Steve and the guys at Transmission Hero are terrific! He saved me big $$! I took my 2018 Chevy Silverado there to get a transmission fluid service done because I had the “Chevy Shakes”, and I wanted to see if that would help. There were codes on my code-reader that didn’t make any sense, along with the “Random Misfires” code. I was fully expecting the verdict would wind up being that I’d need a new 6L80 transmission. But Steve’s integrity came out right away. Steve said we should not do a fluid change until we first do diagnostics and see the whole picture. He’s a talker… and very dogmatic, so be patient and listen to him… he definitely has tons of experience in this. He explained to me that many Chevy/GMC 5.3L V-8 engines have Active Fuel Management (AFM), and that the AFM programming in the Engine Control Module (ECM) and the over-complicated programming in the Transmission ECM (TECM) can cause the Torque Converter to lock & unlock too much; there’s too much “noise”. The shifting from V-8 to 4-cylinder (and back), changing speeds, braking, all cause constant Torque Converter “chatter”, and I could definitely feel it. It was shakin’ & shuddering! So they first ran diagnostics, and very importantly, live diagnostics while driving it so they could see the converter chattering, engine misfires, live data, etc. He told me there’s likely ‘nothing wrong with your transmission’, but we need to quiet the “noise.” He proposed an AFM Delete. Not the cheap little thing you get on Amazon, mind you (those don’t work well), he was able to re-flash the ECM & TECM to remove the AFM programming, improve the transmission function, and also we went with new plugs, coils, and wires; BAM! No more shimmy, shimmy, cocoa-pop! No codes on the OBD-II Scanner/Code reader! Now I have one smooth running pick’em up truck with a V-8 that’s a full-time V-8, not dropping cylinders due to AFM. And… not sure why, but over the 2 weeks since we got this great resolution, it’s getting better fuel mileage too! What I thought was going to be a very expensive problem, Transmission Hero got me out the door for a fraction of the expected costs. Thanks Steve.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a detailed review. This is exactly what we want people to understand about Transmission Hero: we diagnose first, we don’t automatically sell a transmission. Your 2018 Chevrolet Silverado came in with the classic “Chevy Shake,” random misfire concerns, and converter shudder that easily could have been mistaken for a failing 6L80. Instead of jumping straight to a rebuild, we road-tested it with live data, watched what the engine and converter were actually doing, and found the bigger picture. The combination of AFM cylinder deactivation, engine misfires, and aggressive torque-converter lockup activity was creating the shudder and poor drivability. By correcting the ignition issues, programming the 5.3L to stay in full V8 mode, and recalibrating the transmission/torque-converter strategy, we were able to eliminate the problem without rebuilding a transmission that didn’t need it. That’s the part of this review that means the most to us: you came in expecting a major transmission bill and left with the right repair instead. We appreciate your patience with me talking through all the details 😂 and, more importantly, we appreciate your trust. Enjoy that smooth-running Silverado, and thank you for choosing Transmission Hero in Orange Park for Chevrolet Silverado transmission diagnostics, 6L80 torque-converter shudder, AFM programming, and drivability repair. We appreciate your patience, your business, and the amazing review. Enjoy the Silverado, and thank you again for supporting Transmission Hero!
- Transmission Hero