in2pro

I did this with my 97 Tahoe, got the reman form a local AC Delco parts distributor for about $1200, the tranny had all the upgrades and was a faster fix then having a shop rebuild it...Trannys go out and the 4L60 is no stranger to issues but look at how many are on the road...

RacerX

A. They saved you the time of telling you something obvious. Espeically if you were on the fence about getting the repair. They probably had seen the truck when the last guy/company owned it and said the same thing to him. Well now you know what you may have to do, you gotta figure out what you have to estimate a price for repair, 4L65E or 4L80E and shop around.

B. When you put in OD lockout you dont overheat but when in OD standard it overheats? Yea, the thing is in the wrong gear. In OD at highway speeds you should be in 4th with RPMs like 1500-1800. But you have to be in 2nd(1stGear lockout is at like 17mph, but 2nd can get you all the way up to 80 but the engine should be screaming at that point). I think when you are in 3(or D lockout) you mechanically keep the OD servo from applying BUT since you dont have OD there is nothing for the thing to upshift or downshift to so it stays in 2nd. I really dont think you have 3rd gear. I never heard of 4th failing but 3rd staying. Even in the new trans. apps like the Ford 5R55-E & 5R55W in the Explorer they have two 2nd Gears but still only one 3rd(Direct Drive).

C. When you do get a rebuild have them bypass the radiator and run the cooling lines straight to the external cooler this is prevent overheating in any condition related to radiator, especially in Pa. In the winter time the trans cooler will be so effective you ll never overheat and in the summer it get first dibs on the air coming through the grille.

Tacey10

I got word today that the repair bill will be covered under warranty. Whew! I took delivery from a dealer in another state, who was nice enough to track down the first owner for the maintenance records. I'm told that since there is no maintenance required during the first 100K, I am covered. (the owners book says to change fluid/filter at 50k, but I won't read that to Chevy).

I still think I have been running in third gear. I put the gear selector to the "3" position, and the truck runs 55 mph @ 2100 rpm. With the 3:42 gears, does not this sound right?

Thanks for all the feedback guys!

jlutty3

If your tires are 30-31" tall that sounds right for 3.42 gears (if the speedo is correct). Are you positive that the van has a 3.42 ratio out back? What are the RPO codes that start with G on the glove box door?

Is there a GU6 there?

I love a happy ending, so getting that transmission waranteed is cool. I wish my cluster and ball joint in my (new to me) rig where covered.

Crazy idea: would that dealer put a 4L80E in there instead? That would be like swapping from a 350 Turbo to a 400 Turbo in the old days. The 4L80E would have a slightly taller 1st gear, so your 60 foot times at the drag strip would suffer (joking), but its a bit stronger otherwise.

Maybe later you could upgrade to a rear with 3.73 gears and have a stouter tow rig. The highway RPM would be 200 higher.

When you get the new trans, triple check that fluid level when you get it all done. And I don't see how tossing one of the little bottles of Lube Guard could hurt, given the long towing intervals this might see. I have seen it on my rig where the temp stays lower. The trans is not foaming like bubble bath. But it does get micro bubbles, due to pressure and air and friction. Lube Guard makes it harder to create those bubbles and helps the trans carry more heat to the cooler. I would save the Lucas until the 50,000 mile filter and fluid change on a new one. I have used it in four or five old transmissions for various purposes and have never not noticed firmer shifts 200 miles after using it. And it seems to me that firmer shifts are better shifts.

The dip stick tubes on these newer Chevy's locks at the top. So any accidental overfill would end up coming out the vent and winterizing the floorboard and your trailer.

I am tipping my coffee mug and toasting to your new trans.!

Good Luck.

Thumper_ehhhhh

Yes that sounds right 3rd at 2300. Glad this is working out for you.

RacerX

2100 RPMs @ 55mphs is good to me. Get the build sheet out the glovebox and let us know if it has the 4l80 or the 4l60. I recall 4L80is like MXO and 4L60 is like MTA or something

And I wouldnt bother with the LubeGuard. Smoke and mirrors to me.

Tacey10

I looked for a code on the glovebox door. I do not have a glovebox. So I looked on the passenger door. Presto a list of about 25 codes listed in alphabetic order. It has GU6.

The dealership rebuilt the tranny. Replace a band ot two, including new torque converter. Clutches. And a new radiator.

They did a a test that determined that my aftermarket trans oil cooler only put out .5 GPM. Tried to sell me a genuine GM Good wrench add-on cooler for $450 installed. I said no, they then charged me $80 to diconeect the faulty afetmarket cooler. The tech then says that my van will not tow here in the hilly PA woods.

I feel like a dog chasing its tail.

RacerX

Bull....! Dont worry about output volume from an aftermarket cooler. And I dont think it is faulty. It is very hard for a cooler to be faulty if it isnt clogged nor leaking. They just wanted to upsell you another $450 cooler. HAHAHA! When I put my cooler in I bought it for $30 from JEGS.

And that car can tow anywhere in the continent without an aftermarket cooler, as long as the cooling lines in the radiator are still connected. And since you have a new radiator also, whats the big deal? The aftermarket cooler was just to remove additional heat. To be honest, when I do this I bypass the radiator and just run the cooling lines to the cooler. This way the trans NEVER overheats and gets 1st dibs on the cold air that comes through the grille. Thats what you do man. Get your local gas station guy to reconnect your cooler but bypass the radiator.

I like to meet the guy who rebuilt a transmission and then told the owner of the car that it couldnt tow in a hilly environment. Ha!

Tacey10

Truck is fixed.

When I picked up the White Wonder I was given a ten-page primer on towing etc. Also included is the spec for this exact vehicle. Seems that when equipped with the v6 and tall gears this unit is limited to 4400 # total payload. Uh-oh. A little back-of-the-napkin poundage addition, and it seems that I have about 4,000 pounds of trailer, trailer contents, and cargo in the van Total. Wow, I guess that I am running pretty close to the max. Throw in our hilly PA superhighways, and I'm flirting with heat-related issues.

I need less stuff to haul around or a beefier truck.

I'm surprised that my 2002 Ford F-150 XL 2wd v6 auto POS never gave my any trouble towing this exact load.

I'm no Ford Man but I assumed that the Chevy v6 would do the same job. You know what they sayabout making assumptions.

I relly like how this truck runs and drives. I think it's just a little light for my application.

I shoulda got a V8. Live and learn.

Thumper_ehhhhh

You might be suprised how it runs now. You should see a big difference when towing. Put a good aftermarket stacked tranny cooler in and you should be fine. I had a 01 astro with 3.42 ratio gears in it and pulled a 5500 lb travel trailer with it. I did have a good stacked cooler and a transmission guage in it to monitor the temps.