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I lurked here a long time ago, but I haven't really needed much help since I've had my J body, I've had these V6 varients for the last 10-15 years. This will be my first thread here, and it's a book.
DISCLAIMER: This will be long, but feel it's best to layout the whole problem as complete as I can if I expect help. I tried posting this over on an Impala forum but have yet to get any ideas of where to go next.
Car Info:
2007 Impala
3.9 Liter
4T65E Trans.
The problem is a bit 2 fold.
A couple months ago my trans started kind of shuddering while driving. I don't really know how to describe it. While holding steady anywhere between about 30-50 I can feel a shudder. If I get on the gas and accelerate it goes away. Also it doesn't seem to be there with the cruise set around 60-65. Also I can make this shudder go away if I either shift into neutral or "3" which I don't like being in the habit of doing so I don't really do that. But it does stop the shudder problem.
Fast forward to this last weekend. Friday I took a road trip about 70 miles away. On the way home, on the freeway my cluster was saying "service traction control" with the TC light on and I noticed about the same time the CEL came on. I didn't think it was a big deal. When I got off the freeway for a lunch stop, as the light turned green at the top of the ramp and I started to go and the trans felt like it slipped then grabbed. Then with every shift it was kind of banging the gears and shifting pretty hard, like a shift kit only rougher. Stopped for lunch about 30 minutes. Started the car back up and the TC and CEL were still lit. I didn't have far to go between exits, so I figured I would see what would happen getting back on the freeway, it hard shifted through all the gears and got up to speed, once at speed it was fine. Made it home still hard shifting after I got off the freeway.
Thanks for anybody that's still reading.
Once home I pulled the codes. The code was P0011 - "A" Camshaft Position - Timing Over-Advanced or System Performance (Bank 1). I reset the code and let the car cool down for about 3 hours. Came back out to run to the store. I got about 3 blocks away and it threw the TC and CEL again, then started shifting hard and "slipping" from stops again. Picked up a trans filter and fluid, something I had been meaning to do once the shuddering described above started, but work got in the way. I haven't worked less then a 50 hour week since April.
I never cleared the codes after that time. Saturday morning I pulled the pan and changed the filter. Fluid wasn't terrible or burned, but needed to be changed, I was expecting chunks of clutch material the way it was acting. Not sure when the last time the filter was done, not since I've owned the car. I bought the car with about 105k and it's at 138k now.
The shavings on the magnet seemed to be about normal from what I remember from the last time I was in a trans doing service.
While I had it up on jackstands I fixed the oil filter adapter gasket and did an oil change as well.
Took it for a half hour or so test run. The check engine light and traction control light were off, I had never reset them after the second time the lit up and haven't come back since. The hard shifting between gears hasn't shown up as long as those lights were off, research leads me to believe that the P0011 and hard shifts are related. But I still get that slipping feel from a stop.
Still with me? Great
So prior to this whole experience I only had oil on the garage floor from the adapter gasket that I had noticed. The day after doing the filter I noticed the oil leak was gone, but there was now trans fluid on the floor. Today after work crawled under to see if the pan maybe was loose. Rechecked all the bolts and they were torqued proper, then I noticed this.
After looking at the cooler line and bracket it appears it's been leaking for a while, but the fluid level has always remained decent. I have had to put a bit in since I got the car, but not a ton.
This is where it come up and turns towards the radiator.
Here is the bracket that the hard lines clip into.
I pulled the plastic caps off the fittings and I could see fluid there leaking down off the fittings. I wiped all the grunge off those fittings and the line that's all filthy, then went for a ride. About 20 minutes in traffic. Came home and put it on the jack again to take a look. Sure enough fluid when I moved the plastic caps. I'm going to stop by the dealer tomorrow to try to get the part numbers for those fittings. Rock Auto has the thinner one that's horizontal, but not the vertical one. So I'll be replacing both of them in the near future.
So I guess the biggest question is with those fittings being bad would that lead to pressure issues that would cause the slipping or hesitation feel from a stop or is pressure all built up inside the valve body so the fittings aren't really an issue? Also the shudder symptoms are still the same as before the hard shifting issue.
If the trans is indeed on it's way out the door, what can I expect the replacement is going to cost? Is this something that's best left to a dealership, or would a good reman shop be just as reliable?
Thanks for reading this novel, if you stuck with it to the end I appreciate it. Any help you can give would be excellent. If there are any direct questions that can help with a diagnosis just let me know and I will answer best I can.
