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Chevrolet Blazer GMC Jimmy Transmission Problems

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Comments

  • guamcookguamcook Member Posts: 1
    My 1995 blazer with 100K miles only shifts from 1st to 2nd and back. Reverse works fine. It shifted into 4hi when I tried that but still only 1st, 2nd and reverse. Just had flush and fluid done by general repair shop. Didn't solve problem. They say needs $2500 rebuild. Does anyone have thoughts on what the problem is and if that quote is reasonable? Thanks.
  • gmcrichgmcrich Member Posts: 6
    I have a tranny from a 1994 Jimmy that I want to have installed into my 1995. The tranny is out of the '94 and I found a few model numbers on a paper barcode and a metal tag on the tranfer case. It was a body style change between those two years but is it the same transmission? Both are 4.3L 4x4 4 door Jimmy's. How can I be certain it it will be a direct replacement for the '95?
    Anything to look for?
  • getoveritgetoverit Member Posts: 1
    hi, i got a jimmy and manualy shifting it into 1st, and 2nd works fine. but when useing auto. it wont shift into third or fourth. what could be wrong. ive replaced the shift solonoids. bowth of them to be sure.... drawing a blank here

    Wes
  • chevyownersmomchevyownersmom Member Posts: 1
    My son had to replace the engine in his 97 Chevy Blazer (4 wheel drive, 4.3 Liter V-6 Vortec) and the tranny was working fine until the motor blew. We have replaced the motor but now the transmission will not go into reverse, drive or anything. There is a loud clicking noise in the steering column when he moves from park and it was not there before. Also, the transmission worked just fine before the motor blew. Does anyone have any ideas? He is running very low on funds now after replacing the motor and really can't afford to replace the tranny too. All we know is that this is an "electronic" transmission. Thank you for all your assistance in trying to get this fixed. With 4 kids and no way to work, he is having a really hard time.
  • gmcrichgmcrich Member Posts: 6
    I know how he feels. I just pulled the motor and tranny from a Jimmy and I almost forgot to unhook the linkage arm. Could it be possible that they fogot to hook it back up? It is a short "L" shaped rod on the drivers side of the tranny. I am no mechanic but it maybe a place to look.
    Good Luck.
  • mitch16mitch16 Member Posts: 11
    Do you have any updates on this problem? I'm having the same problem with my 1995 Jimmy, 1st to 2nd and I have reverse. Have you figured out what was causing it? I have not tried the filter change because my fluid looks fine. I have heard that the TPS could or a non-working solenoid.
  • ajaksajaks Member Posts: 11
    I have a 93 GMC Jimmy 4WD. It has a vortec V6 (not sure what year) and a 4L60 trans. Anyway, it runs and shifts good but when I’m going about 40mph or more and let off the accelerator and coast after a few seconds it will make a grinding sound. If I depress or punch the accelerator a little it stops. However, I can shift it to neutral (after the noise has started) and it will still make the noise. It sounds like it is coming from the transmission. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated as I imagine I will have to fix this myself. Thanks, Jack
  • ajaksajaks Member Posts: 11
    I have a 93 GMC Jimmy 4WD. It has a vortec V6 (not sure what year) and a 4L60 trans. Anyway, it runs and shifts good but when I’m going over 40mph and let off the accelerator after it coast a few seconds it will make a grinding/whining sound. If I depress or punch the accelerator a little it stops but will start again if I keep coasting. I can shift it to neutral (after the noise has started) and it will still make the noise but not as much. It sounds like it is coming from the transmission. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated as I imagine I will have to fix this myself. Thanks, Jack
  • mitch16mitch16 Member Posts: 11
    Repairdog,

    Can you tell me how to get the Trans pan off? I got the darn thing unbolted and spilled fluid everywhere. However, I could not wiggle the pan out. It appears to be blocked by the two-into-one exhaust run and the tranmission cross member (mount). What do I do, unbolt the trans and jack it up off the mount? I'm trying to change the fluid and filter in hops of getting my trans to shift from 2-3. Also, should I swap out the TPS? Will this really help my shift issue or is it a waist of hard-earned cash?

