ever change the tranny fluid?

 

Not yet. Just got in 3 days ago

 

Btw, usaf retired too. 2017 escalade

 

probably a good place to start? thx for your service BTW do all the fluids

 

Absolutely
Thanks

 

If you just got the vehicle then the transmission may need to learn your driving habits.

If changing the fluids doesn't help then have the dealer perform a relearn on the transmission control module (basically a reset). That worked for me.

 

BTW I'm not a fan of messing with the transmission fluid. It has never helped me and sometimes made things worse. At 65K miles it should still be fine unless the truck was used for a lot of towing. IMHO

One more thought...it is possible but unlikely that changing the fluid will cure the hard shifting. The fluid is designed for the life of the transmission under normal conditions and 45,000 miles under "severe" conditions, which could be just about anything from very hot to very cold weather, lots of hills/mountains/towing/stop and go, etc. The computer adjusts the pressures to account for wear and tear so if it is shifting hard at 65k miles there is probably something wrong that won't be cured by changing the fluid (not flushing it). A relearn of the TCM might be all you need. Good luck.

 

Ordinarily this would be correct, but with this specific transmission, it took GM a couple years of intensive investigation to figure out their fluid was causing a litanny of issues. If you do not have the most recent revision of the transmission fluid, it could be the issue, or at least part of it.

Gears Magazine - What is Causing that? A Look at the GM 8L90's Most Common Concerns

Introduced in 2015, with a major update in 2018/19, the 8L90 is starting to appear in shops around the country. Used in numerous GM car and light truck applications, the 8L90 transmission and its little brother the 8L45 are a challenge even for the most experienced dealership or repair shops...

gearsmagazine.com

 

when i purchased by 15i, it had 52k miles and was shaking violently while driving. i changed the transmission fluid and it fixed the problem completely. i know its different than hard shifting, but what I am getting at is not to be afraid of the fluid change, its probably the cheapest option (besides relearn TCM)

 

This is certainly not what we like to hear, ariajohn0317. Please know, customer satisfaction is extremely important to us. Our team would be more than happy to take a closer look into the concerns with your 2017 Escalade. To do so, please send an email to socialmedia@gm.com with ATTN: ariajohn0317/Cadillac Forums in the subject line.

Please include your contact information, VIN, a brief description of your concern, and the name of your preferred dealership. We look forward to hearing from you. To learn more about GM’s privacy policy, please visit Privacy Statement | General Motors.

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www.gm.com

 

who is this cadillac cust service parrot? geez

 

 

I've been using amsoil atf with no problems. When i got the vehicle in December the first thing i did was replace all the fluids.

 

Lmao, every post was identical. I couldn't take it anymore. Ca caaw that sure is a pretty bird

 

All vehicles are potentially affected up until they finalized the fluid, which was sometime in 2018 I believe. To your point about the shudder coming back a year later, that would be my concern for atlantaacman, as the issue is a very slow build up of moisture. Amsoil makes great products, but there is no way of knowing if that specific formulation will work in this specific transmission with all its quirks, other than to wait and see I guess.

Update for 8 speed trans torque converter shudder in...

Cadillac is labeling this issue TCS for short. Like many others here, I reported this issue in my car, which first manifested itself at about 35-36K miles. There is a specific TBS from Cadillac for this issue, # NA-18-355. It's about 23 pages of dialogue, so yes-they know there is an issue...

www.cadillacforums.com

 

I will definitely speak up if i notice any irregularities. One thing i noticed is that amsoil makes 2 types of atf for vehicles, one with a red label which is for older vehicles and is thicker, and blue label which is for newer vehicles and is thinner. I think i recall reading that the newer fluid is thinner due to fuel economy standards being higher (just like the 0w20 oil). My last vehicle used the red and the Escalade uses the blue. I didn't flush the tranny by no means, i originally drained as much as i could, replaced filter, measured amount removed and added same anount back. Then i had extra fluid so i basically drained on 2 more occasions a month or two apart and added same amount back, now i have none left so will leave be for the time being as it's mostly new. Each time 6 to 7 quarts would be replaced. Out of all the different fluids in the vehicle the transmission fluid looked the best prior to changing. I also did a fliud level check according to a gm service bulletin. These are the bulletins i could find. Seems like the moisture tsb may actually be a coolant leak! How else would glycol mix with transmission fluid, Bad radiator! I

 

Not sure how moisture gets in the trans fluid unless it is coming through the radiator.