I still haven't had a chance to have it checked, it'* hard to find a knowledgeable garage in my rural community. One thing I did do, was put the old wheel hubs back in. I had replaced them with new ones from Rock Auto and thought perhaps the wheel speed sensors were sending an erratic signal which may have confused the PCM. Anyway, put the old ones back in, no difference. Mad Coachman, it does feel like, to me anyway, that the accumulator is slow. I remember the old B&M shift kits back in the 70s and 80s came with a stiffer spring for harder shifts. When my trans engages, it engages hard. there are actually two engagements that can be felt, one soft shift followed by a hard engagement as if something just suddenly slammed together. This would correlate with your explanation of the trans dialing up the pressure to the max which finally forces engagement.

I hope I can find a shop that can read pressures inside the trans. If I decide to go with the kit, how difficult is it to install? I am concerned about removing the side cover as the videos I have seen say you to have remove or lower part of the engine/trans carriage to gain access. I have already replaced the filter which is inside the bottom pan but the valve body, solenoids, accumulator, etc are all in the side pan, aren't they?

I talked to the transmission shop today and they are booked until April 20. Also did some research and watched some diagnosis videos on the net tonight. I found this interesting article that says "Too soft of a spring on an applying acc.(umulator) can create a slide bump shift because the accumulator piston will bottom in the bore too fast and the oil pressure can spike at the end and create the slippy apply with whack at the end." This is exactly what I am feeling. I also found some exploded view diagrams and the 1-2 and 2-3 accumulators are accessed from the bottom which is easy to get to, located above the filter which I already changed. So, my debate now is whether to order a kit or wait until it is properly diagnosed. My only concern is if the bores inside the accumulator housing are worn, then stiffer springs, new o-rings, etc won't help and I haven't been able to find a supplier that sells the complete unit. I did find a couple used ones on eBay but who knows what condition they are in?

While I am thinking about it, another tip I saw was to check all the electrical connections at the PCM (which I have done) and at the transmission. I highly doubt this is the problem but I am going to check them anyway, just for certainty.

You asked about what shift kit for 4T60-E in this post. https://www.gmforum.com/performance-...6/#post1640195
This is the manufactured 2 part kit available.https://transgo.com/products/4t60e/

It could be something partially plugging a hydraulic circuit somewhere before both of those accumulators. If this is the case, whatever it is probably isn't in both accumulators and causing precisely the exact same problem for both.

Yes, the solenoids and valve body are in the side pan. You'll have to drop the transmission out to get that pan off.

I would consider adding a half of a small can (8 oz) of seafoam trans-tune.https://seafoamworks.com/product/tra...uid-treatment/
Varnish can build up & this will help clean the valve body & bores greatly.
I've also noticed that being slightly above full on the trans dipstick helps with line pressures/better shifts.
I've dropped the accumulator and polished the bores in a circular motion with 1000 grit emery cloth, wet in Dexron 6 & then installed the pistons back in with the spacer & spring. So far so good.

Which tranny do you have? On the 4T65E the accumulator is right there next to the filter. 4 small bolts hold it on. If you can change the filter you can remove the accumulator and put in the stiffer springs and spacers. You might want to give it a try before you waste big money on a tranny rebuild. How much is a 2006 Malibu Maxx worth anyway? It'* not a 1970 Malibu SS that will increase in value. For under 100 buck you could fix it yourself. Don't over-think this.

Yes, it is right above the filter which makes the job much easier. I found accumulator springs at Summit racing so I ordered some. The OEM purple spring for the 1-2 or 2-3 was $8.99 for a pkg of 5, and they also had a stiffer performance spring for the 1-2 for $8.99 also. With $10.00 shipping the entire order only came to $30.45. Worth a gamble. There is also a nice posting with photos on this forum that I looked at last night. I am going to use the performance spring in the 1-2 and see how it feels. If it'* too harsh, I can always put the OEM purple spring in since I am getting 5 of them! I will also check the bores and passages for blockage, or damage.

I buy cars,(including this one) fix and re-sell them to make extra cash to fund my old car habit, so I am trying the least expensive, easiest way out. This also means I know nothing about the history of this car but I have a pretty good hunch new springs will solve the problem, seems to be a fairly common issue with this trans. According to what I have read, the OEM springs get weak with age, even the OEM purple springs from Summit are advertised to be more durable than factory.

I have used this forum before, and found it to be a great help, and probably saved me a bunch of money too.

Thanks for the info on the TransGo kit, but I don't see accumulator springs in the picture?

They're definitely in the kit along with spacers. Thanks for the info about springs at Summit. If I ever have to go back in there I would go for a stronger spring for the 1-2 shift but for now everything is fine.

Could you post the link to those springs?

Got the accumulator springs from Summit today - I got five OEM and five of the performance, not bad for just $8.99 each. So if anyone needs a set, let me know.