Hello everyone.
I believe I have something very strange happening with my 2004 Supercharged Monte Carlo SS. The transmission is new, just had it put in about 6-8 months ago or so. But the problem is, when I start my car and I decide to drive off somewhere, if I give it a little gas (RPM's exceeding more than 2000) my car really doesnt move, but you can hear it accelerate. For instance I could give it a bit more gas and get the RPM's to about 3,000 and its as if my car doesn't go anywhere.. So if I baby it, and dont exceed 2,000 RPM's or so, then the car drives fine. It just shifts into gear a little slow.

However, when about 10 minutes go by the car shifts COMPLETELY PERFECTLY. Zero issues.. I could tap the accelerator and I get an immediate response. I have taken it into a local shop, someone that my family goes to. And I had him check the cat converter, and the pressure control solenoid. He said both were working just fine, like the way they should. And he checked other solenoids as well, just not sure of all the stuff he had checked because I don't remember.

But, like I said after about 10 minutes of driving, i get immediate responses form my shifts, and it works fine. No check engine light either. My check engine light always comes on for the EVAP sensor, but I checked the sensor and it works just fine. I also reset the computer in the car, and that didnt help the check engine light from stopping coming on.

I would like to know why my car takes 2-3 seconds to shift into gear before its been driven a bit. My mechanic told me that its to "protect the supercharger from damage until its at a good operating temperature." Which I think is crap. What do you guys think?

 

There's a problem with that transmission. I had a similar issue. Once the fluid got to temp, it worked better... Check your fluid. If it's fine, that tranny is junked...

 

Welcome to the forum! My first thought was either low fluid or the wrong fluid, but I am sure your guy would have checked that. I agree with nighthawkjcb, the "protecting the supercharger" sounds bogus. Maybe some ofe the supercharged memebers can weigh in.

 

The thing is, he had hooked up some machine to the transmission, and took it on a drive. He said it shifted normally, even with the tranny fluid being cold. I have been in there multiple times with the same issue just TRYING to figure it out but never could. Yes I constantly check my fluids, I checked yesterday and it was full, a nice pretty pink too at that.
I will talk to him and see if I can get it replaced. Because it's also under warranty.. Im just afraid he wont replace because HE sess NOTHING wrong with it. Which is horse dung because I'm the one driving it every day.

 

As it turns out, I have a year to get the transmission replaced. Or, if I exceed 12,000 miles while having this transmission, the warranty is no longer available. I've put 24,000 miles on my monte in the past 9 months of having the new transmission. So I think Im S.O.L.

Is there any way I could maybe fix this by not getting a whole new transmission? I really think I could just live with the slow shifts, and just keep taking it easy on the gas until the transmission fluid is warm.. Its not like if I keep driving with this transmission, that it could cause damage to my engine right?

Any ideas on what else I could potentially do to help resolve the issue would be appreciated.
Thanks guys..

 

Sounds like its the PCS (Pressure control sensor)
Take it to a trans shop ( different from the one that rebuilt it) and have them check the pressure in the trans.

Theres obviously a reason why you only got a 12 month warranty...
It was more than likely a soft rebuild... did he replace the torque converter?

He possibly didn't change any of the hard parts...
Theres many hard parts that starting to fail...(Possibly) and or as previously mentioned..maybe he used the wrong trans fluid?
Which leads me to the PCS issue... Once it warms up possibly it builds enough pressure to operate somewhat normal...

But I believe a 2nd opinion at a different shop may resolve your problem...

Just curious....
Have you checked for a clogged catalytic converter?
Maybe once it warms up (The cat) then it breaths more freely?

