I'm going to look into this kit f my next pan drop. Good information.
Buick 4T65E hard shift *LONG*
- Thread starter TMoto
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I went to my local mechanic this morning and asked if he'd put the shift kit in and he said no he doesn't do it. Fair enough, he sent me to his tranny guy, and I got a bad feeling the minute I laid eyes on him. As it turns out he tells me I have a P1811 code, ok I already knew that but wanted to listen and be respectful. He continues to tell me that means the transmission has adjusted itself all it can and needs a rebuild. Cost $1,000 plus parts. I asked about the shift kit fix and he claims he never heard of it, and it wouldn't work. I reply with a no thanks, I can't afford to sink $1,000+ into the car, and I'll probably just replace the car. His reply was if I can't afford to fix this car how can I afford to replace it? LOL What a set! Then came a pretty hard sales pitch. At this point I had all to do not to flip out, and politely said don't worry about what I can and can't afford.
I'll see if I can find someone that wants to make money and install the shift kit with no guarantee, or just do it myself something I was trying really hard to avoid.
All this guy had to do was say listen pal, the shift kit might work, and it might not. Give me a price with a no guarantee disclaimer and probably had himself a customer. Oh well.
The transmission works fine 99.9% of the time the fluid is nice and clean, as well as the insides of the pan each time it has been serviced. Maybe the guy is right, his approach was all wrong though.
As a side note from what I've read the solenoid replacement is also hit or miss and a lot harder to do than the shift kit.
I'll see if I can find someone that wants to make money and install the shift kit with no guarantee, or just do it myself something I was trying really hard to avoid.
All this guy had to do was say listen pal, the shift kit might work, and it might not. Give me a price with a no guarantee disclaimer and probably had himself a customer. Oh well.
The transmission works fine 99.9% of the time the fluid is nice and clean, as well as the insides of the pan each time it has been serviced. Maybe the guy is right, his approach was all wrong though.
As a side note from what I've read the solenoid replacement is also hit or miss and a lot harder to do than the shift kit.
Shift kit worked for me. I bought a different brand but I'm sure they are all the same. I got mine at ZZ Performance. I put mine in myself and that was a few years ago with 120k miles on the car. Just hit 201k miles this weekend and still performing great. You just need to find someone who is willing to help you out and make a few bucks. Call around to some more transmission shops.
Originally Posted By: WishIhadatruck
Shift kit worked for me. I bought a different brand but I'm sure they are all the same. I got mine at ZZ Performance. I put mine in myself and that was a few years ago with 120k miles on the car. Just hit 201k miles this weekend and still performing great. You just need to find someone who is willing to help you out and make a few bucks. Call around to some more transmission shops.
How involved a job is it? I'm loaded with work, and spare time is something I'm short of now, which is why I was trying to have someone do the job. But if push comes to shove I'll have to make time and do it.
Shift kit worked for me. I bought a different brand but I'm sure they are all the same. I got mine at ZZ Performance. I put mine in myself and that was a few years ago with 120k miles on the car. Just hit 201k miles this weekend and still performing great. You just need to find someone who is willing to help you out and make a few bucks. Call around to some more transmission shops.
How involved a job is it? I'm loaded with work, and spare time is something I'm short of now, which is why I was trying to have someone do the job. But if push comes to shove I'll have to make time and do it.
It wasn't really difficult at all. Probably an extra 10 minutes of work beyond the pan drop and filter change I was already doing if it had gone smoothly. Once you drop the pan and remove the filter you can drop the parts down by just removing a few bolts to install the shift kit. I probably struggled with putting it back together for an extra 10-15 minutes as the metal tubes go into the valve body and trying to get them to stay straight, slide into place, while they seemed to be binding slightly made for a headache. I finally got it and all was well. Try to find a youtube video of someone doing it, that might help. There is typically a youtube video of someone doing just about anything you can imagine.
