[heezytruck]

I've been having the shudder issue with my 2016 Colorado Diesel, I have just over 60k miles and took it to the dealership and they are recommending a valve body replacement which will cost me $1700. Has anyone heard of this being the first step? From what I'm reading, people are recommending a transmission flush and if that doesn't work then a torque converter.

They initially told me it was likely the torque converter but then said they drove it today and it's more of a "vibration" in 4th gear and that requires the valve body replacement. Any advice is welcomed

 

[SFLTruck]

I've been having the shudder issue with my 2016 Colorado Diesel, I have just over 60k miles and took it to the dealership and they are recommending a valve body replacement which will cost me $1700. Has anyone heard of this being the first step? From what I'm reading, people are recommending a transmission flush and if that doesn't work then a torque converter.

They initially told me it was likely the torque converter but then said they drove it today and it's more of a "vibration" in 4th gear and that requires the valve body replacement. Any advice is welcomed

First, I would got get a second opinion. I would however do a flush if you haven't done one because it's past due. It may resolve your shutter issue and it may not. The TC surface area where the clutch locks up on could be glazed, and if so, it would be in need of replacement.

The question is, do you only feel the perceived shutter when the trans is in 4th gear? If so maybe the valve body is bad or the shift solenoids need new seals and the TC is fine.

Tuff to say... but now you're armed with more info to ask questions.

 

[heezytruck]

First, I would got get a second opinion. I would however do a flush if you haven't done one because it's past due. It may resolve your shutter issue and it may not. The TC surface area where the clutch locks up on could be glazed, and if so, it would be in need of replacement.

The question is, do you only feel the perceived shutter when the trans is in 4th gear? If so maybe the valve body is bad or the shift solenoids need new seals and the TC is fine.

I swear it happens in lower gears as well, but I'm going to get my truck back today and take it somewhere else for a second opinion. In the meantime I'll do a little driving and pay more attention to when it happens. It doesn't happen every time so I'm thinking maybe when they drove it, it just happened in 4th gear and that's the conclusion they came to.

 

[SFLTruck]

I swear it happens in lower gears as well, but I'm going to get my truck back today and take it somewhere else for a second opinion. In the meantime I'll do a little driving and pay more attention to when it happens. It doesn't happen every time so I'm thinking maybe when they drove it, it just happened in 4th gear and that's the conclusion they came to.

Yup that's a good point..... I think it's more prevalent when the trans in 4,5 or 6th because that's when the loading/torque is raised. I don't think without pulling some weight you'll see it much in the lower gears because that's not enough loading unless the TC surface or clutch is that far gone.

 

[escapepilot]

Do you do your own preventative maintenance? If so, changing trans fluid is pretty easy. I had a similar issue w/ my 2017 diesel and only needed a drain and refill and filter. I added a drain plug to the trans pan also since it seems like chaining the fluid may be a fairly frequent occurrence. I switched to AmsOil on the advice of the local trans shop and haven't had any issues.

 

[heezytruck]

Do you do your own preventative maintenance? If so, changing trans fluid is pretty easy. I had a similar issue w/ my 2017 diesel and only needed a drain and refill and filter. I added a drain plug to the trans pan also since it seems like chaining the fluid may be a fairly frequent occurrence. I switched to AmsOil on the advice of the local trans shop and haven't had any issues.

I'm not 100% comfortable doing my own maintenance, but I got my truck back from the dealership and I'm going to take it to a transmission shop for a flush and go from there. Thanks for the advice!

 

[newtodiesel]

I also own a 2016 Colorado withe 2.8 diesel engine. I bought it off a private lot. It also had a bad shudder in the transmission and I required that be eliminated before I would buy it. First step was to change the trans fluid, but the solution came through reprogramming the transmission. The mechanic(s) discovered a Technical Bulletin which dealt with the problem in a finalized way. I have had zero shudder problems since. I do not know the technical bulletin but the people at Keystone Motors in Ephrata, PA should be able to get that info to you.

 

[heezytruck]

So I took it to AAMCO transmission and the pulled out the trans to inspect it, and came back with an estimate of $5300 to pretty much rebuild the thing, plus replace a heater hose. Crazy. How can I keep this thing from breaking down again? Frequent fluid changes?

 

[Capt D.]

check out 6L50-E Transmissions

 

[SKullman]

Yup, you are in the same boat as I was. 67k and dealer diagnosed it as a bad TQ. Took it to a 3rd party to confirm, they did the rebuild not the dealer $6500.
Replace the valve body, TQ, seals, and more. Parts were all uprated where they could. Supposedly the TQ is hand built with better than stock parts. Towing a 5k Travel trailer, this all makes me feel better now.
Should have replaced the Trans Fluid every 40k max.

Now it shifts better than new and all is well again.
FYI, GDE Def Compliant tune has also been done.