    You help is appreciated.

    Thanks,

    Mitch
  • firemedicmcsefiremedicmcse Member Posts: 1
    My rescue squad just got a 1995 4WD Blazer donated to us, which is wonderful, however, it has a transmission problem or so it would seem.

    If I start out with it the shift selector on overdrive, it will shift from 1st to 2nd with no problem at all. When it is time to shift from 2nd to 3rd the engine revs real high, but if I take my foot off the accelerator and then place it back on the accelerator, it will shift to 3rd, but it will not shift any higher (which I assume would be into overdrive). Then when I slow down it will not downshift to 2nd without me doing it manually or coming to a complete stop. Reverse works fine.

    2nd problem is with the 4WD system itself, I can push the button for 4-Lo and it will shift into 4-Lo, but pushing the button for 4-Hi results in the lights flashing and it remaining in 2-Hi.

    When we first got it, it was low on transmission fluid, so I added a bottle of Lucas Oil Transmission Fix, and finished topping it off with regular Dexon III transmission fluid. This has taken care of the low transmission fluid, and it does not seem to be losing any more fluid, but it still has the shifting problems.

    Anyone got any ideas? We are a small rescue squad and have very little in the area of cash, so I need to try to resolve this if at all possible myself with the least amount of money spent possible.
  • heavyblazer93heavyblazer93 Member Posts: 1
    I have only 1st & 2nd. Found a transmission out of a 97 s10 blazer. My question is will it work in a 93 blazer full size?
  • psycodadpsycodad Member Posts: 5
    in my 97 jimmy i have 2nd gear and third plus reverse when it is super cold it shifts normally but when it warms up it stops shifting a trans man said to pull the trans fuse and see what the voltage is there it should be 12.5 to 13 with the thing running
    mine reads approx 5 volts i have replaced the ignition switch . any ideas where to look for the low voltage would the ignition switch cause this or is the computer causing it
  • kjames0189kjames0189 Member Posts: 3
    I have had a major ordeal with my Blazer. I was having issues putting it into reverse & drive. If I would shift back to nuetral and then try again it would go in gear. Then all of a sudden the second gear band burnt out. We took it to a transmission specialist and he rebuilt it. It has been back to him three times now. To be honest, it seems to have the same problems. After the third overhaul (at least that is what he has told me) the blazer seems to be having the same problems. Intermittently, it ot shift into reverse or drive unless you go back to nuetral and try again. It also seems to have issues pulling hills. The tack will read about 3000 RPM then shoot up to about 4500 RPM before finallyl shifting. Sometimes the tack will shoot way up like that and not shift at all. The mechanic swears he's replaced the value body and all the components in the transmission. Could he have missed anything? I just was hoping to find out somethings that I could ask about.

    One other thing, I've noticed that after driving it, I can smell that the transmission fluid is getting hot. At least that is what I think it is. Is there a pump or something that he may not be checking or replacing??? He says the valve body has been replaced too. I'm wondering if he's putting the same parts back in it or if he's getting junk yard parts or something.

    I'm getting ready to take it back to him for the 4th time. Every time he's worked on it, the transmission has only made it a couple hundred miles. This time I think I may have been able to make it 1,000 before the problems started getting so bad.

    Any advice is appricated. I really need to get this sorted out, because I can't afford a new vehicle right now and I've spent so much I really need to get it fixed right.

