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My 2013 Impala has only 25000 miles on it and generally looks new. After the engine is warm, there is a “buzz” on gentle upshifts. Sometimes on downshifts it feels like a hesitation and a “clunk” that sounds like it is mildly sticking before the downshift. My car is a rebuilt salvage car, so warranty is void. I am considering an additive, but wonder if I am doing the right thing. Incidentally, there was no damage to the front drivetrain in the accident (at 19000 miles). No leaks and the fluid smells new.
Need a replacement transmission? Quality transmissions are hard to find. Free estimate to your email.It’s somewhat possible an additive can help, but I doubt it. They usually only work “occasionally” for slipping or failure to go into lockup. Clunking – not so much. It sounds more like a solenoid problem not engaging electronically correctly. If so, it’s a less expensive fix. Regardless it really needs to be correctly diagnosed by a real transmission shop before the problem causes damages to internal parts.
That your Impala is a “salvage” isn’t germane to the question. The important thing is that what your Impala is doing. Let me see if I have this right: the tranny is buzzing a bit on gentle starts and later on it feels as if there a clunking and mild sticking before full engagement.
That said, it definitely sounds to yours truly that one of the two shift solenoids may be sticking somewhat. Normally, the shift solenoid or combination will just work smoothly and you won’t notice anything. When a solenoid gets sticky, it acts much like you describe so I would suggest you start there.
Bring your car into a good shop and ask the tech to do two things, one, give your vehicle a test drive and two, ask him to run a diagnostic check with and OBD-II scanner to see if the engine control module has caught any codes that could determine whether there is a serious problem.
That said, I would suggest having all of the solenoids swapped out. It is a job that, with labor, should top out at $600 for parts and labor. More likely the cost will be $450 to $500.
One area to have checked, just to make sure there are no further problems lurking in the wings, is the clutch/band combination. If the clutches are beginning to slip then your Impala’s operation may match those symptoms as well.
Please let me know what happens as I am interested in hearing.
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