 

[heezytruck]

Yup, you are in the same boat as I was. 67k and dealer diagnosed it as a bad TQ. Took it to a 3rd party to confirm, they did the rebuild not the dealer $6500.
Replace the valve body, TQ, seals, and more. Parts were all uprated where they could. Supposedly the TQ is hand built with better than stock parts. Towing a 5k Travel trailer, this all makes me feel better now.
Should have replaced the Trans Fluid every 40k max.

Now it shifts better than new and all is well again.
FYI, GDE Def Compliant tune has also been done.

That's good to hear, I'd hate to pay 5k to not have my problem fixed. Guess my next flush will be done at 90-100k miles. Has the tune helped your truck run better in general or just a performance boost?

 

[SKullman]

That's good to hear, I'd hate to pay 5k to not have my problem fixed. Guess my next flush will be done at 90-100k miles. Has the tune helped your truck run better in general or just a performance boost?

I love the tune, it just seems more put together. Shift points, throttle position, efficiency.

Our empty mileage has gone up, my last solo trip to northern MN had just shy of 35 mpg. Mix of Interstate/Hwy and back roads.
With the Travel trailer, MPG is about the same, but it doesn't hunt for gears as much and the Torque boost really shows.

 

[SFLTruck]

That's good to hear, I'd hate to pay 5k to not have my problem fixed. Guess my next flush will be done at 90-100k miles. Has the tune helped your truck run better in general or just a performance boost?

The tune makes the truck way more pleasurable to drive, It's worth every penny. The sad part is GM should have delivered it this way in the first place.

 

[the_uglydog]

One of our company pickups is the 2.8 diesel with this pain in the back end transmission. It does the shake mostly on the shift to 4, but also with a light acceleration in all gears. To me it seems like low line pressure to the shift solenoids since it seems to be not fully engaging. Just flushing the transmission won't clean the filter which is most often the cause of low line pressure. So clean the filter, then flush out the torque converter and lines, that's what we are going to do. Also make certain that the replacement fluid is a correct replacement or better since many of the universal fluids tend to cause shifting problems exactly like this in other brands, Ford, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Kia.

 

[SFLTruck]

The mobile one "blue label" HP LV ATF is what seem to solve the problems so long as the converter clutch surfaces are not damaged too much. I did the filter, added a PML deep pan, and did a fluid swap by pulling the line at the cooler and swapping out all of the fluid. As soon as I got in and started moving I could feel the difference, shifts are smooth and not abrupt anymore. It was worth all the effort.

Amazon.com: Mobil 1 124715 Synthetic LV ATF HP Case 1 Quart Bottles Set of 6

Amazon.com: Mobil 1 124715 Synthetic LV ATF HP Case 1 Quart Bottles Set of 6

www.amazon.com

 

[SFLTruck]

One of our company pickups is the 2.8 diesel with this pain in the back end transmission. It does the shake mostly on the shift to 4, but also with a light acceleration in all gears. To me it seems like low line pressure to the shift solenoids since it seems to be not fully engaging. Just flushing the transmission won't clean the filter which is most often the cause of low line pressure. So clean the filter, then flush out the torque converter and lines, that's what we are going to do. Also make certain that the replacement fluid is a correct replacement or better since many of the universal fluids tend to cause shifting problems exactly like this in other brands, Ford, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Kia.

.

 

[the_uglydog]

The mobile one "blue label" HP LV ATF is what seem to solve the problems so long as the converter clutch surfaces are not damaged too much. I did the filter, added a PML deep pan, and did a fluid swap by pulling the line at the cooler and swapping out all of the fluid. As soon as I got in and started moving I could feel the difference, shifts are smooth and not abrupt anymore. It was worth all the effort.

Amazon.com: Mobil 1 124715 Synthetic LV ATF HP Case 1 Quart Bottles Set of 6

Amazon.com: Mobil 1 124715 Synthetic LV ATF HP Case 1 Quart Bottles Set of 6

www.amazon.com

Yes, that's the way we do it too. Getting all the fluid out makes a big difference. Thanks for the link to that fluid, I know what to use in the Fords, Mits and Hyuns, but not the Chevys. Here getting the right stuff is difficult and the dealers know nothing about automatics, so they can't help.

 

[Lester C Rodan]

For what it is worth, I did my first service on the transmission at 46,000 miles. The pan was clean, just a little on the magnet. I used Redline D6 Fluid. Seems to shift much nicer now. I figure I'll change it again around 75,000 miles

 

[Diesel Bill]

My 2016 Canyon 2.8 truck had 40k on it and started shuddering. I also have a 2014 GMC Terrain (70k) miles that 3 months earlier done the same thing. They both had a fluid flush and it never helped either one. They then said it was the torque converter and recommended new valve body replacement as a precaution… that of which I agreed upon.
Neither one of my vehicles have towed one thing.