    Thank you.
  • dman836dman836 Member Posts: 1
    This problem sounds like it could be the torque converter. Everything in the Automatic tranny relies on pressure and the Torque converter provides this pressure with the fins inside of it spinning and pushing the fluid to each valve and port, acting as a Pump (the only pump for the Tranny fluid). If the fins wear out, break or get weak, it could cause a "Slipping" effect. It would have a harder time on hills, less power and need to spin faster to create the same pressures to finally shift and in some cases, never get enough pressure to get into top gears such as OverDrive. As for not going into Reverse or Drive unless going to Neutral, Again this can let the Tranny build more pressure sitting in Neutral to shift to drive or Reverse. This problem is usually found on vehicles that have done a lot of Pulling (trailers, campers) or heavy acceleration (Going up hills, first off the line at the stoplight) and/or do not get scheduled Tranny flush and filters. This May or May Not be the answer, but might be one more thing to check. I hope it helps.
  • kjames0189kjames0189 Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for the info., I'm really beginning to think I'm never going to get my blazer back. The mechanic is still working on it. He let it slip yesterday evening that he was taking parts from a 02 Tahoe and mixing and matching with my transmission. I've suspected all along that he's been using salavage yard parts but now I know for sure. He told me yesterday that he got a GMC transmission (from another salavage yard) and it would be fixed today. I'm just so frustrated. I haven't had my vehicle for almost 2 weeks again. When we took it to him we told him we didn't want salavage parts, but evidently he's been using them anyway.

