Transmission slip - 2001 Deville

Hello everyone. I just inherited a 2001 Cadillac Deville (basic model) with 51k miles. All service was done at a Cadillac dealer. Transmission was flushed for the 30k service. Here's my problem:
 
When I first start the car, especially after it cools off for an hour or so, if I immediately put it into drive or reverse it doesn't go anywhere. If I count to about 15 then we're fine. Also, if I am just driving through a parking lot or other slower speeds, let off the gas and then hit it again there is a slight hesitation and then it jerks when it catches.
 
Any ideas on what I am facing? The dealer said a flush wouldn't fix it since it was just done 21k ago and would probably do more harm than good. What do I know....
 
All advice is appreciated. Thanks!

edit:

read what  FLCaddytech  said below.   his approach has more logic than mine
and he certainly has access to data that  i dont.

but, may i ask, where was the flush done?

=====================

quote:


original posting by stomper

where do you live?  cold country?

if only does that when trani is cold, i be dropping the pan and putting a
new filter and FRESH top quality new fluid.   then see what happens after that.
you may also have a drain for the fluid from the torque unit.  maybe some one
else can help out with that.

NO FLUSHING .. that  may just be exactly your problem, the prior flush.
recommend against flushing for every make and model car in the planet. 
read up on it in the FAQ section.  

maybe the problem didnt show up till now (weird)  or it did and the driver
didnt expereince it depending on how he started the car (wait the 15+ sec?)
you stated that you inhereted the car, so you probably dont really know.

if it does that when it is warm, i probably do it anyways.  it takes under an hour.
cost is low and the gain can be great.

Why don't you see what codes come up?  Go to your local Autozone or Advance Auto Parts and they will check it for free on their diagnostic equipment.

As already stated, do not flush tranny, just not necessary.

Im sorry but i dont agree with the blanket statement not to flush trannys.
 
I have first hand experience with hundreds maybe thousands of flushes.
 
I have always and will continue to flush the trannys on my own vehicles.

First check your fluid level. Engine running in park and at operating temp.

If that checks good here is a TSB that may help

quote:

---

Subject:
Delayed Engagement Into Reverse (Replace the Reverse Accumulator Housing Assembly) #01-07-30-008 - (02/16/2001)

Models:
2001 Cadillac DeVille, Eldorado, Seville

2001 Oldsmobile Aurora

with 4T80-E Automatic Transmission (RPO MH1)

---

Condition
Some owners may comment on a shift delay into reverse.
Cause
Delayed reverse engagement may result from low fluid volume or pressure in the reverse accumulator that can be caused by internal leakage at the piston seal.
Correction
Verify the concern by doing a normal shift from park to reverse and compare the shift time to a normally operating vehicle. After verifying the delayed shift, replace the accumulator housing assembly . 

maybe the blanket statement does go too far but it has to do more with the
owner / user of the equip than the process itself.

there is nothing wrong in the flushing idea, IF you control the equip and its maintenance.
you do that.   most shadetree mechanics do not even have access to one.

the big questions is,
 - when it is necessary?
 - when is it OK even if not necessary?
 - who do we trust?

flushing with a poorly maintaned equip is like having sex with a street hooker,
one gets everything she's  got.   if one wants clean, one should  go where clean
is the rule, not the exception.

i bet your is clean and properly maintaned .. no?

quote:

ORIGINAL: FLCaddytech

Im sorry but i dont agree with the blanket statement not to flush trannys.

I have first hand experience with hundreds maybe thousands of flushes.

I have always and will continue to flush the trannys on my own vehicles.

First check your fluid level. Engine running in park and at operating temp.

If that checks good here is a TSB that may help

quote:

---

Subject:
Delayed Engagement Into Reverse (Replace the Reverse Accumulator Housing Assembly) #01-07-30-008 - (02/16/2001)

Models:
2001 Cadillac DeVille, Eldorado, Seville

2001 Oldsmobile Aurora

with 4T80-E Automatic Transmission (RPO MH1)

---

Condition
Some owners may comment on a shift delay into reverse.
Cause
Delayed reverse engagement may result from low fluid volume or pressure in the reverse accumulator that can be caused by internal leakage at the piston seal.
Correction
Verify the concern by doing a normal shift from park to reverse and compare the shift time to a normally operating vehicle. After verifying the delayed shift, replace the accumulator housing assembly . 

True, should not have made the blanket statment, it was just info rec'd via a post on another site I had seen some time ago from someone that had a hand in the developement of the N*.  Things may have changed. Also thought it was re-posted in our FAQ section, however after a quick look, I don't see it.
 
I did locate the statement on a quote from Stealth on 11/24/02 whcih quoted a comment from 10/02.

the subject is an FAQ within the Allante section here and the subject at hand (trani) is not N* specific
but applies to the 4100,4500 and 4600 (N*) drive trains.  it may also apply to other year models,
someone else can research that.

the GM / Cadillac Drive Train Engineer in question posted the following in approx 5 websites.
http://www.cadillacforum.com/m_6036/tm.htm

before we hit the wall in controversy, let us all keep in mind that this quote is in relation to
the '87 to '93 Allantes, and the requirements for newer cars may be different.   i dont know.  the car subject
in this thread is a 2001 N*,  built 8 years after the last Allante with a totally different design trani?

also, keep in mind that some of the transmissions for these Allantes have obsolete parts that can render
the car a total loss since the only parts source may be another Allante.  the cost of  taking a risk with
an Allante may be greater than with other Cadillac models.    it may ....

here is a partial  ...

quote:

by name witheld by request

It is entirely adequate to drain the trans fluid from the bottom pan and refill with fresh Dex3.  Replace the filter when the bottom pan is off for the fluid drain.   Forget about the idea of a flush.  You don't need junk flushed into your transmission from the flushing equipment that is misplumbed/misrouted/not cleaned/full of old oil/etc.

for those that dont know, part of his job is inspection of Cadillac drive train warranty returns -
he gets to see what comes back and determines why it came back.  i wonder, do any Cadillac
transmissions get flushed during the warranty?   is that part of the 60,000 service for newer cars?  
i really dont know, i'm asking!

in several postings he made direct reference to the lack of maint of the equip used by
many shops and the risk of contaminating perfectly good transmissions.  is that under control
these days?

again, to avoid confussion - we are not talking about the same thing,
there are good flushings and there are bad flushings,
there are older cars, there are newer cars,
there are old requirements, there are new requirements..

- IF you are 100% sure the equip is CLEAN & free of contamination
as required by the equip makers, the risk is small or none. 

- IF you have no idea about the equip status, DONT DO IT or go where
equip condition is w/o a doubt, clean!

My question is, how does one know if a buddget trani shop or a dealer has a clean machine?

the last question is "when is a flush needed?"







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