2003 Olds Silhouette Transmission Slip

[bpopilek]

Hello, I just picked this van up used this week from a local car lot. It has 138,000 miles on it, and while it ran good, I wanted to start some basic service on it so that I knew where everything stood.

After getting the oil changed, I took it in to get the transmission serviced. While it seemed to drive & shift fine, I wanted to get a new filter, gasket, and fluid in it. Shortly after getting it back I noticed that the transmission would slip on take off from a dead stop. It wasn't a real hard slip, but it was noticeable. 2 other occasions, it didn't want to shift from 2nd to 3rd gears easily either. However, it has not done that since the 2nd time, so I chalked it up to an air bubble or something.

The slip while in drive does seem to be continuing. A friend said it was because I had the filter and fluid changed and that I should have let the old dirty stuff in it. Last night I added a full bottle of Lucas transmission additive to it. While it seems to be about 85% better with less slipping, it still has done it a few times today.

Is there something else I am missing? Did the shop that did the work mess up my trans? Could it be a problem because I had the work done in the 1st place? And finally, is there anything else that I can try without taking it back in? Thanks for reading!

[dewaynep]

Do you mean that after coming to a hard stop it will "slip" or jerk into gear? That's fairly normal on these vans and just about any other GM FWD vehicle I've had after coming to a hard stop.

[bpopilek]

Yes that is exactly what I mean. It didn't do it until I had the transmission serviced. Now it seems to do it when it is cold for the first 1-3 hard stop/starts and then it is fine from that point on. Is it anything I need to be concerned about? Thanks!

[dewaynep]

Just to be sure, I would check the fluid level when it's warmed up. If it's just a little low it can cause this.

[bpopilek]

Originally Posted by dewaynep

Just to be sure, I would check the fluid level when it's warmed up. If it's just a little low it can cause this.

The day after I got it back, I did check the fluid, and it was about an 1/8th of an inch down from the completely full line. I added a quart of Lucas to it to level it off and to get an additive in there. To be honest, I have not checked the level again, and I will probably do it tomorrow to verify that it does indeed have enough fluid.

Another thing that I thought about this evening is parking in my driveway backwards tonight. That way I can see if it still slips right out of the gate in the morning by removing the reverse to 1st gear shifting.

I'll post my results tomorrow. Thanks for the suggestions.

[bpopilek]

Sorry it took me a bit to respond again. I've had a busy schedule.

I did check the fluid level of the tranny, and it is filled to the top. So at this point, I am not sure if I want to add any more to it. I have heard that overfilling it wasn't bad on it, but not sure on what good it would do. It has seemed to be slowly getting better. I am not sure what could be making the difference, but I am hoping that it will continue to get better.

Now instead of slipping when I take off from reverse to drive every time, it seems to only happen every 3-4 take offs. And it does indeed appear to be a issue only when I shift from reverse into drive. If I back in my driveway at night and drive out in the morning without reversing, I have no issues. Is this something I should still be concerned with since it seems to be resolving itself? Thanks!