VR auto trans problems

[Brett_jjj]

My oldies VR is having problems with the auto transmission.Its heaps slow to engage gear when shifting from park or neutral to drive or reverse.It also shifts through the gears no worries under light throttle, until you try accelerate hard through the gears ,then instead of shifting up,it goes into like neutral and starts reving,then it doesnt engage the gears again until you back right off the accelerator.Then it finally re engages and goes on as normal.Its probably stuffed ,but I though Id ask about it anyway as it seems fine under light acceleration,but just stuffs up when acclerated hard....Any thoughs on this would be appreciated,thanks.

[The_Captain]

when was the auto last serviced?

[Brett_jjj]

The filter and fluid was changed a couple of months ago.I did it,but it didnt make any difference to how it ran.The filter and pan magnet were filthy though ,so Id say its never really been serviced regularly.I didnt think it would last this long when I did the service,but its still going somehow.At light throttle,you wouldnt even know something was wrong with it..The slow engagement of the gears when shifting from neutral to drive or reverse gives it away though..

[The_Captain]

I am cetainly no expert here (far from it actually !) but for memory, isn't there "bands" that may require adjusting?

If it was as dirty as you said, that would be a concern. If the pan is dirty, you could only guess what is circulating around the trans if the filter is knackered and hasnt been replaced for a while.

When it comes to auto trans - it can be a challenge due to the many components that "drive" it. There will be others here that can add more value than me.

EDIT - I had a VT SS and something similar to what you describe occured, and it was the diff that required replacing. Luckily, the VT was still under warranty. Does it "clunk" into gear?

[Brett_jjj]

Im the same mate,Im no expert on auto transmissions,I do my own servicing on them though.I was hoping that there might be a small chance that this problem is being caused by something simple.When I say it was dirty,I mean there was a lot of buildup caught on the pan magnet,which is what its supposed to do,its also a sign that the servicing hasnt been kept up with...Ive also found that the old trans filters seem to weigh more when they are heaps dirty when compared to a cleaner one thats been removed,probably from all the crap it catches,so this can also give an idea as to how its been treated.
Ive also looked at the electronic side of things with a tech 1 scantool and I couldnt find anything out of the ordinary happening,and theres no codes being set either.

[commo tech]

it sounds like the auto might be getting tired mate. one thing you can try is disconect the ecu for 10mins to reset the transmissions adaptive shift map and see if it improves, i dont think it will work but its worth a shot.

[BlackVXGTS]

I am cetainly no expert here (far from it actually !) but for memory, isn't there "bands" that may require adjusting?

Quite so. 4L60e transmissions from the VR onwards are electronically controlled and don't have any bands that can be manually adjusted (short of pulling out the transmission) - although some improvement in shift quality can be effected via the PCM/Memcal.

+1 with commo tech, unfortunately I think the transmission is on its way out. Problem 31 for 4L60e states:

"31. 1-2 or 2-3 shift is slow/soft above part throttle: Trans is on its way out. R&R." (Remove and Repair).

[21AZI]

i would say, from the sounds of it. You are having oil pressure problems in the gearbox

[hako]

G'Day Brett, I know you're not a fan of additives, but some of the better "stop slip" products will work to give a bit more grip. A lot cheaper and simpler than R&R.

[James39]

On my VR I had to replace the fluid a few times to get an improvement. I was advised to get the Trans flushed, but I replaced the fluid a few times instead lol