Does your tranny act like this?

luttersj

luttersj

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It's almost like the transmission is confused sometimes. I'll be driving down the freeway and let off the gas for a second then when I get back on the gas I can feel it re-engage. I've never felt that sensation when driving any other car.

Also, sometimes I'll back out of my parking stall, put it into D5 and it takes 2 seconds before it engages. I'v eactually taken it into the shop for this one and they updated the software and replaced some sort of module. It seemed to work for a while but it's back again.

And then, if I jump on the gas at slower speeds and let off before the shift into whatever the next gear might be it hangs in that gear for a few beats then upshifts really hard.

I'm just wondering if this is how all LSs drive or if it's only mine. I bought the car as a Ford Buyback due to tranny problems and Ford rebulit the transmission. So did they fix the problems from before and this is how it's supposed to work or are these the problems that the previous owner was having? it just seems odd that Kia can have a tranny that works more smothly...
 
but the tranny was just rebuilt 20,000 miles ago! Is it possible that a valve in the tranny could be bad again already?! It's still under warranty so cost isn't a problem. But if everyone's tranny works like this then it's not worth the trip to the shop. But I take it yours doesn't have those symptoms?
 
Neither of mine work as you describe (2004 and 2006). Sounds like you have a problem.
 
thats discription has been tied many times on this board to those two problems..... what milage is your car? around 90k the VCG go and flood out your coils with oil. Do a search for Valve cover gaskets on here for extensive info. The other problem I believe is a PCV in the tranny. and yes it is possible that it crapped out on ya. I would lean towards the VCG though
 
Mines doing the same sort of deal on the 3-4 shift and from park to reverse some times. doesnt do it all the time but mainly in town. kinda sucks.. i talked to ford and they said it wont hurt the trans but its a bad shift selenoid. I dont know how true this is they are always kinda of a shady dealer but when i get mine to my good dealer service i will let you know after my reflash hopefully next week. how many miles when you had it rebuilt?
 
The tranny was originally rebuilt at around 40,000 miles. Around 50,000 miles I had a new selenoid put in along with updating the software under the rebuild warranty. Now, at 60,000 miles, it's back again. Not to say that it was ever totally gone but it's getting more frequent now.

Also, at about 50,000 miles I had all 8 coils replaced. I doubt they did anything with the valve covers, though. But I thought they fixed that problem with the '03 update to the car?
 
The first paragraph is normal for these cars with the way the transmission is made. When you get off the gas then back on, the torque converter unlocks then locks again.

Mine doesn't go right into gear, which I would deem normal on a car that everything is electrically controlled.

The other stuff mine doesn't do.

Since you said it worked for a while and then stopped, try unhooking the battery for a few minutes and see if that changes. The PCM is adaptive, so if you drive it like an old man, it'll react like one.

Other than that, take it in to the dealer and see if they can find anything wrong, like a solenoid pack or something.
 
NYC LS8 said:
The PCM is adaptive, so if you drive it like an old man, it'll react like one.

Other than that, take it in to the dealer and see if they can find anything wrong, like a solenoid pack or something.
Click to expand...

Rarely am I beaten from a stop light. Not because my car is the fastest thing out there but because ever since I put the KKM air filter on I love to hear the engine!! :D However, I do commute in the car which doesn't often lend itself to wide open freeway blasts... so I guess it can't hurt to unhook the battery. it's free and easy!

The whole point of this thread was to see if there's an establisehd pattern with my car or if it's how every LS drives. Sounds like it's a little of both. I'm not sure how the 'lemon law' works in my state but if Ford repaired the tranny at 40,000 miles and every 10,000 miles i need to fix the solenoid pack still, it seems to me like the problem was never truely solved. Then the question is "do I have a case"? I mean, I knew what I was buying and knew the risks.
 
talk to ford.... if htey'll fix it then there is no case to have. if they wont and you have to come out of pocket, then see what they say needs to be fixed and go from there
 
park to reverse for me i get a CLICK noise sometimes...and when i go into d5 it feels like the car drops....and 2-3 and 3-2 is hard....
 
think they might fix that issue uh? i just hope that i can get mine diagnosed and fixed, its kinda annoying
 
My 2000 LS had the issue where it didn't go into Drive for a couple seconds. It only did it when it was cold outside and the car was cold. Never bugged me enough to worry about it before I sold it. Now here I am 8 months later trying to buy another one. LOL...
 
I agree that the first paragraph is normal. Was like that in my 2000 V6, and been that way in my 2002 V8. I cant help but wonder if some of this programming is for fuel economy reasons.

