Tranny clicking noise , low fluid

[KEEBZ489]

okay , ever young and stupid and throw a car in park while moving ?? that horrible clicking noise ???

i did a fluid change and did the 1-2 , 3-4 and 3-2 solenoids over a year ago , no codes , just a fluid change and figured why not put new ones in ( ac delco ) i have 120k now i dont put much mileage on , but the truck was making a bad clicking noise and rumble / vibration while slowing to a stop at a red light, i checked the dipstick and only the tip had tranny fluid on it.

i put in a quart of high mileage atf , but its still happening. one , wtf did the fluid go? i have no leaks , and the coolant is fine , so its not leaking in the cooler.

and two , did a solenoid go bad ?

please help asap before work starts so i can get it done while at home

 

[Mooseman]

I can't speak on the shuddering you're experiencing but for a possible leak, there is a seal between the tranny and transfer case that could leak. It could allow fluid to leak into the TC and it will stay in there as long as there is no leak or bad overfill condition. This could all be bogus as I'm not even sure if there is a seal on the tranny output and/or a seal on the TC input. You could drain the TC and measure how much comes out and see what it looks like. Another possibility is that the fluid is just sweating out of the joints and seals but not enough to drip and just collect dirt and dust. There's also the cooler line joints at the tranny that are pretty hidden and may just be sweating like that.

Maybe, just maybe, the shuddering is the engine. I remember faintly that someone else had a similar issue and it was the engine causing it. Maybe give the throttle body a good cleaning and disconnect the battery for 30 minutes to clear it.

 

[Wooluf1952]

Could the shuddering be caused by bad motor mounts?

 

[Mooseman]

That's usually felt at idle or stopped and it's a steady vibration.

Are you sure it's the tranny doing this? When a wheel sensor is starting to go bad, it can make the ABS kick in at low speed while coming to a stop.

 

[mrrsm]

Suggestion: (Absent any obvious shifting or clutch pack slippage issues)

When Catalytic Converter Ceramic Honeycomb Inserts are either loose inside of "The Can" or get fractured... the broken pieces can vibrate against the container when the engine is at idle (especially with Worn Out Motor Mounts) and shift during deceleration, making clicking or rattling noises.

You can confirm or eliminate this problem by checking out the CAT when the engine is Ice Cold and tapping underneath the S/S CAT Body with a Dead Blow Hammer. If you can hear any re-bounding noise similar to dropping Pocket Change into a Pan... then the CAT may be the Culprit.

 

[KEEBZ489]

Not the cat for sure , it is definitely the feel of ABS kicking in , but the loud clacking like a steel baseball card in a bicycle tire noise seems to loud to be abs to me. I dropped the pan , swapped the 1-2,3-4, and 3-2 solenoids again and refilled with GM dextron 6 , some light driving and it seems okay , today it happened again. My veepeak obd isn’t working to check for abs codes , new one will be here during the week. Won’t the abs light come on when it’s kicking in ?

The transfer case was 100% blue , so no leak there. The leak could be minor at joints like you said

 

[Mooseman]

It wasn't until later years that it would throw a code for a defective wheel sensor making the ABS kick in at low speed. Others will continue and usually made people pull the ABS fuse until replaced.

Try disconnecting the fan clutch. 02-03 had an issue with the fan and tranny shifting, which was usually fixed with PCM updated programming.

 

[KEEBZ489]

Sorry for the long update @Mooseman , i finally got around to looking at it, got a new wireless scanner and pulled C0035 left front speed sensor & C0055 rear speed sensor , i swapped out both with ac delco and the noise is back and codes came up again. 1 bad new sensor i can say it can happen , any ideas on what to look at next ?

 

[Mooseman]

Likely a bad wheel hub for the one code. Bearings worn out that allow the tone ring inside to wobble.

For the rear sensor, is it possible that the front and rear sensor connectors on the transfer case were swapped? That could also explain shifting issues.

 

[KEEBZ489]

That sucks. The front left bearing is less that a year , 10,0000 miles new and also ac delving. I did have to replace the sensor about 2 weeks after the install. I figured a bad sensor or I damaged it when installing.

As for the rear it was never unplugged except to swap out.

 

[KEEBZ489]

possible abs module ? any testing i can do other the resitance on the front sensor with spinning the wheel by hand ?

 

[Mooseman]

I've had new hubs do it (cheap Chinese junk) so age may be irrelevant.

Found this video that is very thorough in diagnosing a bad sensor or wiring. However, it does require a way for you to be able to read live data from the ABS module.