Originally Posted By: WishIhadatruck
It wasn't really difficult at all. Probably an extra 10 minutes of work beyond the pan drop and filter change I was already doing if it had gone smoothly. Once you drop the pan and remove the filter you can drop the parts down by just removing a few bolts to install the shift kit. I probably struggled with putting it back together for an extra 10-15 minutes as the metal tubes go into the valve body and trying to get them to stay straight, slide into place, while they seemed to be binding slightly made for a headache. I finally got it and all was well. Try to find a youtube video of someone doing it, that might help. There is typically a youtube video of someone doing just about anything you can imagine.
Thanks! I'll probably end up doing it, if so I will read up on it and search for a video before I dive in.
It wasn't really difficult at all. Probably an extra 10 minutes of work beyond the pan drop and filter change I was already doing if it had gone smoothly. Once you drop the pan and remove the filter you can drop the parts down by just removing a few bolts to install the shift kit. I probably struggled with putting it back together for an extra 10-15 minutes as the metal tubes go into the valve body and trying to get them to stay straight, slide into place, while they seemed to be binding slightly made for a headache. I finally got it and all was well. Try to find a youtube video of someone doing it, that might help. There is typically a youtube video of someone doing just about anything you can imagine.
Thanks! I'll probably end up doing it, if so I will read up on it and search for a video before I dive in.
Good luck!
Thanks!^
I did a writeup on pontiacbonnevilleclub a long time ago. It should still be there. It's really not that hard.
BTW, spend the $70 on the TransGo shift kit. It works better than the ZZP kit since it includes new accumulator springs.
BTW, spend the $70 on the TransGo shift kit. It works better than the ZZP kit since it includes new accumulator springs.
Originally Posted By: sciphi
I did a writeup on pontiacbonnevilleclub a long time ago. It should still be there. It's really not that hard.
BTW, spend the $70 on the TransGo shift kit. It works better than the ZZP kit since it includes new accumulator springs.
PM sent, thanks!
I did a writeup on pontiacbonnevilleclub a long time ago. It should still be there. It's really not that hard.
BTW, spend the $70 on the TransGo shift kit. It works better than the ZZP kit since it includes new accumulator springs.
PM sent, thanks!
If you're comfortable turning a wrench, pulling the pan, and replacing the filter, you should be able to install the kit. There are some very good write-ups on the net as Sciphi mentioned and I tried to add a few comments in my post here of things to watch out for. Take your time, make sure the vehicle is supported safely, and you should be fine.
Well Trav got up in the middle of the night and headed from MA to NY to give me a hand doing this job. As it turns out he ended up doing the job. Let me say the man knows his stuff, in fact that's an understatement. Instead of tossing parts into the transmission and wondering if the job was a success or not he hooked the car up to his laptop, and logged some real time data pertaining to the actual transmission shift points. A few times it shifted above .60 which is the threshold for triggering the p1811 code, and the harsh shifting which follows.
After he logged all the data, we put the car up on ramps, sucked out as much ATF as the Miti-Vac could remove and dropped the pan, put in the accumulator kit, and a new filter. He put it back together, we filled the tranny and took a ride. The improvement in the shift time was drastic, never getting anywhere near the .60 threshold. He then tested various sensors, fuel trim, etc and came to the conclusion that the engine is healthy and running well, along with a drastic improvement to the transmission's shifting. He can elaborate on the data of the shift points, he saved them.
What I liked about his approach was the before and after test data which showed the improvement, vs. guessing if the repair was a success or not, or waiting for the harsh shift.
Anyone on the fence about sending injectors to him, or having him do work for them shouldn't hesitate, he really knows what he's doing, and is fair and honest!
After he logged all the data, we put the car up on ramps, sucked out as much ATF as the Miti-Vac could remove and dropped the pan, put in the accumulator kit, and a new filter. He put it back together, we filled the tranny and took a ride. The improvement in the shift time was drastic, never getting anywhere near the .60 threshold. He then tested various sensors, fuel trim, etc and came to the conclusion that the engine is healthy and running well, along with a drastic improvement to the transmission's shifting. He can elaborate on the data of the shift points, he saved them.
What I liked about his approach was the before and after test data which showed the improvement, vs. guessing if the repair was a success or not, or waiting for the harsh shift.
Anyone on the fence about sending injectors to him, or having him do work for them shouldn't hesitate, he really knows what he's doing, and is fair and honest!
