1999 Camaro, 3.8l, automatic.

I posted about this awhile ago but, didnt know exactly what caused it and since the problem went away I forgot about it. Well, it's back again and I figure I might as well try to get some definite answers.

My transmission will shift harshly from 1st to 2nd gear after highway driving. After reading some Google results the problem seems to range from a faulty torque converter not acheiving full lockup, bad valve body, bad pressure control circuit, or pressure control system solenoid. (Dont know if PCC and PCS are the same thing, or if our cars even HAVE them.) The solutions to this have been to: rebuild or replace the trans, get an external cooling unit for the trans, or my answer, set the car on fire and roll it off a cliff.

Since I wont get reimbursed from insurance for the last one, could anyone help me out?

 

well, burning it would be a shame so, buy or rebuild. see if you can find a cheep one. like for exampl, find a peron like my friend who has a blown up 3.8L sitting in his garage with a perfect trans bolted to it. that would prolly be a cheep sell. or if you cannot find one or find one thats cheep enough, send it off to a trans shop and have it rebuilt. then you will have confidence that it will work good and know it is using all the potential the engine gives it. plus it will provide a smooth ride and im sure better fuel mileage thanks to the TCC that will start working

 

I just finished replacing the trans in my '95z an hour ago, no joke. I bought a rebuilt 4l60e on the internet for $700 shipped, it came with a torque converter. If you're interested in the info, let me know. So far, so good with the entire experience.

 

heres what i found. im thinking its an issue that can be fixed without removing the trans which would cut the cost if done in a good shop.

Hard 1-2 Shift
Concern:Some 4L60E applications may exhibit a hard 1-2 shift condition.

Cause: This concern may be caused by any of the following conditions:

#8 check ball may not be sealing properly on the spacer plate or it may be missing. This check ball has a tendency to severely peen the spacer plate.
Several DTCs may result in increased line pressure. These include slippage; ration error and several of the solenoid DTCs.
Broken, damaged, or incorrectly installed 1-2 accumulator spring/piston.
Sticking, damaged, or incorrectly installed accumulator valve or spring.
Drill and tap 2-4 servo cover and note the pressure at the cover while making a 1-2 shift. If pressure is present, inspect the 4-3 sequence, 3-4 relay valves. Clean and repair the valves as required.
Calibration was released to address this concern on some 4L60E applications.
4-3 sequence, 3-4 relay valve train sticking.

The most common problem is the spacer plate being damaged by the #8 check ball. Replace or repair the damaged spacer plate.

 

my 95Z shifts hard from 1st to 2nd every single time (it's the shift kit)

are you sure it's different after highway driving? Do you mean it just refuses to shift and the rpms keep going up or is it just a hard shift but it still shifts at the same rpm's as when it's smoothe?

 

I'll see if I cant find a good trans shop around here and ask them to do what you described Craby, thanks.

No, it does shift. It's just a really hard 1-2 shift.