4L80e Shift Solenoid Symptoms: How to Know if it Went Bad and What You Can Do About It

What are the faulty 4L80e shift solenoid symptoms? The most common one is delayed gear shift. However, some other subtle signs can indicate that the 4L80e shift solenoid of your car is damaged. If you know about all these signs, you can easily detect what’s wrong with your vehicle and take care of it before further problems arise. Keep reading this article to find out everything you need to detect and fix a faulty 4L80e shift solenoid This entire write-up is the guide you were looking for.

So, let’s get right into it.

Bad 4L80e Shift Solenoid Symptoms: Common Signs to Look Out For

a quick overview for 4L80e Shift Solenoid Symptoms
4L80e Shift Solenoid Symptoms

Shift solenoid is responsible for providing a sufficient amount of transmission fuel into the system in order to get the engine running. However, it can go bad for some reasons. Knowing about all the symptoms of a faulty 4L80e shift solenoid will help you determine the issue. Check out the below to know everything about it.

Symptom 1: Delayed Gear Shifting

A delay in gear shifting is an irritating situation where there is a noticeable duration between shifting the gear and the car’s movement. In other words, if your car doesn’t instantly respond after shifting the gear, it can mean that the shift solenoid is faulty.

When your 4L80e solenoid doesn’t get the fuel running in the right way, it can cause this gear shift.

Symptom 2: Transmission not Downshifting/Upshifting

4L80e shift solenoid may not facilitate the shift of gears at all if it’s faulty. You may face difficulty moving the gears to upshift or downshift. Usually, the gear gets kind of choppy and rough.

However, in some cases, the gear moves freely, but the car doesn’t move at all.

This issue also makes shifting hard at too high or too low RPM.

In certain cases, the transmission just gets stuck in neutral. It actually depends on the intensity of damage your shift solenoid has endured. If it is partially damaged, it will allow you to move the gear a bit but not entirely. In extreme cases, the gear just gets stuck in neutral.

Symptom 3: The Check Engine Light/Transmission Warning Light Is On

The blinking Check Engine light is the most apparent sign of a problematic 4L80e. This indicator usually lights up whenever the engine has a transmission problem. A transmission problem occurs when the shift solenoid fails to work correctly.

For this reason, if you find the check engine light blinking while some other symptom is present as well, it is more or less certain that the shift solenoid is faulty.

Some vehicles even have a dedicated transmission warning light. If this sign lights up, it means there is something wrong with the flow of the transmission fluid. In other words, the transmission warning light tells you that the shift solenoid is faulty.

Symptom 4: Car Gets into Limp Mode

If you suddenly find that some secondary components of your car, such as the AC or radio, are turned off on their own, and the vehicle’s speed reduces automatically, it means your car has gone into limp mode. This is a security feature of the vehicle. It activates when the transmission control gets into a problem. And, as you know, the transmission issue occurs in case the shift solenoid doesn’t work properly.

So, if your car goes into limp mode, check the transmission control unit. However, if the shift solenoid is not the reason, the problem, in this case, is with the engine.

Symptom 5: Jerky/Erratic Shifting

A broken 4L80e shift solenoid may inconsistently supply the fuel in the system.

If the vehicle’s transmission fails, the engine experiences rough shifting while driving. In such a situation, make sure to check the shift solenoid. Why? Because this solenoid is responsible for controlling the flow of fuel in the system.

Mainly these are the symptoms that tell if the 4L80e shift solenoid is faulty or not. But what to do once you identify these issues? You replace the component.

This Video Will Help You Too!

How To Replace Faulty 4L80e Shift Solenoid

Removing the transmission fluid pan can solve the issue sometimes. However, it is safe to replace the entire shift solenoid to fix the problem for good. The whole replacement will cost you around $40 if you do it all by yourself.

Here’s how to replace a faulty 4L80e shift solenoid,

Step 1: Drop the transmission oil pan

The first thing you must do here is to remove the transmission oil pan. It is essential to evacuate all the fuel to work with the solenoids.

Here, place a plate/jar/bucket right under the transmission pan. Then slowly loosen up the bolts holding the pan in its place. Once the bolts are out of the way, remove the transmission oil pan and wait for all the liquid to get out of it. Get to the next step once there is no dripping.

Step 2: Locate the shift solenoid

You now have to find the shift solenoid. It is a component in the valve body assembly. Once the transmission is empty, look within it to detect the shift solenoid.

Step 3: Remove the shift solenoid

Removing the faulty shift solenoid is easy. Firstly, detach all the wirings connected to the solenoid and then remove the 4 (or more) screws holding the part in its place.

Once all the screws are removed, preserve them in a safe place. The shift solenoid should be loose now, and you can just lightly pull it to remove the component from its site.

Step 4: Mount and install a new solenoid

Once the old solenoid is out of the way, it’s time to mount the new one. Hold the new shift solenoid in the position of the previous one and plug in all the wiring. After that, screw it on the position.

Make sure the solenoid perfectly fits before proceeding to the next step.

Step 5: Put everything back in its place

After the new shift solenoid is mounted in the right location, you are done with the replacement process. All there’s left to do is wrap everything up.

Put the transmission oil pan back in its original position and screw it tight like it was at the beginning.

And now, fill in the fuel and start your car. If you’ve managed to pull off every step accordingly, your car shouldn’t have any problem starting and moving at the perfect pace.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why does the 4L80e shift solenoid go bad?

Usually, the common reasons behind a faulty 4L80e shift solenoid are the electrical issue, contaminated transmission fluid, and a clogged/dirty transmission system.
An electrical issue makes the shift solenoid useless, as it can’t send the signals. Contaminated transmission fluid damages the component from the inside. And the dirty transmission system slowly affects the shift solenoid and causes internal damage to it.

How to save the 4L80e shift solenoid from damage?

You can easily save the 4L80e shift solenoid of your car from all kinds of damage by maintaining a few simple things.
Firstly, always use the best-in-class wire for the solenoid.
Secondly, never use dirty or bad fuel as transmission oil.
Finally, clean the transmission system at least once a year. Just empty the transmission and lightly scrape off all the gunk and clogged dirt.
These should keep your shift solenoid healthy for the years to come.

Can you drive a car with a faulty shift solenoid?

In some cases, yes, you can drive a car even with a damaged shift solenoid. But it is recommended not to do so. A partially damaged shift solenoid will provide an inconsistent flow of fuel to the engine. As a result of that, the car will have rough shifting and stall. In worst cases, your vehicle may even stop and run with a significant gap in the middle.

Conclusion

Driving a car with faulty components is not only irritating but very dangerous as well. Shift solenoid is one such important part. Fortunately, if you have given this entire article a proper read, you now know all about faulty 4L80e shift solenoid symptoms. If you suspect your car has this problem, pay attention to all the signs. Even if you discover that the shift solenoid of your car is indeed damaged, there’s nothing to worry about. You can always fix the problem by simply replacing it following the method mentioned here. Just be attentive, and everything should go smoothly.

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