Crazy K Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 I am having an intermittent torque converter clutch issue in the 1995 CS. here is what is happening: In most of the recent observed engagements seems to work for maybe the first half-hour of operation, then fails to engage for the remainder of the drive. Doing a shutdown and re-start does not correct the issue. Only having parked the car long enough for it to cool down seems to allow the TCC to resume operation. I recently flushed the transmission in the hopes that maybe something was gummed up and proper operation would resume. No definite answer, but I think it is working better then before. thoughts yall? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1990lumina Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 Anyone know what all criteira must be met for the TC to lock up? I know speed, and engine temp, no brake application...what else? unless it's just worn out but that doesn't explain the initial functioning of the TC till warm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted October 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 I removed the transmission cooler during a radiator upgrade... I shall be installing this again soon, with a few modifications to make it safer... namely, flare ending ALL the lines and decluttering the tangle that was there. However, the TCC was acting up irregardless of the cooler. the cooler was added 2 years ago due to the car occasionally having an O/D loss issue, and it made that problem go away. basically, the O/D loss was the pcm putting the PCM in failafe mod to protect it. I would also like to say...... I would like to put in a lower stall converter in this car given the need to do so. basically a 1650 stall converter out of a 95 ciera, to improve efficiency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Ride Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 Maybe the TCC/PWM Soleniod have you tried cutting just that wire. It fixed my problem which was that the TCC would apply/unapply all the time. Here is the pinouts for the Trans: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted October 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 d'oh! I forgot. that wire was sniped three months ago. prior to that there was no functioning of the TCC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Fury Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 I removed the transmission cooler during a radiator upgrade... I shall be installing this again soon, with a few modifications to make it safer... namely, flare ending ALL the lines and decluttering the tangle that was there. However, the TCC was acting up irregardless of the cooler. the cooler was added 2 years ago due to the car occasionally having an O/D loss issue, and it made that problem go away. basically, the O/D loss was the pcm putting the PCM in failafe mod to protect it. I would also like to say...... I would like to put in a lower stall converter in this car given the need to do so. basically a 1650 stall converter out of a 95 ciera, to improve efficiency. FTW! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted October 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 Yes. i still have ciera love!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Fury Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 Never should have got rid of mine... even though it was technically totaled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 sounds like a solenoid failure to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted October 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 sounds like a solenoid failure to me. well.. it works for a while... and then doesn't?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!????? I suppose. anyone familiar with the wiring for the solenoids? How hard is it to change? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 that's what my '95 was doing exactly, only my problem was the PWM solenoid. Gotta remove the side pan. It can be done in the car but it's a bitch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted October 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 what do the selonoids cost, and where should I purchase them? should I replace just the TCC or all of them? should I leave the PWM disabled if i did this job? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfangd Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 my cutlass loves to lock up and no unlock lol Alot of times if i hit an incline I have to apply the brake enough to unlock it but as soon as i let the pedal go it locks back up. 5 years now and i just got used to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1138 Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 I think it's a problem with TCS. Turd Car Syndrome. No, seriously though, I would love to know why the TCC just like to up and take a shit. Two of my previous cars with -E transmissions had this issue. My current one, it works, knock on wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 If you're getting in that deep, you may as well replace all solenoids (they're cheap. Go to a transmission parts supply shop) and also replace the PWM solenoid and use it. If it were me though, after the shit I went thru trying to get that structural '95+ side pan off (in the car), if I were to do it again, I'd lift the motor and trans out of the engine bay as an assembly, and have plenty of room to attack it that way. edited for posterity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Ride Posted October 15, 2008 Report Share Posted October 15, 2008 Here, hope this helps: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted October 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2008 this problem is still rearing it's ugly head. I changed the fluid and did a pan drop a week and a half ago. yesterday I reinstalled the modifled 91-93 tranny cooler on the 95, rerouted the hoses and all... the fluid was already dirty brown and burnt. less than 1000 miles. I let loose on one of the lines and ran it to dump fluid while pouring in fluid. now with the tranny cooler, the car goes much further before lock up is lost. so i think it is a heat issue that either triggers a failsafe, or something that just shorts and quits. I need to learn more about how lock up works... but I think this is a sign that the tranny is overheating and slipping, though i don't feel anything, no shuddering or anything other than a apparent loss of overdrive... so... time for a new tranny???????????? I have several dohc 3.43 transmissions to choose from, (compared to 3.33 fdr 3100 tranny) Supposedly the tranny can be interchanged without a major issue... 