What's wrong with my tranny!
 

so i have an 01 auto and i've had this hesitation / no torque b/w 2k-35 symptom for the longest time....more apparent in warmer temperatures
This afternoon i decided to drive the car with the over drive off and holy crap! it felt like a completely different animal It pulled harder and overall felt 10x more powerful and smoother....i know the high revs had a lot to do with it but still i was really impressed.
To sum it up
with the OD ON
- car feels powerless b/w 2k and 3.5k. Hesitates to accelerate if i'm driving b/w 30 and 40 mph and decide to accelerate.....it will jump from 2k (going at 30-40 mph) to 3K accompanied with a distinctive humming sound. Acceleration after that point is slow and noisy. The sound goes away once i go past 3k.
- to "pull" out of the hesitation, i have to punch the paddle all the way down after which point the car pulls off really hard..
-no noticable hesitation if i accelerate hard from a dead stop.

With the OD OFF
- Car pulled extremely well.
-no hesitation
- no jerkiness

what the heck am i looking at here? Is my torque converter shot? or do i need a new tranny solenoid pack?

I was contemplating changes the MAF sensor but now im not sure

please advise!

Why are you driving with the overdrive on? Isn't overdrive simply a high end gear at high speeds to save fuel....at the expense of low end torque. I dont think I have ever driven with the OD on. I was never sure about OD so can someone please clarify what we are supposed to be doing here and when.

Since you have a 5th gen , MAF sensor is always an issue , check for that...Another point is the TPS , which has a direct effect on shift points and acceleration,BTW do you have any codes ?

so,check : MAF , TPS , PLUGS , and ohh, knock sensor , before accusing the tranny....
just my 2 cents

but if it is the maf i should have had the hesitation problem even with the OD off, but i don't
@geenowalker: the overdrive is always on by default. When you turn if off the car only goes up to the 2nd last gear.... in my case, 3rd.

interesting cuz my tranny acts up like that sometimes too, interested to see what the problem might be