Suburban Transmission Problems

This is the problem with electronic transmission & transfercases. The 2004 trucks had troubles with the transfer cases shifting into nuetral. I would have this shecked. I also believe that there is a recall on the transfercase.

Sounds strange. In regards to what Mr. Hyzy said, i would check the t-case to be sure it is not leaking fluid or has a loose wiring harness (if you have a 4x4). You could also check to see it the t-case is acting up by shifting it in and out of 4x4 next time it acts up. If by messsing with the 4x4, it goes back to normal, you might have a t-case actuator problem. (by the way, you should have the t-case fluid changed with the tranny fluid on these). You said that you had the fluid on the tranny flushed the other day, if it started acting up after that, i would go back to that shop and tell them what is going on. If not, just check the level, add if needed or if it's ok take it to a transmision shop because there may be something wrong.

HMMM, it happened the day you had the transmission oil changed. Did they use the wrong fluid, this could damage the clutches then the servos and valve body, things get sticky and does not get you into gear. check the bill see what fluid they used if they list it. Then again the clean fluid may dislodge dirt in the transmission and it stick in the valves.

If you have never changed the trans fluid and then change it at 122k its a comon problem for the trans to go out. The new fluid cleans off all of the dirt and build up from not changing the fluid. Transmission fluid has a high detergent additive in it , with the old fluid it was not cleening the transmission parts inside and probably the trans would have gone out from poor maintence anyway. he new fluid has cleaned and released all of the built up gum and sludge inside the trans and then the valves and orafices get plugged up and start sticking hence transmission inop. Its not the place that changed the oil its the person that did not change the trans oil in 122k. I am Ford Motor Company Certified and ASE certified with 30years of service in the auto repair business.

Steve - I have the same problem and did just change the fluid out, what do I do now, do I need a transmission service or new tranny? what to do?

There is a long history of problems with the transmissions in these vehicles. I've seen them fail at a lot lower mileage, too. It sounds like you may well be due for a rebuild. If the electronics have gone south, they have likely done damage to the clutches, too, so don't be surprised if it is a case of computer and transmission/transfer case replacement. The good news is that the rebuild, done properly, and with the appropriate upgrades, seems to last almost forever.

I have no answer> I do however have the same problem, exact same problem. Mine has did same thing 3 times and that is why I am on this website.At least I know am not alone. Now I am going looking for the recall and hope there is one.

It sounds like the Encoder sensor, the encoder tells the truck what positoin the transfer case is in & the truck will adjust to it. Its a small flat circular piece on side of transfer case & it wears out over time. Costs around $100 & will take 1/2 an hour to hour to change yourself. I replaced 2 on my GM trucks so far. Good luck

My suburban encountered the same problem causing it to destroy the entire drive train pretty much over 6000$ in repairs

Same thing here folks. I bought a 2001 1500 4x4 z71 Burb.( Pan hasa drain plug).I hear that is afterthought/market? my vehicle started making a whining sound . by chance putting it in 4 wheel drive hi range and back to 2 hi made the sound go away. I thought maybe something was just slightly hung up in the transfer case. Took by a transmission shop twice to let them listen. of course we all know our vehicles better than anyone, and the unusual sounds they can make. Ive heard these 46o (?) transmissions commonly fail around 130k. Shop had 3 on shelf because they see a lot of them. Usually noise and weirdness doesn't get better magically; ) Anyway, mine slipped out of D at 65 mph on an incline. Pulled over....fluid clean/ clear and pink but smelled like toast. Limped into next town in 3-d @3500rpm. Cool tranny guy coded tranny and got "performance " code. Drove it, and 1, 2nd ok, but clutch- pack between 3-4 (D) cooked. Yep.......rebuild time. Parts cheaper than a Dodge, and looking @ $2500. O' Reily has them (dyno tested) for $1300+. Install prolly $1000+ if I can find a shop willing to install owner aupplied trans. 200 mile tow home and can drive around town in 2nd. No more as too much heat will f@#$ everything no broken. Sorry for the length of post, but I ask a lot of questions trying to reduce wallet-flush! Peace

