Hi guys- thought I'd ask the group as some of you are pretty car savvy! We have a 2010 Impala with about 158,000 miles been a good car- still looks good but getting rusty under the plastic cladding, anyway. It is starting to not engage fully. When you are driving along just fine, and stop at a light, start to go and realize trans is just barely engaged, while at light there is no feeling of it disengaging, but when taking off it's slipping like crazy, If you notice it and let off it might take off just fine, or if you stay on it it will slip then BANG! into gear hard and chirp tires, etc. My buddy had a 08 Chevy Uplander SUV which did the same thing until trans went out completely. We think they both have the same transmission. He took his to a trans shop and they said it was a common problem w/ those transmissions. A valve starts to stick.. Anyway I checked my ATF on dipstick and it smells like trans clutch troubles and is still mostly red but getting dark. Also if I drip it on a paper towel I can see some black material in it, which I assume is clutch material. So I am looking at rebuilt transaxles for this car, see them on Ebay for as little as 1200 or so. I wanted to get one from someone with a lot of experience so checked Jasper , but they are about $2500! Don't want to get a used one as they are supposedly known for this problem. It might go 2 weeks without doing it but the other day it did it every time until I got where I was going. I will be able to do the job myself though it has been a long time since I've done a FWD transaxle! Any recommendation?? I really like not having a car payment and cheaper insurance- hate to go in debt for another car, and also this one wouldn't be worth much to sell as I would tell a buyer about the trans issue...

 

That transaxle is the 4t65e. It's the updated version of the 4t60e in my 96 98. To remove the transmission you'll have to drop the subframe. Support the engine from the top with a 4x4" piece of lumber and ratchet straps. There's a special tool designed to support the engine from above but good luck finding it. Supposedly, you can drop the subframe a few inches and remove the side cover to service some of the shift valves in the transaxle but I'm not sure what the symptoms are when those go bad. Good luck!

 

X2 on a 4x4 across the top with straps. Remember to flush the lines and cooler.
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Since you can do the R & R I'd consider used if the unit was known to be from a wreck, not from a car that was clean and went for salvage. The transmission is the likely reason a clean car would be in that situation. Car-part.com often shows pictures of the car the unit is in, this way you can see if it is a wreck.

Know someone that has a like new, garage kept, 60k mile '10. They just spent $4,800 on a GM reman installed with a 3 yr warranty.

Good luck!!!

 

Uy... I bought an '08 Equinox for my son with the 3.6L in it. One week after purchase, trans started with the not shifting into gear, not shifting out of first, not going into forward gear after backing up.

First shop wanted $5600 to install a reman, swore against using Jaspers. Second shop was all in on Jaspers, quote was $4800 ($3300 for the trans itself, rest is labor). I spoke directly with the owner, he had toured their plant. Also did a bit of research, Jasper doesn't use one guy to rebuild a trans from beginning to end, but they do use pods, where one guy will do all the work in pod 1, another guy does all the work in next pod, etc. I am very pleased with how the Equinox drives now. It's actually the smoothest-shifting transmission I've felt in a long time, and that includes my '17 LaCrosse.

Apparently, my '08 Equinox was a one-year-only trans, both shops pointed that out to me. And it is of a design that you cannot check the fluid without quite a bit of work. However, the little SUV is in very nice condition (came from down south), so it will be around for quite a while.

 

IIRC that year/model can have more than model auto transmission. The cost difference between the two is significant.

 

Related, but maybe unrelated.... My son's 2012 CTS V6 would hesitate on engagement when put into "D". Of course all transmission shops want to rebuild the whole transmission for big bucks. That is the only way they can offer a warranty. After some online research, he decided that there are some valves on the valve body that were probably shot. That turned out to be right. He removed the pan and the valve body, replaced the little diaphragm valves and the issue disappeared. One of the valves was broken and leaking. He did check for a software update for the TCM, but there was none, so all is well. My faith in GM quality is quickly diminishing after this episode and also after having to replace the timing chains with less than 100k. Has anyone noticed that GM exposes electronic modules to under vehicle road splash? I am not liking what I am seeing.

 

Thanks guys, yeah I used to have a 4x4 with a hole in it and some big threaded rod thru it and a hook, It would run across the fenders to hold engine up as transaxle was removed. Hadn't used it in 10 years so when moved I got rid of it.. I can make another. I saw a you tube video with a guy removing the side cover and replacing solenoids, etc., I would love to fix it that way but I think if I go that far I might as well replace whole trans. I know I will have to flush rad cooler and lines. Actually I am thinking if I do the trans job, I may replace radiator too as it looks all corroded and weak at bottom and they are pretty cheap for this car, then I would also flush cooling system and replace coolant- WOW MAW's just like on our old Old's!!

 

Did you know that the Hemi, the Challenger, the Charger, and the 300 are going away after 2023 ? Stellantis about to do an Oldsmobile thing and discontinue all their good sellers.

 

Since this thread came back up, I'll update. We ended up in a fender bender and cracked up the front end. Had no collision insurance and decided to get a newer car. Ended up selling the Impala to a kid after telling him all about the trans issues. Last thing I know he i still using it and loves it.

 

Not that it matters now, but most likely what your feeling is the trans not downshifting. You come to a stop, the trans is still in a higher gear. You hit the throttle, the trans suddenly downshifts into first.

Sometimes servicing the trans helps, sometimes fresh fluid will clean up sticky valves.