Transmission Rebuild Kit

[v7guy]

I remember the company I got my shift kit from had a replacement spring that was originally used in the 700r4 to work with the pinless accumulator pistons since the trans go pieces aren't really compatible with the pinless kit. I think, were I to do it again, is go with the Sonnax shift kit. I've been reading a lot of good reviews about it on the fbody boards. That's not to say there's anything wrong with the shift kit I have.

I remember when I was reading about a total rebuild (in case I screwed up my trans) There was a lot of talk about the heavy duty aftermarket Sun shell having balancing problems. I don't know if that's been rectified or not, but it was causing havoc for a lot of guys.

There's a lot of different clutch materials, I never got into which was the most desirable, but I remember a lot of talk about the "red" clutches being desirable. There's also a revised clutch pack that doesn't flex as much and apparently really does wonders to help keep from burning up the clutches.

I'll see if I can dig up the link to one of the companies I was leaning towards on my phone here, otherwise I'll post it up in the morning, it's bookmarked on my desktop.


This is the company I was staring real hard at
http://www.4l60-e.com/#Performance%20Parts


I think you'd be fine doing the rebuild.

[Regulator1175]

For the sake of posting it, this is what I am looking at now.

Rebuild kit
Shift kit
Corvette Servo

The torque converter I am still working on. I am looking at a 2000-2300 stall, just trying to figure out what will fit.

[mikekey]

All good advice, the 1-2, 3-4 accumulator piston is infact plastic in ours, mine had a crack in it, and was replaced, I've been told with the shift kit, it can put more pressure on it, and it's prone to cracking: http://www.oregonperformancetransmissio ... -77998-03K

I know for a fact our sun shield was replaced and the SS stall we have is 2300, I believe the stock stall speed is 1900 RPM.

[v7guy]

Matt are you looking at upgrading any other nifty parts?
5 pinion planetaries? Input housing kits?

You'll probably really want to get a replacement separator plate. Mine was beat up pretty good, I haven't seen one yet online that wasn't pretty heavily worn. Sonnax also has plastic check balls available that are suppose to be a good replacement and help save the separator plate. http://www.oregonperformancetransmissio ... X-10000-08

I didn't notice anything glaringly obvious in my accumulator pistons, there were some odd lines, but I can't say if they were hairline cracks or mold parting lines. I did read enough stories about them failing to go ahead and use the pinless accumulators.

[Regulator1175]

I appreciate everyone's advice.This is what I ended up purchasing.

Rebuild kit
Shift kit
Corvette Servo
Sun Shell
1-2 & 3-4 Pinless Accumulator Pistons
check balls
torque converter 2200-2500 high stall - heavy duty

Now it is just a waiting game for the parts to arrive. I do have the transmission out and plan to mount it onto an engine stand in order to make tear down and assembly much easier. I will do my best to take pictures along the way and will certainly report back after it is in the truck and operational.

[dvanbramer88]

Would you mind sharing the reason/thought process that you used to choose the 2200-2500 rpm torque converter? What are the benefits? Or is it a stock spec replacement? Just curious really.

[Regulator1175]

Would you mind sharing the reason/thought process that you used to choose the 2200-2500 rpm torque converter? What are the benefits? Or is it a stock spec replacement? Just curious really.

Stock is around 1600. I decided to go with that rate after spending a lot of time reading. It seems that for heavy duty demands and towing it will be a good fit. Much higher then that you get into performance ranges and lose towing capabilities.

Essentially it is allowing the engine to run up to 2200 RMP before starting to move, which will increase the torque.

[mikekey]

Essentially it is allowing the engine to run up to 2200 RMP before starting to move, which will increase the torque.

THIS, that's why we chose ours too.

[dvanbramer88]

Makes sense. Thanks.

[Regulator1175]

The transmission is all back together again. It took a couple of really good YouTube videos to walk me through it, but ultimately it was really easy to rebuild. If you have basic mechanical skills it is possible to do with just hand tools. Having a press would be helpful to hold compression while installing snap rings in a few places, but I was able to make do without.

I did find that there was a lot of redundancy in the items I ordered. If I were to do it again I would have picked up just a clutch kit rather then the rebuild kit. The rebuild kit came with new brass sleeves and all new O rings, but there were no issues with any of those in my transmission. It also come with the case gasket and valve body gasket, but I used the set that came with the shift kit.

Here are the two videos I used to follow along on the tear down and rebuild.

[HARDTRAILZ]

Congrats!

[Trail X]

Looks like a big job. Glad you got it all figured out!

Curious, what were your symptoms of needing a rebuild? Did you lose a gear?

[Regulator1175]

Yes, 3/4 were slipping and it wouldn't hold the gear. I am having a similar issue with the current transmission, but not as bad yet. I rebuilt my original transmission and will swap it out next week.

[Regulator1175]

The new transmission has held up for about 500 miles including some heavy off roading. It has been running hot, not sure of temps I just got my new bluetooth sensor in today, and the torque converter is not locking up. There are a few codes

P0741 - Powertrain - Torque converter clutch circuit performance
The torque converter clutch solenoid valve is activated, with the gear in D4, by the Transmission Control Module (TCM) in response to signals sent from the vehicle speed and the Engine Control Module (ECM). Lock-up piston operation will then be controlled. When the torque converter clutch solenoid valve is activated, the torque converter lockup clutch will engage creating a 1 to 1 RPM ratio between the transmission input shaft and the rotational speed of the torque converter.

