I have a 2008 Vue XR with 129K. Recently , within the last month or so, it has started hesitating when shifting into Drive. There is a 2-3 second delay after shifting into Drive before it actually engages. Wave plate broke at 65K, 2 weeks out of manufacturer 6 year warranty. Repair work done by dealer under partial warranty.
I checked fluid level and it is good. Went ahead and drained fluid out of pan and refilled it (5qts) to see if that would help. It did not. Fluid drained looked and smelled good, no metal on drain plug magnet. I also disconnected battery and turned key on for 30 mins to reset things to see if that might help but it did not either. When it does engage into Drive, it seems to lock in more firmly now than it was before but does not seem excessively firm or hard. This transmission has always seemed soft or spongy to me when shifting. Is this type of behavior something that could be caused by a solenoid going out. Not quite sure where to go next. Thanks for your help.

 

Warranty extended on 3 5 R waveplate issue to 10 yr/100,000 mi so go get your money back for the first repair!!

Indeed it may be a solenoid/valvebody issue.

If solenoid, I BELIEVE you need to replace the entire solenoid pack as they are assembled and packaged that way. I recently purchased a brand new 2014 Ford Escape w the 6F35 that is supposed to be a child of the same project that spawned the GM 6T70, so my reply is a GUESS.

 

Thank you for the response.
I will look into the solenoid pack/valve body more deeply.
I did go to the dealership and filed the paperwork to be refunded for the repair. When the dealership diagnosed the failure, after opening the tranny, they told me yes it was the wave plate as I suggested to them I thought it was. When I got the receipt for the repair it is worded differently and when I submitted the papers at the dealership, the manager that that I gave them too said he did not think I was eligible because of what was listed on the invoice but sent it off anyway. I never did get $ from GM.

 

What did they document it as??

Their possibly intentional failure to properly document your vehicle's problem should not keep money out of your pockets. If the TSB already existed (without the warranty extension), I believe they would have had to reference it in the diagnosis. The TSB instructs the techs how to remedy the problem (rebuild). If they documented as anything else than that (3 5 R and TSB) then I would raise an issue with your local GM customer service rep. Sounds like they gave you a break by giving you money off the repair but didn't want to or couldn't document it as a 35R or they would have had to pay for it in full back then.

Their failed transmission. Warranteed to 100K. Reimbursement for any cost to you needs to be refunded. End of story.

 

Agreed. I have contacted them again and am pursuing this further.

 

If you have tap shift, you can drive it around and shift with that to see if it is a particular gear or if there just isn't enough line pressure to start with / maybe iffy pressure regulator. Does this happen AFTER REVERSING or to you put it directly in drive?

 

The only time it does this is when engaging in drive. Once in drive, all shifts are good whether in manual mode or in drive. It will delay every time i put it in drive whether after reversing or just going directly into drive. Delay is pretty much the same whether vehicle is warm or cold, maybe 1/2 second shorter when warm but always in 2-3 second range. Thank you for taking the time to help me with this.

 

Still thinking solenoid.

Any progress with the 3.5.R financials?