Vannin' Home Forums Chevy Troubleshooting '97 Chevy Astro Transmission help

Ok, I am driving along the highway and when I get up to speed I lay off the pedel a bit and I feel the tranny shutters or surges. Thats the best way I can describe it. Also, when I get on it off the start, it shifts into second pretty hard and the rest of gears are good.
This is a '97 with the 4 spd automatic.
Any suggestions or should I go back to my trusty Dodge?
Thanks in advance.
Jim

Probably a 700R4 that's electronic (not sure what the electronic designation is). Check the condition of the fluid Jim. If it's dark and burnt smelling, then well the transmission could be on it's way out. That's the worst case scenario.

However..there could be an adjustment for the kickdown (aka Throttle Valve) cable. This could be part of the problem.

Probably a 4L60E (almost the same thing).

Is it AWD? There was a year where the transfer case would shutter. I believe all that was needed was a oil change and it would fix the problem. It might need a specific type of oil or something.

Not sure which tranny it is but I will check the fluid in the morning before inspection.
Thanks guys and pray it's not the worst case scenario.
Jim

Jim...My ford did the same thing. It had to do with the lockup torque convertor, and was diagnosed by holding speed when chattering and tapping the brake with your other foot just enough to light the stop lights. If the chatter stopped right away, that was the problem. Not sure if this applies to your Chev, but that's what I know!

could be your tork perverter.

Oh Bobert you soooooo funny.

my 87 GMC JIMMY did the same thing. nothin but a piece of crap. no more chevy sh-t for this guy.

Gup E, how long was the Astro sitting...the description you described could also be a sticky caliper or rear shoe....

If it is electronic, disconnect the negative terminal to the battery for 30 seconds or so , and reset the puter......

You never know

Found the problem. I decided to do the tune-up and replaced rotor and cap today. That took care of the problem. When I pulled cap off I noticed a lot of corrosion on contacts. Also cap may have had a crack in it. Tomorrow I'll replace plugs and wires. Also did an oil change today. I checked tranny fluid and it is nice and red. It seems to have a slight odor to it so I picked up a filter gasket and fluid. I will change that as well. Hopefully weather continues to hold out. The cool overcast days have been a blessing and makes it easier to get all this stuff done.
Thanks for the help.
Jim

That's great news Jimbob! Glad to hear the tranny isn't toast.

Glad to hear you fixed it. Those Astro/Safari's 4.3l V6 engines seem to be pretty reliable.

Thanks guys. yeah, this 4.3 is a nice motor. I was suprised at the power especially after getting her tuned. The motor is basically dry on the outside except for below around the harmonic balancer. I'll clean it up and keep an eye on oil leak.
Also, never knew these things had two coils!! Well thay don't but they are such a pain to get at that the previous owner just unhooked old one, plugged in replacement and used wire to secure it to an A/C hose to keep from moving around. It only took me 45 minutes to remove old one and secure this one in place. Some people are just lazy.
Jim

Don't ya just love half-ass work?

Changed tranny fluid and filter today. Fluid didn't look too bad. A little dark and minimal shavings around magnet in pan. As soon as I started it, I found a leak in a tranny coolant line. Cleaned it to see where and a guyser errupted. UGH!! Anyway, a tube cutter, a foot of hose, two hose clamps and about 20 minutes it was fixed. Still getting to the plug wires and plugs maybe tomorrow.
Last night I filled the tank and found only 15 mpg. Hopefully without all the bucking and tune-up, she'll get better. Any body know what they normally get if tuned well?
Jim

Gup, if it's not too late, you should put a total of 4 hose clamps. Those tranny fluid lines are under a lot of pressure. That's a trick the guys on Astrosafari.com do.

Also, my mechanic told me that if it pops loose, it'll empty the transmission in 2 minutes, you won't even know and your transmission is toast. So he scared me enough to at least write this warning. LOL

Anyways, those lines are a "weak" point on the Astro's. They just wear out fast. I believe both of my vans have had 2 - 3 sets.

i have gotten 505 miles out of a 27 gal tank, driving like an old lady

These guys can make you up stainless steel lines and are fairly inexpensive. Classic Tube

A good rule of thumb on those tranny lines is to flare it a bit (like a fuel line) so once you clamp it, the hose can't slide off.

I had considered whether or not the were high pressure hoses. So what I did was make sure I slip hose down at least 4 inches on each side. The tubes cannot move that much in either direction to pop the hose off. I will though add a couple extra clamps as a safety measure.
And I can see how they can pump the fluid out fast. It was just gushing out. The crack in tubing was a good half inch long.
$39 for a replacement is not bad but I'm good now.
Jim

Revisiting this thread. I have had same problem once more and replaced rotor and cap. It fixes problem. Last night on way home from work, it started happening again. I know it is an issue with moisture getting into the distributor. Last cap I received, it stated that I need to clean out screens at bottom if dist. No screens on mine. Next, it said to insulate any AC lines nearby. I haven't used AC since last summer. I will insulate them though. Next they mention checking PVC valve. I cleaned it out but it still happened.
I have it opened up today trying to fix. Anybody else come across this issue in their 'stros? It's a '95 4.3, TBI with AC. I hate spending $30+ each time to just replace caps. I have tried to clean cap of corrosion, but it does not work.
Maybe a new distributor might be the answer.
Any help will be appreciated.
Jim

OH well, looks like it might be camshaft position sensor. Looks like some fine cracks in it. Hopefully NAPA will be open tomorrow.

Gup, sorry, can't help with that kind of problem. Good luck!

It's just I noticed you say:



Are you sure it's a TBI? My '93 was some sort of Central injection and there weren't many choices of motors on these vans... Is it a Z or W motor? Making sure might avoid problems at the parts store in some cases.

Hey Mathieu, I'm sorry, I meant '97. I guess they call it, (CSFI)Central Sequential Fuel Injection. It looks just like a throttle body. NAPA actually has a replacement for this for about $350. Not ready for that but helps with performance and economy. I'll let you know how the camshaft sensor works.
Jim