    If its not fixed this time, I'm going to give up and get a Jasper transmission. I don't know what else to do, I'm getting desperate.
  • juicer17juicer17 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2000 Blazer with a 4.3 4wd.It revs up to almost 3000 rpm's before it will shift into 2nd gear.Third and fourth seem ok,but it doesnt seem to shift into those gears properly either and it also has no reverse.The 4wd works fine.If any of the sensors were bad,wouldn't the service engine light come on?I have no dash lights on.I'm going to try resetting the computer and checking the fuses.I see i have kinda the same upshifting problem as a lot of the other folks here have but no one mentions not having reverse.Any help would be greatly appreciated.
  • dan123dan123 Member Posts: 1
    I own a 91 chev silverado (350ci., 5 spd. man trans). I recently had the trans rebuilt at a trans repair shop and when I got the truck back the trans is still making noise in 3 of the 5 gears. I took it back to the shop and the man tells me that this trans in particular makes noise from the factory. now my warranty is nearing expiration , I would like some advice from anyone who can help me with this. Is this man telling me the truth or is he being dishonest. Any advice would be greatly appreciated
    Thanx Dan123
  • snagglepusssnagglepuss Member Posts: 1
    I have the identical set of symptoms on my 1997 4.3 4WD Jimmy. The problems just started on the weekend - no fix yet. :sick:
  • p8ntp8nt Member Posts: 1
    Looking for a quick fix instead of dumping another 1,000.00 in it. My Jimmy had a rebuilt just over 2 and1/2 years ago. Only put 20,000 on it since and out of the blue reverse just went with no signs of any issues. All other gears and 4wd work fine. Checked fuses and Im gonna drop the pan and check for a blocked screen and any chunks of metal in the pan also. Anyone have any other ideas for a fix please help me. lol thanks all.
  • genozgenoz Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1999 Chevy Blazer 4x4. In 2 wheel drive, when going on the expressway, it starts to make a noise like a "router" (high pitch grinding, that varies with speed) As I slow down, the noise lowers in pitch and I can feel a vibration that seems to be located in front of the passenger side. The noise stops after a slight "click" when I finally get down to about 3 miles per hour. It doesn't start again until I am doing at least 50 mph. There is no noise in 4 wheel drive. I am also having a vacuum problem because the vents don't work as well as they used to. I found a short (about 8 in. long) rubber vacuum line that was not connected to anything that was tucked under the ABS manifold, but I couldn't find where it came from. (I had a new engine put in in June) could this be a simple vacuum problem? Is there a vacuum connection to the transfer case, that is, the 2 to 4 wheel drive actuator? Any idea where that short rubber hose goes to?
    Thanks
  • bhumesbhumes Member Posts: 1
    My check engine light recently came on and i had it put on machine. It said it was my shift solenoid A in my transmission. Do you know what this is? My blazer seems to shift back and forth on its own and my tac. says about 2000 rpm when usually reads about 1500 when traveling about 50 mph. The mechanic said i need to take it to a transmission person. I got scared..This could be expensive. My question is what is a Solenoid A and is it difficult to fix?
    Any help would be greatly appreciated.. :confuse:
  • jmccannjmccann Member Posts: 11
    The transmission in my Blazer was just rebuilt and the vacuum shifter on the front axle was also replaced. The problem I am having happened after a long 2 1/2 mile downhill in 4 wheel drive using high 4 wheel drive and second gear, when I reached the bottom of the downhill and applied power to start going up the hill I was approaching the transmission acted like it was in neutral and wouldn't drive in any gear. I stopped the car and checked the transmission fluid and it was full so I got back in and tried the gears again but still no drive, I was about to lock it up and walk when I pushed the button to get out of 4 wheel drive and the transmission immediately started working again and seemed normal so I shifted into 4 wheel drive again and everything seemed normal. The transmission worked fine getting out of the canyon later that night but did it again while going on a straight road with some moderate hills, after going down one I had to shift out of 4 wheel to get my transmission back.
  • gkitegkite Member Posts: 11
    I have a 96 Jimmy with180,000 miles have always had a bad vibration/shake felt through out vehicle after 65pmh wich comes and goes. Usually just driven in town until recent (driving 160 miles daily on freeway). I have tried changing tires,wheels,several rebalancing,new shocks, new transmision mount. The jimmy has been lowered 2", but did used angeled blocks. Mechanic has told me that I have two bad motor mounts and that could be the problem. They want $400 to replace mounts. Please some one help advise on this matter. Vibration starting to get to me. :(
  • bandgreenbandgreen Member Posts: 1
    I'm having the same problem,what did you have to do to fix your problem? Thanks in advance.(this is about to drive me nuts,I've had to replace the ignition switch 3 times in the last 2 years,plus the ignition solenoid once). Now this is going on.
  • psycodadpsycodad Member Posts: 5
    I haven't fixed the prob yet it is driving me nuts also i have to find out if i can rewire the wire from the fuse to incerase the voltage but it has been so cold here and i have to work outside will post when i find out what the fix is
  • gkitegkite Member Posts: 11
    This may help you, I had a problem with it not shifting and setting a check engine code. A friend of mine works for chevrolet we ended up replacing the wireharness from the fuse block or the connection block on the firewall, (sorry can not remember exactlly which one) to the transmission. The Dealer will know.This solved my problem. Hope this helps.
  • gkitegkite Member Posts: 11
    Check out my reply to psycodad, Not sure if it would be the same problem being that yours is a 2000 model. The 96 and 97's did have a problem with a bad transmission wireharness, It may be worth checking into.
  • my97jimmymy97jimmy Member Posts: 15
    Hello gents,
    Well...my tranny in my 97 GMC Jimmy finally went after 187,000 miles. It lived a good life. I've already ordered a rebuilt tranny and it's on it's way. My question is, do I need to lift up the engine to get it out? On some past tranny swaps like my Buick, I need to loosen and lift up the engine to drop the tranny. Just wondering if I need to borrow an engine hoist. Thanks for your help, Keith.
  • gkitegkite Member Posts: 11
    Hello Kieth,
    Sorry to hear your tranny finally gave up on you, anyway no you do not need to borrow an engine hoist. You should be able to unbolt and pull back and drop it down. when I changed mine out on my 96 thats all I had to do, although the top bolt on the driver side was a chore.
  • my97jimmymy97jimmy Member Posts: 15
    Thanks gkite, I figured there would be a bolt or two that would be hard to get at. Engineers design them that way on purpose just to make it interesting. A friend mentioned that there might be a star keyed bolt that would require a special socket. Did you find that to be the case? Thanks, Keith
  • gkitegkite Member Posts: 11
    Hello Again,
    Hey don't worry about any special sockets, should all be your standard metric at least mine where. Have you read my post on vibration problem? Any thoughts? Well good luck with your Tranny Install, Gerry
  • my97jimmymy97jimmy Member Posts: 15
    gkite, I had an 89 jimmy and the vibration was horrible at 60 and above. So bad that I bought my 97 and used the 89 for off-road only. While going mudbogging one day I fell into a rut and busted the right front CV halfshaft. Since I had to replace it I decided to do both. Low and behold, no more vibration problem. Someone told me that their only good for about 150,000 miles anyway and I had 190 on it. I don't know if that's what's causing your vibration problem, but it solved mine. Keith
  • my97jimmymy97jimmy Member Posts: 15
    psycodad and bandgreen, This may sound to simple for you guys, but I had a similar yet maybe the same problem. I could shift manually through the gears and it worked fine, but if I put it in drive it wouldn't shift right. I went to Napa to get some tranny treatment fluid hoping I wouldn't need to replace the tranny. I explained my problem to a mechanic who was standing there waiting for a part. He said, "Oh, sounds like your computer has forgot how to shift the tranny." I said, "Huh!" He said, "Jimmys and Blaisers are known for that. All you have to do is disonnect the battery for 10 minutes to reset the computer. Then reconnect it and take it for a drive" Believe it or not, I didn't have a problem with the tranny for another 2 years. Until third gear went out just last week. Keith
  • foxracer1foxracer1 Member Posts: 9
    hi my name is brian i have a 2000 gmc jimmy 4wd would u know what kind of Torque Converter, i have or what kind of stall it has theres three kinds low med hard i think mines a low because it use to pick up at 8to1000 rpms but i cant find what size i need and were i can get one i looked at auto zone but they have 2 kinds but couldnt help me it tells me to call some 1800 # and i did and no one ever picks up i was not sure if u could tell me what kind of Torque Converter, i could use thank you for ur help
  • jaredwjaredw Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1998 chevy blazer with 130000 miles, a while back (15000 miles ago)I changed my trans pan fluid and filter due to the same problem, and this fixed the problem until now, I was reading the earlier entries, do you think I should replace my converter fluid, will this help the problem, or should I replace the Tcc solenoid.

