worn U-joints in the driveshaft perhaps? Fuel injection issue?
Like I said, I've owned more cars with manual gearboxes than automatics and not really sure when an automatic is about the [censored] out.
Most of the cars I've owned have been manuals. I'm trying to figure out if my van's automatic is about to [censored] out or if a simple filter change or possibly a transmission flush is in need.
According to Wikipedia, the transmission in my 1998 Chevrolet 1500 Express van (5.7l 1/2 ton) 4 speed automatic is a 4L60e. Does that sounds correct? A mechanic at the Chevrolet dealership actually told me these transmissions were robust but GM front wheel drive automatics were junk because they won't last more than 100,000 miles.
This van has 143,000+ miles on it. I bought this van from my father and have no idea if he ever had the transmission filter changed in it.
I'm not real sure if this is a transmission issue but yesterday my wife and I were on a day trip (about 100 miles) and we stopped to get something to eat.
When I got back in the van and proceeded to pull out on a slight incline, the van started making this jerking sensation at very low speeds. Above 5 or 10 mph, it smoothed out.
This tended to happen for about 5 miles when pulling out at every red light. At one point at a red light I proceeded to change lanes and gave it some extra gas to get around a slow moving vehicle and the van seemed like it was sluggish then all of a sudden picked up speed.
The problem eventually went away. We made a few more stops before reaching the interstate. At one point I checked the transmission fluid with the engine running in park. The fluid was a bit dark. Not a good sign from what I once saw on my wife's Buick shortly before the transmission [censored] out.
After may 50 miles, we came to a red light. I pulled out and the van seemed to be OK but then it made this slight thump. Like something had slipped.
This same thump seemed awfully familiar. If you have read my previous posts about the sprague clutch on the 4 speed gear on my Trabant 601 not engaging. Since sprag clutches are also used in automatic transmissions.
Just based on my experience with failing automatics, they usually don't give any warning when the fail. Once they start slipping, they self destruct rather quickly. My father's 1994 Plymouth minivan made it 1/2 mile after the transmission started to slip. My wife's Buick said it maybe 60 miles.
This van made it 100 miles home. So based on that, the transmission is probably saveable.
If an automatic transmission has "issues" does it act as the same as a manual transmission with a worn clutch? So when you pull out does the engine rev up but nothing happens? That's not what I am experiencing.
Or does it jerk until the vehicle starts moving? That is what I am experiencing.
Does it make it a clunk after pulling out from a red light? Once.
I had a 2006 Ford Explorer that developed torque converter shudder. Hard to explain but it basically felt like the transmission could not make up it's mind what gear it wanted to stay in. And the RPMs would "lope" every 5 seconds if set on cruise control.
I had the dealership give the transmission an enema. I don't know how this machine works but it seemed to do the trick.
I've heard mixed opinions about flushing automatics. Some people say flushing the transmission does more harm than good. That it breaks up build up and get's into the parts. Or it will blow the seals out of the transmission.
I've even heard some people say simply changing the filter and replacing the fluid will cause it to die an early death. That's stupid.
My guess is in these situations, the transmission was probably on it's last leg to anyway and no amount of work was going to save it.
So is what I am describing sounds like a transmission issue or something else? Worn U-joints in the driveshaft perhaps? Fuel injection issue?
Like I said, I've owned more cars with manual gearboxes than automatics and not really sure when an automatic is about the [censored] out.