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I don't have much choice at this point. The transmission shop closes in a half hour and that's when I get off work. I'm dropping the vehicle off tonight and they're going to check it out in the morning, which if you think about it, is as soon as possible anyway. Other shops told me they were booked for a good week or two, so I'm thankful I'm able to squeak into Cottman tomorrow morning. That way the mechanics can really use it on a cold engine and maybe see what I'm seeing.  

Really awsome .No one can understand so much deep and in better way .Waynep had used what a great way to explain it .I have never seen this type of explanation.Thanks again .  

Well, that kind of sucks. The trans place called back. He said there's some sort of an oil pressure leak within the trans, which is why I'm having the hesitation (slipping) when it's cold. Once it heats up, it runs a little hotter than it should (which he attributes to the weaker pressure). Mechanically speaking it runs and operates fine. He had a lot of compliments about my vehicle and what good condition it was in.

He's going to take it apart and check it out and let me know what's up. Fingers crossed it's a 10 dollar fix...  

its not going to be a 10 buck fix..

but heres hoping..  

Once the trans is apart you will have 3 options. A $3000-$4000 overhaul, a used trans for about $1800 or put it back the way it was for about $700. If you tell them you want them to just put it back the way it was they will come down on the  price of the overhaul .  

Their price of removing the trans, taking it apart, inspecting it, putting it back together, and re-installing it on the vehicle is a flat rate of 450. Anything besides that of course costs extra. In short, if they crack it open and it's going to be a huge repair, I can at least say put it back to how it was and be out the door 450 bucks poorer without a dollar more.

I know it certainly won't be a 10 dollar fix, but I'm hoping it's not something insanely catastrophic. I know that I have 450 on the table with the current trans, labor, and re-installation, so anything extra is going to be replacement parts and whatever additional labor is required for the installation of the new parts.  

The last thing in the world they want to do is put it back together for $450. If you insist  that you want them to do that they will keep coming down in price on the rebuild until  they hit a price that you are willing to pay {within reason}.  Put-backs  are poison to a shop manager. If you tell them to put it back for $450 the first thing they will say is "we don't want to see you throw away $450 so we are willing to work with you". He will follow that with another comment about what great shape your car is in.

I didn't see you mention the mileage anywhere is it high?  

I could probably try that tactic, but this particular shop, so far, has really expressed a level of "you call the shots" type of attitude. I've asked them no less than 400 questions about what if and what about this, etc., and each time they've been like well, here's the pros to that, the cons, and prices for each. You would have to do whatever you see fit. Maybe I'm wrong, and I'll take a stab at it and see, but they didn't sound like people that would persuade me in a certain direction.

The van has 54,000 on it. It's a great van and I really enjoy it. It's super nice and handles really well. I'm just a little bummed this happened.

Some light reading suggested earlier 05 Relay's had a trans issue that was evident in other comparable models that shared the same transmission. The shop mechanic also said this was later repaired in following variations of this transmission, but of course with Saturn out of business that throws a monkey wrench in the mix for getting more direct answers. Shortly after I Googled some info about this my buddy linked me to some reading regarding it. I guess it almost doesn't matter at this point. I still have a transmission that is not working. But nonetheless, for those interested, here's what was sent to me:

Service Information 2008 Chevrolet Impala | Impala VIN W Service Manual | Document ID: 2079271
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#08-07-30-002A: Information on 4T65-E MN7, M15 and M76 Front Wheel Drive Automatic Transmission Valve Body Reconditioning DTCs P0741, P0742, P0757, P0842, Harsh Shifts or Slips - (Mar 12, 2008)


Subject: Information On 4T65-E MN7, M15 and M76 Front Wheel Drive Automatic Transmission Valve Body Reconditioning, DTCs P0741, P0742, P0757, P842, Harsh Shifts or Slips


Models: 2001-2005 Buick LeSabre, Park Avenue

2002-2007 Buick Rendezvous, Rendezvous AWD

2005-2007 Buick Terraza, Terraza EXT, Terraza 4WD

2005-2008 Buick Allure (Canada Only), LaCrosse

2006-2008 Buick Lucerne

2001 Chevrolet Lumina

2001-2005 Chevrolet Venture, Venture EXT, Venture 4WD

2001-2007 Chevrolet Monte Carlo

2001-2008 Chevrolet Impala, Lumina (Export Only)

2005-2008 Chevrolet Uplander, Uplander EXT, Uplander 4WD

2001-2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue

2001-2003 Oldsmobile Silhouette, Silhouette EXT

2004 Oldsmobile Silhouette EXT

2001-2005 Pontiac Montana, Montana EXT

2001-2005 Pontiac Aztek, Aztek AWD, Bonneville

2001-2008 Pontiac Grand Prix

2002-2005 Pontiac Montana 4WD

2005-2006 Pontiac Montana SV6 (AWD)

2005-2008 Pontiac Montana SV6, Montana SV6 EXT

2005-2006 Saturn Relay, Relay AWD

2005-2007 Saturn Relay EXT

with Hydra-Matic® 4T65-E (RPOs - MN7, M15, M76) Automatic Transmission




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This bulletin is being updated to include Related Service Document information. Please discard Corporate Bulletin Number 08-07-30-002 (Section 07 -- Transmission/Transaxle).


