2003 IMPALA transmission question

[jetmech]

I have an 03 impala 3.8 with 160k on it. shortly after i bought it at around 140k the trans started acting up. i drive 92 miles round trip a day and here is what it is doing
1. if i pull away from a light at a very slow speed it shifts to 2nd fine, if i pull away from a light and accelerate harder than normal it will shift into 2nd around 33mph, but if i pull away from a light at a normal pace it wont shift to 2nd and in fact it gets in between gears and goes into a neutral state. I rev the engine a little and it will shift to second. I dont get any slippage even if i floor it. when its cold it shifts fine until it warms up then it does what i just explained. I did change the fluid and filter around the 140k mark and just did a flush with 2 gallons of fresh fluid while i had the lower line off and plumbed into a bucket. Yes the fluid looked pretty dirty. any ideas i should try. thanks.

 

[Steve V]

These are notorious for pressure control solenoid issues. Cheap part and can be done in the car, side pan must come off. Also cross leakage in the input housing. 4t65's used to be good money when they were under warranty

 

[jetmech]

I see there are multiple shift solenoids. Went to autozone and they listed 3 different kinds. Should I just get the one that says 1-2, 3-4 shift solenoid. I think there was a 1-2 solenoid to. And a 2-3 shift. Thanks

 

[jetmech]

Watched a couple YouTube videos. I see they replace the pressure control and both shift solenoids Thanks for the insight.

 

[JimP]

I had an issue with 03 3.8l Impala where once it got warm it would slip into first gear, I replaced all 4 solenoids since I had the side pan off, a bit of a pain as you need to drop the engine cradle to do so but I haven't had any issues since. I also shimmed the accumulators with 1/2 inch nylon sleeves and it really shorted the shifts, very quick and precise, car never felt better (similar to what zzp shift kit is). I bought all 4 solenoids for $180 on ebay, this was about 2 years ago. There are 2 shift solenoids, a PCS and a lockup solenoid in there.

 

[jetmech]

Cool, i bought the pcs and both shift solenoids for the car. Hope to get it done this weekend. Thank you for all your help.

 

[GBGN1]

You scan the car for codes????

 

[GBGN1]

Sounds to me the 1-2 band is not holding and there is excessive clearance also in the 2nd gear clutches. Not electrical. Before buying something drop the pan !!

 

[jetmech]

Yeah. No codes as of now. When it shifts to second it shifts a little firm but it shifts late. Or it gets caught between gears. Like it's in neutral. I give it a rev and it hits second. Also I just found out that if I shift to second with the shifter it goes into it. Then speed up and shift to third and all is better. I drive about 100 miles a day all highway and have driven like this for like 15 k miles.