I really need some help here, I bought my truck in Jan. and it has been a perfect vehicle sense. about two weeks ago now everything went down hill. My husband is pretty certain the transmission is done for but i still have hope. I drove it and it wouldnt shift out of 1st gear, the oil pressure went over the 80 line an she growned the whole time til i got back home (real quick trip) my husband has drove it twice and both times it wouldnt go into 3rd gear. I need to know all of the possiblities of what could be wrong with it so i can try and fix it. i am a mother of 4 and this is my only family vehicle and we r on an extremely tight budget, please help!

Hi.. I'm looking to buy a 2001 Chevy Suburban with 167K miles for $5000 ...I know the family they are really good people.. they have never had trouble with the tranny but my partner thinks that it will go out... because he knows cars..however I was going to take it in to a tranny guy we know and get it looked at... well at least he can drive it... $5000 is not bad but if the tranny goes out and then I was told it would then need a new engine... Does anyone have better luck with Transmissions on these vehicles...the car is very nice shape inside and out and was going to trade work for their car... (i'm a daycare provider...) ...I know this may sound like a dumb question but I just don't want to miss a nice opportunity if the vehicle transmission stays in good shape...Thank you ..p.s. our friend who has a transmission shop did say Transmissions going out is a big thing in these models...

i have a 2001 Chev Sub 1500 200K plus NOW same transmision and have never done anything to my vehicle except oil change every 3- 5k miles, battery and tires. Excellent vehicle for me still runs, drives and pulls well. Coldest A/C in town too.... Love mine just hope this post doesn't jinx it for me... Did I mention I am the only owner purchased and purchasef New @ $40K. Love it !!!!!

I have a question I have a 1999 Yukon suburban my truck won't go forward but It reverses fine could it be the sensors or would it be my transmission my 2 wheel and 4 wheel drive buttons don't work could that be the problem?

i have chevy suburban 2012 and the problem is when i switch from auto to two wheel drive it keeps going to high wheel drive and will not switch back to two wheel drive. I did change the transfer case motor the front and the back. In the front next to the two transfer cases. What should I do?

Steve, I just encountered the same thing. Happened to my wife and it was hard to believe. Took it to my local mechanic who tried to reproduce the problem to no avail. He put it into 4 wheel drive hi & lo and back into 2 wheel drive and drove it. He also supposively hooked it up to a diagnostic machine and it didn't spit out any codes. I picked it up, drove it to a gas station got gas and then stopped in on a work project. When I went to leave it finally happened to me. I put truck in drive and it was like I was in Neutral. I know because I was coasting backwards and my rpm's were going up with no luck. After revving the engine and changing gears a bunch I finally turned off and back on and was able to get in gear long enough to park. Is this a transmission gone bad or something else minor? Any help is much appreciated. Local transmission guy has bad reviews & charges sky high. I have a 4 WD Z71 suburban 2004 1500 with 164,000 miles. I purchased it a year ago with 150,000 miles on it. Don't use it to pull anything & haven't used 4 WD since purchased. It's basically wife's mommy vehicle & gets babied.

I have read that the newer than 02 has the 4L65E trans.That is supposed to be better than the 60E trans. Like most cars changing the fluid enough seems like a good idea.I would consider a large filter kit,That uses a fine micron filter that is the size of a oil filter.Stock trans filters are only so good. Consider any connectors getting bad or dirty. I once applied for a job at a transmission shop and they were keen on getting the customer to sign papers so they could do as much major things as possible. While i think that not every shop is this bad,I would bet that many so called bad trannys are just something minor. (electronics)There are many small passages that can get blocked.Even a small inline filter like a Magnafine? would be a good idea. If you do have a transmission go bad,You well want to bypass the old factory transmission cooler and install an aftermarket one.Otherwise bad stuff well get pulled back into your transmission. I came here trying to figure out any year to avoid,I think the Suburban is great.A bit thirsty though.