 

It sounds to me like your trans is slipping. What gear does it slip in? Does this only happen in low gear? What happens when you punch the throttle to 4,000-5,000 RPM? Does the RPM go up without reaching desired speed? Check the fluid level make sure its at max when hot. If fluid level is ok and not burnt, see if you can get your hands on an oil pressure gauge. There is a port on the top of the trans that will give you a pressure reading. You can also get a pressure reading from reading live data with a scan tool. Line pressure is controlled through the accumulator valves. There is a good possiblity that maybe the o-ring is damaged on one of the pistons in the accumulator housing and not sealing or the clutch packs are bleeding out pressure and not sealing either, or the PCS is sticking. I'd go back to the tranny shop and find out exactly what was replaced. I've also heard if the filter falls out of the steel/rubber sleeve that sits in the bore or if its plugged it can cause loss of pressure as well.

I would advise you don't continue to drive your vehicle with this issue as you can overheat your transmission and damage the valve body/friction plates or warp some of the hard parts internally.

Let us know how it goes.

 

The CAT is not clogged, its working okay last time i checked. And yeah occasionally it drops into 3rd. Its only 3rd gear though. Like I could be right at 2,000 RPM, and right when its ready to shift, BOOM 3rd gear. And its weird because when it shifts into 3rd im sitting right at 1,000 RPM which i think is not normal. But maybe its like an economy mode type thing? Idk.. As for the tranny fluid, I have checked it hot, and it is at MAX, and it is not burnt, and it does not smell burnt.

Like what the heck was the point of giving me a 12 month or 12,000 mile warranty? Bogus.. that's hardly enough time for me to break in a tranny. The torque converter also might need to be looked at again.. Where do I find this port on top of the transmission that will give me a pressure reading? And hey when I punch the throttle to around 3,000RPM's + then I get no slippage at all. None. But if the rpm's are at around 2,000-2,500RPM's then it occasionally falls into 3rd. 2,000RPM's or below, and it shifts, I never feel slippage. But if there ever was slippage going to occur, its usually between 2,000 RPM's and 3,000 RPM's.

 

If it is NOT slipping this means that your RPMS can reach 5,000 and not just sit there with the engine spinning and making all that noise?

Are you getting throttle response while this is happening or does it take a second or two or a few for the engine to rev up? A faulty TPS would be a culprit of this. The TPS detects the position of the throttle and communicates with the PCM to calculate air/fuel mixture and ignition timing. It is also responsible for shift timing and torque converter locking/unlocking.

Is the CEL on at all? Usually a faulty TPS will give you a code for P0122 TPS sensor A low input. Sometimes the code will be stored in memory without the MIL coming on. I had that happen to me before. Get the vehicle scanned, and monitor PID's through a scan tool to verify the TPS is getting its 5.0V reference. Anything below 0.1V @ closed throttle indicates a low input. If you have a multimeter unplug your TPS connector and connect one lead to the first wire terminal and the other lead to battery ground. Make sure you have 5.0V coming from the computer. With your multimeter you can measure TPS output by backprobing the connector through the signal wire to battery ground. Open and close the throttle and make sure it is close to 5.0V at WOT. Do some throttle sweeps as well to determine the issue is not with the sensor.

A scan tool will really help you. You can read live data straight from the computer and see if the TPS is working fine and if the TCC solenoid is on/off to allow the torque converter clutch to lock up at high speeds. If it is locking the converter while your accelerating (at low speeds) than the solenoid would be the first thing to look at.

Keep us posted on your diag.

 

So... I go into AAMCO, which is like the best transmission shop in town. And after about 45 minutes, they tell me its a bad bearing. So basically they told me I have so much damage done to the transmission that I will need a replacement, and they build there transmissions by hand. Unlike the first mechanic I went to that bought it from someone in Wisconsin. lmao.

So the warranty on this transmission is 2 years, 30,000 miles. Unlike the 1 year, 12,000 miles for the first transmission. It should have been 1 year, 24,000 miles but he extended it to 2 years, 30,000 miles because of my misfortune at the last shop I went to. Which I thought was nice of him to do.. Its going to cost $2,100 for the new transmission, and the warranty is thrown in as well. Which I think is an alright deal..

They will begin working on Monday, and should have it done by Wednesday. They also think a bearing on the supercharger might be going out.. Hahahaha fml.

Thanks for all the feedback you guys it was very helpful.. And I learned a few things during this experience.