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I did this job a few months back on my GM 3.4. It was shifting very hard at times. Afterwards, the transmission shifted like new. The video AceofSpades shared is helpful and informative. You will need to remove the 2 dog bone mounts at the front of the engine. Additionally, the air breather assembly will need to be removed to drop the engine down on the left side. If you’re going to tackle this labor intensive job, you might as we’ll replace the epc solenoid, lock up solenoid as well as the others while in the tranny. You can find a kit that sells all of them together for less than a hundred bucks on Ebay. Make certain they are AC Delco original. Best of luck. Let us know how it turns out.
I did this job a few months back on my GM 3.4. It was shifting very hard at times. Afterwards, the transmission shifted like new. The video AceofSpades shared is helpful and informative. You will need to remove the 2 dog bone mounts at the front of the engine. Additionally, the air breather assembly will need to be removed to drop the engine down on the left side. If you’re going to tackle this labor intensive job, you might as we’ll replace the epc solenoid, lock up solenoid as well as the others while in the tranny. You can find a kit that sells all of them together for less than a hundred bucks on Ebay. Make certain they are AC Delco original. Best of luck. Let us know how it turns out.
I know you’re getting some good advice from people on the forum. It sounds like possibly an unmetered air issue. Check out the video in this link and parts 2 and 3 that follow. I thought this was interesting. Definitely something to look into..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRwFYCSaTe4&list=UUBFI1mrpMg8EETeRZv0YTNA
Sometimes an unmetered air problem will disappear with higher rpms. Best of luck with this. Let us know what you find.I know you’re getting some good advice from people on the forum. It sounds like possibly an unmetered air issue. Check out the video in this link and parts 2 and 3 that follow. I thought this was interesting. Definitely something to look into..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRwFYCSaTe4&list=UUBFI1mrpMg8EETeRZv0YTNA
Sometimes an unmetered air problem will disappear with higher rpms. Best of luck with this. Let us know what you find.Before going any further with the transmission, I would suggest you check your engine mounts. If they are badly worn, it will be noticeable at a full stop and even in park with the engine running. Keep us posted.
Before going any further with the transmission, I would suggest you check your engine mounts. If they are badly worn, it will be noticeable at a full stop and even in park with the engine running. Keep us posted.
Maybe my post is more pertinent to weekend warriors and DIYers as opposed to some of you career mechanics. One has to be extremely careful when renting tools or obtaining them through a loaner program from an Auto Parts store. Recenty, my son drove in with his 2.4 Cavalier running extremely bad. We had replaced all ignition components within the past 10k miles or so. We decided to start with a quick health check on the engine since it has high mileage by doing a compression test. The gauge was obtained from Autozone. A couple of the cylinders showed no compression and a couple others very low compression. We almost condemned the engine! I decided to pull a plug on another vehicle nearby that is in good health. The rental compression gauge was bad. We purchased a new one and it showed the 2.4 engine was fine. So use rental/ loaner tools at your own risk.
Eric this was a great video. Thanks also for being honest about Harbor Freight tools. As a non professional it isn’t always financially prudent to invest in expensive tools. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have a tool box full of Snap-On tools. But I don’t use those tools every day like a career mechanic.
One additional Harbor Freight tool thought….I would definitely steer clear of their torque wrenches. I’ve had them fail after only a couple uses and cause me to over-torque things.
Thanks Eric
Maybe my post is more pertinent to weekend warriors and DIYers as opposed to some of you career mechanics. One has to be extremely careful when renting tools or obtaining them through a loaner program from an Auto Parts store. Recenty, my son drove in with his 2.4 Cavalier running extremely bad. We had replaced all ignition components within the past 10k miles or so. We decided to start with a quick health check on the engine since it has high mileage by doing a compression test. The gauge was obtained from Autozone. A couple of the cylinders showed no compression and a couple others very low compression. We almost condemned the engine! I decided to pull a plug on another vehicle nearby that is in good health. The rental compression gauge was bad. We purchased a new one and it showed the 2.4 engine was fine. So use rental/ loaner tools at your own risk.
Eric this was a great video. Thanks also for being honest about Harbor Freight tools. As a non professional it isn’t always financially prudent to invest in expensive tools. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have a tool box full of Snap-On tools. But I don’t use those tools every day like a career mechanic.
One additional Harbor Freight tool thought….I would definitely steer clear of their torque wrenches. I’ve had them fail after only a couple uses and cause me to over-torque things.
Thanks Eric
We’ve all done it Durango… Thanks to Eric and experienced folks sharing knowledge on forums like this, we DIYers can learn and keep money in the pocket. You probably would have spent more money by driving through the door of the dealership. Great find and good job man.
We’ve all done it Durango… Thanks to Eric and experienced folks sharing knowledge on forums like this, we DIYers can learn and keep money in the pocket. You probably would have spent more money by driving through the door of the dealership. Great find and good job man.
Expr1, I hope my reply won’t be overly simplistic to you. One of my vehicles has a GM 3800 engine. One of the common occurrences with a high mileage 3800 is carbon build up in the EGR valve and passages. Sometimes it will get stuck open even intermittently. Mine actually had a small piece of carbon break off, thus preventing it from closing all the way. This will usually quickly generate a DTC such as “PO 401, 402, 403.” Here is my simple suggestion; Take the EGR valve off the car and visually inspect the EGR plunger (on the side that contacts vehicle when bolted on). With a small screwdriver/ tool, make sure the plunger is moving freely in and out. Also, check for the presence of carbon particles. With some brake cleaner, cue tips and a bit of patience, you can clean the EGR plunger (don’t know technical name) until it moves in and out freely. The idea is is to clean it thoroughly enough until it moves in and out with no resistance whatsoever. Generally this will clear up the problem if related to the valve. They do fail, but it’s less common on the GM 3800. Fortunately, it’s easy to access. I’ve done all of the above in less that half an hour. Best of luch and keep us posted.
Expr1, I hope my reply won’t be overly simplistic to you. One of my vehicles has a GM 3800 engine. One of the common occurrences with a high mileage 3800 is carbon build up in the EGR valve and passages. Sometimes it will get stuck open even intermittently. Mine actually had a small piece of carbon break off, thus preventing it from closing all the way. This will usually quickly generate a DTC such as “PO 401, 402, 403.” Here is my simple suggestion; Take the EGR valve off the car and visually inspect the EGR plunger (on the side that contacts vehicle when bolted on). With a small screwdriver/ tool, make sure the plunger is moving freely in and out. Also, check for the presence of carbon particles. With some brake cleaner, cue tips and a bit of patience, you can clean the EGR plunger (don’t know technical name) until it moves in and out freely. The idea is is to clean it thoroughly enough until it moves in and out with no resistance whatsoever. Generally this will clear up the problem if related to the valve. They do fail, but it’s less common on the GM 3800. Fortunately, it’s easy to access. I’ve done all of the above in less that half an hour. Best of luch and keep us posted.
Eric also,shows a really cool “shortcut” so that you don’t have to use a specialty tool on his vmanual for the 1990-2002 Honda F series timing belt replacement video. Since he sells this particular video, it’s not my place to give his secret away. For me, this tip alone was worth the price of the video while addressing that stubborn bolt… Good luck
Eric also,shows a really cool “shortcut” so that you don’t have to use a specialty tool on his vmanual for the 1990-2002 Honda F series timing belt replacement video. Since he sells this particular video, it’s not my place to give his secret away. For me, this tip alone was worth the price of the video while addressing that stubborn bolt… Good luck