trans ? acting up

[Black Burban]

98 suburban 2 wheel drive 1500 5.7 liter auto. This Suburban has a rebuilt trans in it that came with warranty that was 3 years long and not sure of the mileage that came with warranty without going to Suburban for paperwork, it's no where near running out on the mileage side ( doesn't even have 30,000 miles since rebuild )but will run out next September or October ( if not mistaken it was a 3 year / 100,000 warranty ) . The Suburban shifts kinda hard into second but every other shift up or down is as smooth as butter. After that it acts like it's slipping or maybe the motor is skipping. Only in the morning or first drive of the day or if it sits for awhile. After it gets warm and is drove a little bit it's fine. Last night it done it worse and for a longer period of time. I read in another post that a guys Z71 was doing the same and had his computer read and it was the MAF sensor. I hope maybe this is what it is! I have also been reading about the upgrades available and would like to do they ones rhino thinks I need to do, and I am sure this will void my warranty that is left on the trans. The prior owner paid $1290.00for this trans build so I think I should last longer than 30,000 miles. It has been adult owned the whole time, but was used to pull a boat before the trans build and hasn't pulled anything since the build. The reason I want to upgrade the trans is that it now has 22 inch wheels with P305/45 on it and I plan on pulling a car trailer loaded with one of my antique Aircooled Volkswagens ( Volkswagen don't weight that much ) . So my question is do you think it's the trans or maybe MAF sensor? What upgrades should be done to use this for a daily driver and tow my VW maybe 20 times a year to shows? Thanks for any and all help or advice!

 

[JollyGreen]

Well, first of all I've never seen a 100,000 mile warranty on a transmission. 3 years, yes. But that's a lot of miles for any warranty, let alone a tranny. Are you getting any codes? Possibly a P1870 code? That's what I got when mine slipped from 1st-2nd. Could be a number of things. My bet is that it's in the valve body.

 

[Black Burban]

I will get the paper work out tomorrow and look at what the warranty is. I haven't had it checked yet, but there is nothing going on with gauges or warning lights. Just a alittle flutter in the rpm's. The Suburban only has 91,000 miles and the trans was rebuilt in the 68,000 mile range. I know the people I bought the Suburban ( no the abusive type ) from and they are the one's that. Had the trans rebuilt and since I have had it it's not been driven over 65mph or had a trailer behind it.

 

[JollyGreen]

I will get the paper work out tomorrow and look at what the warranty is. I haven't had it checked yet, but there is nothing going on with gauges or warning lights. Just a alittle flutter in the rpm's. The Suburban only has 91,000 miles and the trans was rebuilt in the 68,000 mile range. I know the people I bought the Suburban ( no the abusive type ) from and they are the one's that. Had the trans rebuilt and since I have had it it's not been driven over 65mph or had a trailer behind it.

If the RPM's are fluttering a bit it could be your torque converter.

Sent from Jolly Green's Droid

 

[rhino]

I would check them codes like Jolly says.. The 1870 code mostly doesn't set a engine light on a 98, but a scanner would pick it up. It really doesn't sound like that's going to be the case though, as 1870 makes a harsh shift after a long drive and the unit gets hot. A harsh shift when cold is sometimes hard to find, but usually is in the valve body. Most of the time it's a sticky 1/2 accumulator valve, or a worn valve body plate that the ball is stuck in. I would run it by, tell the guy that built it and talk to him a little bit about what you are wanting to do. If he is going to have to pull the valve body to fix it, I'm sure he would give you a good deal on adding a trans-go shift kit while its off. I would ask him about installing a Fairbanks servo or sonnex. Make sure to get both the 2/3 and the 4th servo's. They are pricey, but 30 percent more holding power on that band is awesome. Also check and make sure you have a good external cooler. All that can be done simple and pretty reasonable, and I'm sure he would be more than happy. It will make his transmission stronger so he don't have to worry about it. I love a informed customer that has done his homework.

 

[Black Burban]

Thanks for the info guys. Rhino I will get the Guy that services our vehicles to check it with scanner. The Guy that built the trans is over an hour away butif you think that's where I need to go then that's where I will go. There is a super trans builder here in town that does real good work on these trans, if it's just the valve body couldn't I just get this Guy to fix it and do the upgrades I am looking for? How much do you think the valve body fix and upgrades you suggested should cost (estimate )? The Guy that's in town has been building transmissions for over 40 years, anything from stock to drag cars. I know nothing about the Guy that built this transmission and I think I would rather have someone I know do the work even if it's still under warranty. Thanks again guys

 

[rhino]

Yeah that's very understandable.. It's always better to go with who you trust. If I had that truck come in and did a shift kit and a servo, which would most likely take care of your problem, I would charge you about $450.00 for a Fairbanks super servo (both pieces) and the blue box shift kit. parts would be about $270, labor $180.00.

 

[91Bluestreak]

Yeah that's very understandable.. It's always better to go with who you trust. If I had that truck come in and did a shift kit and a servo, which would most likely take care of your problem, I would charge you about $450.00 for a Fairbanks super servo (both pieces) and the blue box shift kit. parts would be about $270, labor $180.00.

could I get a part number for the super servo? I only installed a corvette servo when I rebuilt my trans but havent driven other then up and down the drive and would like this trans as stout as I can get.
Plus when I redo the trans in the pickup I'd like all the performance parts I can.

 

[rhino]

Sure can... here is the manufacturer link http://www.superior-transmission.com/Product_Page.cfm?ID=121. That's the 2/4 servo, also get the overdrive part. The sonnax is http://www.sonnax.com/product-lines/high-performance-transmission/parts/2012. I have used hudreds of the Superior, they work great. The sonnax I have used only 2-3, couldn't tell a big difference. Read up on both, the Superior is 35 percent more apply area than the Corvette servo, while the Sonnax is only like 18. If you have a problem finding one let me know I have a few.

 

[91Bluestreak]

thanks