Vibration 2017 Camaro SS disappears after longer drives

[TomAnderson12]

Hi,
I have a Camaro 2017 SS. Recently it has started to have some sort of vibration when I am driving at moderately high speeds (45mph+). The vibration seems to disappear if I release the gas or increase it. The problem also only occurs when the car needs to produce a moderate power output, such as driving up a hill or accelerating. The other weird thing is that if I take the car for a longer drive, the problem will disappear after approximately 45 minutes, but reappears after a week of only shorter drives.

I would greatly appreciate peoples thoughts on what they think might be wrong.

[Olivergt]

Can you describe where or how you are feeling the vibration?

Do you feel it in the steering wheel?

Do you feel it through the seat?

Is it at the front or the back of the car?

When was the last time you had the wheels balanced?

The more information you can provide, the more likely someone will be able to help.

[LuS1fer]

Auto or manual and where is the vibration coming from.

[TomAnderson12]

I’ll try to describe it as good as I can:

I can feel the vibration in both the steering wheel and the seat.
The vibration comes from the front of the car.
The wheels were balanced about 6 months ago.
The car is an automatic.

[Panamax]

TomAnderson12 said:

The car is an automatic.

I'm guessing that's the 8-speed auto on a 2017 and that the car has AFM (Active Fuel Management - cylinder deactivation for economy cruising).

Is it a Euro car or a personal import? This can affect how the AFM works.

You need to google GM 8-speed automatic transmission shudder AFM, but you won't like what you find. Your rather expensive torque converter is at risk.

If this is your problem you need to,

• Avoid letting the vibration occur, either by using Manual gear shifting mode or by changing speed/throttle position.
• Investigate a transmission fluid change to the latest spec' GM fluid. NB: Not any fluid; the latest correct fluid. It's expensive.
• Consider buying a Range AFM device (it just plugs into OBD port) to de-activate the AFM and keep the engine in V8 mode.

I repeat - do not allow the vibration to occur. As you've already identified you can make it go away by appropriate use of the controls.

[TomAnderson12]

Panamax said:

I'm guessing that's the 8-speed auto on a 2017 and that the car has AFM (Active Fuel Management - cylinder deactivation for economy cruising).

Is it a Euro car or a personal import? This can affect how the AFM works.

You need to google GM 8-speed automatic transmission shudder AFM, but you won't like what you find. Your rather expensive torque converter is at risk.

Thanks for your answer. Looks like you pointed out my problem. You are right about it being the 8-speed auto and the car is a personal import. The way i undersand this I am going to try and have my transmission fluid flushed, and if that does not work I will have to change the torque converter. Do you agree?

[Panamax]

TomAnderson12 said:

The way i understand this I am going to try and have my transmission fluid flushed, and if that does not work I will have to change the torque converter. Do you agree?

As you probably know, a simple fluid change only changes about 2/3 of the fluid because the other 1/3 remains sitting in the torque converter (TQ) and doesn't drain out.

However, you don't need to get into any "flushing". A simple change to the latest fluid should put a mix of fluids in your transmission that's good enough to solve the problem. You may need to drive the car for a few hundred miles afterwards for it to settle down because the new fluid needs to impregnate clutch surfaces etc.

If a single fluid change doesn't solve the problem then the next step would be to repeat with another fluid change, further diluting the "old" fluid. A fluid change is likely to cost around £500 in UK for the real thing. Seems pricey, but a whole lot cheaper than getting into TQ replacement so not worth cutting corners.

As mentioned previously your transmission shouldn't be coming to any harm so long as you eliminate shudder by adjusting your driving - pending a permanent solution.

[TomAnderson12]

Panamax said:

As you probably know, a simple fluid change only changes about 2/3 of the fluid because the other 1/3 remains sitting in the torque converter (TQ) and doesn't drain out.


As mentioned previously your transmission shouldn't be coming to any harm so long as you eliminate shudder by adjusting your driving - pending a permanent solution.

Cool, thanks for the help!

[TomAnderson12]

So a while ago, I started feeling a vibration in my steering wheel when I was in the bottom of hills. The vibration would occur when the engine was running at about 1500 RPM. Sometimes it will only last for a second, but other time it can last for longer. The vibration will stop once I come over the top of the hill, or I can accelerate out of it. At first, I thought the problem was the A8 torque converter problem caused by GMs original transmission fluid. However, when I took the car to the shop they told me that the previous owner had changed the transmission fluid and when they took it for a test drive; they could not find any symptoms of a bad torque converter on their measuring tools. I’ve also ruled out that it does not have to do with the cylinder deactivation. Another thing I find to be weird is that after the car has been taken for a longer drive, 1+ hour, the shudder seams to disappear for a while. However, it comes back after a couple of shorter drives.

So my current thought is that it has to do with the flexplate maybe being cracked, lose or bent. It would be much appreciated if anyone have any thoughts on what is going on?

[PositronicRay]

Flex discs aren't difficult to replace, have you looked at it?

[TomAnderson12]

PositronicRay said:

Flex discs aren't difficult to replace, have you looked at it?

No, not yet. It was first today that I started suspecting the Flex disc. I do not have the tools to do it myself, so i wanted to see if I could become more certain whether the flex disc was the problem or not before taking it to the shop.

[PositronicRay]

TomAnderson12 said:

PositronicRay said:

Flex discs aren't difficult to replace, have you looked at it?

No, not yet. It was first today that I started suspecting the Flex disc. I do not have the tools to do it myself, so i wanted to see if I could become more certain whether the flex disc was the problem or not before taking it to the shop.

Just a visual inspection to start with. Front takes more hammering than the rear.

ETA I would hope whoever checked the trans would have had a squint at them, sometimes there's a cover or something in the way.

Edited by PositronicRay on Sunday 10th July 09:06