According to technical service bulletin PI4075, it’s quite common for the transmission to overheat in the 2009 – 2012 Chevrolet Traverse equipped with the 6T70 transmission or the 6T75 transmission.
What Transmission Do I Have?
Due to a number of consumer complaints about the Chevy Traverse transmission overtemperature condition, GM issued this technical service bulletin. The aim was to help GM technicians determine the cause of the overheating transmission. It would start with a message in the drivers information center (DIC, if so equipped) which read “transmission hot – idle engine “. Diagnostic trouble codes/DTC’s P0218 and/or P0634 usually accompanied this problem.
The TSB told technicians to ask the customers some basic questions to start. For example, how fast were they going? What kind of roads were they driving on? Were they using cruise control? Were they towing a trailer? How far did they drive? Certain driving conditions can actually cause the transmission to overheat. However if that is deemed not to be the case here, then further steps have to be taken.
If a test drive was in order, then a scan tool was hooked up to monitor various vehicle systems and sensors such as the transmission fluid temperature sensor/TFT, the engine coolant temperature/ECT and the transmission control module/TCM. Using this data can help technicians to figure out if the problem was engine or transmission related.
These are some of the more common reasons that the 6T70/6T75 transmission might overheat:
1. Too much transmission fluid
Having too much transmission fluid can actually cause the transmission to overheat because the excess fluid will foam and prevent the ATF from lubricating or cooling the moving parts. Plus, the extra transmission fluid will increase the internal pressure, which will not only cause the transmission to overheat, it can damage the seals and other components as well.
2. Dirty or old transmission fluid
As transmission fluid breaks down, it’s no longer able to cool or lubricate the moving parts as it was designed to. Therefore, if the transmission fluid is not clean and bright, it can actually contribute to transmission overheating.
3. Restrictions in the transmission cooler circuit
The transmission cooler is obviously very important to keeping the ATF at a normal operating temperature. So any kinks in the lines, or restrictions can cause the transmission cooler not to function properly, which will result in an overheated transmission.
4. Mechanical problems
It’s advisable to check for proper shifting functionality, and look for any DTC’s that may indicate mechanical failures for the transmission. Any of these can overheat the transmission.
What Transmission Do I Have?
While the Chevy Traverse is definitely a popular family vehicle, its reliability was hurt by its transmission. That’s why you should consider fixing all of your transmission problems at the same time with a remanufactured 6T70 transmission or remanufactured 6T75 transmission from Street Smart Transmission. These are completely reengineered to correct all of the factory design flaws, and are backed by a 3-year/unlimited mile nationwide warranty. If you would like to learn more, click here.
