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Help!!! 2007 GXP Transmission Problems

W

Wakesk8er18

New member
So I tried going under the transmission section but it said no new posts so I hope this section is ok. I have been reading threads on this forum for a while but this is my first post. I have a 2007 grand prix gxp with 88,000 miles on it. I have had some issues with the tranny when taking off from a stop when it goes from 1-2 for a while 6-8 months now but have just been babying it due to lack of money. When I take off from a dead stop (not fast or babying it) just little slower than normal when it gets to the top end of 1st gear and I can tell it should shift to 2nd the rpms just go up and if I dont let off the gas it will clunk into 2nd gear, if I let off the gas a little bit it will shift fine. I have kept track of my transmission temps when it does this and the coldest ive seen it do it is 118° and the warmest it 186°. I took it to a guys shop I work with and he said grand prixs are know for this tranny problem but its normally every gear 1-2 2-3 3-4 mine is only 1-2 and it doesnt do it all the time just randomly. Sometimes it will do it once a day and sometimes 5-10 times just driving to work. The shoo gave me an estimate of $900 to go through all the cylinoids and replace then as well as replacing the valve body. He.wasent convinced this needed done though bc its only doing it in 1-2 not all the gears. He told me lets try to do a flush, drop the pan, and replace the filter and see if this helps, also replaced with Dexron VI fluids. So I had everything flushed and filter replaced today and it still did it to me once driving home from picking my car up from the shop. Please Help idk what to do now.
 


To see trans codes, get the car to do it, don't turn the ignition off and have it scanned. Many trans codes reset on ignition.

Give us some more detail, you say it clunks. Would you describe it as a harsh shift, a bang shift, a clunk shift etc. Do the rpms stay up then it seems to drop in late?
 
Since you have a GXP, you will fall under the volvo failure rate: Volvo S80-XC90

Long sliding shifts:

This problem is one that most 4T65E transmissions experience sooner or later. The factory design didnt allow enough compensation for wear- so the result is normally poor shift feel and long or lazy shifts, especially the 1-2 shift which leads to eventual failure. The 2nd clutch clearance from the factory is set very loose and as wear occurs this will grow and make the shift feel worse. General wear inside the transmission also causes apply pressure to drop with age so these two problems add up and this is one area that does not need to be short handed on pressure. The 1999-2002 models are also well known for pressure control solenoids prematurely failing and can cause low line pressure that the TCM cannot control. Often times if the transmission has low mileage and is in good internal condition you can upgrade the factory 1-2 and 2-3 accumulator parts with ones from a Transgo Shift Kit and this is a good aid to help get clutches to apply when they should. A shift kit does not make up for excessive clutch clearances but does speed up the time the clutch will apply.
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BillBoost37 said:
To see trans codes, get the car to do it, don't turn the ignition off and have it scanned. Many trans codes reset on ignition.

Give us some more detail, you say it clunks. Would you describe it as a harsh shift, a bang shift, a clunk shift etc. Do the rpms stay up then it seems to drop in late?
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If the transmission threw a code my light would still come on wouldn't it? mine has never come on. It is a clunk shift if I don't let off the gas a give it a second to sift. if I stay on the gas it clunks into 2nd. The rpms continue to go up if I let off the gas but they dont go up much because I don't have to accelerate very hard for it to do it. It has only clunked into 2nd really hard a handful of times normally when it should go into 2nd it like slips slips slips and catches 2nd gear hard. Over the 8 months of this acting up it hasn't gotten any worse might be because I have been driving her like a grandma.
 


sounds like you could use a shift kit to fix this. its just a pan drop, pretty easy to install your self. theres a few how to's.
 
Wakesk8er18 said:
If the transmission threw a code my light would still come on wouldn't it?
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Out of the hundred trans codes, only one or two are programmed to turn the light on. The rest sit there in the background hoping you don't realize it. P1811 which is what Matt's post etc is getting at is a code for Max Adapt Shift, meaning it jacks the pressure to bang shift you by applying max pressure to the fluid and filling that clutch piston super quick. The shift kit keeps this from happening by making the shift happen faster and the trans doesn't detect that it's taking too long to fully engage the clutches.
 


a shift kit in general will make the trans shift faster, and firmer. 90% of the time it can help your trans last longer because the clutches are doing a quicker shift vs the sloppy soft shift. and in your case it could fix your issue.

if you dont beat the tar out of your car that is, if you beat on it daily, the trans will fail either way.
 
its a known repair for the code bill posted, your gonna need to do what he said, then go have it scanned to know for sure.

im sure when your shifting it, your now commanding the shift better by shifting it, then the trans does on its own.

the trans shop should have been able to pull a code from it and more if they had a trans scanner. seems like they just want to sell you a rebuilt tranny.
 
it's a buddy of mines shop. it's not a tranny shop and they have not been able to get the car to do it when it's been there so no code.
 
this happens all the time, the shop cant make it act up. what you need to do is get your buddy in the car, hooked up to a scanner, and you drive and make it act up, as you know the issue better then they do.
 


this will sound crazy, but most tranny shops dont know about this fix, will they do as you ask if that code is there, im sure they will. but you are now paying labor and marked up parts prices.

truth is if you have car ramps or jack stands, you can do this your self with basic tools. very easy to do. for the price of parts, you cant beat that.

that kit runs in the 100 area, fluid and a new filter 50 ish, subtract that number from the shops est. and thats whats going in their pocket. and out of yours. your talking about a 1.5 hr job tops, if you take your sweet time. and never dropped a tranny pan before.

like i said, there's how to's here to follow, its all in plain English. with pics.
 
Wakesk8er18 said:
do you have a link to exactly the parts I need? just the shift kit or the accumulators to?
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from matts post, it sounds like you just swap the parts inside the accumulator with the shift kit parts, its just springs and spacers.



Often times if the transmission has low mileage and is in good internal condition you can upgrade the factory 1-2 and 2-3 accumulator parts with ones from a Transgo Shift Kit and this is a good aid to help get clutches to apply when they should
 
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