2000 LS transmission slipping

My sister has a 2000 LS in Tallahassee, FL that she bought used about 6mos ago, was a one elderly owner vehicle and currently has 62k miles. She says that twice now while attempting to pull away from a traffic light that the engine revs up but that the car doesn't move right away, there's a hesitation before the car accelerates. She said the first time it happened the car really jerked when it took off, and the second time it was alot smoother. Any ideas? I told her to check the trans fluid, but they could not find a dip stick, so they checked the owners manual and sure enough there is no dip stick. Owners manual says to have it checked by a qualified tech, so there must be a plug somewhere they pull to check the level. Can anyone tell me where this plug is located? Is this something as simple as low fluid? Has anyone ever experienced this same problem, and if so, what was going on? Thank you!

This is very likely related to the known issues with the shift solenoid packs in the transmission. Especially if the additive was never added to the transmission under the recall, or added after problems had already started.

There is a special adapter that is used with the drain plug to allow filling of the transmission to the correct level. I don't believe there is really a way to check the level of the fluid.

-Rod

Thanks so much for the response, Rod. Where do I tell my sister to go from here? Are the shift solenoid packs something that can be changed externally, or are they internal to the transmission. Is this something that might be covered under the recall? Thanks again for any/all responses. Rob

I guess there is also a service bulletin, bulletin number 01-14-5, which suggests that cars built before 10/17/2000 may have a PCM calibration issue that will cause delayed or harsh reverse and/or drive engagement. This TSB may be more similar to what she is experiencing. Unfortunately, since this is a TSB, it would not be covered under a warranty of any kind.

Since I no longer have my LS, I did not renew my Alldata subscription so I don't have ready access to the recall for the transmission fluid additive. You could likely find the details by performing a search on this forum or on the Internet. I doubt the recall is still honored at no charge since so much time has elapsed. I don't believe it was a safety recall so it could be allowed to expire.

I guess it's up to your sister where she goes from here. If her car was built prior to October 2000, she might want to have the dealer check the calibration date of the PCM software. The TSB states the recallibration procedure should take 1 hour so the charge to check the status and reprogram should not be horribly expensive. Independent transmission shops may now have the equipment to service the solenoid packs in these transmissions, so depending on if she wants to same some bucks or use someone (dealer) that should be very familiar with the issue, she has a couple of options there if the software is not the fix.

-Rod