transmission's weak link

[FlyingV77]

I haven't been able to find the answer using the search. But I'm on mobile so I might have missed it.

So we all know the transmission isnt the best and can only handle 275 ish hp. Why? What's the weak link? Is it the gears, seals, the case, something else? Can it be beefed up or up graded? Or are we just screwed?

I know the standard answer is a 5sd swap. But my knees don't like that idea.

Ok let the hate flow for my lack of searching skills.

[89Vette]

Try this thread...
http://vehicross.info/forums/showthread.php?t=23275&highlight=transmission


I sort of remember it and think it got into the details of why the transmission could have been better. No time to read/confirm my memory though....

[FlyingV77]

i remember that thread. i even asked the same question. the only answer i got was from Dub, and he said put a standard in it.

Maybe if i slap some stickers on it she will be able to take more power...
what is the going rate, 15 hp per sticker?

[blacksambo]

A weak link is the fourth gear, it's an add on to an already low grade GM 3 speed tranny used on Mail carrier vehicles. That said, GM tranny's are some of the best in the world...Yeah even Borg Warner in France is a GM company. To beef up, please change over to synthetic like Royal Purple...mine's got 165K on it and it's still going strong.

[FlyingV77]

"a" weak link? so there's more than one? Ive got about 165K on the truck and maybe 15k on the rebuild of my second motor. Im using ams oil

[Leon R]

I am seeing the same lack of information… If you go by popular opinion on this forum, you would think that these trannies blow up at 85k and are incapable of any towing or increased power...

Well, Planet Isuzu has many members who tow 4-5k trailers or boats without any major problems… And that is done with a heavier Trooper!

I really want to see what a competent tranny shop can do with this tranny!

[tom4bren]

Leon,

I've towed quite a bit with my VX & tranny is still going strong at 90K. Maybe the weak link is the thing in the drivers seat. I drive like a wuss & have a fairly light foot on the skinny pedal. Mebbe that makes a difference.

Tom

[evillecutter]

our transmissions are crap. period.

im fairly certain it was never designed/intended to go into an all wheel drive vehicle

like all vehicles the way it has been treated for the past 13 years is going to play a pivotal role in what shape the trans is in currently, but from the get go i believe these were a poor choice by gm/isuzu

i dont really have a problem currently but when i go into 4th gear it sounds like it shifts twice (you can count 5 shifts from a stop to 60mph but i know there is only 4 gears)

downshifting is my problem - i get a clunk sometimes going from second to first - sounds like a disengaging of the awd maybe? no idea for sure but it is def annoying - it happens about a second or 2 before the tod lights go off...

mine has 117k miles and im scared to change the filter and fluid because of all the horror stories - even 2 different shops i talked to said if i dont know the history and it hasnt been changed regularly to just drop a quart out and put some lucas trans stuff in it

also, when my vx is cold it will not upshift from first to second until i reach 30mph - when its warm and ive been driving for a while it shifts at 20mph - just thought that was odd

[blacksambo]

Mine at 165K makes no funny sounds and shifts perfectly.

[johnnyapollo]

I'm also at 165K and the tranny works fine...

[VXorado]

Leon,

I've towed quite a bit with my VX & tranny is still going strong at 90K. Maybe the weak link is the thing in the drivers seat. I drive like a wuss & have a fairly light foot on the skinny pedal. Mebbe that makes a difference.

Tom

I agree and would say you hit the nail on the head. The VX was designed to be sportier than the Trooper and therefore is going to be shifting under hard acceleration more frequently than other SUVs. I think most VX owners are harder on the 4l30e just because we don't have to drive it like a Trooper.

I was told by a tranny shop that 150K miles was the life expectancy of the 4l30e. Not that 150K miles is impressive by any means...

[evillecutter]

maybe im just a hypochondriac - the few other people that have driven my car besides me say its fine and i should stop worrying

but im sticking to my guns and saying that it should have had a bigger motor, better trans, and a cup holder that is shaped like a cup

dont get me wrong, its awesome the way it is, but it could have been so much better

[bartmanS4]

From what I've read the weak links in the 4L30 are the selector switch and solenoid issues.

I bought my VX with 162k on the dial. It had a failed transmission that had been "fixed" and when the fix failed a used Trooper tranny was installed. It never shifted very well for me and seemed to slip and hard shift in cold weather. That was as good an excuse as any for me to do the 5 spd swap and I am very pleased with the result. It really woke up the performance making the engine feel more powerful. There are of course trade offs, I have a lower final drive ratio in 1st which makes for better engine braking when wheeling but it is more difficult to crawl out of sticky situations without stalling. I love the VX as a manual though but it is definitely a personal preference.

[SAM52764]

but im sticking to my guns and saying that it should have had a bigger motor, better trans, and a cup holder that is shaped like a cup

There's a cup holder? Where? LOL

[SAM52764]

i dont really have a problem currently but when i go into 4th gear it sounds like it shifts twice (you can count 5 shifts from a stop to 60mph but i know there is only 4 gears)

downshifting is my problem - i get a clunk sometimes going from second to first - sounds like a disengaging of the awd maybe? no idea for sure but it is def annoying - it happens about a second or 2 before the tod lights go off...

also, when my vx is cold it will not upshift from first to second until i reach 30mph - when its warm and ive been driving for a while it shifts at 20mph - just thought that was odd

I panic just a little (ok a lot) when it's about to go into 4th gear and the RPM dial jumps and flies with a thump and then it's fine. I have found that if I baby the gas pedal before it gets to that point then it shifts smooth.

I've wondered about that clunk as well when I'm coming to a stop, sometimes it feels like someone has bumped me from behind and sometimes it's harder than other times.

Especially with the cold we've had in the Northeast this past week, I try to go out and start it and let it run for about 5 minutes first, but for the first few stop and gos, it does seem to hang in 1st for longer than normal and then it's fine.

I will say that since I have been putting in plus gas, the trans does shift quite a bit smoother than it did with regular gas. Next time I think I'm going to try premium.

[Lfen]

Level 10 can bullet proof em for a hefty sum. Lol