As an example, when coasting down in the LS..I dont ever detect a downshift. I'm guessing it stays in 5 (or whatever it was in).

In my 1999 M3 (which is auto), the transmission is totally different. Even in "E" (econo) mode, you can feel the gears shift down..so that acceleration is READY..right THERE..when you need it. And if you floor it to pass someone, or if I FLOOR it at the end of (as an example) a highway on ramp..the tranny stays in the lower gear for awhile...(say 4-6 seconds)..as if it KNOWS Im going to floor it again as soon as a traffic opening allows me to go from the 30mph I've slowed down to...to the 70mph Im about to get to.

The M3's transmission design actually dates back to around 1994..the LS? 1999 if I recall. Amazing which design is much, much better
 
hehe. my wife has a 325i. When I first drove the car my comment was "that transmission is amazing!" Like you said, it knows what gear you want to be in! If only I could get that feeling in the LS... But the BMW tranny isn't perfect, either. When the car is cold and you roll up to a stop sign the downshift to 1st is VERY harsh. When it's warmed up, no problem though. then it's like butter.
 
Invest in an XCAL2 and have ILLS make up a tune for you. My car now is never in too high of a gear when around town. It's like a completely different car and gets out of it's own way in a hurry.
 
luttersj said:
hehe. my wife has a 325i. When I first drove the car my comment was "that transmission is amazing!" Like you said, it knows what gear you want to be in! If only I could get that feeling in the LS... But the BMW tranny isn't perfect, either. When the car is cold and you roll up to a stop sign the downshift to 1st is VERY harsh. When it's warmed up, no problem though. then it's like butter.
Click to expand...

I'll post some pics when I get a chance. Mine is a 1999 M3 Vert that I picked up last year for a decent price. 79k miles when I got her last March, 86k miles now. My tranny is smooth hot or cold actually. That inline 6 engine is VERY smooth. I'd say on par with the LS's V8 actually, from a smoothness point of view. Both cars compliment each other nicely. The LS is my daily driver, and is in excellent condition. The ONLY thing not working on it now..is the mirror compass. But after replacing those sway bar bushings..and a new set of tires recently. It's riding and running the same as it did in Dec 2002 when I bought her off the lot with 23 miles on her. Still get compliments and looks on her on a regular basis. The 2002 LSE kit combined with eibachs and tinted windows really give her a sleeker look. The M3 is for weekends only..and no rain. Has turned into mainly a going out on the town in evenings and weekend getaway car.
 
Guys, Im taking mine into lincoln tommarrow to get the 3-4 shift checked out. im hoping its small but affraid its gonna be the opposite of cheap. wish the hot rod and my wallet luck if you would. were gonna try a reflash, fluid change being its at 58000miles. If those fail then its gonna hurt. Im just gonna hope this fixes it for good.
 
well thanks a to all of you for keeping your fingers crossed....

got my dreded call from Ford today. The 04 happens to have the earlier solenoid body.. equals out to $940 after new solenoid body, fluid flush, filter, and reflash. OUCH CHARLIE. i hope this never happens to any of you but i guess i should have gotten the 05-06 i was lookin at. at least i would of had 20k plus left of warranty. I guess this just goes to show anything can happen no matter how good you think you do. Now for the good part.. Ill be taking donations thorough paypal, and cash for those who pity the poor. JK
 
I'll be curious to hear what you have to say once you've driven it for a while. Hopefully after spending all that cash at least the problem will be fixed!
 
i sure hope its better. it costs too damn much to be any worse. um i believe the solenoid body was about 400ish. might be less or more but ill give you a break down tommarrow. either way, maybe this should have been a recall. yes, no????/
 
luttersj said:
hehe. my wife has a 325i. When I first drove the car my comment was "that transmission is amazing!" Like you said, it knows what gear you want to be in! If only I could get that feeling in the LS... But the BMW tranny isn't perfect, either. When the car is cold and you roll up to a stop sign the downshift to 1st is VERY harsh. When it's warmed up, no problem though. then it's like butter.
Click to expand...

Out of curiosity..have you checked the guibo for rips/tears?
 
NYC LS8 said:
Invest in an XCAL2 and have ILLS make up a tune for you. My car now is never in too high of a gear when around town. It's like a completely different car and gets out of it's own way in a hurry.
Click to expand...

QFT Only gained about 15 hp from th tune but my car is MUCH faster now! The power gets used much better thanks to ILLS!
 
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