Hey all, I've got a '97 Sexpedition w/ 5.4l 4x4, and 3.73 LS rear, 135k mi. The last few days I'm feeling what I think is the trans, slipping. You can feel a lil' jerky while driving. Pretty slight, nothing serious yet. Cant tell what gear specifically, possibly all. Anyway, if this is my tranny going (yes/no?) what should I do? I see Ebay has used tranny's running ~$700-$1k. So, get a used one and pay how much to have installed? Or, how much to have rebuilt? Or... bite the bullet and trade it in while it's still on the road? A car payment'll hurt! Your opinions are welcomed!
Thanks!
The bummer is I've taken good car of it... I have an additional cooler installed, so I have 2 in series, and synth oil!

 

well you have a 4r70w transmission with "synth" oil in it. Now you feel the converter slipping. Put mercon V in it!
Alan

 

i have to agree... i would add the actual reccomended fluid. if it still feels like its slipping, try some lucas additive in there... my friend used it on his 96 chev and i guess his felt a little stonger with out the jerks.

 

Thanks. That's a new one to me, suggesting reg. ATF vs. Synth. Also, I thought it was a 4EOD tranny... or something like that.
I'm willing to try anything though.

 

It is possible that you have an e4od, just a little unlikely. Count the pan bolts, 4r70w has 14 and e4od has 20. It was actually the used prices that made me think you had a 4r70w because picking up an e4 for under a gran is very rare to say the least.
Alan

 

Oh, swell. Well, I'll try a flluid/filter change today, see if that helps. I guess that's the first step before replacing it!

 

The 97 Expy with a 5.4 will have the E4OD/4R100, that yar is before PWM, which at least eliminates one problem. you won't hurt anything by doing a fluid swap, it may help. Do you have any 'shudder"?

G

 

1997 E4OD specifies Mercon.
1998 and up specify Mercon V.
Not 100% sure why they changed the specification.

Depending on the maker of the fluid, they may or may not be interchangeable, as I understand it. Some folks say go with Mercon V, others say don't. I don't.

If you are running Mercon V, try running the spcified Mercon instead.

I've had zero problems with Mercon, and I tow a heavy boat as well. Have almost 120K miles on her right now...

 

Well, I did change the fluid (Dex III)... it is the E4OD. It did help. In fact I didn't notice anything abnormal for about a week. But today I did notice what is a slight shudder while driving through the gears. Hardly noticable, but it's there.
I suppose I'll just play wait and see.... If it gets worse I imagine a new tranny is in order. I see a few outfits have rebuilt ones for ~$1000. Don't know what installation would be. But since the truck's got 135k mi on it anyway, maybe I'll just get a used one.

 

The shudder would be the TC....the torque converters are notorious on these....I think there was a TSB for the sudder

 

Hmmm, well just a torque converter would be a lot cheaper. How can I tell for sure? It was pretty noticeable today. Anytime you are accelerating, you feel this slight jerkiness.

 

I would call Jasper. They rebuild transmissions and engines to OEM specs. They are not the cheapest but I know first hand that they stand behind their work.

I had a Ford Taurus trans fail (94/90,000 mi) and the best warranty I could get from a local shop was 90 days. I bought a Jasper unit and they gave me a 75,000 mile "no questions" warranty. I also installed a trans cooler.

Turns out that the speed switch was bad and probably contributed to the trans failure. Yes that's right, it could be a $50 switch causing problems.
Have that speed switch checked out ASAP.

 

Thanks! I'll see if there's a Jasper near me.... otherwise, I'll be looking for a tranny shop here in the Pac. NW. Or the dealer, I guess.

 

You sure the shudder isn't an ignition problem? I had a coil go sour, and it felt like the drivetrain was going to fall out of the vehicle. Being a veteran of the GMC 700R4, I was certain it was the tranny. Never did get a code. Took it to the Dealership and their Diagnostics showed the bad hole.

HTH

 

I'm not sure of anything.It sure felt like tranny. I 'didnt have any check engine light. We did have a batch of bad gas just distributed here in NW WA state that's been causing problems. I put in a jug of Fuel injector cleaner. The truck's been running fine now for ~ 5 days without a jerk. Maybe that's the cause...