Pontiac Repair: 2000 pontiac montana, pontiac montana, valve body

Question
Todd,
Sometimes my Montana will shift hard jump or(slam)when in shifting in the first two gears. Once past those gears it is fine. It happens especially in stop and go traffic. It will happen if I slow and do not come to a complete stop and then accelerate. I know that may sound like a "rolling stop" but I would never break the law like that. Sometime to correct I can shut the van off and restart and then it will not jump. One none GM mechanic said I would probably have to have the trans rebuilt.

Answer
Hey Dion:

I'm not a transmission technician but I know what's more than likely wrong with your van. has the service engine light come on? does this happen more when the van is hot? If so it needs a pressure control solenoid in the transmission. If this van has a ton of miles on it I would also recomend a valve body as well if it doesn't have a lot of miles you can more than likely get away with just the solenoid. This is a pretty common issue with this transmission that model year. The fact that if you turn the van off and back on again and it shifts okay is a good clue that you can get away with just the solenoid and not the valve body. Good luck :)