A Slight Shudder on Takeoff

[PenGun]

Car is pretty fine but after a few hours she will sometimes give me a little shudder when leaving from a stop. Not bad at all but it is there.

I am making an appointment for a tranny flush and fill and will put Mercon V in it. Hopefully that will fix the problem but I wonder what else I should perhaps do.

Thanks.

 

[95mark8newyork]

What year mark viii is this? Maybe a little more info on your problem will help you get some responses.

 

[95mark8newyork]

Is this from a deat stop then WOT (foot to the floor wide open throttle) or normal acceleration?

 

[PenGun]

Is this from a deat stop then WOT (foot to the floor wide open throttle) or normal acceleration?

It's a 93, Hard starts work fine it's just once in a while I get a slight shudder on normal takeoffs. Nowhere else so far.

 

[thaywood]

My opinion: Don't get it flushed. Get some ramps and a set of socket wrenches and pull the pan, drain the fluid from the case and torque converter, change the filter, and refil with Mercon V. A flush will get rid of the old fluid and replace it with new, but it won't replace the filter. Personally, I never change the fluid without changing the filter. I don't see the point. As has been the case with both Mark VIII's I've owned, when the tranny starts acting silly, a fluid/filter change usually does the trick

 

[PenGun]

My opinion: Don't get it flushed. Get some ramps and a set of socket wrenches and pull the pan, drain the fluid from the case and torque converter, change the filter, and refil with Mercon V. A flush will get rid of the old fluid and replace it with new, but it won't replace the filter. Personally, I never change the fluid without changing the filter. I don't see the point.

The flush includes a filter. Just draining it will leave over half the old fluid in the tranny. I am not sure just what happened with this car but the guy I bought it from only had it a short time and knew basically nothing about the car. I am not sure even what fluid is in it so I am gonna replace it.

Where can you find a reputable shop that will do a flush and not change the filter?

 

[thaywood]

The flush includes a filter.

Better make sure. I'd get it in writing. And when you pick it up, ask about the dipstick plug. If they don't know what you're talking about, they didn't take the pan down. My mom got her '97 Cougar's 4R70W "flushed" by the local stealership and it cost $150 bucks. I changed the fluid next time, and lo and behold, the pan had never been removed. The little plastic dipstick plug was still in the pan when I took it down. That's whyI dont' trust anyone but me to change my transmission fluid.

Just draining it will leave over half the old fluid in the tranny.

Not if you drain the torque converter too. There's a rubber grommet on the bottom of the bellhousing. Take it out and rotate the engine until the drain plug on the TC lines up with the hole. Unscrew the plug and drain out about 7 or 8 qts of fluid. When finished, very little if any old fluid is left in the tranny.

I am not sure just what happened with this car but the guy I bought it from only had it a short time and knew basically nothing about the car. I am not sure even what fluid is in it so I am gonna replace it.

Good idea.

Where can you find a reputable shop that will do a flush and not change the filter?

Couldn't tell ya.

 

[PenGun]

I will be there waiting while it's done. Tony at Alberni Transmission has a very good reputation and I will make sure the filter is changed. Even if I drain the torque converter there still will be a fair bit left. I was a General guy most of my life but I doubt the trannys are that different.

I'm not afraid to wrench it, I bought it as my project and I am very particular when I am serious about a car. I don't think even some hours pumping tranny fluid out of and into it will be as good as a machine flush so I will go with that. A filter change is pretty simple and as I said, it wil be done.

 

[thaywood]

I will be there waiting while it's done. Tony at Alberni Transmission has a very good reputation and I will make sure the filter is changed. Even if I drain the torque converter there still will be a fair bit left. I was a General guy most of my life but I doubt the trannys are that different.

I hope you're right. I just have a hard time trusting other people working on my stuff (due to a couple of bad experiences in the past). Last time I changed mine, I drained the case and TC and had to put about 12 quarts back in. So there was less than a quart of old fluid left in the tranny.

I'm not afraid to wrench it, I bought it as my project and I am very particular when I am serious about a car. I don't think even some hours pumping tranny fluid out of and into it will be as good as a machine flush so I will go with that. A filter change is pretty simple and as I said, it wil be done.

I agree. A good machine flush will completely clean it out. If I could afford it, that's what I'd do. But I still prefer to do my own fluid/filter changes.

Best of luck

 

[PenGun]

Thanks eh'. On driving it some more I can get around the rare shuddering episodes by accelerating softly or hard. Any way after a bunch of driving I smelled my fluid when it was good and hot and it smells kinda toasty. Maybe never changed ever.

 

[NoLimit95]

Thanks eh'. On driving it some more I can get around the rare shuddering episodes by accelerating softly or hard. Any way after a bunch of driving I smelled my fluid when it was good and hot and it smells kinda toasty. Maybe never changed ever.

Believe this or not but if your fluid is burnt and brown, fresh fluid can actually end up killing the trans. Sounds stupid but it's happened. If the fluid has redness, you should be ok with a complete flush. Mercon V stinks anyway, even right out of the container. Try some Dr. Tranny from NAPA if you still end up with shudder.

 

[PenGun]

It's still red and when it was cold it smelled better. Thanks, I'll keep my fingers crossed

 

[thaywood]

I've never used "Doctor Tranny" but I've heard it works. I normally use Lucas transmission treatment.