How to smooth transmission shifts

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Ok The valve tick seems to be gone now that I topped off the oil with another half quart. The alternator might need to be replaced in the near future, and the A/C compressor seal is leaking. (Getting some R134a with stopleak tomorrow to refill it, and cross my fingers) So. It is a freshly *remanufactured* Transmission, from about 122,000 miles. So its pretty new. Still, shifts above anything better than moderate acceleration are pretty rough and jerky. Especially once its warmed up. Cool, it shifts smoother. I was thinking about adding some of that seafoam transmission additive to smooth out the shifts some. Also thinking about maybe switching to Synthetic ATF. But I don't know where I could even get that, the local auto parts store don't seem to carry it, at least according to their websites. Suggestions on any of these things? (I know you all are probably tired of my questions, but hey! I'm learning. You all were at this stage at some point (I hope. )
 
Seafoam won't smooth a shift. It'll clean a dirty transmission and thin out the ATF. The tranny is new and doesn't need cleaning.

What ATF are you using?

Toss in a bottle of Lubegard. Or, try another ATF for a flush.
 
The 3 speed is a hold over from the 80's. It is a all hydraulic control setup that uses Throttle angle via a TV cable and a governor to determine shifts. The only computer control is a Torque converter clutch. You can look at my YouTube for a video on how to adjust the TV cable, if you wanted to..
Personally, I believe firm shifts are good, You should see how my Vic shifts after I modified the valve body. :D
 
I just read a thing on a website, that says if the speedometer jumps around someatimes, like when at a stop it might jump to like 2-3 or more, the Speed sensor might be acting up. Well, mine does this. I can't recall the old transmission shifting this roughly. Might that have something to do with it? And if it does, on this particular car, how would one go about fixing that? Would it need a new one or maybe is something not tightened down enough? I could just take it to the dealership that did the repairs and say the shifts are hard, and ask them to take a look.
 
Ive seen mine jump going to Reverse from Drive taking out slack but just sitting there, that is odd. You might ask them, often they will have a limited warranty or something on the trans.
 
YeahI think it has a 3year/10,000 mile warranty or something like that.

EDIT> Under light acceleration shifts are smooth, but under harder acceleration, they are beyond rough. There is a slow down jerk, a space, then a hard jerk forward when it engages.
 
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My wife's 01 3 speed has moderate firmness shifts when you're at WOT. At her driving habits shifts are standard auto trans firmness. 125K on it.
 
Originally Posted By: rudolphna
YeahI think it has a 3year/10,000 mile warranty or something like that.

EDIT> Under light acceleration shifts are smooth, but under harder acceleration, they are beyond rough. There is a slow down jerk, a space, then a hard jerk forward when it engages.


The way you initially described it as improving when warm tells me that the visc of the fluid is impacting valve action. It should be regulated to compensate for that.

Who/Where was the reman unit from? You don't know how long it was sitting on the shelf.

To test, I'd get a can of some volatile (Berkeble 2+2 Gum Cutter is what I have used) and spray it in the fill tube. It will clean and evaporate with heat. If that improves things, I'd buy Auto-Rx and do that treatment and flush.

I say some valve body/pump gumming is effecting this trans. Undummy probably has the most immediate remedy. He should know.
 
What he discribes almost sounds like bad timing of the shifting action. Slow down jerk -> space its locking up because too many clutches are active. Then it finally releases and hard jerk forward. The only gear I think this might be able to happen in would be the 2-3 or 3-2. The 1-2 is a fairly simple change.
1st (in D): [Forward Clutch]
2nd: [Forward Clutch] + [Intermediate Band]
3rd: [Forward Clutch] + [Direct Clutch]
 
The slow down isn't alot, but it jerks slightly, and then it is a pretty powerful jerk forward. Doesn't do it consistently though. And it does do it from 2-3 too though, but normally I've let off the gas slightly by then, so the shift is smoother.
 
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Have you tried manual shifting to see what that does? Start off in manual 1st and pop it up into manual 2nd when it sounds like it needs the next gear.
 
I'll make sure to bring it in when I get back to New york in a couple weeks. What exactly is Auto RX? I've seen many references to it, but I'm still not clear on exactly what it is.
 
I misread your post, you say it degrades when warm/heated up.


Are you hammering this thing routinely? It kinda sounds like it.
 
Well, it doesn't have much power, and to get pretty much anywhere I have to merge from a stop, turning right onto a street with a 55MPH speed limit. It's a pretty busy street. So that would be why.
 
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