I did some searching on the forum but I would like some opinions please.
I have a 97 1500, 360, with 160,000 miles. I just bought the truck last week. I was told a rebuilt tranny (automatic) was installed in December. I have no reason to doubt this as the shifts are real quick and crisp. When it is cold, instead of shifting at 2500rpm or so it goes to about 3000-3200 before it will shift in all gears. after it warms up it shifts at the 2500 mark. From the reading I have done this seems fairly normal. Is that correct? Or should I have some concerns about that?

The other thing and this is more of my concern. Sometimes when I give it a little gas the truck will downshift then almost right away shift back to the previous gear. I almost feel that it is in an "in between spot" and that it is just at the right point for this to happen. It dosen't always do it, just sometimes. Am I worrying about it for nothing or should I get it looked at.

At some point (probably tomorrow) I will be installing an aftermarket tranny cooler to suppliment the current one. From what I have read this is a very good idea. I don't tow anything, but I would like to be safe.

Thanks

 

i drive very easy, and mine shifts to 2nd, then 3rd at about 2000-2200. i never mash the gas any harder than that, so i can't answer your first question. check what trans you have. the later years have the 46re which is hyrdaulic for 1-2 and 2-3, then electronic controlled for tc lockup and 3-4(od). yours might be a 46rh, which is all hydraulic pressure control. you may have a hi-perf shift kit that is involved too.

mine hunts between 1st and 2nd when its cold, and when i'm climbing a hill going out of the neighborhood every morning. once it warms up it quits doing that. do a search on tps, there are a lot of posts and a bad tps can tell the transmission you are stomping the gas when your really not. also search on the kick down adjustment. it might also be called TV cable (throttle valve ?).

cooler is a good idea. some advise to also remove the check valve. search on cooler, there are several recent threads with pictures.

 

+1 on the TV cable adjustment for kicking down.

 

I adjusted the TV cable and that seemed to help, if not cure the problem. So far, so good.
A tip for people that may come across this in a search. Make sure you get under the truck and make sure that the lever on the transmission is all the way forward (you will know what I am talking about after looking at it on the transmission). At first it seemed that the cable was pretty close in adjustment until I move the lever on the transmission. After that it was clear that it needed to be adjusted.

Thanks for the help.