Hey all. I have a 1997 Pontiac Sunfire 2.4 with the 4T40E automatic transmission. Recently, and really all of a sudden, the car has started having very late shifts. There is a CEL that stays on all the time, and it gives pending codes Shift Solenoid A and Shift Solenoid B. The transmission will go to, say, near 5k or so rpm's before shifting each gear. Not good. If I let off the gas and just coast, then within a few seconds or so the rpm's drop back down to where they normally were when driving. However, as soon as I touch the gas again to keep the car moving at the same speed, the rpm's shoot right back up to a high level. When the car is going about 55 mph, I hear a clacking sound that sounds similar to the old playing card-in-the-bicycle-wheel. Also, when in park with the engine running, I can hear some type of grinding/clanging sound coming from the transmission. The fluid is good and at the right level. I don't know if this is related, but I think it is -- at the exact same time that the transmission started having all these problems, I realized that the brake pedal is now hard to press, and the booster and vacuum lines going to it are good. The transmission is electronically controlled, so I wouldn't think it could be a vacuum issue anyway, but still somehow possibly the tranny could be related to the brakes, possibly something electrical? The pcm is also good as well. Could this be a TCC solenoid issue? If so, where would I disconnect it? I know from experience that bad TCC solenoids cause stalling, etc., but could it also cause problems like mine now? Could a loose drive axle cause any problems like these? I really need to figure out soon why the tranny is acting up particularly. The car ran fine until just after I replaced the head gasket/had the a/c recharged. I checked all fuses and tried to check the wires as best I could. All wheel speed sensors are plugged in like they should be. Please help!!! Need car for college/work!!!
By the way, the ABS and Brake lights remain on all the time as well. These lights came on at the same time as the transmission issues and the corresponding CEL light came on. Thanks for reading. Much appreciated!
I can't type in cursive!
Bump. Please help!
I can't type in cursive!
I forgot to mention, now nothing happens when I press the ets button. No light, nothing!
I can't type in cursive!
Pretty obvious you have an internal transmission problem.
Need to find a transmissions shop, they will need to do some line pressure testing, and see if the issue is with the valve body or in the mechancial side of the transmission
- 2004 Cavalier - 124k, owned since new
Update: I pulled the trans pan and the fluid still looks/smells good. The insides of the tranny appear quite clean.
There was the normal metal grit on the magnet, but otherwise, pretty clean. No metal shavings or anything. Since I got Shift Solenoid A and Shift Solenoid B codes, I wonder if that means the Transmission Control Solenoids/Shift Solenoids are bad/loose? Advance Auto Parts shows that this car takes 2 of them, but I didn't see them under the tranny. I guess they are on the side of the transmission?
I can't type in cursive!
