4l60e Transmission out again...need help

[remington8189]

I have a 2000 chevrolet 1500 4.8L with a rebuilt 4l60e transmission. About two years ago my transmission went out at 130,000 miles. I understand it happens and decided to have it rebuilt. About 5000 miles after the rebuild, the transmission we out again...I lost 3rd and 4th. I took the truck back since it was still under warranty and he rebuilt it again. This time I took the pan off and replaced the wiring harness, put a corvette survo in and a shift kit. 8 months later and at 145,000 miles and the transmission went out again. This time I had lost 1st gear. I am intending on buying a heavy duty 4l60e transmission and heavy duty torque converter but my question is, what are the odds of a transmission going out three times? It seems like I was screwed on the rebuild but I am also wondering if it could possibly an electronic issue. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by remington8189

I have a 2000 chevrolet 1500 4.8L with a rebuilt 4l60e transmission. About two years ago my transmission went out at 130,000 miles. I understand it happens and decided to have it rebuilt. About 5000 miles after the rebuild, the transmission we out again...I lost 3rd and 4th. I took the truck back since it was still under warranty and he rebuilt it again. This time I took the pan off and replaced the wiring harness, put a corvette survo in and a shift kit. 8 months later and at 145,000 miles and the transmission went out again. This time I had lost 1st gear. I am intending on buying a heavy duty 4l60e transmission and heavy duty torque converter but my question is, what are the odds of a transmission going out three times? It seems like I was screwed on the rebuild but I am also wondering if it could possibly an electronic issue. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

the problem with all of this is , what replacement parts are these rebuilders using...most likely the cheapest they can find...before getting another old transmission that has been rebuilt, you best investigate how happy the customers are first...


what about purchasing a new, never used tranny ??

with the electrical/computer causing failures this would be not that likely..checking with a drive train OEM code scanner however would reveal any wiring computer issues...also the transmission would not work correctly ...if this was the case ...you would feel / see that in its operation...

[Blue Bowtie]

Losing 3rd and 4th would be related to the direct (forward) clutch and associated parts, such as the forward sprag. Losing 1st without losing reverse could be a valving issue and not a hardware issue, and as j CAT indicates, a scan might be helpful. It could also be a low input clutch or apply piston, or the associated mainshaft seals for that apply piston:



AFAIK, there is no such thing as a "heavy duty" torque converter. There are converters with thicker shells to withstand more RPM without ballooning, and there are cheaply done remans with weak stator attachment, but a stock reman torque converter with a carbon clutch are about as heavy duty as you'll find. GM offers remans for about $200 with a 36 month warranty.

A properly rebuilt transmission with proper maintenance should last 200,000 miles. Again, as j CAT advised, lower quality repair parts will exponentially reduce the predicted life.

Incidentally, a "shift kit" in an electronically controlled transmission usually doesn't provide any benefits. The PCM will still duty cycle the PWM solenoid to soften the shifts, just as it should.

[2000CAYukon]

Originally Posted by Blue Bowtie

Incidentally, a "shift kit" in an electronically controlled transmission usually doesn't provide any benefits. The PCM will still duty cycle the PWM solenoid to soften the shifts, just as it should.

The Transgo Kits do include a PWM Eliminator Valve in their kits for the 4L60E. I have a kit installed in a 4L60E car and I am very happy with the results. My setup is fairly mild, but the shifts are very crisp especially as I push the accelerator. This is with a stock PCM program.

I cannot speak to other brands as I only have experience with Transgo; however, an electronic trans can still benefit from a kit if installed and setup properly.

//2000CAYukon

[transman618]

Originally Posted by remington8189

I have a 2000 chevrolet 1500 4.8L with a rebuilt 4l60e transmission. About two years ago my transmission went out at 130,000 miles. I understand it happens and decided to have it rebuilt. About 5000 miles after the rebuild, the transmission we out again...I lost 3rd and 4th. I took the truck back since it was still under warranty and he rebuilt it again. This time I took the pan off and replaced the wiring harness, put a corvette survo in and a shift kit. 8 months later and at 145,000 miles and the transmission went out again. This time I had lost 1st gear. I am intending on buying a heavy duty 4l60e transmission and heavy duty torque converter but my question is, what are the odds of a transmission going out three times? It seems like I was screwed on the rebuild but I am also wondering if it could possibly an electronic issue. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

It does sound like the builder didnt do a very good job. Losing 3rd and 4th has absolutely nothing to do with the forward clutch assy, that sounds like the builder didnt upgrade the 3-4 clutches. The 3-4's are a weak link in these transmissions and I upgrade every one that crosses my bench with a z-pack. Now losing 1st. The builder probably didnt upgrade the sprags to the 29 element assys. Thats another upgrade I do with these. I use Trans-Go shift kits on all of mine. Let me tell you, a common misconception is that people think shift kits are just for racing. Not true. Shift kits are there to cure common issues with any particular transmission. For instance the Chrysler 518/618 transmissions have a common issue with 2-3 bind up shift. There is a cure for that issue in the 518/618 shift kit. The 4L60E has other common issues like the dreaded P-1870 TCC issue. So obviously the 4L60E kit will be different. Who says you cant put shift kits in electronic transmissions? You sure can. I use them every day. If you cant then you wouldnt find a 4L60E shift kit on the market. The Corvette servo was a good move. A Corvette or a billet servo will do wonders for the quality of the shift. Borg-Warner high energy clutches and bands are the way to go when choosing a kit. You need to find a builder who knows these transmissions and tell him to build this transmission for heavy duty use. Its easy and cheap for a builder to throw any old master kit and band in this transmission and let it go. It just wont last without certain upgrades. I have hundreds of these transmissions on the road today still running strong. Its just how you build it like j-cat was saying.


transman

[ColoradoSilverado]

I agree with the TransGo shiftkit! I bought my 2000 Silverado in 2005 with 104K on it at around 125K I got the P1870 code and took it to the dealer, they told me I had to have it rebuild for about $2200! I did some research online and found out about the TransGo shiftkit so I got one off Ebay for $35 and spend a day under the truck and now I'm at 201K and all I do is hauling and towing and not too shabby weights either, over a ton in the bed or towing up to 10,000 pounds with a 1500 5.3!

Bert

[Overdriveshifttech]

Have you tried checking out www.gmtransmissionparts.com ? I started using them about a year ago and seem to have EVERYTHING you need to do a complete rebuild. Quick shipping and they know what they are talking about if you give them a call. Not a toll free number however...