I just picked a 98 Cavalier coupe with 74k for $800 that is not bad overall other than needing tires from them having shifted belts. I cleared the check engine light ( code P1870)when I got it so it could be inspected and it went through fine after only driving for about an hour and the light was off for about 4 days until the first time I took it on the highway and it came on again same code. I know the code is for a trans component slipping but this trans shifts great and lockup seems to work OK. Well today I was driving at about 45 MPH steady , light throttle and it started shuddering like it was running out of gas so I pulled over and unplugged the TCC and it went away and I drove another 20 miles or so and no shudder and no check engine light or pending codes. I am thinking the TCC solenoid is gving up the ghost and saw a TSB for 2000 Cavalier with same powertrain and it mentions TCC shudder from a weak solenoid so I think it is the same issue on mine but wanted some other opinions first. I can get the solenoid and gasket for $35 from a local supply I deal with at my buddy's shop where I do my work and use his lift and I was also going to change the filter and flush the trans with his tranny flusher and cross my fingers. Any thoughts???

I looked up that code. Of course it does not tell much :transmission component slipping". I would call either a dealer or a transmission shop and tell them what your getting and see if they can give you some help.



FU Tuning

Well I was driving it today and the light went on again !!!!! This trans is NOT slipping at all and I do not know if the TCC being unplugged wil cause it or not. I hate this car already LOL

TCC solenoids have been problematic in the 3T40 for years, although they're less problematic in newer vehicles than they used to be. If all it will cost you is $35 for the solenoid/gasket, I'd say go for it. It's worth it if only as an excuse to flush/change the filter.




1989 Z24 Convertible - Dust Covered
2006 tC - Dust Covered, but driven more

I am going to do all this tomorrow plus 2 front bearing as they are just starting to growl and I am in no mood to work on this once it gets cold out. I still think I did OK as I will have around $1400-1475 in it including the car and you do not get much for that with 75k miles, cold air and not all smashed and junked up. And after looking in the paper at ones around $2200 I looked at in that price range did have as many new parts or miles as low as this one. Plus getting 10-12mpg more than my Ridgeline is nice too.

I got the solenoid done yesterday, and when I took off the sidecover and pan the good news was there was no junk in there nice and clean which tells me I am on the right track with the solenoid. The bad news is I decided to replace the mounts too and the trans mount has a 10mm bolt in the middle which stops it from spinning and it would not budge and I ended up using an air chisel to get the mount spinning and off the mounting stud and got the bolt loose but unfortunately the damn bolt stripped out when I tried to tighten it. Now I am off to the dealer today to hopefully get another bracket and bolt or try to tap the old one and put in a new bolt. This is a real crap design, I hope I never have to go through this again on my car. I will post again after I get finished with it today to let you know how the car is with all the new parts.

Well now I have replaced all 3 mounts as well as 4 tires ( tires not related to code but were bad)and a pair of front bearings and also flushed trans and changed filter as well as the TCC solenoid and guess what came back on?? P1870 code !!!!!!! I am going to borrow a Genesys scanner from work and drive this around and see what is happening now. I am about through with this thing. I have about $1400 in it now between tires etc not counting my time of doing all the work and am about ready to sell it and lose a few hundred just to make my headache go away. Worst part is thsi car only has 75k on it and my last Corolla had 390k when junked and had half as much work done to it as this not bashing just facts, this is a nice car and gets great mileage but having a car that has to "cheated" through emissions every year is a pain in the A$$ even if I am the one testing it not to mention the fact the light is so annoying that you begin to ignore it and when there is a REAL problem you do not know because you get tired of resetting the light once a week. I am open to any and all suggestions at thsi point in regards to this but my money supply for this is about gone so I am trying to avoid spending anymore.

I finally fixed it !!!!!!! What a mess this was, I finally found a friend who works in a tranny shop who was honest and looked at it and told me it did NOT need a converter but it 99.9% more likely had a wiring issue or bad 3rd gear clutch pressure switch and printed out some info from Allldata and I followed what it said for the wiring and it turned out to need a 3rd gear clutch pressure switch which cost $7.09 from a local dealer and solved my problems. If you get one of these doing this check the 2 terminals on the trans case with an ohm meter and see what the resistance is. According to Alldata it should be between 19-31 ohms mine was ALL resistance whihc indicated either a broken wire in the trans harness or a bad 3rd switch. I wonder how many trans shops made a small fortune doing "rebuilds" and just replaced this switch and crossed their fingers???

Well this is acting up again. I used this car for 2 weeks straight everyday and then off and on since and put around 1200 miles on it and today the light went on again for P1870 trans slipping. NO lockup again, I am going to check it again tomorrow to see what is wrong this time. I will post again when I know more. I am thinking the aftermarket solenoid I put in for the TCC crapped out. If so I will call the dealer and get a new one and a new harness too and hopefully be doen with this mess once and for all. This really sucks as I just got 2001 Z24 seats, door panels and power windows/locks and harnesses for $80 and in perfect shape from the upullit I work at. I did the seats and a 2000+ console/shifter and it is starting to look pretty nice too. My old seats were not bad but I really liked the z24 pattern better and could not say no to the price.

Well it has a problem in the trans wiring / solenoid / pressure switch as there is ZERO resistance in the circuit and it should 19-31 ohms resistance. I am going to get another pressure switch and TCC solenoid w'harness from GM . I am fixing the computer for the guy who owns a trans shop and he said if it still has problems after that to bring him the trans and he will rebuild it for free for me as he hates to beaten on fixing something.