4L60E shifting hard please help

[wyattr02]

Make

Chevy

Model

Silverado 1500

Year

2002

Miles

262000

Engine

5.3 Vortec

Hello, I have a 2002 Chevy Silverado with a 4L60E that has 2001 parts on it so I call it a 2001 and a half. I am hoping to find a solution for my transmission problem. It has had 4 transmissions in it since it was bought new. Its on its 4th now and about 3 years ago it started shifting hard after about 20 miles of driving. Going around town its fine but after being on a high way or interstate for about 20 or so miles it starts it, I can shut it off for a few minutes and turn it back on and it will shift like it should for a while. Sometimes it wont do it no matter how long I drive but its rare. I took it to a transmission guy who said he 'Bored out the valve body' to stop the problem. It only softened the shifts when it does it, but it still does it. I am starting college Sept 1 and the school is about 20 min away. I don't want to have to put another transmission in it while I'm commuting back and forth. So if you have an idea on what the problem is please let me know, thank you.

 

[billr]

What codes are being set? Does it shift hard on all shifts, or only/mostly the 1-2 shift? Was it the same problem on the first three transmissions? Were the replacements rebuilt or from a JY? If rebuilt, all from same vendor?

I'm asking a lot of questions because it seems very odd that you have now had four go bad. The 4L60E does have some known issues, but they aren't so fragile that you should have gone through four in normal driving. I'm fishing for the "back story" that can account for such frequent failure.

 

[wyattr02]

I don’t know the codes that it’s throwing. It’s all shifts. I do not believe it was same issue on first 3 trans, I think all just random stuff gone wrong. They were all rebuilt but I think all by different places do if they’re from the junk yard then I wouldn’t know. The one in it now is from jasper I think. My mom used it as a daily for several years and it rarely got used for work and if it did, it didn’t haul or tow very much maybe some shingles and stuff like that nothing crazy just regular use they have gone bad. I don’t rang on it and it never has been. They have all on average lasted about 4 years and this one I have now is already almost that old or older.

 

[paulo57509]

You say it's had 3 transmissions replaced since the vehicle was new and the 4th is now acing up.

Just curious....what were the reasons for the three previous replacements and where did the replacements (including the current one) come from? Were they straight rebuilds or were internal modifications done (other than bored out the VB)?

 

[wyattr02]

In the first one a part that has to do with shifting the gears broke. The others started slipping so I am assuming the clutches. There is only a possibility of one being from a junk yard the others were rebuilds from companies. This current one that is acting up has had no other modifications than the valve body bored out, that’s the only time it has been touched since it was installed.

 

[NickD]

Driving a gas guzzling Silverado to school, got my last kid a Cavalier that got 40 MPG, but still cost us $25,000.00 per year. Older brother put 220K miles on a 4L60E with mostly electrical problems, was no war with Iraq where they were taken billions of dollars for that phony war from the universities and he received student grants.

All of my kids received college training, many advanced and the county is making a huge fortune from them with income tax. Kid was told from a transmission shop needed a new AT for $4000.00 when his problem was electrical, and you have no idea what kind of crap they are putting in there.

That daughter was told her brakes were bad, 100 bucks to use a sledge hammer for the poorest pads you could buy. When she came home front rotors were red hot. Seem to take advantage of college kids. Mileage is not deductible, but the only way to get there. Same for anyone with a job working for someone else.

 

[wyattr02]

That person was the only transmission person near me. There was a good trans person in my town but he quit a while back so I decided to give it a shot with that dude. I also have friends with 6 digit miles on their 4L60E so it just doesn’t make sense that I have had so many failures. Maybe it’s my truck? Or just really bad luck with the transmissions.

 

[billr]

Has trans fluid flow through the cooling lines and radiator ever been checked? Poor flow there could probably account for killing every trans that has been installed.

Knowing the current trans codes is essential to reduce guessing. Take it to your FLAPS for reading those, if the trans shop won't tell you. And, if the trans shop won't tell you... find another shop!

Can you confirm the current trans is a Jasper rebuild?

That "valve body bore" has me a bit worried. That is an accepted upgrade procedure, but the results are dependent on the tools and experience of the shop doing it; as well the the parts used to sleeve the bore back to size. I think most quality shops don't do that kind of work themselves, they buy the VB from a shop that specializes in VB work. My understanding is that this present trans is four years old (miles?), so probably out of warranty for the shop that installed it, but they should sure be willing to give a quick appraisal for free. Let us hear what they have to say, please.

 

[wyattr02]

I will look into what you said about the flow through cooling lines. I asked my dad about the most recent one and he can’t exactly remember what brand it is but he said he thought it started with E. I’m sorry I can’t give a lot of information, if I had it I would give it to you. And I’m sure the guy did it himself because he just had a little garage at his house he did the work in. And it only cost about $300. I also cannot tell you the amount of miles the current transmission has on it since I was no driving it at the time but I’ll ask both of my parents and see if they can remember how many miles the truck had on it when it was installed.

 

[bp042665]

wyatt i am here to help but when it shifts hard you need to get a shop with a proper scanner to read codes and see live data to see what its being told to do i am a transmission expert so i need to know what live data is telling the transmission to do the epc solenoid controls the line pressure and if computer see a problem it will freeze to max line pressure and you'll have hard shifts

 

[wyattr02]

Ok thank you I’m trying to get a date to go and use a scanner at my friends shop I just work everyday past their closing time. When I get the codes I will let you know ASAP.

 

[wyattr02]

I took my truck to my friends shop and he hooked it up to his reader and said that it was giving trans slip codes and Evap codes. I hope this help you all diagnose my problem.

 

[JackC]

Only if you let everyone know the exact code numbers.

 

[wyattr02]

I got the codes from him. po161, p0440, p0449, p0463.

 

[paulo57509]

None of those codes are transmission related.