Transmission jerky when cold...?

[wyldejackyl]

This is a new problem courtesy of our 2003 Vibe with about 83k on it (auto, unfortunately). The motor is a base 1zzfe. Starting saturday when it was about 15*F overnight, the car acts funny. I start it up, let it warm up for maybe a minute, and go into reverse. The ride is bumpy because the alley is all iced up, so I don't really feel much. I get out onto the street, and at the first stop sign, I go to slow down. Right as the car is about to stop, it jerks. Not violently, but definitely enough to feel it..like it's fighting the brakes or something. Once it's dead stopped, it goes away. Lifting my foot off the brake as I'm idling forward to accelerate, it'll do it again. Once you give it gas though, it goes away. I took it on the highway a few minutes after that for about 15 miles going about 85mph..and by the time I got off, the engine was more than warmed up. The symptoms totally disappear when it gets warm! I came out 2 hours later, the car was cold but I'm guessing not *that* cold, because when I drove home, it didn't do it at all. It did it again yesterday starting it up for the first time in the afternoon since it had been sitting all night/morning. Went away after about 5 minutes of city driving, until the temp needle started to creep up. Tranny fluid was changed along with the filter with new T-IV from the $tealer (I think I paid like $8/quart!) at about 40k miles, the serpentine belt was changed last month with a new tensioner (that whines a little when cold), I turned the rotors and put new brake pads on 2 weeks ago, but other than that has had no "real" maintenance lately. There are no other strange noises associated with this syndrome. No strange marks on the rotors to lead me to believe that the brakes are the culprit (plus they'd be cold much faster than the tranny would, I think). I haven't checked the fluid level, but it was fine when I checked it about 3 months ago, and the level hasn't moved since I changed it almost 2 years ago. That'll be the first thing I do, but I was wondering if this happens to anyone else, and if it's normal or not.

[CAN-AWD-VIBE]

double check that fluid- you need a service again anyway... 40k more since you did itstart there and see how it goes

[wyldejackyl]

What's the recommended interval anyway? I thought it was 60k? I'd service it now but it's WAY too cold out to be messing around with all those little bolts..I was hoping it would hold out til spring sometime. I'll check that level once I get home.

[CAN-AWD-VIBE]

i do all my cars between 50-75000 km's.100,000km (60k miles) seems like a long time for that fluid to be in there. You would be impressed what a simple flush and/or service can do. Harsh shifting and clunking can be caused be low or dirty fluids too.

[Lancer]

Is this the first time you drove it in the cold? If so, then it sounds like a normal cold automatic. Mine has done that since day one (only in the cold.)The car is idling higher so until it's warmed up it's gonna jerk into reverse and drive. And want to keep rolling when you touch the brakes.Also, I noticed in your sig. that you did the throttle body by-pass. Have you switched it back to normal for the winter? That will help warm the engine up a little faster.

[wyldejackyl]

I haven't switched the T-body back and didn't plan to, as no one I have seen has reported icing or other unfavorable conditions other than a longer warm up cycle. The jerkiness isn't caused by the brakes fighting the transmission..they stop regardless. It feels as if the transmission is fighting itself. Ever drive stick? It's like sitting in a car with a newbie trying to drive it..right when they take off from a stop. It's that sort of jerkiness, only toned down so you barely feel it. The idle is noticeably higher, but once i put it in gear, the idle goes down to about 1200 or whatever's normal..regardless of temperature. Fast idle only happens in P or N.

[KNINE]

Transmission jerky, yummy!

[wyldejackyl]

Not really that yummy. If it wasn't so damn cold outside I'd get to checking the level...maybe tonight if I don't forget! Is there a place online to buy pontiac/toyota parts so I can avoid going to the $tealer? I remember they wanted like $100+ for a transmission filter, and I was able to get one at Carquest or something for like $25. Plus who else sells that Type-4 fluid, and is there a synthetic option?

[Petrucci914]

The Vibe Auto shifts a little crappy all the time, more so in the cold. I don't know if it has the same thing as my old Toyota Paseo. My Paseo had a thing built in that would not let the overdrive engage until the transmission was properly warmed up. It was supposed to prevent wear on the transmission. This could be the case. I remote start my car while I get ready in the morning so it runs for about 5-10 minutes before I drive. First gear in my car has always sucked a bit but I'm thinking it is a motor mount or CV Joint issue. You may want to check the motor mounts..... going on the breaks would allow the motor to shift forward and if the motor mount is junk it'll affect the tranny.

[wyldejackyl]

How do you check the motor mounts..and if that's the case, why does the problem abate once the engine warms up?

[ragingfish]

Quote, originally posted by wyldejackyl »and if that's the case, why does the problem abate once the engine warms up?Not knowing what they're made of, I'd guess some sort of synthetic material such as hard silicon or rubber. As the engine heats up, and the mounts heat up, they probably become softer or more flexible and absorb more of the sound or vibration from the issue then when they're cold and rock hard.Just a shot in the dark though...

[ToolGuy]

Sadly, this sounds normal... Mine does not do this though. Just remember when driving in the cold to drive at a steady throttle pressure to warm the trans and avoid quick throttle take offs. You may already be doing this so do not take it as a belittle. Does it do the same if parked in a garage at the same temps? Does the engine temp seem fine? Does it seem to get to temp like normal or does it run colder as well?

[ToolGuy]

I just thought of this but sounds like you need to switch to a synthetic trans oil. Synthetics perform better in cold and can take hotter temps.If the issue goes away when the oil is warm and you said it does, that is why I recommend synthetic for your cold temp starts.

[Lancer]

I got synthetic trans. oil, it still acts the same when cold. It's still better using synthetic than dyno oil. I got it more for the heat performance.I have a Saturn Vue with the 'new shiftless' tranny. That thing takes forever to warm up! You can't even drive it if it's below -20F!

[lexicon]

So, was your fluid level low?I suspect your just doing one or two changes of fluid.BY that , I mean just draining the auto trans fluid two times (drive it after the first drain).You will have enough new fluid to make a change.So, what happened??