I have a 1994 Yukon Chevrolet and it drives backward not forward, what seems to be the problem?

i have a 2000 chevy tahoe 4x4 and i took it to the transmission shop and he put his scanner on it and drove it and he checked all fuses and came back good ,but he said that there is no power going to the transmission and it will only take off in 2nd gear but will shift into 3 ,but what would cause it to not get power to the transmission ,so i can fix it

I have a 2001 2500 series 3/4 ton suburban that stops shifting after a half-hour or so in stop and go city/neighborhood driving. If i pull over, turn it off, wait a minute and re-start it, the vehicle runs fine again - for a while. I've replaced the solenoids and fluids but have not remedied the problem. Any suggestions???

I have a 1997 GMC Suburban K2500 that is also having a similar issue. After the vehicle is warmed up (30 min of driving), the vehicle will slip into neutral between 3rd and 4th gear. I have to let off the gas and let the engine settle and wait for it to find 3rd gear. I can manually shift 1-3 with no problems. I have changed the fluid and the filter and the problem has not went away. The only code that is being read is P1345 (Camshaft to Crankshaft Position Correlation Fault). I am not sure what to do next?

Look up the code.It sounds like a crankshaft position sensor.could be a simple fix.If you can do it yourself.

Check the transmission valve .. if the valve is not opening up or hangs up do not debri .. this happen ..

Question. I have a 04 suburban, that started having trans issues. We replaced the transmission with a rebuilt transmission. However we are still having issues shifting. Into 3rd and 4th gear. I heard that the car needed to be flashed so the computer recognizes the new transmission. Is this true?

have an 03 tahoe with 137 on it got a ck engine light code cellonoyed torque started to slip when cheing gears stall engine changed oil about 3 to 4000mi ago iam being told forget about preventive maintance makeing cars like shit noe, got a 89 gmc with over 30000 mi on it runs great go figure

I have a 1999 4x4 chevy surburben and when u stop an go to take back off its not shifting down shut the key off about 30 seconds an start it back its fine what could it be an does it have the 4l60 trans

i have 2002 chevy suburban 1500 ls. will a 2003 suburban transmission fit and work?

I have a jeep XJ that I put a 2002 5.3 Vortec out of a Silverado in with a 2002 4L60 trans and transfer case out of a Suburban 1500. in the 3 years I have been driving it I have had no problems but lately, when I'm "on it" the tac pegs to about 8000 when it shifts from 2nd to 3rd. All other operations are normal. Any thoughts?

I have a 99 suburban . After changing the tranfer case with another 246 all the gears stopped working. Rpm goes down but nothing. And whe. Putting back in park it grinds . I have to turn off the key so i can put in park. I've seen bunch of issues on this tranfer specific 246 tranfer case but no exact answers. I'm at a loss here.

Thanks BH1ST, but since my post, i have lost 3rd gear and consequently 4th. My transmission/transfer case are a factory combination and the mechanic I spoke to this week seems to think that it started with a clogged filter that was magnified when I added Lucas transmission treatment. I suspect he is right because now the ATF smells burnt and it didn't three weeks ago. I don't blame the transmission treatment; it just made the fluid thicker and with a clogged filter less fluid was flowing which over heated my clutches/ bands or both.

Would a transmission out of a 02 Envoy work for 01 Suburban

Yep, I found out that the transmission that was in my rig was actually a '88 TH700r4 with a NP231 Transfer case. I have bought a 4L60e transmission and a floor shift NP241C from a '01 Tahoe. The only thing left is to find a wiring harness to connect engine computer to transmission.