    The problem occurs between 25-35 mph when it shifts into second, it gets all gutless acting like a slip, then when it does shift, it shifts fairly hard, 10 times harder than it used to even under hard acceleration, and if i stay in the 30-45 mph range it acts like it wants to upshift into third creating a lack of power problem cause the rpms are too low.

    Does anyone have any Idea what this could possibly be?

    Thank you
    Jared
  • rhtransrhtrans Member Posts: 84
    Well brian..it depends on the engine size and a few other factors. Typically a full size v-8 trucks will have a lower stall converter, around 14 to 1700. rule of thumb is the smaller the engine the higher the stall. if you have a 6 cyl then the typical stall is from 18 to round 2000...4 cyl are a little higher..2 to 2300. If you put a converter that is only a 100-200 stall difference you probably wounldn't notice much difference. 5- 600..yea you could tell...but it wouldn't be the end of the world.
  • jlflemmonsjlflemmons Member Posts: 2,242
    How about this one? Transmission shifts great. Not too harsh, no slippage, shifts up, shifts down, no problem. Engages as soon as shifted into drive or reverse. No weird noises, no warning lights.

    But wind it up in first or second gear and around 4500rpm ... Goes complete slip, as in shifted to neutral. Let off the gas, transmission hooks up and all is normal. The one clue I see is the fluid looks like it foamed.

    Now, I just bought this car, and it does have a 12/12K warranty that covers the tranny if it is toast. But someone has recently service the fluid, and I am thinking:

    1. Wrong fluid. Should be Dexron III, but no way of knowing what is in there.

    2. Wrong filter/dirty filter

    3. (and I am leaning toward this one) Whoever put the filter in didn't notice the o-ring missing. Under high suction this would really pick up air and foam the fluid.

    Opinions are welcome!

