- Oct 21, 2006
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2003 Chevy Malibu
3.1L V6, no modifications
4-Speed Automatic
~42k miles
The car runs great - I've run into a few minor problems with it, but for all the use and abuse it gets, I can't complain. However, every now and then I run into a very random, very strange problem. Instead of a nice smooth shift through each gear, it either has a long delay, or slams into the next gear.
At low RPMs (1-3.5k or so), first-to-second will have a noticeable delay between gears. At higher RPMs (4-5k+), it will shift fine.
Second-to-third and third-to-fourth shift alright at low RPMs, but slams so hard into the next gear at 3.5k+ to make the entire car shudder.
Here's the strangest part: if the car starts acting up as described above, I can usually park somewhere, shut it off for 5-10 minutes, and it will go back to normal.
Usually this only happens on days when the car has been driven at least once earlier, and allowed to sit for an hour or two. It seems to be very random - I thought at first it was cold weather that did it, but it's still doing it now in the summon. On another note, I'm also starting to notice some backpressure on the accelerator during shifts, even when the problem isn't happening. I don't know if it's been doing this all along and I'm just noticing it now, or what.
Everyone I've talked to has no clue what to think, and most places are going to charge several hundred to go through it all, which is what I'm trying to avoid. Has anyone experienced anything similar?
Thanks.
3.1L V6, no modifications
4-Speed Automatic
~42k miles
The car runs great - I've run into a few minor problems with it, but for all the use and abuse it gets, I can't complain. However, every now and then I run into a very random, very strange problem. Instead of a nice smooth shift through each gear, it either has a long delay, or slams into the next gear.
At low RPMs (1-3.5k or so), first-to-second will have a noticeable delay between gears. At higher RPMs (4-5k+), it will shift fine.
Second-to-third and third-to-fourth shift alright at low RPMs, but slams so hard into the next gear at 3.5k+ to make the entire car shudder.
Here's the strangest part: if the car starts acting up as described above, I can usually park somewhere, shut it off for 5-10 minutes, and it will go back to normal.
Usually this only happens on days when the car has been driven at least once earlier, and allowed to sit for an hour or two. It seems to be very random - I thought at first it was cold weather that did it, but it's still doing it now in the summon. On another note, I'm also starting to notice some backpressure on the accelerator during shifts, even when the problem isn't happening. I don't know if it's been doing this all along and I'm just noticing it now, or what.
Everyone I've talked to has no clue what to think, and most places are going to charge several hundred to go through it all, which is what I'm trying to avoid. Has anyone experienced anything similar?
Thanks.