What are the symptoms of a sticking valve body?

Author: Mrs. Iva Connelly  |  Last update: Thursday, April 10, 2025

One of the most common symptoms of a failing transmission valve body is a delay in shifting or harsh shifting. Usually called garage shifts, it's when there is a harsh shift from park to drive or drive to reverse. Try to limit the number of times you are in that situation, even if it means backing into the garage.

How do you know if your valve body is bad?

Valve body symptoms. Know the signs before replacing it. A bad valve body will cause a banging or knocking noise from the automatic transmission when braking, at lower speed or when gears are changing. Bad valve body will cause rough shift, delayed shift, spontaneous downshift or upshift, shift in incorrect gears etc.

What causes a transmission valve body to stick?

The most common cause of a sticky valve is poor cooling. High operating temperatures can cause components in the valve body to break down much faster than expected. Extreme heat and carbon deposits cause stickiness among throttle valves, transmission governors or modulator valves on older cars.

What are the symptoms of the valve body failure of the 68rfe?

Problems with the valve body can cause shifting issues, including delayed or harsh shifts. Clutch pack failure: The clutch packs are responsible for engaging and disengaging different gears in the transmission. If they wear out or fail, the transmission may slip, shudder, or fail to engage properly.

What is the most common problem with the 68RFE?

Overheating can cause a number of different issues, including slipping gears, a burning smell, and even complete transmission failure. Another common problem that can occur with the 68RFE transmission is torque converter shudder. Torque converter shudder is often caused by a failing torque converter clutch.

How To Tell Valve Body Is Bad and Failing In an Automatic Transmission

Will a bad valve body throw a code on Nissan?

Since the transmission valve system is responsible for many transmission functions, various transmission-related trouble codes may appear. These are P0715, P0751, P0783, P0829 and P2707.

Can you Drive with a bad transmission valve body?

While your car is still going to work, driving with a faulty transmission valve body can be risky and may lead to complete transmission failure over time. Short distances might be fine, but you'll immediately notice a poorer driving experience due to gear slippage or unresponsive shifting.

What are the symptoms of a bad torque converter?

How to detect a torque converter failure: Top-6 signs of trouble
  • Loss of acceleration.
  • Slipping between gears.
  • Vehicle refuses to shift.
  • Transmission is overheating.
  • Transmission fluid is leaking.
  • Transmission fluid contamination.

How do you fix a sticky valve?

If you have lots of ticking and it runs ruff then it can be a colapsed lifter, low oil pressure or a worn out cam and lifters!! Now if it is really a stuck valve, then the easy way to treat is a can of sea foam in the tank and another can slowly poured in the top of the carb with the engine at about 2000rpm.

What does a bad valve body sound like?

Banging or Knocking Sounds

If you hear a banging or knocking sound as your gears change while accelerating (up-shifts) or slowing down (down-shifts) or when putting your car into reverse, that may be an indication of a faulty valve body.

How do I know if my TCM is faulty?

Unpredictable Shifting: A bad TCM can cause incorrect or unintended shifting. For example, it might downshift or upshift when it shouldn't. Failure to Change Gears: A bad TCM could also fail to change gears at all. For instance, if it stays in neutral or park, this is a sign of a faulty TCM.

What are symptoms of low transmission fluid?

If your gears are slipping, it's a clear sign your car's running low on transmission fluid. When experiencing sudden up and down shifts, high RPMs right before shifting, or erratic shifting, seek assistance from your local service center to prevent your transmission from overheating or becoming damaged.

How do you test a valve body?

There are several ways to check valve bodies for wear: wet air tests, wiggle tests, deflection measurements, vacuum gauges or the hydraulic test stand, the last of which is the focus of this article.

Will a sticking valve cause a misfire?

Sticking Valve:

Generally, a sticking valve on this engine family will cause an engine misfire that may or may not be felt and it may occur consistently or intermittently.

Does seafoam clean intake valves?

Sea Foam Spray delivers a high cleaning concentration to carburetor throttle valves, intake runners and valves, and chamber areas.

How to tell if it's the torque converter or transmission?

If you notice any of the following symptoms, you may have a faulty torque converter rather than transmission problems:
  1. Engine stalling when slowing down or idling.
  2. Lurching or jerking during gear shifts.
  3. Excessive vibration when idling.
  4. Dark or dirty transmission fluid.
  5. A burning smell.

Will a bad torque converter show a code?

A bad torque converter does not always throw a code. Related torque converter codes have to do with the torque converter clutch and other issues with the torque converter so are less likely to throw a code.

How do I know if I need new valve body?

If you notice that your car is shifting gears unpredictably or slipping between gears, it could indicate a damaged valve body. This problem occurs when the valve body fails to direct the flow of transmission fluid correctly, leading to inconsistent pressure and clutch activation.

How much does it cost to fix a valve body?

According to the American Automobile Association (AAA) the cost for complete transmission valve body replacement ranges from $300 and $1000 on average. For more accurate cost calculations based on your specific vehicle's make, model, and year use the “Fix or Trade” calculator on their website here.

How long can you Drive with bad valve lifters?

Over time, this can result in more costly repairs or even complete engine failure. If you find yourself needing to drive your vehicle despite having bad lifters, it's advisable to do so only for short distances and at low speeds.

What does it feel like when a transmission valve body is bad?

One of the most common symptoms of a failing transmission valve body is a delay in shifting or harsh shifting. Usually called garage shifts, it's when there is a harsh shift from park to drive or drive to reverse. Try to limit the number of times you are in that situation, even if it means backing into the garage.

Will a clogged EGR valve throw a code?

Check engine light: as with most engine management components, a problem with the EGR valve may trigger the check engine light. Engine performance issues: if the valve is stuck open the vehicle's air-fuel ratio will be disrupted causing engine performance issues such as reduced power, poor acceleration and rough idle.

What can cause valves in a valve body to stick?

Corrosion on the valve body or seat can also cause the control valve to stick.

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