My Blazer (details below) is an automatic. When I shift from P to D or D to R or R to D, it hesitates, then sort of lurches or clunks into gear. If I'm not careful, I end up doing a neutral drop.

Any thoughts on what is causing the slow engagement of my transmission?

 

How long does it actually take (1 second, 5 seconds, etc)? An actual time helps greatly in determining if something is actually going wrong or not.

Also, what does your truck idle at in park or neutral? When was the last time the transmission was serviced? Does this only happen when the transmission is cold or all the time?

The 4L60E is not the worlds fastest engaging transmission. It could be a couple of different things combining into what you are feeling as being not normal.

 

OK, I ran a full test tonight. The delay is when I'm going into Drive. I guess reverse is working OK.

When I shift from N to D, it then takes 2 full seconds to engage. One thousand one, one thousand two...click.

When I shift into reverse, it goes right in with no delay.

800 rpm

I bought the truck about a month ago. It had 130,000 mi. No way to know.

Hot or cold, makes no difference.

Understandable that different transmissions react differently, but this is really way too long of a delay to be "normal."

 

I guess it is possible that a check ball is not sealing properly and allowing fluid to drain out of a passage or two in the transmission...

I have driven many new and used vehicles with the 4L60E transmission, and I know that there are some that take longer than a solid 2 count to engage. Some do it more in reverse, some do it more in forward, and then there are some that do it in both. The fact that yours bangs in leads me to think that you may have a problem.

Bad part is... To check the condition of the separator plate, you have to drop the valve body out of the transmission.

 

Hmm...sounds like either money or work. I can't do the work, so it's money.

I guess if it's not going to be a real problem like screwing up the tranny running it this way, I'm OK with it. My main thought is if I'm sitting in the mud somewhere and need to rock it back and forth by going from R to D to R, then I'm gonna have a problem since it is a late shift to D.

 

my 97 jimmy does the same thing, i'm getting it checked out on monday, when i find out about it i'll let you know so you might have an idea about what is going on.

 

Thanks. I`ll look forward to your reply.