Common questions

Why does my car downshift hard when I go uphill?

Why does my car downshift hard when I go uphill?

Perhaps you just have a bad tranny. I don’t know what’s causing it, but on at least 3 occasions I will be going from a complete stop to 30 mph when the transmission downshifts hard and I feel like I was just rear ended. Possibly going uphill? Since there is no gear display I don’t know what current gear I’m in when it happens.

What are the signs of a bad Shift Solenoid?

One of the first symptoms of a bad or failing downshift solenoid is erratic shifting. If the downshift solenoid has any issues, it may cause the vehicle to behave erratically when downshifting. A bad or failing solenoid may cause the vehicle to experience hard or erratic shifting when slowing down or coming to a stop.

How to fix downshift clunk in Ford F150?

Using a small file I filed between each spline just a bit and cleaned it out REALLY good with brake clean. Dunked the spline end of the driveshaft in ATF and reinstalled. Drain the transfer case and refill with a good ATF.

What’s the difference between hard shift and downshift clunk?

The downshift clunk almost feels like it pushes the truck forward when I’ve almost stopped, and the display will show it going from 3rd to 1st gear. The hard shift from 1st to 2nd is worse when the tranny is cold, and gets better once it warms up.

Using a small file I filed between each spline just a bit and cleaned it out REALLY good with brake clean. Dunked the spline end of the driveshaft in ATF and reinstalled. Drain the transfer case and refill with a good ATF.

Perhaps you just have a bad tranny. I don’t know what’s causing it, but on at least 3 occasions I will be going from a complete stop to 30 mph when the transmission downshifts hard and I feel like I was just rear ended. Possibly going uphill? Since there is no gear display I don’t know what current gear I’m in when it happens.

One of the first symptoms of a bad or failing downshift solenoid is erratic shifting. If the downshift solenoid has any issues, it may cause the vehicle to behave erratically when downshifting. A bad or failing solenoid may cause the vehicle to experience hard or erratic shifting when slowing down or coming to a stop.

The downshift clunk almost feels like it pushes the truck forward when I’ve almost stopped, and the display will show it going from 3rd to 1st gear. The hard shift from 1st to 2nd is worse when the tranny is cold, and gets better once it warms up.

What does the downshift feel like on a truck?

Feels like the transmission is trying to “catch up” to the wheels and clunks when the gears mesh. As far as the downshift goes this really annoys me. With 10 speeds there is no excuse for rough shifting, up or down. What I have found that works best is that the truck doesn’t like surprises.

What happens when a downshift solenoid goes bad?

The downshift solenoid controls the transmission shifting from a higher gear to a lower gear, such as when the vehicle is slowing down to a stop. When the solenoid fails or has any issues, it can cause problems with the vehicle’s shifting.

Feels like the transmission is trying to “catch up” to the wheels and clunks when the gears mesh. As far as the downshift goes this really annoys me. With 10 speeds there is no excuse for rough shifting, up or down. What I have found that works best is that the truck doesn’t like surprises.

When does the downshift feel like getting rearended?

It can also happen when I am coasting down a hill then accelerate again. Feels like the transmission is trying to “catch up” to the wheels and clunks when the gears mesh. As far as the downshift goes this really annoys me. With 10 speeds there is no excuse for rough shifting, up or down.

What happens when downshift solenoid does not work?

If the downshift solenoid fails or has an issue, the vehicle may experience late shifting when slowing down. The transmission may stay engaged in a higher gear for an extended period of time when it should be downshifting. This will cause the engine to over rev, and may put additional unnecessary strain on the engine and transmission.

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Ruth Doyle