I have a 2005 Monty and I just love her but she has been very bad lately. She has been intermittently shifting hard. I took her over to my local AAmco shop and they pulled code p1811 and happily informed me I needed to completely rebuild my transmission to the tune of $2900.00. At this moment in time I do not have $29.00 let alone $2900.00. I have been reading many sites, many of which claim it is the Pressure Control Solenoid. I am obviously a women and at the complete mercy of everyone who is diagnosing my car. She has just turned odometer at 75000 and I take very good care of her. How is it possible that with such low mileage she needs a completely rebuild? Now I have had her tranny fluid flushed and new filter as part of her regular check ups and I am not an aggressive driver. Does anyone have some sound advice or any other train of thought? How expensive would this PCS be if I were to have it replaced? On the other hand I live in Port Saint Lucie Fla and if anyone knows of an honest and reliable repair shop I could go to I would greatly appreciate it.

 

Yes, they're trying to rip you off.
Rebuilding transmission is expensive but 2900 that's just crazy.
Dave Morris has been rebuilding these transmission for a while and is a very reliable person among the 3800 engine community.
Try changing the Pressure Control Solenoid, as its been referred as a common problem in our transmission to cause hard shifting.
If that doesn't help it, and you DEFINITELY need a rebuilt get a hold of Dave.
Good luck and most definite update us on the situation.
Let me find the link to the PCS.

*edit*
Which trim do you have?
SS? LS? Supercharged?

Found link.
http://www.tripleedgeperformance.com/

Solenoids link
http://www.tripleedgeperformance.com...nd_Valves.html

 

I don't know if they are trying to rip you off or not. But... it seems to me that AAmco would have a vested interest in selling you a rebuild job. I have done a lot of work to my car and when I contacted tripleedgeperformance about options for my car, they were very honest and professional. I would definitely contact them. Good luck!

 

Does it stop shifting hard if you pull over, turn the engine off and then re-start it?

 

That is expensive for a rebuild. I live in Jacksonville Fl and have had two transmissions rebuilt in the last year. The first cost $2000 including tax. That was a rebuilt unit including torque converter. It was an exchange.

The last one - on a Lumina was just completed yesterday. For this last one, I shoped around, got "worst case" scenario estimates and paid only $1,672 (tax and all) for the same rebuilt trans and TC. It came with a 2 yr/24,000 warranty.

Shop around get written estimates and negotiate. My experience is that even though the shops will tell you "It may not need to be rebuilt.", The fact is that most repairs - including the Pressure Control Solenoid you speak of, requires removal of the trans. So, your close to the cost of a rebuild anyway.

Here's info on that code and from the Tripleedge site. I don't think the shift kit they mention is applicable to your 2005 transmission, but I could be wrong. Anyway, that may just be a bandaid that is not addressing the actual problem, but if it's cheap (and I think the kits are like $50, it could be worth a try.

Some common causes to this problem are-

-Poor working PCS (Pressure Control Solenoid), also called EPC or Force Motor
-Excessive clutch clearances
-Poor functioning accumulator system
-Worn internal seals and sealing rings
-Excessive valve body wear
-Dirty MAF sensor resulting in lower commanded line pressure


Due to the list of potential problems it is difficult to suggest just one or two items to cure code P1811 as everything above and many other parts and variables all play a role in the effect. Unfortunately because of the orientation of this transmission and how it sits in a vehicle it requires quite a bit of labor to access the pressure control solenoid as well as the valve body. One thing popular to try before diving into an expensive and labor enduring repair is to install a shift improver kit such as the Transgo SK4T65E shift kit that we offer. This kit includes a new set of accumulator springs and spacers to limit accumulator piston travel which greatly speeds up the time it takes to apply a clutch, which hand in hand will shorten the shift time. These kits are not made to create firm or harsh feeling shifts but to help speed up shift timing and keep what the pcm/tcm wants to see in check to prevent code P1811 from triggering. As mentioned above higher mileage plays a big role in how this transmission works and also means you should replace parts with caution and have the understanding that there is no 100% guaranteed fix to this problem without tearing into the entire transmission to address and upgrade the problem areas.