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The following new service information will aid technicians in providing easy to follow valve body reconditioning instructions and new illustrations to simplify reassembly of the valve body.

Related Service Document
Corporate Bulletin Number 02-07-30-013 : Incorrect Transmission Shifts, Poor Engine Performance, Harsh 1-2 Upshifts, Slips 1st and Reverse, Torque Converter Clutch (TCC) Stuck Off/On, DTCs P0757, P0741, P0742, P0730, P0756.

Important: If valve body cleaning is not required, DO NOT disassemble bores unless it is necessary to verify movement of valves.

Inspection Procedure
•Using the exploded views in this bulletin, inspect each bore for freedom of valve(s) movement and evidence of debris. Pay particular attention to those valves related to the customer’s concern.
•Verify movement of the valves in their normal installed position. Valves may become restricted during removal or installation. This is normal due to small tolerances between the valves and bores.
•If a valve is restricted and cannot be corrected by cleaning the valve and bore, replace the valve body. Describe the restricted valve on the repair order.
Notice: Be sure all solenoids are installed with the electrical connectors facing the non-machined (cast) side of the valve body. Otherwise, the solenoids will bind against the transmission case as the valve body bolts are tightened and damage may occur.

Disassembly/Reassembly
•If a valve is restricted by a metal burr from machining that bore, remove the valve and burr, then inspect movement in the valve’s normal position. If no other debris or restrictions are found, reassemble the valve body and install in the transmission.
•If the valve body has been contaminated with debris from another transmission component failure, disassemble all bores for complete cleaning of all valve body components. If possible, keep individual bore parts separated for ease of reassembly. Use the following illustrations in this bulletin for a positive identification and location of individual parts:
• Left Side Control Valve Body Assembly

• Right Side Control Valve Body Assembly

• Control Valve Body Assembly Chart, Valve Springs and Bore Plugs

Caution: Use appropriate eye protection when cleaning the valve body to prevent injury.

•Using GM Brake Clean, or equivalent, in a safe and clean environment (clean aluminum pan) clean the valve body and dry it with compressed air.
•Clean individual valve body components with GM Brake Clean, or equivalent. Coat each valve with clean ATF and reassemble in each bore. Check each valve for free movement during assembly of each bore.
Left Side Control Valve Body Assembly  

I don't think all these models is on move .Can you give me the list which of them are successful models among them .Thanks in advance .  

Pardon me, but I'm not sure what you mean by "is on move." ?? Could you elaborate a little ***

I'm not sure how to really read through the above material, but if I'm understanding this right, it sounds like some of the earliest Saturn Relay's in 2005 had a trans put in that may have been susceptible to this particular issue, so I suppose it's just luck of the draw that it happened to be this one.

A new transmission is being put in, which is supposedly better than the one that it originally came with. It'll be nice having it fixed, even if the garage bill sucks.  

Your trans is the 4T65E. Its in almost every GM front wheel drive car between 2000 and 2006. I rebuild at least one every week. The most common problems are broken 1-2 bands,stripped overdrive hubs and bad pressure solinoids. With the mileage on yours i highly doubt there is very much wrong with it.  You probably need  a overhaul kit with clutches. Maybe one or two sets of steels . A new pressure solinoid and possibly a new overdrive hub depending if the splines are worn or not. And a rebuilt torque convertor.  

wow...   only half the cars that come into ...........  actually need a transmission....

what is not said...

every one of them gets a transmission ..

perhaps. they don't understand.. that if you do an honest job..  people will be BEATING down your doors..

most people don't really care what it costs, within reason...(some DO)  as long as they get told the truth ... and that the job is done correctly ..  

The large franchise shops have an average break even of approximately $15,000 - $20,000 a week. Thats 4 - 6 complete overhauls and all the headaches that come with them every week just to break even. If they do get busy and have a few big weeks they make good money but they have to kill themselves to get it all done. And then it inevitably gets slow for a couple weeks and the overhead eats up your profits. It's sort of like banging your head against a wall.  

My issue was the valve body failing. Metal fragments from it ended up in places it shouldn't have. Couple that with the train wreck of events that come afterwards and you have a bad transmission as I have. It sounds like this slowly happened over time. I thought I had noticed something a little funny driving it, but I haven't driven automatic in so long. I wasn't used to the way automatic felt and thought it was just me getting used to it.

From what I gather, the transmission being put in is not likely to have the same issue. While this issue was not a totally common one in these transmissions (based on what I'm reading), when it does happen, the user typically has no warning signs until it's too late. Oh well. At least I'll have a new transmission that supposedly has even lesser chances of this being a repeat issue in the future.  

So what was the total price?