2004 TB lt transmission slipping

Zoltan

Original poster
Member
Dec 2, 2015
3
Florida
OK, New to the site, searching for advice. I'm not a mechanical guru, I can do lots of stuff, but I'm betting this issue is out of my league.
Lets start with the basics - 2004 Trailblazer LT, 231500 miles. I've been doing most of the usual preventative stuff myself. The last tranny work was at about 212000 miles - dropped the pan, replaced the filter and gasket, drained out as much fluid as I could and replaced with Dexron IV - it was about 6 quarts. Fluid looked good (not new, but red and clear) and smelled good after a 30 mile test run. Lately, its been slow shifting when in drive at highway speeds. This morning, it lost all push - hi revs, speed dropped off. upper gears slipping. Tried it in 3, no better. Shifted to 2 and it bit and I can move down the road - at higher RPM and slower speeds suitable for 2. Checked the fluid - it definitely needs to be changed dark, burned smell, not red.
Here is my question - to the experts out there, does this sound like a fluid issue or is this probably going to go deeper? If deeper, can you give me a ballpark estimate on how much it will impact my wallet? Should I do this at a dealership, or is a place like AAMCO ok?
 

HARDTRAILZ

Moderator
Nov 18, 2011
49,665
Sadly I think it is not just fluid.

I would never go to a dealer unless you want to overpay. Better to find a local shop...not necessarily a chain...that will rebuild it for 1000-1500. Not a AAMCO fan myself and prefer to find the local guy that does transmissions all the time.

You might be best either trying a used trans or if you plan to keep the truck and it is in good shape, you could grab a rebuild or new one for about two grand. It is not that difficult of swap.
 

Sparky

Member
Dec 4, 2011
12,927
If the fluid is that cooked after less than 20k miles then I would agree it is something bad going on inside. Could try fresh fluid (you never know) but I doubt it would fix it.

Time frame depends on how quick the shop can get to it.
 
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fletch09

Member
Nov 20, 2011
1,982
i agree w/Hardtrailz. find an independent shop.
just had to have mine rebuilt @ 77,xxx.
Dealer would not even give me a price to rebuild until i paid $300.00 for them to tear it apart and see what was bad. which makes me think they would just replace the bad parts. not a complete rebuild.
my problem ended up being the planetary gear.
i got on the internet and found a trans. shop in my small town, that had all good reviews. and that was all he did was transmissions and transfer cases.
$2000.00 plus tax. that included a complete rebuild w/ all new parts, new torque converter, fluid recirculate (to clean all metal out) and flush, filter and gaskets.
he also had the best warranty of the places i called. 2yr, 24K.
definitely ask about warranties.
time wise it should have taken 2 days, but the torque converter for the 09 TB was hard to find. they changed the mounting configuration on it. :twocents:
 
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Zoltan

Original poster
Member
Dec 2, 2015
3
Florida
I just searched. Found a local guy that sounds like he won't gundeck me. Said he needs to diagnose first (free). He reads the special tranny codes, if no codes, its not electrical, but mechanical. then he drops the pan and looks around. depending on the pieces they find in the pan, that helps pinpoint the problem. Could be as low as a grand, as much as 2.5 grand. 3yr/36k warranty. Hell, he;ll even tow me for free if I use him. I'm leaning heavily towards this guy, and the internet reviews (for all the weight they hold) are 99% positive.
 

HARDTRAILZ

Moderator
Nov 18, 2011
49,665
If you talked to him and have a good feeling in your gut...it sounds like a solid option
 
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Blckshdw

Moderator
Nov 20, 2011
10,665
Tampa Bay Area, FL
:tiphat: Always good to see more bay area members join up. If you decide to go with Decembersend's tranny, I'll help you get down there to pick it up and bring it back. :thumbsup:
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,262
Ottawa, ON
Where else on the internet would you find help like that???
 
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