Trans Shudder

BadSax

BadSax

enjoys 3 martini lunches
So, the new car seems to occasionally have a little shudder between 3rd and 4th gear.

Is this a torque converter issue or something else?

The car could probably use a trans fluid flush, the fluid is a little on the brown side and slightly burnt smelling.

What do we think here? :D

Thanks! :D -J
 
Sounds like my car Sax, if I am driving slow and steady it feels like I'm driving over rumble strips around 35 mph and then again at 45 or so. But if I am driving it fast, it doesn't do this. My fluid too is brown and burnt smelling. I am gonna do my fluid flush and filter this weekend.
 
If the flush and a cooler doesn't help you might want to look at having a marauder TC unit put in if it get worse.
 
BadSax said:
Which part is to blame?

Torque converter? Clutch thing?

:D -J
Click to expand...

Basically, true shudder is the torque converter clutch slipping and grabbing when it goes to lockup. Usually it can be cured with fresh transmission fluid (Mercon V of course), sometimes it takes a couple hundred miles, sometimes it's almost immediate gratification. There are times where the clutch lining is so far gone it requires a replacement torque converter.
 
95blklsc said:
If the flush and a cooler doesn't help you might want to look at having a marauder TC unit put in if it get worse.
Click to expand...

What type of tranny cooler should I get?
Any suggestions?

driller said:
Basically, true shudder is the torque converter clutch slipping and grabbing when it goes to lockup. Usually it can be cured with fresh transmission fluid (Mercon V of course), sometimes it takes a couple hundred miles, sometimes it's almost immediate gratification. There are times where the clutch lining is so far gone it requires a replacement torque converter.
Click to expand...

If the torque converter was really bad would it act up a lot more?

My fear with the inevitable fluid flush is that the transmission will die shorty after...
 
Wirelessly posted (SAMSUNG-SGH-A877/A877UCID3 SHP/VPP/R5 NetFront/3.5 SMM-MMS/1.2.0 profile/MIDP-2.1 configuration/CLDC-1.1)

A "block" style (looks like a mini radiator) is more desireable over a "tube and fin" style cooler. Depending on how big a one you get, you can bypass the stock in-radiator tranny cooler. I got a 10"x15" and decided not to bypass the stock cooler. Ever since, on cold mornings (FL mind you so like 30-40f), it wont shift into o/d till the engines warmed up a bit.
 
calisonic said:
Wirelessly posted (SAMSUNG-SGH-A877/A877UCID3 SHP/VPP/R5 NetFront/3.5 SMM-MMS/1.2.0 profile/MIDP-2.1 configuration/CLDC-1.1)

A "block" style (looks like a mini radiator) is more desireable over a "tube and fin" style cooler. Depending on how big a one you get, you can bypass the stock in-radiator tranny cooler. I got a 10"x15" and decided not to bypass the stock cooler. Ever since, on cold mornings (FL mind you so like 30-40f), it wont shift into o/d till the engines warmed up a bit.
Click to expand...


what he said ^^

Although you can go really big and put in one made for a motor home like I did. Been working great on the 95 and the 97 for a few years, no issues at all and the trans stays at about 130 even in the summer!
 
Ok, is there any not obvious reason that I wouldn't just let the local lube shop change the fluid then, cause I know they have a machine like that...?

:D -J
 
Most shops that use a machine like that won't change the filter which should be done. If your TC has a drain plug they can just do the old fashion drop the pan, drain the TC and refill, all the the fluid will be changed. Some TC's don't have a drain plug though.... There is usually a bunch of crap in the pan that should be cleaned off the magnet too.
 
Ok, well I would think if they were gonna use the machine, they wouldn't bother to drop the pan, so is it just better to let my mechanic do it, or is it pretty much the same to let the lube place use their machine?

:D -J
 
BadSax said:
How many quarts of fluid does the trans hold?

How many should I buy?

:D -J
Click to expand...

Bad Sax, I just did my pan drop and tc drain and it took 11.5 quarts to get it near the full hot mark. I drove it to normal operating temp with 11 quarts and when I checked, it was at the 1/4 mark on the hot mark on the dip stick so I added 1/2 quart and it got it to near the very top of the mark.
 
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