hey guys new member here. so i own a 2004 gmc sierra 2500hd with the 6.0 and 4L80e. the trucks runs great but i noticed recently when i cold start it and drive it without warming it up it feels like its sluggish like the trans is slipping but not? its hard to explain. the thing is once its warmed up it drives perfect not sluggish ect. it really seems to happen just the first time i drive it from a stop. now i was wondering with it being winter here in NY most days are around 30F. could this issue be from the truck just being cold the fluid isnt warm? i have a trans temp gauge and it never goes above 100F in the winter. i checked the fluid and it looks fine its on the cold mark. its hard to check it when i cant actually get the trans to operating temp because of winter. should i wait until summer to check and see if the transmission fluid goes to the hot mark?. i checked the transmission fluid before winter and it was fine right in the hash marks for hot and the truck doesn't leak so im guessing its ok. any ideas why it does this? thanks!
Need some help with trans fluid level checking in winter.
- Thread starter Drifted
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Ok, just to make sure, you check the transmission fluid with the engine warm and running. Pull the dipstick, wipe it clean, put it all the way in. Pull it out and check the level. All this while the engine is running. The 100 F should be fine.
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If the level was full a few months back and there are no leaks odds are it's full now. Take a 30 minute drive and follow the mfg process for checking the transmission fluid level.
Are you sure the problem is not engine related, and you think the problem is with the transmission? That happens too.
Are you sure the problem is not engine related, and you think the problem is with the transmission? That happens too.
On colder days here in southern Ontario Canada, my car and our 2005 Silverado work truck feel like the transmission fluid is mollasses if you try to drive away immediately. It seems to be just the way they are. My car has been that way for years now but the transmission does have something like 250-260k miles. The work truck is 190k.
It's not a GM but our 2005 Explorer does the same thing. I think it's an emission thing to get the cats up to temp as soon as possible. By the time I go a mile it's shifting perfectly, not sluggish feeling and revving the rpm up like when I first start off.
Whimsey
Whimsey
The fluid is likely just thick due to it being stone cold.
How many miles and when was the last time you changed any of the fluid?
I have no experience with the 4L80E, but the 4L60E I have experience with. It would be very sluggish when cold as fluid aged. A drain/fill would fix the situation immediately. Regular draining and filling of the pan is your friend.
I have no experience with the 4L80E, but the 4L60E I have experience with. It would be very sluggish when cold as fluid aged. A drain/fill would fix the situation immediately. Regular draining and filling of the pan is your friend.
It's most likely the fluid is cold. You can switch to a better synthetic ATF fluid with better cold flow properties that meats the specification for your transmission and see if that helps but I would just put up with it.
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Originally Posted by benjy
new REAL synthetic fluids thicken LESS in the cold, thats group IV PAO + Ester based oils used in transmissions!
Oh really. DEXRON VI is still more than sufficient in this situation the OP is not near the North Pole.
new REAL synthetic fluids thicken LESS in the cold, thats group IV PAO + Ester based oils used in transmissions!
Oh really. DEXRON VI is still more than sufficient in this situation the OP is not near the North Pole.
Originally Posted by Drifted
thanks for all the replys guys, to answer some of your questions i bought the truck with 190k it now has 240k and ive never changed the fluid. when summer finally rolls around ill check the fluid again. its starting to get warmer.
It's most likely the fluid, then - cold has much less to do with it - see Dave 1251's comment above.
thanks for all the replys guys, to answer some of your questions i bought the truck with 190k it now has 240k and ive never changed the fluid. when summer finally rolls around ill check the fluid again. its starting to get warmer.
It's most likely the fluid, then - cold has much less to do with it - see Dave 1251's comment above.
Originally Posted by Drifted
thanks for all the replys guys, to answer some of your questions i bought the truck with 190k it now has 240k and ive never changed the fluid. when summer finally rolls around ill check the fluid again. its starting to get warmer.
In that case a service will most likely fix the problem.
thanks for all the replys guys, to answer some of your questions i bought the truck with 190k it now has 240k and ive never changed the fluid. when summer finally rolls around ill check the fluid again. its starting to get warmer.
In that case a service will most likely fix the problem.
hey guys so today it was a little warmer outside and the trans was about 150 degrees so i checked it again, it was low it was reading at the Cold mark. i added about 3/4 a quart and brought it up to the top of the HOT hash marks. truck seems to shift better now it must of been low this whole time. kinda scary truck seems to drive fine though.
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