Lock-up operation, however, is prohibited when A/T fluid temperature is too low.

When the accelerator pedal is depressed (less than 2/8) in lock-up condition, the engine speed should not change abruptly. If there is a big jump in engine speed, there is no lock-up.

Read more: http://engine-codes.com/p0741_gmc.html#ixzz2imt7BRAk

P0014 - Powertrain - B Camshaft position Timing over advanced
The Camshaft Position (CMP) actuator is attached to each camshaft and is hydraulically operated in order to change the angle of the camshaft relative to Crankshaft Position (CKP). The CMP actuator solenoid is controlled by the control module. The control module sends a pulse width modulated 12-volt signal to a CMP actuator solenoid. The solenoid controls the amount of engine oil flow to a CMP actuator. The CMP actuator can change the camshaft angle a maximum of 25 degrees. The control module increases the pulse width to accomplish the desired camshaft operation.

Read more: http://engine-codes.com/p0014_gmc.html#ixzz2imsoEl1F

P1345 - Powertrain - Crankshaft Position-Camshaft Position Correlation
If this DTC started after recent internal engine repairs, inspect for proper engine mechanical timing. With the camshaft cover removed and the #1 cylinder at top dead center, make sure that the darkened chain links are lined up with the alignment marks on the exhaust and intake cam sprockets.

If a P0016 or P1345 is resetting without any engine performance concerns but the above information did not isolate a cause for the DTC, replace the Cam Phaser Actuator sprocket.

Read more: http://engine-codes.com/p1345_gmc.html#ixzz2imsPKWNq

P1481 - Powertrain - All I could find on this was that it was related to a failing fan clutch


P1870 - Powertrain - Transmission Component Slipping
Transmission is in 4th gear with Torque Converter Clutch (TCC) engaged and the Engine Control Moduel (ECM) has detected excessive slippage when comparing the input shaft speed to the output shaft speed

Read more: http://engine-codes.com/p1870_gmc.html#ixzz2ims3nefJ

Any thoughts on where to look first?

[Wisav]

Sorry for bumping...just my two cents...

I apologize for bump the old topic, but I have some interesting observations that I would like to share...

I rebuilt one for my truck about 4 months ago using a kit from Pro-Built Automatics

You'll need a different 4l60e rebuild kit though, that one was for a 93-94.

I bought a 93 core rebuild kit https://mechanicguides.com/best-4l60e-rebuild-kit/ that was described as having no overdrive. Opening it up I found some of the nastiest smelling oil and a fractured sun shell. Ultimately, in addition to the kit, I also replaced the reverse/input drum, just in case. The kit includes a new OEM sun shell that is hardened and supposed to address the earlier failures. You'll hear conflicting opinions on that one.

Overall it wasn't too bad, but I did have to make a handful of tools. You'll need a spring compressor for the forward clutch pack down in the very bottom of the transmission, but that one is easy to do using a long bolt, a large washer to pull against the transmission case, and a U-shaped piece of steel to contact the spring carrier, but leave the center open so the snap ring can be removed. I ended up taking some scrap 3/4" steel rod, cut a large washer in half, and welded the halves onto either end of the rod so that the cut-ends contacted the spring carrier. The rod had a hole drilled through the center for the bolt to pass through.

Another tool you'll need is a spring compressor for the input drum. I got by using a piece of 3/4" angle iron that I filed to size so that it fit snugly into the snap ring groove. I then drilled and tapped two 1/4-20 holes that lined up with the ring of the spring carrier. I was able to walk the bolts down to compress the springs enough to remove the snap ring. However, the snap ring was a bear to remove and still required some finesse. When I put it back together, I had much stiffer springs to install (part of the shift kit)... let's just say I kept my face clear of that assembly.

The only other tools you'll need are bushing drivers. The bushings can be driven out using a chisel point punch which will destroy them, but you'll need a proper driver to drive them in. Care must be taken as some of these are very soft and easy to damage. I ended up taking some 2.5" round aluminum bar stock and machined it as needed for each set of bushings. Fortunately I've got a small table-top lathe that could do the job. I certainly wouldn't try to do this with some sockets.

Otherwise, as Durallymax said, it's all about patience and keeping your work clean. You should count on having to order different thickness steels to get some of the clutch packs shimmed correctly, fortunately I got lucky. I do have one pack that is .010" looser than what Pro-built advised in their instructions, but it was well within factory spec and I'm not drag racing or making shifts with the torque management disabled.

I also replaced the torque converter with a new unit, I didn't want to risk debris from the old one killing my work. I replaced all of the solenoids, except the pressure control solenoid. The pressure control solenoid was supposed to be pretty reliable (and pricey), but I got unlucky and had to drop the pan to change it for a new one. Lesson learned: Do it right the first time! This is no different than an engine... don't cut corners unless you're ready to do it all over again. I would have rather spent that $100 up front rather than spend time checking transmission pressures and dropping the pan. I also risked burning up the 3-4 clutch because the line pressure was too low. I got lucky!

All said and done, I wrapped up about $1200 in my complete rebuild, bellhousing to tailshaft. Bear in mind that in my application the engine makes about 400 ft-lbs so I felt it was too risky to get away with a stock rebuild, hence the added cost of the Pro-built kit. If I needed a rebuilt transmission for a stock truck, I'd likely let someone else do it for me. In this case, however, I was looking for the challenge and didn't want to pay $2000+ for a comparable unit from a reputable builder.