1993 c1500, 4L60E Transmission -- No 2nd gear

[charles866]

Hi Everyone;

New member here.

I have a 1993, Chevy c1500 pickup with a 4L60E transmission (or so says the dealer based upon the last 8 digits of the VIN).

Truck runs great in 1st gear, no 2nd gear -- but let off the gas around 25-30mph and she goes right into 3rd. Not sure whether 4th gear (Overdrive) is working properly -- seems to shift but can't tell whether the RPMs drop. There's also a ticking sound at low RPMs when the truck is in gear (I can hear it at stop lights, goes away if I put the tans in N or P).

I bought the truck with 268,000 miles for a good price and knew the trans had no 2nd gear. The guy I bought it from says he drove it without 2nd gear for the 4 years he's owned the truck.

It runs great down the highway 75-85mph in both 3rd and 4th and I have put over 1,500 miles on the truck in the month I've had it.

I have called 6 transmission shops (nationwide chains and local shops). Everyone of them says rebuild, rebuild, rebuild... at $1,500-$2,000. Can't afford that.

Someone in another thread suggested get it on a transmission scanner to determine exactly what the problem is.

Can anyone recommend a good, honest place here in Cincinnati, OH to tell me what's really wrong and what really needs to be done?

Also... I am thinking about picking up a used trans from a junk yard and installing it myself. However, I've never swapped a trans before. Is there anybody in Cinci that would be willing to help me and teach me how to do this? (I'd be glad to pay for the help and whatever I can learn.)

TIA.

Charles...

[BlackTeg98]

scan it its probably the 1-2 shift soleniod. id get that and the tcc solenoid and change the filter. before you do that scan it to make sure. i like when ppl say rebuild rebuild, i get more work then. i just did a full rebuild on a 99 blazer with a 4l60e. out and in with parts $1,000. stay with the easy and cheep first. go to an auto parts place that scans for free. they'll help you

[Blue Bowtie]

You could rebuild it yourself for under $250.

It would be good to scan it, but you might not want to drive it far to get that done. You can also offer a bit more information. Does reverse work normally? Any unusual noises in reverse? Can you manually shift from 1 to 2? Is there any noise in first?

There may be an accumulator problem, 2nd servo problem (externally accessible) or solenoid problem.

[randy78]

we had a 1997 extended cab 4L60E trans rebuilt for a guy here and it was 1100 bucks total

the shop said these trans are typical life of 130k miles

normal

a good used trans from a yard will be about half that price if you can find one

depending on its mileage and other factors

according to the yards here the 1997 extended cab 4L60E was a single year and application tranny

so we could not find a good used one

and had to have it rebuilt with no other choice


if its 130k or more, then well...

hmm...

good luck!