We have an ‘01 Suburban 2WD, just cleared 443,000 miles when the transmission acted up on a 100 degree day. We had the same issue of staying down in 2nd and then hitting neutral and not going anywhere. But did I mention we have 443,000 miles on this OEM transmission they are great. We will find another ‘01 transmission and keep driving.

Good information, Paladinpc, I'm optimistic I've made the right choice...Drive on!

If anyone has read all these posts I hope a very valuable lesson was learned if the trans has never had the fluid changed and it’s over a 100k don’t do it 9-10 times the tranny will let go most of the time you lose the 3-4 shift pack which makes it feel as though you get to 2nd gear and then hit neutral if that happens rebuild finding another that has been taken care of is hard and when you rebuild you get your tranny back with all the necessary new parts I have an 05 Yukon xl myself and love it. This is my forever vehicle take care of your rigs everyone and good luck!!!

I have a 2011 Tahoe with around 150k miles and recently started acting up. It started up, we drove it to a baseball game about 30miles away on the interstate and it ran fine. Got to the ball park, put it in park to let my son out at the gate and when we put it in drive and lurched forward a couple time and then wouldn't move. we put it in park, tried to go back into drive, turned it off and repeat, and we would move forward a little then nothing, rpms would rev. Finally limped our way to a parking spot. Towed it to a mechanic, he can't duplicate the problem. flushed and changed transmission fluid. then he (the mechanic) drove it around town and then on the interstate and had no problem. a week so after we got it back from him, it did it again. Then it drove fine for 3 weeks and is doing it again. I was hoping it's a sensor thing, but...

Our 2001 1500 Suburban’s transmission finally died at 439k. We did not change the transmission fluid regularly and did notice some hesitation or slipping when we did change it, but it kept going to 439k. We had the transmission replaced and will work on regular maintenance to keep this new one going.

I have a 2004 Chevy Tahoe just paid 2100 for a Transmission at the Transmission shop noticed that it started slipping while driving took my truck to auto zone for a Diagnostic test nothing was found ...only to know tha my Transmission fluid was over the amount need ...it made a huming sound but no gas

Not an answer but a question got 2010 suburban tranny fluid smells burnt when fluid is cold shifts fine but when heats up tranny slips do I need a flush system or is it worse than that

Guru2FKJL my guess is that you have an issue with the valve body. I would do the trans fluid and filter change first. If that does not fix the problem you can start looking at the valve body. What you need to do is read the fault codes with a transmission scanner from the Transmission Control Module (TCM). There is an excellent guide that helps you learn how to do that. Just lookup "Troubleshooting Chevy Transmision Problem by Youcanic" It explains your problem and how many others plus shows you how to read the codes step by step. Good luck and don't ignore the problem because you may be causing unnecessary damage.

Also few more pointers make sure the transmission codes on the white label match or at least the insides do and the rest is interchangable, if you have a issue aligning the bellhousing use the starter bolts as a guide and just start them a twist or two and be sure whatever is supporting the trans allows it to slide freely along with if aval. Use a ratchets straps to help support the weight or position it where it needs to be.Then do not I repeat do not use a shallow pan filter on a deep pan which most sites lead one to believe they're interchangeable the length on the neck of the filter on a shallow pan filter does not secure it properly which in end it falls out or does not reach the fluid in the pan if low or a leak is obtained, a deep pan has about a 1/4inch thicker filter as well which sits it in bottom of a deep pan and the shallow leaves it with no support. Also do not EVER use A DELCO filter and gasket kit due to them placing stamps in each corner which tear or separate like it was barely attached. The filter and gasket I used it what ruined my trans in the end due to fluid leak around print stamps and the filter falling to stay engaged in the trans port! Use shallow with shallow which has a even level bottom of the pan, and use deep with deep which has a dropped edge like a pool one end is shallow and one deep. When them pan is at a level measurement as the rest that leads one to believe it's hold more fluid and be a deep pan, and the deep has a shallow part and a deep part which reassembled a pool with a portion shallow and part deep!