clunking noise when shifting

[Ltnng2]

I have an intermittant problem, there is a "clunking" noise coming from the rear of the VX as it moves from gear to gear...the mechanic thought it was transmission, the transmission guy could not make it happen...anyone have any thoughts? its very scary but does not happen every day. Sometimes if I turn the car off immediately, wait, and then turn it on again it doesnt happen....very weird....thanks for any help

[Maugan_VX]

Not unusual. Make sure the driveshaft is well greased at the U-joint.

All of my isuzu(GM) 4l30e transmissions have "clunked". Not a big deal.

[nfpgasmask]

Yeah, this happened to me with my VX after about 2 weeks of ownership. It is very unpleasent. There are several threads on here about similar problems. And like you said, for the most of us, it seems to be totally intermittent, and typically clears up after the vehicle is shut off and then restarted.

Some have noted that driving in "Power Mode" can cause this problem to occur more often. For me, at the time, I was indeed driving in "Power Mode" when it happened. I have since limited my use of the "Power Mode" switch, and I have not had this harsh shifting problem again.

Bart

I have an intermittant problem, there is a "clunking" noise coming from the rear of the VX as it moves from gear to gear...the mechanic thought it was transmission, the transmission guy could not make it happen...anyone have any thoughts? its very scary but does not happen every day. Sometimes if I turn the car off immediately, wait, and then turn it on again it doesnt happen....very weird....thanks for any help

[Ltnng2]

I'm thinking my clunking noise while shifting may have something to do with the winter mode....occasionally that light comes on when it happens...what's the connection? is it a computer problem? anyone have any ideas???

[Offroad vx]

I have an intermittant problem, there is a "clunking" noise coming from the rear of the VX as it moves from gear to gear...the mechanic thought it was transmission, the transmission guy could not make it happen...anyone have any thoughts? its very scary but does not happen every day. Sometimes if I turn the car off immediately, wait, and then turn it on again it doesnt happen....very weird....thanks for any help

I too just last night had the same thing happen. I went to eat and everything was fine then I left to go to volleyball and everytime it shifted from first to second it clunked and learched a bit. After v-b it was fine, I researched some old threads and they mentioned a fuse and a mode regulator. I really don't want to take it to a tranny shop just yet and I have no Isuzu in my area.
HELP!!!

[blacksambo]

There are three grease fittings on the drive shaft, not just the two at the U-Joints. Make sure all three are well filled. By doing this both my '99's stopped all clunking. Also, it wouldn't hurt to service all the driveline housings with state-of-the-art synthetic lubbricants, after a thorough flush of all and filter change at the tranny. This dramatically quieted-dowm my drive line.

[maxw]

I took my VX to the mechanic for the exact issue.
He checked it out, but finally found an official Isuzu response that the shaft is shorter than in other vehicles and that this produces the "clunk". It is to be "expected" in all VX's.
I guess size does matter?
Nevertheless, it seems less pronounced when not in Power mode.
Max.

[BigDave]

Hi
I have a '98 JDM Firefox in New Zealand and mine clunks too. Especially uphill while turning during a change down. I don't like it doing that but with a little driving care I can avoid it most of the time.

Happy truck'n.....

PS The skiing is great down here right now, come on down !!!!

[Offroad vx]

The problem isn't that it clunks when shifting into drive it clunks when getting the RPM's up and shifting into 2nd and worse into 3rd. It did it all the way to one location but hasn't done it since. But it's only been one day since it happened.

[Ltnng2]

so it doesnt have anything to do with winter mode....I feel like there is some confusion in the car, its in drive but thinks its in winter mode...what causes that?

[SPAZZ]

check to see if you don't have too much tranny fluid in your tranny. I recently had a clunking noise when I got mine back from a shop. I didn't ask them too but they had added tranny fluid. WAY TOO MUCH!!!

When I got so annoyed with the clunk and decided to find the source and checked the tranny I was so upset to find the source was the transmission, as the VX was at the shop for an insurance claim not for service.

I started the VX up and opened the fill plug and so much Tranny fluid came out it was about two quarts too much. after that the cluck went away.

Anyother time I had a clunk anywhere it was the driveshaft and ujoints that were in needing of a greesing.

[nfpgasmask]

Hey SPAZZ, when you checked the fluid, did you let it run out until it stopped running out? I just changed my fluid about 48 hours ago, and today I had some clunking. I am going under tomorrow morning to check the fluid level again. Hopefully I did not add to much. Problem is, that little page I have read about "Checking Transmission Fluid Level and Condition" does not really tell you if you should let the fluid run out of the fill plug until it STOPS running out, or if you should just wait until it comes out then cap off right away.

Bart

check to see if you don't have too much tranny fluid in your tranny. I recently had a clunking noise when I got mine back from a shop. I didn't ask them too but they had added tranny fluid. WAY TOO MUCH!!!

When I got so annoyed with the clunk and decided to find the source and checked the tranny I was so upset to find the source was the transmission, as the VX was at the shop for an insurance claim not for service.

I started the VX up and opened the fill plug and so much Tranny fluid came out it was about two quarts too much. after that the cluck went away.

Anyother time I had a clunk anywhere it was the driveshaft and ujoints that were in needing of a greesing.

[SPAZZ]

I let it run out till it didn't run out really bad. I didn't wait for it to stop dripping out, but when I uncapped it it gushed out pretty bad.

Mind you, that you shouldn't drive it first as it will build up pressure and do the same thing. I hadn't driven mine in a long time, like days. Then started it up, got under neath, opened the fill plug, and it had so much pressure at least two quarts gushed out before slowing to a slow drizzle. Then I capped it off and let it settle for a few hours. I started it up again, had my wife shift through all the gears then into park and tried to pump some fluid in it. It wouldn't take a drop more. That shop had pumped so much fluid into it it was about to burst.

[nfpgasmask]

Thanks SPAZZ, I'm on it.

Bart

I let it run out till it didn't run out really bad. I didn't wait for it to stop dripping out, but when I uncapped it it gushed out pretty bad.

Mind you, that you shouldn't drive it first as it will build up pressure and do the same thing. I hadn't driven mine in a long time, like days. Then started it up, got under neath, opened the fill plug, and it had so much pressure at least two quarts gushed out before slowing to a slow drizzle. Then I capped it off and let it settle for a few hours. I started it up again, had my wife shift through all the gears then into park and tried to pump some fluid in it. It wouldn't take a drop more. That shop had pumped so much fluid into it it was about to burst.

[VehiGAZ]

Offroad - the problem you are describing sounds like a somewhat common one, and I have had it myself.

For me, my 1-2 and 2-3 gear shifts were almost violently hard one day on my way to work one morning. After shutting it off and restarting, this behavior went away and hasn't happened since.

Several other board members said the same thing happened to them - this was in a thread started within the last 3-4 months. If you search "hard shift" you may mind it.

I only bring this up because what these other guys are posting about in this thread (too much ATF) sounds to me like a different problem.

Good luck!