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I recently began having problems with my automatic 2002 Cadillac Escalade. The issue I am having is described below;
When attempting to reach a speed above 15 MPH, the RPMS will raise and the car will not shift automatically. It feels as though I am in neutral, however, if I remove my foot from the accelerator after the RPMs have raised, it will shift. The check engine light is also present. I am not having trouble with the gears shifting too easily when engaging them, nor am I hearing any noises coming from the engine.
We took our vehicle to Midas and they pulled the codes. The code read that the 1 and 2 Solenoids had failed, so we replaced them. In addition to replacing them, we replaced the transmission filter and gasket. After replacing them, I am experiencing the same issue, only now the code is reading a failure in the 2 3 Solenoid.
I should not that the Escalade was not driven for roughly a year prior to my husband and I purchasing it. When the filter was replaced, there were no signs of metal shavings on the inside. There was, however some dead leaves. The mechanic informed me that he did not believe replacing the 2 3 Solenoid would repair the problem. He felt as though the Valve Body needed to be replaced, but I myself, am unsure to whether or not he is correct.
Would it be wise to invest in replacing all of the Solenoids to try and rectify the problem that I am having? The transmission fluid was filthy when they replaced it, and I know that this can cause some blockages. Should I also consider having the fluid flushed? I do not believe they performed a flush when they replaced the filter.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Need a replacement transmission? Quality transmissions are hard to find. Free estimate to your email.First and foremost drop the idea of a flush. When most tech shops perform a flush they do a high-pressure flush by putting a compressor line on the filler neck and then letting things rip. It is true that this will blast anything within the transmission cover out and into the pan. However, it is equally true that it may dislodge major deposits that have built up on, say, turbine blades or various surfaces. As the little chunks move around, they can damage some of the more delicate parts like check valves and such. Further, the chunks can become lodged in tiny galleries, causing heat problems or in the valve body valves themselves, causing shifting problems.
I can see where it might seem like the problem is in the solenoids alone. In fact, I can also agree that the diagnostic scanner would return the results that it returned. Further, if your tech has repaired Solenoids 1 and 2, the next obvious result codes you would receive, of course, would show that 3 and 4 have to be repaired.
However, I also think your technician is onto something with the valve body. You said that the Caddy hadn’t been driven in a year and that when you changed the transmission fluid it was black. Of course, that would be the case. However, that blackness also indicates a lot of dirt and possible buildups may be inside the transmission and when you keyed it on the first time, it is likely they spread throughout the transmission, resulting in problems that might not show up in error codes.
If the valve body has problems because one or more valves in a train of devices for a specific gear is stuck, it can force your transmission to mimic poor torque converter operation, which can also be indicated by the way your transmission is operating. Indeed, with the solenoid error codes, the valve body problem seems to make more and more sense.
With that said, I would have the valve body dismounted and thoroughly cleaned. I would also have the check valves either reset or replaced. I think that should fix your Caddy right up and you’ll be on your way. Let me know the results of this as I have some other thoughts, however, I don’t want to make things overly ambitious and costly for you. Like as not this will fix your Caddy right up.
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Fair Remanufactured Transmission Price Ranges by Transmission Model Updated May 1, 2018
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