    Jim

    Forgot to add, records show regular service, Blazer has 62K miles.
  • 79blazer79blazer Member Posts: 4
    Mine was leaking too. Is it the actual transmission or the pan. If its the pan check the gasket it might be worn down.
  • jlflemmonsjlflemmons Member Posts: 2,242
    Update -

    Dealer checked for codes, nothing there. So, dumped the programming from the PCM and did a fresh upload with all the current updates from GM. Shifting is much crisper, but the engine went into rev limit just as the tranny shifts out of first under WOT. I think I will go ahead and do the fluid and filter change this weekend and go from there. The dealer checked the extended warranty and says if the tranny needs a rebuild, it is covered. Nice to have that safety net!
  • jlflemmonsjlflemmons Member Posts: 2,242
    All is happy with the tranny. Dropped the pan and found only the typical fine residue. The pan had not been off before, and the original filter was still there. One thing I found interesting was I expected to only need five quarts to refill. I know not to over fill, so I checked, rechecked, and checked again with the transmission warmed up and idling in park, and it took an extra 1/2 quart to put the level in the hash marks.

    The only thing I could think of was that when I was under it, I had it way up on jack stands and may have gotten some of the fluid from the TC. Whatever, it shifts smooth as butter, with no slipping.
  • rhtransrhtrans Member Posts: 84
    Well glad it worked out for you...you were probably right..a partially restricted filter, low fluid, missing seals...could have been any of them.
  • jlflemmonsjlflemmons Member Posts: 2,242
    Ah, but with the transmission holding in gear, a new problem was uncovered, and resolved this morning. I will post symptom and solution in another thread. Engine related.
  • motorollermotoroller Member Posts: 1
    Keith, Your message was very useful and timely for me. My 99 Blazer had been experiencing shifting irregularities for several weeks, and today the problem became severe... when starting in 'Drive' position, the car would start out in 3rd or 4th gear, and continued to do so after repeated stops/starts. I assumed the worst, but did a Google search, found your message (first on the list), disconnected the battery, and 15 minutes later the transmission was operating perfectly.

    Thanks for the tip
    Motoroller
  • my97jimmymy97jimmy Member Posts: 15
    Motoroller,
    Glad it helped you with your transmission problem. It's amazing that it was that simple, wasn't it?
    Keith
  • gmc94gmc94 Member Posts: 4
    Hi i recently purchased a 1994 GMC JImmy and have some Tranny problems with it, when i am excelerating up to highway speeds or trying to pass someone my engine will down shift into a lower gear trying to go faster then it will slip out of gear my father told me the guy i purchased it from had the transmission replaced 2 and rebuilt the 2 replaced tranny should i just buy a new one for 4 grand, get it rebuilt, or see if the previous owner has the warranty?
  • psycodadpsycodad Member Posts: 5
    i have tried disconnecting the battery when it first cated up and i have done it 6 or 7 times since then with mine it didn't make a difference
    thanks for the tip
  • my97jimmymy97jimmy Member Posts: 15
    To bad it didn't work for you. It worked for me for about 2 years but with 180K it's time to replace the tranny. If you are mechanically inclined, you can get a rebuilt tranny (with 3 year warranty) for around $1200 and put it in yourself. That's what I did. If not, I would find a mechanic that will replace the tranny for you. I wouldn't recommend having a tranny shop repair it. Just read all the horror stories here about repaired trannys. Good luck, Keith
  • psycodadpsycodad Member Posts: 5
    my jimmy has 168000 and sometimes the trans will shift perfectly and others it wont a trans repair shop said that it is an electrical prob. low voltage and i checked that out when it was acting up and i was definately under the 12 volts i was supposed to have i would like to try putting a jumper wire with 12 volts into the trans system and see what happens but i also hate to burn something out
    don
  • rhtransrhtrans Member Posts: 84
    A fresh battery and or a new altenator usually takes care of that problem. if its still there...replace the cables and make sure you have a good ground.
  • pocitypocity Member Posts: 7
    1997 4L60E tied to a 4.3 liter engine. My problem is when tranny is cool it shifts fine from 2nd to 3rd. However after driving for a few miles it sometimes will not shift out of 2nd to 3rd. New valve body fluids and filter. Any ideas?
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