Reprogramming Trans on 09 w/5.3

[PatDTN]

I suspect it has to do with meeting CAFE standards and saving gas. If I take off from a light somewhat briskly things are great. Almost nobody else does that so that's rarely what happens. Instead we leave a light on idle and a little while later start to gain some speed. By that time my truck has shifted up several gears. Gaining speed doesn't happen smoothly. I press the gas harder and harder as grandmothers in beater cars pull away from me. Finally just before the pedal hits the floor it'll downshift several times and take off like a scalded cat. Of course I have to lift to keep from rear ending granny. When I do it immediately shifts up to a gear it will NOT accelerate in. Lather, rinse, repeat.

I know I could stick the shifter into manual but who wants to do that all the time?

Driving on the interstate holds similar issues. Come to a grade and the speed starts dropping. It takes an act of (a divided) Congress to just keep up. Cruise control swings by about 5 mph from 3 under to 2 over. I actually do use manual mode on my commute so I can downshift at several known grades. Then it's fine.

Can the transmission be programmed to respond reasonably? I'm not looking for high performance, just driveability.

 

[swathdiver]

Pat, you're a great candidate for a Black Bear tune. The shifts have more to do with Torque Management than CAFE standards. Your truck does indeed sound more sluggish than its supposed to be. You may have other problems though, how many miles, when were the fluids changed and do you have access to a scan tool or Tech2?

 

[Rocket Man]

Blackbear tune time for sure.

 

[PatDTN]

I'm at 170K miles. I bought it with over 150K miles a year ago on the 4th of July. I don't know much about its history and haven't changed the trans fluid. It seems to work well except it really wants to upshift and save gas. No access to any decent scan tools. I have a blue tooth scanner for the obdII port but no fault codes there.

Thanks. Will it hurt my gas mileage much? I drive an hour each way to work, almost all inters

Pat, you're a great candidate for a Black Bear tune. The shifts have more to do with Torque Management than CAFE standards. Your truck does indeed sound more sluggish than its supposed to be. You may have other problems though, how many miles, when were the fluids changed and do you have access to a scan tool or Tech2?

 

[swathdiver]

Transmission fluid should have been changed at 100k. I did mine at 117k and have been good. Plugs, wires and differential(s) if you have 4WD should be done too.

The tune is customizable, but generally speaking, the increased performance usually results in increased fuel economy.

A good scan tool like the Tech2 can be had for around $300 these days and will allow you to diagnose just about any problem that crops up in minutes and not days or weeks of wasted time and money.

What part of the country do you live? Black Bear does in person tunes across the nation and maybe someone from this forum has a Tech2 and lives nearby.

 

[PatDTN]

I'm near Knoxville, TN. In fact that's where I commute to from Baneberry weekdays. I'm pretty pleased with the performance from my 5.3. I do dream of being forced to replace it with a 6 or 6.2. No money for that kind of thing though.



Pat in Tennessee

 

[swathdiver]

Yeah, I'd like to turn my 5.3 into a 6.6 with a supercharger or go Duramax. What kind of mileage do you average on that run?

 

[PatDTN]

I'm getting around 18.5 average per tank mostly cruising at 75 on the interstate and a bit of around town driving now.


Pat in Tennessee

 

[Rocket Man]

Yeah, I'd like to turn my 5.3 into a 6.6 with a supercharger or go Duramax. What kind of mileage do you average on that run?

You can actually use a Whipple 2.9l supercharger and make your 5.3 an 8.2.

 

[PatDTN]

You can actually use a Whipple 2.9l supercharger and make your 5.3 an 8.2.

I'm thinking a) not going to be compatible with regular gas, and b) not gonna last long on my 175000 mile motor. Fun though for a couple of days I bet. :-D


Pat in Tennessee