97 1500 tranny problem 4L60E

i have a 97 chevy 1500 with a 4L60E trannsmission. it has always shifted nice and firm but the past week or so they have been soft and it doesn't always shift quickly like it did before. it will hardly down shift at all. the engien revs up and you kind of pick up some speed but no where near like it used to. i checked the tranny fluid and there was none on the dipstick, which suprised me b/c in 4 years it's never leaked any from 6 months ago when i last checked it to now it's leaked out. part of my pan gasket was cracked and had a pretty good leak. i put a new gasket on and i don't have any more leaks. i don't know if maybe i burnt up a cluth pack or something or something in the valve body wore metal on metal and now won't keep correct pressure to shift right. i'm going to school for automotive but i'm not very good at diagnosising them yet. any help would be great. i had planned on rebuilding this one or replacing it all together but not for another couple years. what's my best option?

obviously refill trans to full mark, shift through all gears, and see what happens. This transmission is electronic so you should have an appropriate scan tool at your school you can view the specs on the valve body and pressure of trans fluid. On a 97 4L60E, they have been known to have a few problems or two....so you can get a reman trans fairly reasonably priced....Goodwrench offers 3yr/100K warranty, and so does jasper i believe.

what could've been damaged running it with very little fluid? should i consider rebuilding it or would i be better off just getting a new or remaned one?

You ran it low on fluid which generally burns up a clutch pack or two. The rebuild kit with all hard parts(no electrical) is around $110 at partsamerica.com.Rebuit tranny about 750 to 1500. plus install. You have to be mechanically inclined to rebuild one of these. Are you learning transmission rebuilding yet? I rebuilt a 4l60E last week . It had no fiber left on the reverse fiber clutchplates. It is not a job for a beginner. Replace everything while you are into the tranny. Good luck.

i've rebuilt a couple in class. i don't have the tools myself required to rebuild it properly. i'll probably look into buying a rebuilt one.

i'm planning on rebuild my 4L60E b/c i don't have th emoney for a rebuilt or new one. where would be the best place to get a good rebuild kit. i don't really know what's damaged or worn out inside the tranny. i was diving it one day and all of a sudden i lost all acceleration. ever reverse was gone. i had nothing besides park. so let me know what you think the best rebuild kit would be for me. thanks.

PartsAmerica.com is where I got the kit for the last one I rebuilt. With discounts it was under 100 bucks. It has everything you need unless your sun shell broke.

i'm planning on rebuild my 4L60E b/c i don't have th emoney for a rebuilt or new one. where would be the best place to get a good rebuild kit. i don't really know what's damaged or worn out inside the tranny. i was diving it one day and all of a sudden i lost all acceleration. ever reverse was gone. i had nothing besides park. so let me know what you think the best rebuild kit would be for me. thanks.
unless you have a person to guide you throgh the rebuild process i believe it would be best if you got a junk yard replacement. you need a better understanding of how the transmission works internally before undertaking this type of repair. this is more complicated than replacing a light bulb......

i'll be rebuilding it at school with the help of my professors.