You sure that's the trans? Sounds more like the power steering pump if it's whining louder when you turn the steering wheel.

 

Hi - that never occured to us - The power steering pump is under $100 so we will try it next month and see if it fixes the problem . Thanks!

 

Try checking the fluid before replacing the pump.

 

Thanks, Fluid is Full - When my husband repalces my valve cover gaskets next month he plans to replace this pump to see if the whine goes away. Thanks for the help!

 

Hi,
I also have a 2001 SS.. The whinning is caused by a malfunctioning PCS ( Pressure Control Selenoid ) inside your transmission. The good news is the PCS cost is around $40.00. The bad news the tranny needs to be dropped to change it. labor aprox. $1000.00, Unless you know someome who's done this before.
Chevy dealerships will try to sell you on a transmission flush, but you'll be back if you want the whinning and hard shifting to stop.
I had the PCS changed 2 years ago and the whinning stopped and the tranny felt like new again. My problem now is the problem is back and I'm in the mode of trying to get it fixed again. The dealership says, the warranty on the part was for 6 months. They are willing to give me a discount to have it changed again.
PS. GM is aware of the problem but will not do anything about it other than hook you up with a car sales expert to try and sell you on buying another car. Good luck.. I love my 2001 Black SS 172,000 miles Monte Carlo, I just wish the there was a better choice on the PCS switch.

 

I too have a 2001 SS with 133K miles and a whining noise just started last night on the highway. I thought it might have to do with the transmission, especially after I shifted out of D (Overdrive) to 3rd gear. It stopped. It will do it in "D" at high speeds, but not in 3rd. Is it still possibly this PCS you mentioned, or maybe a bearing or something?

 

4th gear in this transmission is a weak point - you can loose over drive if you put too much stress on the 4th drive shaft. That could possibly be why it's making a noise, but there's others on here that can answer this better.

 

More info on 4th gear:
No 4th Gear:


Again a common problem with this transmission until GM made an upgrade in later models. There is a clutch hub inside this trans for 4th gear and has a long hollow shaft with splines on one end, and lugs on the other end for 4th clutches to key into. The splines on the small end will turn razor sharp over time and eventually wear off. Constant in and out of 4th gear and lockup in 4th gear puts stress on the splines with constant hammering back and forth from driveline load change puts a lot of stress on the splines which eventually leads to failure and no 4th gear. Later GM parts as well as the aftermarket both offer a 4th clutch hub with heat treated splines which eliminates the problem. Must all 2003 and newer vehicles came from the factory with the heat treated version. Unfortunately the transmission has to be taken half way apart to to get to this and is quite a chore to do in the vehicle though it can be done. Below is a picture of an early non heat treated shaft with stripped splines next to a newer shaft with heat treated splines. To date I have not seen a heat treated 4th clutch hub/shaft fail

 

My origonal trans wines in 1st only nvr rlly looked for the issue i got a new trans ready to go in wen i do my sc swap