I have a 2003 SS with 144k. Just recently I started having issues with hard shifts and delays in the transmission shifting gear, most notably the shifting between 3rd and 4th gears. I bought the car used, everything else on the car runs fine, and the previous owner (only owner), did all scheduled maintenance except a tranny flush. Does anyone know what could be causing this, am I looking at a new granny, or rebuild? I've searched around, but can't find anything concrete on what it may be? Thanks for any help.

 

I wouldn't give my granny up for anything, she never forgets my birthday.....

 

Hahaha Chris, I almost spat out my pepsi!

I don't know enough about transmission problems to have a solution, but do have a recommendation if you plan on rebuilding.
This guy Dave at TEP has been building these transmission for a while with a GREAT rep among the 3800 community.

Triple Edge Performance - Home Page

 

x2 Dave from TEP could probably point you in the right direction

 

lmao chris that was too funny

 

Sucks the previous owner did not do a trans fluid and filter change. That means pre-mature death on many transmissions (not a guarantee against tranny failure, but doesn't hurt to try and prevent it).
For grins, take the transmission dip stick out and look at it. If it's more black then red or his "grit" to it, get it to a professional IMO.

For those who believe changing tranny fluid means failure, since I drive in north east Ohio, mostly flat land and we don't have consistent high temps, I change trans fluid and filter in my cars every 100,000 miles. My '94 Grand Am is on it's original transmission, two fluid/filter changes and over 210,000 miles. Other then trans fluid changes, no other service. I do recognize, the transmissions used in the 6th gen Monte don't have a great rep off the bat for being reliable, but, doing routine maintenance doesn't hurt.

 

from what i have gotten from local shops if you havent had it changed before 100k don't do it, they have said on many occasions that if you do at that point chances are good that it will slip because the clutch material in the fluid, now, is acting as the grip for the bands and once its gone the trans will slip because the grit is whats giving the bands grip for the shifts so, i would probably get a rebuild if i could or as a band-aid change the filter keep as much of the fluid as possible and replace whats lost with a conditioner/stop slip. again that would be a band-aid IMO but talk to your shops and TEP and ZZP they will help you alot. I have had great luck with ZZP parts and advise the website is ZZperformance.com just click on the grand-prix tab then e-mail them and see what they say just my $.02