'Service engine' light came on and started to shift hard

ANYTHING RELATED TO MANUAL OR AUTO TRANSMISSIONS GOES HERE.
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DANVAN
I get chills without my van.
Posts: 80
Joined: Sat Mar 15, 2008 8:26 am
Location: Merrimack NH

Re: 'Service engine' light came on and started to shift hard

Post by DANVAN »

Thanks, but I have no idea what or where a separator plate is, Ive never heard of one.
Dan
2000 LS Astro, fully loaded- the daily driver, 2WD, 3.23
1993 B250 Dodge van, fully custom- the weekend driver 5.2, 3.91
and 3 ATV's
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Topic author
DANVAN
I get chills without my van.
Posts: 80
Joined: Sat Mar 15, 2008 8:26 am
Location: Merrimack NH

Re: 'Service engine' light came on and started to shift hard

Post by DANVAN »

OK, just got off the phone with a friend of a friend who owns a tranny shop, Ive meet him before so he was nice enough to give me some time.

He too, knows of this common problem with these trannys, fixes several a week, but wants $500.00-$550.00 to do it.

He mentioned the spring, the TCC, the solinoid, all the updates to the valve body, everything Ive read here, but when I mentioned drilling the hole, he said no, thats not a proper fix and will eventually lead to the converter failing due to lose of pressure and slipping.

So Im not sure now about drilling the hole, and it looks like this may cost me more then I was willing to spend.

Opionions?
Dan
2000 LS Astro, fully loaded- the daily driver, 2WD, 3.23
1993 B250 Dodge van, fully custom- the weekend driver 5.2, 3.91
and 3 ATV's

LiftedAWDAstro
I have my van tatooed on my cheeks
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Joined: Sat Sep 09, 2006 3:35 pm
Location: New Haven, NY

Re: 'Service engine' light came on and started to shift hard

Post by LiftedAWDAstro »

If you pay someone else to do it, it's gonna cost you.

Do the TCC apply spring, flush with synthetic and get that cooler installed. When you do the TCC spring, you can check the separator plate as it pinches between the valve body and the housing.
Current rides:
2013 Toyota Tundra DC 4x4
2008 Dodge Nitro 4x4
2005 Nissan Sentra 1.8S Special Edition

Mileage spreadsheet

Vans owned:
1986 Safari 2.5L 4 speed manual - scrapped
1995 Astro 2WD conversion 4.11 posi, shift kit, DHC rock rails - sold to Skippy
1998 Astro 4x4 D44, D60, NP231, full hydraulic system with 9k# Milemarker winch and snow plow - sold to Lockdoc
2003 Astro AWD all stock - traded for a 3/4 ton truck
2005 AWD, 4.10's - sold to skippy
User avatar

Topic author
DANVAN
I get chills without my van.
Posts: 80
Joined: Sat Mar 15, 2008 8:26 am
Location: Merrimack NH

Re: 'Service engine' light came on and started to shift hard

Post by DANVAN »

Well, I finally found the time to add the cooler, a 18,000 gvw one, sounds big, hope it helps. A friend gave it to me years ago, its been in the garage in its original packaging for like at least 8 years.

I also pumped out almost 5 qts of very dirty fluid while the cooler line was off. I was surprised how dark the fluid was, looked like dirty engine oil. On the dipstick it never looked that bad.
I installed close to 6 qts of Valvoline Max life fluid, the parts store and a mechanic friend both recommended it to me, its for vehicle with over 75k and its synthetic.

Drove the van for 30 miles yesterday, we took the utility trailer to pick up some new furniture, I definatly noticed a softer shift for the entire ride. I wont know if its fixed until I get some more weight in the trailer and go a farther distance, but at least I feel better about having the cooler installed and some new clean fluid.

I do plan on dropping the pan and changing the filter and adding more new fluid in the future, just want to see if this helps for now.

Thanks for all the input on this subject.
Dan
2000 LS Astro, fully loaded- the daily driver, 2WD, 3.23
1993 B250 Dodge van, fully custom- the weekend driver 5.2, 3.91
and 3 ATV's

risteff
I get chills without my van.
Posts: 87
Joined: Sun May 09, 2010 10:26 pm
Location: Dayton Ohio ish

Re: 'Service engine' light came on and started to shift hard

Post by risteff »

uh oh! I've got the exact same symptoms after running through the mountains of GA, TN, & KY. I'm gonna try a fluid flush, & trans cooler. I've never had a trans apart before, but I'm not afraid to try a shift kit or update. Could I use a newer valve body from a newer junk trans? Thanks.
Past vans: 1990 2WD SLE Safari, 1990 AWD SLE Safari, and 2000 AWD Safari SLE. Current, 2004 Astro AWD LS.
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