Transmission Problems: Common Issues and Solutions

Blazee · 03-13-2006, 01:23 PM

This thread will be an overview of some of the more common transmission issues. While there are lots of things that can and will happen, I will only discuss the 4 main ones…….yeah I know that the thumbs suck, but I didn’t want to kill any dial-up modems, just click the thumb to see the whole page.

1. LACK OF MAINTENANCE
A lot of people neglect their transmissions. The fluid and filter should be changed at least every 30,000 miles. Failure to do so, can lead to poor performance and premature death. It isn’t that hard to do yourself and doesn’t have to be done very often, so there is really no excuse for not taking proper care of your transmission. (If you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself, it will cost much less than a new transmission to have a shop do it.) Proper maintenance will insure that you get the most out of your transmission.

2. P1870
This problem is normally noticed as hard shift between first and second gear and or an illuminated "Check Engine" or "Service Engine Soon" light. GM has issued a number of service bulletins on the subject:

The most common cause of this code is the valve body:

Here’s a picture of the valve body, that I got from a link that blazes9395 posted:

3. IGNITION SWITCH FAILURE
Some of the ignition switches that came on these trucks have had problems with the contacts inside. Basically anything that is controlled through the switch can be affected by its failure. 97 models are the ones most commonly affected by this problem.

4. REACTION SUN SHELL
With this condition you will lose reverse, second and fourth gear. The reaction sun shell is a weakness of these transmissions, unfortunately this problem requires a rebuild or replacement of the tranny.

Here's a picture of a good shell:

Here's a picture of a broken shell:

Here's a couple sun gears, you can see part of the broken shell on the gear on the right:

Thanks to ImageShack for free hosting.

MaveRankus · 03-29-2006, 10:26 PM

I went to the dealership today and P1870 code came up... they diagnosed it as trans componet slipping... any fixes or am I ****ed?

98SS · 04-26-2006, 06:34 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Blazee

.yeah I know that the thumbs suck, but I didn’t want to kill any dial-up modems, just click the thumb to see the whole page.

Thumbs rule! More people should learn to post thumbs. I have high speed internet but I still like thumbs simply because they don't expand past the side of my monitor. That's annoying.

03-13-2006, 01:23 PM	#1
Blazee Registered User Age: 37 Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 218 Location: User is: OffLine	Transmission Problems: Common Issues and Solutions This thread will be an overview of some of the more common transmission issues. While there are lots of things that can and will happen, I will only discuss the 4 main ones…….yeah I know that the thumbs suck, but I didn’t want to kill any dial-up modems, just click the thumb to see the whole page. 1. LACK OF MAINTENANCE A lot of people neglect their transmissions. The fluid and filter should be changed at least every 30,000 miles. Failure to do so, can lead to poor performance and premature death. It isn’t that hard to do yourself and doesn’t have to be done very often, so there is really no excuse for not taking proper care of your transmission. (If you don’t feel comfortable doing it yourself, it will cost much less than a new transmission to have a shop do it.) Proper maintenance will insure that you get the most out of your transmission. 2. P1870 This problem is normally noticed as hard shift between first and second gear and or an illuminated "Check Engine" or "Service Engine Soon" light. GM has issued a number of service bulletins on the subject: The most common cause of this code is the valve body: Here’s a picture of the valve body, that I got from a link that blazes9395 posted: 3. IGNITION SWITCH FAILURE Some of the ignition switches that came on these trucks have had problems with the contacts inside. Basically anything that is controlled through the switch can be affected by its failure. 97 models are the ones most commonly affected by this problem. 4. REACTION SUN SHELL With this condition you will lose reverse, second and fourth gear. The reaction sun shell is a weakness of these transmissions, unfortunately this problem requires a rebuild or replacement of the tranny. Here's a picture of a good shell: Here's a picture of a broken shell: Here's a couple sun gears, you can see part of the broken shell on the gear on the right: Thanks to ImageShack for free hosting.
	[Reply w/Quote]

03-29-2006, 10:26 PM	#2
MaveRankus ..... Age: 23 Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 2,685 Location: Wanamaker, Indiana User is: OffLine	Re: Transmission Problems: Common Issues and Solutions I went to the dealership today and P1870 code came up... they diagnosed it as trans componet slipping... any fixes or am I ****ed?
	[Reply w/Quote]

04-26-2006, 06:34 PM	#3
98SS former owner Age: 26 Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 7,297 Location: Memphis 'burbs User is: OffLine	Re: Transmission Problems: Common Issues and Solutions Quote: Originally Posted by Blazee .yeah I know that the thumbs suck, but I didn’t want to kill any dial-up modems, just click the thumb to see the whole page. Thumbs rule! More people should learn to post thumbs. I have high speed internet but I still like thumbs simply because they don't expand past the side of my monitor. That's annoying.
	[Reply w/Quote]