What makes a transmission shutter

One learns by education, doing, and by making mistakes. But in the last five years I learned that the Internet can answer most questions in life, if you know how to ask the right questions, including how to fix almost anything. I also learned that it is very dangerous to just watch one video of some guy who happens to be able to put on a good show.

One has to wade through perhaps 20 videos and websites on the same exact issue to learn that almost every video gives you another pearl of wisdom, but also a potentially costly bad piece of info or an important missed step. Any guy with a camera can make a video and they rarely follow a script. If you do, he was probably fired from someplace. So you have to be skeptical and use your intelligence, diligence and instinct to decide which parts of each one to adopt and follow.

Taking notes as you watch can be very important. Same is true for websites. There are a lot of guys popping off about stuff that turns out to be wrong. If they seem to be a bit full of themselves be cautious and then research more for confirmation from others. Of course, that goes for me too. The above was said in expectation of doing the work myself. But I also recommend doing some research to better prepare one for selecting a mechanic or shop to do it for you. An excellent example would be changing your own ATF.

As you know so well there are several ways to do this. In my Crown Vic there are about six qts in the transmission pan, about four in the TC and a couple in the cooler for a total of Yes, they are all interconnected by hoses and galleys.

But draining one does not drain the other two. All three should be drained as well as the transmission filter changed. To know you have done it right, you must know how many total qts are in your vehicle and be sure that all of it gets removed and that all of it gets replaced. A less than honest shop could simply siphon qts.

Until the transmission pan is removed completely the health of the transmission cannot be properly assessed and the transmission oil filter cannot be changed.

Otherwise you could just be throwing money away and worse, do additional damage to your transmission. If you are having the work done for you ask up front for a report on what is found in the transmission pan.

Try to be there to eyeball it if you possibly can. Some codes can point to specific transmission problem or problems. And there probably are other potential issues I have missed. Simply changing the ATF fluid before making sure all other systems are working properly could lead you to replacing a transmission for thousands of bucks only to learn later that you had a much less expensive problem in the first place.

So first, I resolved that I had none of the above problems in my Crown Vic, and I had already just replaced the plugs but the shudder was still there occasionally. So I concluded it was time to try a change of ATF on the chance that was my problem.

After all, my ATF was 17 years old. Some videos suggest putting in an additive as well but from what I have read that is not a good idea unless your transmission is close to not worth fixing.

Also, you are resourceful enough to have access to:. And wear some tight fitting goggles. ATF fluid is not good for the eyes. Bad economy. Doctors and funerals are expensive. The next question is, are you really up to this? Are you really? Go watch 20 videos to learn how to drop the pan without sloshing ATF all over your garage floor or driveway. Pay attention to the sequence of removal of the pan bolts, the amount of torque needed to remove the pan bolts and do your best to replace them with the same degree of torque.

Do you know how to crank your engine around manually to line up the drain plug on the torque converter? Finally, do you know how to appraise what you will find in the transmission pan when you remove it?

In the pan there is a circular magnet. On this magnet you should find a very fine gray powder. Feel it gently between two fingers. This powder is extremely fine pieces of ferrous metal from years of normal wear. However, if the fluid was clearly dark and discolored then replacing the filter is a good idea because it's obviously not able to keep your transmission fluid clean.

This is a good idea if you have a high mileage vehicle and you haven't replaced the filter in a while anyway. Since you're down there, you might as well do it.

Step 5: With the new gasket in place and a new filter installed, reattach your transmission pan and then remove the jack stands and lower your car. Step 6 : Pop the hood of your car and remove the transmission dipstick. You are going to want to put a small funnel into the dipstick tube and replace the fluid that you drained out when you removed the pan.

You may have to just eyeball this one and take a guess based on how much you took out, or you can be a little more accurate and put the fluid you drained into a measuring cup of some kind so you can see just how much you need to replace. Once you know what you need, add the new fluid. Step 7 : Once the dipstick is back in place, you can start your car and get it up to operating temperature.

Once the engine is warm enough, you will need to check the transmission fluid dipstick again to check out the fluid levels. At this point the issue with the transmission shudder should have been cleared up completely since you have new fluid in your transmission lines which will allow improved pressure contact between the plates when you're shifting. Remember that it is possible this will not fix the shudder that you're experiencing if the problem itself is not related to contaminated fluid but something mechanical that's occurring in your transmission.

That's always a possibility, but generally the first step is to use this solution to fix the problem because it may be just as simple as a fluid issue. If this doesn't resolve the problem, then you may need to head to a mechanic to get it better diagnosed.

The goal here is to avoid having to have major transmission repairs done that are going to cost you a lot of money, but that doesn't mean that your issue isn't more severe than it may seem at first. If a simple fix doesn't work, then you need to move on to more complicated things. That said, there's also a chance that an even more simple solution could work in the first place.

Let's take a look. There's also an additional fix that you may be interested in trying that's even less work to get done then the steps we just provided. Companies like Lubegard make a product called Shudder Fixx which is designed to be added to your transmission fluid in order to prevent the shudder problem. The process of using Shudder Fixx is remarkably simple, and instead of having to drain anything you just pour a small tube of this product into your transmission fluid and the problem is solved.

That's how the product is supposed to work and if you go to Amazon. It's worth noting that there are several drivers who have reviewed the product said it did not work for them at all, or others who have noted that it fixed the problem for a month or two but then it returned shortly thereafter.

Realistically, the success of using Shudder Fixx will depend to a great degree on exactly why the shudder was happening in your car in the first place. If it wasn't a simple matter of some contaminants in your transmission fluid and there's actually a greater mechanical issue behind it, then Shudder Fixx is likely not to work for you. To gain a better understanding of what a shuddering transmission is and how to fix it, continue reading.

In most cases, transmission shudders occur when shifting your vehicle into overdrive or when you drive up an inclined surface while your vehicle is already in overdrive. When your vehicle starts to shake convulsively, it may seem like your transmission is significantly damaged and about to shut down completely. However, the primary cause of a shuddering transmission is simply contaminated transmission fluid. When the fluid in a transmission becomes dirty and contaminated, the particles in the fluid prevent it from building up enough pressure in the transmission lines.

In turn, this will prevent proper pressure contact between transmission plates when they are applied. As a result, the transmission will begin to shudder. For the same reason, transmission shudders may also occur when there is not an ample amount of transmission fluid.