3.43 vs 3.33 i a rpm difference of only 3% but since this is also the 3100 with large intake hybrid engine.... don't the larger runner make more lower end torque??? I think I'd like to throw in lower stall converter while i have it all apart. a 95 ciera has a stall speed of 1650, vs 2000/2050/2100 in a typical W-body. thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted October 20, 2008 Report Share Posted October 20, 2008 there shouldn't be a failsafe that just kills the torque converter (though I remember an over-heat mode I'll have to get back to you on) 1000 miles and the fluid is burnt?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted October 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 there shouldn't be a failsafe that just kills the torque converter (though I remember an over-heat mode I'll have to get back to you on) 1000 miles and the fluid is burnt?! yes. the fluid was a sickly brown color. I have experienced both on this car (95) and the 94 a "failsafe mode" where the car stays in regular D drive and seems to have no lockup. Under that particular "failsafe mode" normal operation can be restored by cycling the ignition (basically flipping the key on and off) while going down the road. I had only one experience with the loss of TCC where the TCC operation resumed when I cycled the ignition... that was last night while test driving, where I pushed the car real hard till it failed... then babied it home and cycled the ignition and !PRESTO! normal operation resumed. Unfortunately driving at speed even with the tranny cooler was not enough to allow things to return to normal in spite of performing an ignition cycle. Brian.. what is supposed to happen when it does failsafe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted October 21, 2008 Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 so you feel that OD/4th isnt happening either, under those conditions? I think the only failsafe mode is when you're stuck in 3rd and can hit 2nd manually. I can't find anything suggesting a fail mode that eliminates 4th and lock-up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted October 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 so you feel that OD/4th isnt happening either, under those conditions? I think the only failsafe mode is when you're stuck in 3rd and can hit 2nd manually. I can't find anything suggesting a fail mode that eliminates 4th and lock-up. That's all i have found too. this "failsafe" mode is not a "stuck in third, with the ability to manual put the transmission in second by manually selecting a lower gear. rather... the tranny goes from 1st to 2nd to 3rd... and back and forth, never achieving lock-up, nor OD. feels and runs like a good healthy 3 speed tranny, without lockup. I addressed the above situation... which I believe is the PCM detecting a transmission overheat... by adding heavier duty radiators (replaced 5/8" with 1 1/4" LQ1 radiators) and transmission coolers... This current issue is unclear, and it is just a loss of TCC only, and apparently the tranny must have gotten spicy red hot to basically cook the fluid. there seemed to be alot of particulate matter as well.... I added a neodymium magnet when i first got the car and did the transmission filter. it was well saturated when i changed the fluid last week... but the fluid was still nice and red. next weekend... either i should just do a filter and flush, or prepare for a transmission replacement. any thoughts as to using a 3.43 tranny I have and know worked fine vs getting another 3.33? or should I swap the gears and differential to make it a 3.33 or..... Did you know: the higher the stall speed of a torque converter, the more heat it generates? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted October 21, 2008 Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 so you feel that OD/4th isnt happening either, under those conditions? I think the only failsafe mode is when you're stuck in 3rd and can hit 2nd manually. I can't find anything suggesting a fail mode that eliminates 4th and lock-up. That's all i have found too. this "failsafe" mode is not a "stuck in third, with the ability to manual put the transmission in second by manually selecting a lower gear. rather... the tranny goes from 1st to 2nd to 3rd... and back and forth, never achieving lock-up, nor OD. feels and runs like a good healthy 3 speed tranny, without lockup. I addressed the above situation... which I believe is the PCM detecting a transmission overheat... by adding heavier duty radiators (replaced 5/8" with 1 1/4" LQ1 radiators) and transmission coolers... I will tell you that looking at a '98 Venture (4T60e) PCM file on the DHP Powrtuner, if the tranny is in "hot" mode, 4th gear, as well the TCC will NOT apply. This current issue is unclear, and it is just a loss of TCC only, and apparently the tranny must have gotten spicy red hot to basically cook the fluid. there seemed to be alot of particulate matter as well.... I added a neodymium magnet when i first got the car and did the transmission filter. it was well saturated when i changed the fluid last week... but the fluid was still nice and red. next weekend... either i should just do a filter and flush, or prepare for a transmission replacement. any thoughts as to using a 3.43 tranny I have and know worked fine vs getting another 3.33? or should I swap the gears and differential to make it a 3.33 or..... I don't know what will happen honestly, if the PCM will overlook the minor difference in RPM vs MPH or not. Did you know: the higher the stall speed of a torque converter, the more heat it generates? Yeah, but at the same time, I wouldn't go throwing in an A-body converter either. It's not like the W-body converter is super-loose by any stretch of the imagination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted October 21, 2008 Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 Are you getting sufficient flow thru the tranny cooler that's built into the radiator? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted October 21, 2008 Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 Are you getting sufficient flow thru the tranny cooler that's built into the radiator? X2. Ken, are you sure you don't have a line or a cooler plugged up somewhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy K Posted October 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2008 I think flow is good. when I pull a line loose with the car idling... is makes pissing like a race horse look weak! it's good to know that the venture pcm is programed that way! does the venture pcm stay in hot mode once attained, or will it return to normal mode once cooled sufficiently? I'll take the A body TC under advisement... but the way the car would be driven would be better suited for a lower stall speed TC, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.