On the trans @SteveUnruh there is some sort of module that went out on those early 90’s trans. Its at the front side with a four or five pin plug. Late 90’s like you have I dont know if they are the same or not but that could be your shift problem. If that does not get fixed or replaced you will have a full trans problem. Good lord has it really been 20 years since I wrenched on this stuff??
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Typical, those engines always tore those mounts up. Yeah those little V6’s are little torque monsters. My 95 two door Buick Regal could destroy my IROC I had. I loved that car, no not the IROC the rotted out Buick Regal. LOL
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Friend I bought it from was told it could be the 2nd to 3rd shift solenoid, after I replaced the vacuum modulator it definitely improved shifting somewhat. I have not flushed the system and definitely won’t do that, I’ve sucked about 6 quarts from the fill neck and replaced with new fluid.
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Do NOT flush that transmission it will destroy it in a heart beat. This should only be done unless this has been a maintenance item since the trans or vehicle was new. The torque convert spins and centrifugal force pushes out metals and what not from wear and it collects and stays there. When you flush this out it goes through the entire trans and will wipe it out. Best just to change the fluid out and call it a day.
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I still have about 3 gallons of new fluid so I really should go ahead and change my filter while I have no expenses this week. Order a new filter and gaskets for the pan and change it out this weekend.
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Ah ok your not using a flushing machine. Yeah Ive seen a lot of failures from flushing older transmissions with those machines.
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Yeah the only auto trans I’ve had flushed was my Sierra, but that’s because it happened right at the manuals service interval. Fluid came out still looking good but I wanted to make sure it had new fluid. It was a WT so who knows if it was used for hauling.
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There she is! I drove that car all over the country coast to coast many times when I traveled for my job. It hauled that trailer with those gasifier to V Grid Energy Labs from Mich to LA twice. Over mountains and deserts and she got her done.
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I think I’ve found the main cause of the 1-2 and 2-3 shifting issues. I’m thinking the accumumators either have worn out springs or they need new o rings in the pistons. Transgo sells new accumulator pistons considered an upgrade, I should also probably look for new springs to put in there.
Luckily for me, in the 4T60E the Accumulators are near the transmission filter, so it’s just a matter of dropping the pan. I still need to change the filter so I think with this weeks paycheck I’ll order the upgrade pistons, filter, and springs if I can locate a kit for those. The 4T65E shift kits from Transgo have springs but they don’t offer them for the 4T60E.
I’m really hooing that when I drop the pan I won’t see a metric ton of clutch dust or metal shavings. It still goes into gear solid I just have to give it more pressure. It feels like a fluid issue not a gear/mechanical issue.
If that doesn’t go away with fixing the accumulators then I’ll tackle the solenoids next. The dealership I work at won’t let me use the lifts anymore since ownership changed hands. My buddy in another town got a job at a small shop with lifts and I’m also friends with his dad, so I can always stop by there to use it.
Shift solenoids will be super annoying because it’s recommended to drop the subframe to get to the side cover where the solenoids are located.
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Ordered the upgrade kit and valve body upgrade kit for the Buick.
This weekend I will change the filter and take a look at the accumulator while I have the pan open. This will also give me about a weeks time to see if my filter was just slowing down fluid pressure.
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Didn’t get my upgrade parts yet due to the storm. I did already change the filter and replace with Dextron 6 ATF. As far as gunk, the filter was dirty and there was maybe a teaspoon of what I think is clutch material. The Dextron 6 really keeps these transmissions clean, no varnish or anything in the pan or internals from what we could tell. Definitely no pieces of the gears.
Got the OE style gasket aluminum with rubber coating. Can’t believe they even give the option for rubberized cork for a 90s model car.
Shifting is somewhat better. It lags less in 2-3 and 1-2 is almost like normal. Still takes off just fine and Overdrive is unchanged operating good.
We did find one bigger problem though. My radiator is partially plugged. This makes sense that the car can/will overheat if just idling and not going anywhere.
I’m going to at the very least hose flush the radiator once it warms up a little bit and then add some of the Prestone coolant flush, drive back and forth to work and flush with water then replace with fresh Dexcool.
When we first saw the car begin to overheat I shut it off and opened the bleeder screw. Tons and tons of air. We started it back up after relieving pressure and topped it off. We thought it may have had a blown head gasket. When I got the car home and let it cool down I pressure tested to the standard 15psi it operates at and no leaks. Probably just the plugs in the radiator not allowing enough coolant so it had a huge air gap.
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Doing a couple of water flushes for the cooling system before I add the Prestone cleaner. So far so good. Got a few pieces of junk out of the radiator. Looks like someone used nasty nasty water there were pieces of actual dirt or pebbles or something. Weird.
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Someone probably contaminated the Dexcool with the wrong coolant. That will make a mess of the coolant system in a heart beat.
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I’ve always heard it doesn’t play nice with any other coolant. I saw my friend put Dexcool in an early 2000s Ford Explorer truck. Can’t remember the exact vehicle but it was a ford.
He added Dexcool and it mixed with the block full of green and turned to mud, overheated and blew a head gasket.
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Was only able to add half the bottle of Prestone flush. Took it for a drive on the water and flush mix temps stable. Radiator is still partially blocked because the upper hose after the thermostat was slightly collapsed when I shut it down from a 20 minute drive.
Waiting for it to cool down so I can empty the block again, add fresh water and the other half of Prestone flush and drive it another 20 minutes. Hopefully before it starts to snow so I can add my antifreeze back in.
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Upper rad hose wanting to collapse when I blip the throttle, even when it’s reading operating temp. Might be time for a new thermostat. I think that’s what is causing the upper radiator to stay so cold and the bottom staying hot.
I thought it was plugged but it’s consistently hot along the bottom and consistently cold along the top even after driving it for 30 minutes again and the heater core driving me out of the car. I’m amazed this car is staying at operating temps at 55mph.
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One final drain for the day and I added a bottle of some older Dexcool concentrate that I forgot I had. I’ll replace the thermostat tomorrow, already went and got it. She’ll be nice and cold so I don’t burn my hand on the stupid exhaust manifold. Really hoping this solves it, probably needed to be changed anyways. I might go ahead and do one more coolant flush with some Blue Devil stuff I have laying around, you have to leave the thermostat out to do it correctly so it might be a good time just to give it one more flush.
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Just fyi, the blue devil products are known to clog radiators and heater cores, I would steer clear of it. I would also steer clear of dexcool as well. Side of the road green coolant is available everywhere, dex isn’t. And as you now know they cannot be mixed. Every shop I have ever worked at we swapped out dexcool for green at every chance due to people not knowing and topping off with green then coming in with a sludged motor
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I get dexcool on the cheap from the Dealership since I work in Parts, I have about 5 jugs of concentrate laying around. I do keep Green for the Mazda though and I make sure those jugs are nowhere near each other in my shop. I plan to replace the coolant every 5 years or so as recommended, maybe add a little bit of some water pump lubricant every other year.
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Took the old thermostat out. It still works. Still bypasses as well. I will put in the new one anyways and see if this helps at all but I’m starting to think I need a new radiator.
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