Blkjesus

FOREPLAY / BUILDUP

1. "Oil Filter" just hit 0% - I know, I took it in two weeks ago to have the "fluids changed" and Chevy just changed out the tranny [at 48,000 mi] and did not change the oil [which was at 15% life] - unfortunately, Chevy cant get me back in for another 2 weeks
2. I live in Colorado and this weekend we stayed at a friends cabin located at 11,000' elevation and we just got hit with 25" of snow over the last two days and the temps dipped into the low teens and we do not have a garage, there was no plow service at the house, so we were pushing snow for 3 miles until we got into the driveway [which is not the 'norm', but it was an abnormal snow fall and there were no snow plows ready] - MEANING: there was an abnormal amount of ice/snow built-up on and around the chassis

PLAY BY PLAY

• Because of the temps, I prewarmed the truck while I was shoveling the driveway for about 15 minutes
• I heard a slight knocking [not engine] but more reminiscent of ice caked around the tranny/transfer case
• When I got into the truck, I engaged the tranny by shifting down into D - there was an 'off' feel about the shifting
• I was in 4x4 high because of the steep driveway (I reversed in 4x4 high the night before so I could just put it into drive and head out in the morning without having to shift)
• I tried cycling through the shifting from R to D to L to see if there was still resistance and there was
• I drove up the driveway (about 50') and proceeded to put the truck in park at the top of the driveway on flat ground [in the road] - monitoring the tranny temp at 60° F (outside temp 27° F)
• Drove down the hill, allowed tranny to slowly get up to 120° F in temp and I shut down the engine, and turned back on, still would not shift into L but the shifting was fluid (normal)
• I REMEMBERED THE LOW OIL FILTER LIFE AND CHECKED IT, IT WAS AT 0%, SO I THOUGHT THERE MIGHT BE A SAFETY DESIGN THAT WHEN THE FILTER IS AT 0% LIFE, THE TRUCK WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO SHIFT INTO LOW DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF HIGH RPM - SO I 'RESET' THE OIL FILTER TO 100% AND THE TRANNY ALLOWED ME TO SHIFT INTO 'L'

MY QUESTION TO THE GROUP:

Does anyone know if Chevy has a safety function built into a 0% Filter Life that keeps you from shifting into "L"?

I think between the lower than normal weather temps, the heavy snowfall, the caked on snow/ice around the chassis and the fact that the truck went from 1% to 0% at the same time (I have been monitoring it steadfast) there was just a perfect storm of variables, but I want to make sure it's not a much bigger issue, like Chevy screwed something up when they 'changed' my tranny fluid two weeks ago.

Thanks for reading!