I think my tranny is starting to have problems. 66,000 on the car now. Here is the problem. When i am driving and i hit about 45mph the car starts to shudder like it'* in too low of a gear. The tac reads about 1200, however it won't kick out. When i tap the brake pedal lightly, which i'm assuming disengages the torque converter, the RPM'* jump up and the shuddering stops. Feels like a problem i had with my old Dodge Intrepid that was solved by changing the fluid, however, i had the fluid changed at 50,000 on the ssei and it has been ok up until now. Is this a torque converter problem in which the tranny needs to be repaired? any input would be appreciated.

Did you notice if you were in boost or not?
I had something simillar this spring when I had a bad plug wire, when ever it would pull the car would shudder.
The tranny is hard to diagnose over the internet, could be the torque convertor or a bad assembly? You need a scan tool to check for slippage.

I'd try replacing your wires first.

That is true, when the brake pedal is depressed (or tapped in your case), the PCM releases the TCC. Is the tach. pulsating in synch. with the shudder? If you find no problems with ignition/wires, then fault could very well be in the transmission/TCC.

i have MSD wires on the car now. The tac is not pulsiating with the shudder. I will check and make sure they are all tight thought and post back. I replaced the wires and plugs about 5,000 miles ago and no problems until now.

I am currently having the same symptoms in my '01 SSEi with alittle under 30,000 miles on the ODO. I've got an extended warranty so when I get some time, I'll take it into the dealership to have it checked out.

Anyway, on to the symptoms. When going up a hill at around 45-50mph, the car will start to shudder when light pedal pressure is applied. It does it pretty consistently both hot and cold, being alittle more noticeable when cold. This morning I tried the brake tap thing and it unlocked the Torque Converter and smoothed right out.

On my wife'* company car ('02 Alero - what a POS), pretty much whenever you push down on the pedal, the TC will unlock for a few seconds then lock back up if it wasn't really necessary... It is nice and smooth all the time... Could there be something wrong either electrical or mechanical that is causing this?

Other than that, the car is GREAT! No performance issues so I doubt that it would be plugs or wires...

what jrs3800 described is exactly the same as what is going on with my bonnie. Oh well i guess a trip to the repair shop becuase i don't have a scan tool.

Earlier this year, my 2000 SSEi with 56K started doing pretty-much the same thing. Unfortunately, as it turned out the torque converter was shot, which meant a new tansmission.

Several people with newer SSEi'* and the 4T65 transmission have had major problems around 50-60K miles. I hope you don't join our "club".

Jim

How many of you with problems changed your tranny fluid at 30-35k?

Well, I'm not even to 30k yet and I'm having the same symptoms. I'm not going to change the fluid if I can get a free transmission out of it. Especially if this is only going to cover up the problem and prolong the life of the transmission only to have it fail sometime after my warranty is up... I'll just make an appointment with the dealership and get it diagnosed.

BTW, isn't the recommended transmission service interval like 100k?