Hello all,
I got a 2004 cadillac Cts 3.6l with the 5l40-e auto trans in it. Was having problems with the car shifting into gear when it was cold. Took it to a local trans shop said the trans fluid was about 2 quarts from when I had it flushed by a different shop last year. No leaks. Topped tranny fluid off and fixed the problem. Now I have a different problem... Transmission shifts into 4th gear hard every single time. Doesn't matter where the throttle is at. No codes, so I'm assuming it's something mechanical? I've searched all over the internet and nothing seems to help. Trans. Tech said transmission fluid looked good when checked. Could a dirty tps sensor make it shift hard every time? Seems to only be 4th gear. Any tranny techs seen this happen before? Thanks for the advice.

 

Could be broken acc.u.mulator spring(s) in the valve body....fairly common. Would need to remove the valve body to check.
An electrical issue would affect all of the shifts, not just one....NORMALLY. Stranger things have happened.
Are you certain it is the 3-4 shift that is hard? Could it be a harsh lock-up apply?
Also possible that the torque converter is staying applied during the 3-4 shift, which would cause a harsh 3-4 shift.

 

Adam Apple not sure if you are still around but I disconnected the connector on a 1996 seville SLS and it drove so I do have 3rd gear. The fluid turned out to be engine oil coming from the leaking Oil sending unit nearby.
I still have the 717.
Do you know the symbol meaning when PCM? is displayed for a 1996 seville?
I have the transmission manual but it is for 2003 and the display is different.
When I drive I can see them coming on and off. It appears from my guesstimate that when it pcm initiates fourth gear ( i assume) it detects something is wrong and disengages the TCC...does that sound reasonable.
Thanks in advance for your technical assistance.

Hometurf