DISCLAIMER: This will be long, but feel it's best to layout the whole problem as complete as I can if I expect help. I tried posting this over on an Impala forum but have yet to get any ideas of where to go next.
Car Info:
2007 Impala
3.9 Liter
4T65E Trans.
The problem is a bit 2 fold.
A couple months ago my trans started kind of shuddering while driving. I don't really know how to describe it. While holding steady anywhere between about 30-50 I can feel a shudder. If I get on the gas and accelerate it goes away. Also it doesn't seem to be there with the cruise set around 60-65. Also I can make this shudder go away if I either shift into neutral or "3" which I don't like being in the habit of doing so I don't really do that. But it does stop the shudder problem.
Fast forward to this last weekend. Friday I took a road trip about 70 miles away. On the way home, on the freeway my cluster was saying "service traction control" with the TC light on and I noticed about the same time the CEL came on. I didn't think it was a big deal. When I got off the freeway for a lunch stop, as the light turned green at the top of the ramp and I started to go and the trans felt like it slipped then grabbed. Then with every shift it was kind of banging the gears and shifting pretty hard, like a shift kit only rougher. Stopped for lunch about 30 minutes. Started the car back up and the TC and CEL were still lit. I didn't have far to go between exits, so I figured I would see what would happen getting back on the freeway, it hard shifted through all the gears and got up to speed, once at speed it was fine. Made it home still hard shifting after I got off the freeway.
Thanks for anybody that's still reading.
Once home I pulled the codes. The code was P0011 - "A" Camshaft Position - Timing Over-Advanced or System Performance (Bank 1). I reset the code and let the car cool down for about 3 hours. Came back out to run to the store. I got about 3 blocks away and it threw the TC and CEL again, then started shifting hard and "slipping" from stops again. Picked up a trans filter and fluid, something I had been meaning to do once the shuddering described above started, but work got in the way. I haven't worked less then a 50 hour week since April.
I never cleared the codes after that time. Saturday morning I pulled the pan and changed the filter. Fluid wasn't terrible or burned, but needed to be changed, I was expecting chunks of clutch material the way it was acting. Not sure when the last time the filter was done, not since I've owned the car. I bought the car with about 105k and it's at 138k now.
The shavings on the magnet seemed to be about normal from what I remember from the last time I was in a trans doing service.
While I had it up on jackstands I fixed the oil filter adapter gasket and did an oil change as well.
Took it for a half hour or so test run. The check engine light and traction control light were off, I had never reset them after the second time the lit up and haven't come back since. The hard shifting between gears hasn't shown up as long as those lights were off, research leads me to believe that the P0011 and hard shifts are related. But I still get that slipping feel from a stop.
Still with me? Great
So prior to this whole experience I only had oil on the garage floor from the adapter gasket that I had noticed. The day after doing the filter I noticed the oil leak was gone, but there was now trans fluid on the floor. Today after work crawled under to see if the pan maybe was loose. Rechecked all the bolts and they were torqued proper, then I noticed this.
After looking at the cooler line and bracket it appears it's been leaking for a while, but the fluid level has always remained decent. I have had to put a bit in since I got the car, but not a ton.
This is where it come up and turns towards the radiator.
Here is the bracket that the hard lines clip into.
I pulled the plastic caps off the fittings and I could see fluid there leaking down off the fittings. I wiped all the grunge off those fittings and the line that's all filthy, then went for a ride. About 20 minutes in traffic. Came home and put it on the jack again to take a look. Sure enough fluid when I moved the plastic caps. I'm going to stop by the dealer tomorrow to try to get the part numbers for those fittings. Rock Auto has the thinner one that's horizontal, but not the vertical one. So I'll be replacing both of them in the near future.
So I guess the biggest question is with those fittings being bad would that lead to pressure issues that would cause the slipping or hesitation feel from a stop or is pressure all built up inside the valve body so the fittings aren't really an issue? Also the shudder symptoms are still the same as before the hard shifting issue.
If the trans is indeed on it's way out the door, what can I expect the replacement is going to cost? Is this something that's best left to a dealership, or would a good reman shop be just as reliable?
Thanks for reading this novel, if you stuck with it to the end I appreciate it. Any help you can give would be excellent. If there are any direct questions that can help with a diagnosis just let me know and I will answer best I can.
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