3.1 shudders in gear

Hello everyone,
I gave our 1997 Malibu 3.1 to my mother in law. I did all the maintenance myself including intake gasket until she had it certified which in my opinion was botched really badly including ripped out wiring for ABS sensor, and brake loss due to loose rear brake line. (I like my Mother in Law and wasn't trying to get rid of her)

The problem with the car now is that it shudders when it's put in drive or reverse and it never did this when I had it so I'm wondering if this problem may have been introduced during the certification. The car starts fine and idles fine in park or neutral. When it's put into gear it feels like it's about to stall but doesn't. At idle, in Park, RPM's are about 700, and in gear it drops to about 500, and then it gets a real noticeable vibration. There is no check engine light on. I'm suspecting something to do with the transmission like torque converter clutch or even a motor mount. Has anyone else had anything similar? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Kev.

Motor mount sounds like it might be an issue. Checked the throttle plate? Have you had that cleaned? What about the fuel injectors?

Thanks for the reply.

I don't suspect fuel injectors, there's no vibration in neutral or park and no check engine light. I made sure to put the conductive grease in all the injector connectors too when I had it apart. I read a GM bulletin that pointed to corrosion in the connectors being a huge cause of many injector faliures.

My mother in law was over so I just got the chance to try the throttle body cleaner. Didn't notice any difference yet, not sure if it takes time to take affect.

When I put it in gear it seems like the car almost lurches more then it should. Automatics start to move when you let off the break but this seems to move a little too quick.

Is it possible there is something in the tranny that's gripping too much when it's shifted into drive or reverse?

The Delphi pressure control solenoids in the 4T40E, 4T45E, and 4T65E transmissions are prone to wearing out quickly and causing various transmission issues, including slips, shudders, harsh engagements, etc. It's impossible to say whether or not this is your particular problem, but based on my own experience with this part and the symptoms you mention, I'd say this is a possibility. Are there any other shifting issues once the car is moving, like shudders or slips going into 2nd or 3rd or maybe when downshifting?

A scan with a trans capable scanner will reveal any control/solenoid issues.

The Delphi pressure control solenoids in the 4T40E, 4T45E, and 4T65E transmissions are prone to wearing out quickly and causing various transmission issues, including slips, shudders, harsh engagements, etc. It's impossible to say whether or not this is your particular problem, but based on my own experience with this part and the symptoms you mention, I'd say this is a possibility. Are there any other shifting issues once the car is moving, like shudders or slips going into 2nd or 3rd or maybe when downshifting?

My 01 3.1 malibu shudders and bangs into second gear after driving for about 50 to 60 minutes with the trans good and hot. Is this a possible PCS problem? It never does the harsh 1-2 shift when cold, only after a good while of driving. What is involved in changing the solenoids, what is a rough cost to replace them?

My 01 3.1 malibu shudders and bangs into second gear after driving for about 50 to 60 minutes with the trans good and hot. Is this a possible PCS problem? It never does the harsh 1-2 shift when cold, only after a good while of driving. What is involved in changing the solenoids, what is a rough cost to replace them?

The PCS itself is only about $60, but the labor would be around $500 or $600 to have the dealer do it. The side cover of the trans has to come off to access the PCS, and taking off the side cover requires removing a drive axle and a transmission mount and possibly lowering the engine/trans a bit. Doing all this, I was able to get just enough clearance to get my hand down between the cover and trans to get the PCS out and in.

One comment, it is a gamble to do this work. There were no check engine lights or trouble codes in my car... just the shudder and bucking in the trans. I don't know of any easy way to verify that the part itself is good or bad in the transmission because there is no way to tap the output of just the solenoid (it feeds directly into the TS valve bore). I tried changing the fluid and filter in my car and also resetting the computer, and neither of these actions fixed my problem, so being a do it yourselfer, I figured the next most logical and economical thing to do given the symptoms I had would be replace the PCS (other postings on this web site illustrate the design flaw of that component).

Again ,only a trans capable scanner will allow someone to test and see the solenoid operation and detect slippage errors, this may not set a normal code, this eliminate guess work. Without this info it's all guess work at best!

Again ,only a trans capable scanner will allow someone to test and see the solenoid operation and detect slippage errors, this may not set a normal code, this eliminate guess work. Without this info it's all guess work at best!

I agree 100%. My point is that even the professionals who have access to these sophisticated tools are still left guessing sometimes, and the PCS is one of those parts that can not be directly verified in the transmission because there is no direct access to its output.

Hello,

I was wondering if you figured out what the problem was. I have a 98 malibu that just started to do exactly the same thing tonight. I did get a check engine light but Auto Zone was closed so I haven't had it read yet. Any help on the solution would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Hello everyone,
I gave our 1997 Malibu 3.1 to my mother in law. I did all the maintenance myself including intake gasket until she had it certified which in my opinion was botched really badly including ripped out wiring for ABS sensor, and brake loss due to loose rear brake line. (I like my Mother in Law and wasn't trying to get rid of her)

The problem with the car now is that it shudders when it's put in drive or reverse and it never did this when I had it so I'm wondering if this problem may have been introduced during the certification. The car starts fine and idles fine in park or neutral. When it's put into gear it feels like it's about to stall but doesn't. At idle, in Park, RPM's are about 700, and in gear it drops to about 500, and then it gets a real noticeable vibration. There is no check engine light on. I'm suspecting something to do with the transmission like torque converter clutch or even a motor mount. Has anyone else had anything similar? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Kev.

Hi flo-b1

I haven't had a chance to take a look at the car again yet. I plan on looking for any possible loose connecters and then going after the pressure control solenoid for the tranny. I never had the check engine light, and there were no OBD codes either. I will be sure to respond to this post once I figure it out, it just may be awhile before I get to it. If you have any success in the meantime please let me know.

Thanks.
Kev.

It's been quite some time since I started this thread but I finally have an answer. I must admit I was pretty far off on this one. :shakehead
My Mother in Law took the car into an expert and they determined it was a bad ignition coil.

The car performance (acceleration and top speed) and fuel mileage had been deteriorating gradually since I started this thread. Considering I wasn't getting any codes, I was kinda surprised. :confused:
It really felt like it was a transmission problem to me. :banghead:

Thanks for all the help!! It's great to have people there when you need em.

Kev.