Originally Posted By: TMoto
That's great news and a very good friend you have there!!!
That's great news and a very good friend you have there!!!
Glad to hear it went well and you had some great help!
Hey Frank,
I am really glad we did this job the way we did it with the scan tool before and after.
It gave us like you said real time tangible data to see how the unit was operating under normal conditions.
Before the kit tranny temp 171f 1-2 hit max 0.52 2-3 shift hit 0.63 shift time and 34 was 0.48. All real time data was recorded and saved to a file.
We concluded the test drive as soon as shift times hit over the 0.60 mark.
After the kit. tranny temp 182f (we drove it even longer) 1-2 never want above 0.25 2-3 0.30 and 3-4 0.23 Well below the threshold for commanding higher pressure and tripping the code. Most shift times were in the 0.10-0.20 range for all shifts.
The kit from triple edge performance is the way to go. It includes the transgo kit, accumulator seals, scuff pad and an US made filter with seal.
We also got a new accumulator body gasket.
The real time data dispelled myths like Maxlife is too thin, opening the unit is like opening a can of worms that is better left closed, the kit fixes something already damaged or broken in the unit (it isn't).
The Transo kit is much better than the bang screech kits offered by some of the so called performance dealers, it just make the unit shift properly, not harshly.
As you noticed and commented it shifts smooth but with a little authority.
Scuffing the bores lightly in the accumulator helps retain fluid and stop the fluid from leaking past the smooth bores in the original.
The inside looked great, no metal or clutch material to speak of.
I have used these kits as preventive maintenance on a lot of these unit including my own, the results are long lasting and if anything increases the life of the unit by reducing long shift times.
The kit addresses a physical issue that cannot be remedied with a cleaner or chemical regardless of brand.
All in all i am very pleased with the outcome of this job, it went silk smooth with zero drama.
I am really glad we did this job the way we did it with the scan tool before and after.
It gave us like you said real time tangible data to see how the unit was operating under normal conditions.
Before the kit tranny temp 171f 1-2 hit max 0.52 2-3 shift hit 0.63 shift time and 34 was 0.48. All real time data was recorded and saved to a file.
We concluded the test drive as soon as shift times hit over the 0.60 mark.
After the kit. tranny temp 182f (we drove it even longer) 1-2 never want above 0.25 2-3 0.30 and 3-4 0.23 Well below the threshold for commanding higher pressure and tripping the code. Most shift times were in the 0.10-0.20 range for all shifts.
The kit from triple edge performance is the way to go. It includes the transgo kit, accumulator seals, scuff pad and an US made filter with seal.
We also got a new accumulator body gasket.
The real time data dispelled myths like Maxlife is too thin, opening the unit is like opening a can of worms that is better left closed, the kit fixes something already damaged or broken in the unit (it isn't).
The Transo kit is much better than the bang screech kits offered by some of the so called performance dealers, it just make the unit shift properly, not harshly.
As you noticed and commented it shifts smooth but with a little authority.
Scuffing the bores lightly in the accumulator helps retain fluid and stop the fluid from leaking past the smooth bores in the original.
The inside looked great, no metal or clutch material to speak of.
I have used these kits as preventive maintenance on a lot of these unit including my own, the results are long lasting and if anything increases the life of the unit by reducing long shift times.
The kit addresses a physical issue that cannot be remedied with a cleaner or chemical regardless of brand.
All in all i am very pleased with the outcome of this job, it went silk smooth with zero drama.
I put some miles on it tonight, in traffic, and a nice highway run, it's working great! It's a shame the ripoff shops where I live wanted to sell me a transmission, which is no surprise, but I tried anyway. Needless to say they lost me as a customer for good, along with anyone who asks me to recommend a transmission shop. I knew the tranny was good, and what it needed for a fix after doing some research. I'm glad Paul made the trip to NY it was a good day, and an educational experience! Now I have to buy the software and setup for my laptop that Trav has, it's a great tool, and takes the guess work out of repair work.
Okay okay, what is this software?
Well its been about 700 miles since the accumulator kit was put in and it is working great! It shifts flawlessly, thanks Paul aka Trav for your help with this. It looks like I'll be keeping this car for a quite a while!
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