2003 LS Transmission Confusion HELP!

[mcarter85]

Im new to posting but not new to reading post from this website. I have 2003 LS V8 with the SST transmission 122k. A wk ago the tranny was shifting hard into "R" and would take sometime to grab 1st gear when shifting in D5. Also would kick hard into 3rd. I was told it could either be the result of needing a full flush or just the solenoid. Lost story short I was driving to the store around the corner from my house and after the hard kick into 3rd the tranny just gave out. I steered the car to side of the road to park and shutdown and try to restart. Car starts fine no "E" for the transmission, but the car WILL NOT shift into any gear. Park still works as does Neutral. but I've tried starting out in the SST side in numerous gears and nothing. Anyone with knowledge with this would mean alot. Im hoping it could still be a simple solenoid issue, but with the tranny not grabbing gears im fearing the worse. Ive been told either solenoid, cables or get rebuilt tranny. Help please!!! :feedback

 

[joegr]

You need to check the transmission fluid level and condition first. At this point, it's going to be more than just the solenoid assembly.

 

[mcarter85]

Appreciate it Joegr.. so what if the fluid is in terrible condition what else could the issue be?

 

[joegr]

Appreciate it Joegr.. so what if the fluid is in terrible condition what else could the issue be?

Bands or torque converter. Either/both can be damaged by going a long time with bad solenoid(s).

If you're lucky, you have a leak and the new problem is that your fluid's too low.

 

[mcarter85]

Alright , would you recommend specific upgrades to the band or torque converter..also my dad does mechanic work but he says transmissions are not his specialty. he's goin to drop the pan and check the fluid level. But after that would my best bet would be to take it to a mechinic or the "stealership" as some people say, lol or is it something thats can be done in our own garage.

 

[oddball]

A tranny that doesn't grab any gears is either a) very low on fluid, or b) completely trashed. A tranny in condition (a) for a few moments quickly changes to (b).
Your initial problem may have been simple, but as Joe noted, driving with a simple tranny problem quickly turns into a big problem.

Fluid fill and flush can be done at home, but are more difficult than most trannys since there's no fill tube.

A tranny rebuild is quite difficult. IMO, it's more difficult than an engine rebuild due to the special tools required for each type of tranny. If you have a fully equipped shop, then it's a day's work. If you don't, then it's a lot of work and easy to make mistakes. The clearances for trannys are very specific and not terribly easy to measure.

As far as upgrades, you *should* have the 5R55S which is also used by Mustangs and various other fords. Search around and I'm sure you can find more info. Whether or not that will be much use is another issue. The computer controls many of the shifting characteristics of these units, so getting a tune is the quicker and easier way to change the shift operation.

If you do the remove and reinstall yourself, you might get a shop to knock a bit off the rebuild cost. They may not give you a warranty, though, as the install and fluid fill procedure is critical to not destroying the thing.
Try to find a reputable local tranny shop. In general, avoid AAMCO.

 

[mcarter85]

@Oddball.. Thanks for the advice. My gut instinct was telling me is was the fluid, was trying to hold off until this week end to get it done but I got the short end of the stick. Ill be lookin for a shop to check it out and just pray for the best. thanks for your help !