every now and then when I firstengage into drive is fell like the trac control is slipping. Then it catches and all is well. Feels like its does on snow or ice but I'm on dry pavement. Seems like its getting a bit more frequent.

Any ideas?

2003 LS, competion yellow

 

Sounds to me like the transmission is slipping.Traction control just applies the brakes and controls the throttle to help prevent wheel spin.See if turning the Traction Control off changes things any.I would bet it doesn't.

 

I meant to check the fluid when I cahnged the oil last weekend. I'll do that tonight thanks.

 

Hey Jcfm64:
I had the EXACT same problem in my 2003 LS I just traded in.You shift into drive (either out of part, or from reverse) andhit the gas, the car hesitates, only moving very slowly, like if the clutch pedal wasn't fully released. Then a split second later you feel a jerk and the car lurches forwardand drives like nothing ever happened. Never get any engine codes or lights or anything else to indicat that there's a problem. Mechanics can NEVER duplicate the problem (I had mine in the shop 8 frickin times) and think that you're not letting the car come to a complete stop before shifting.

I did some research and I would try a couple different things. I will tell you that I had a trans fluid flush, and double checked the fluid level (per owners manual) and it was dead on. That did not fix the problem. My car alsoafter a long stretch of highway driving (like 60 miles at 75 MPH, then an hour of city driving, then 60 miles at 75 MPH again) actually started shifting really hard. Just shutting it off, and turning it back on stopped the hard shifting. A tech told me thiscould be a sensor. If you are experiencing this as well, seethe second note below.

First I would have a shop check the catalytic converter to see if it's plugged. This will cause backpressure that can cause thecar to act up, which can seem like transmission problems. If there is a problem there, take it to GM. Some models got an extended emissions system warranty because of problems. Otherwise if you don't have any warranty,any shop can put in areplacement cat. While you're there you might as well do the U-bend delete talked about in the headers/exhaust section, and put in a high-flow performance catinstead of just a stock replacement.

Second, there is a sensor that actually tells the ECM if the transmission is slipping or having some kind of problem. This sensor could be going bad, luckily it's only like a 10$ sensor. When it detects slippage, either erroneously or accurately, it increases the line pressure in thetransmission to help accomodate, in turn causing the hard shifts.


I actually traded my car before I fixed it, so I couldn't tell you for sure which fix is the right one, but I'm pretty sure that's the right place to start.

*editedto addsome more information*