Good video, Nick. I usually go by the color of the electrical plug to determine if it has a turbine speed sensor or not. The green/gray plugs do not, but the black/tan plugs do. You could also count the pins in the connector. I'd love to see a teardown video on the trans you're looking at here. Let's see what has failed to give it that much end play. I'm betting it's that input drum bearing you talked about. Keep up the good work, sir.
Thank you, Kevin and great tip! To piggy back on that, the 2009+ units have a blue and tan plug which can distinguish those units from previous years' black and tan plugs. Thinking I will do a follow up video on changes through the years for the 4L60e and get into more detail how to distinguish between the three main vintages and interchange rules.
Hi SPG, thank you for watching! I do rebuilds for customers however don't ship transmissions...Please reach out to me on NastyZ28.com via private message and I may be able to assist you depending on how close you are to me (I don't give out my location on UA-cam at this time).
Nick I have a 97 one piece 4l60e 298 mm input shaft and am looking at replacements with 300mm input shaft that the case is longer also. What problems does this create such as dipstick tube compatibility rear mount and driveshaft length ? Thanks
Hi d5oper, if you have a Gen 1 small block engine (i.e. 5.7L instead of 4.8, 5.3, 6.0, etc) you want to stay with the one-piece case, 298mm design as the 300mm design is not compatible with your engine. You'd need to swap the pump, 300mm input shaft in the drum and Ls bell housing over for their Gen 1 small block counter parts. Not worth the effort; if you're going to go through all that you should just rebuild your transmission. I'm going to do a follow up video in a few weeks that goes through the specific vintages, changes, compatibility, etc for all 4L60Es so will address this particular type question there as I see it a lot on internet forums, etc... Thank you for watching!
Thanks I am in northern Illinois,where is your shop located ? Also would a two piece case up to 1999 with the 298 mm shaft work? 298000 miles on my current one just looking for a core to get started on. Thanks
If it's 298mm design then all other things equal, it should work. You will have to bolt it up to determine if everything lines up and drive shaft doesn't need to be modified. If it's a 4x4 unit, your existing one-piece case uses four extension housing bolts while the newer designs use six so your T-Case adaptor won't work with a 6-bolt design. There may be other adaptors that could work but in the end, you're taking on a lot more risk then reward by trying to shoe horn an otherwise non-conforming design into your car or truck. I'll go back to what I said earlier - find a 1996 or 1997 model year case for your swap that otherwise passes the checks as outlined in my vid and you should have a decent chance of getting it back on the road.
Thank you Nick. Question... would a 4l60e from a 97 4wd suburban ( one piece design ) work into a 98 4wd tahoe (existing tranny is two piece design)? They both have the green/grey plugs. I do have the extension housing installed on both ( output to the transfer case would be the same ).
As long as you have the correct ext housing which will bolt to your tcase, you should be able to interchange. Dimensionally they're identical and nothing is differerent command/control wise between 1996-E2006.
You're welcome, James. TCs will interchange but id buy a new TC and drop the pan on the replacement transmission, check all solenoids with a DVOM and replace the filter. Also your 97 prob has a shallow pan-put the deep pan fr the 98 on the 97 so you have a little more fluid capacity. Thanks for watching!
@@nickstransmissionsThanks. I will match the 97 Suburban tranny to my 98 tahoe. Which TC to buy to match to the 97 tranny? Do i buy the TC match for the 97 suburban or the 98 Tahoe?
so when i turn my input shaft the output shaft does spin with it. is that bad or can i still put it in my truck?. i thought just because it was a 4x4 it was supposed to do that, but when i watched this im second guessing myself.
Thanks for watching, Best Western. Grab the output shaft and then spin the input shaft...If you can spin the input shaft without the output shaft trying to force it's way out of your grip, it's fine. It may want to turn a little bit and that's due to the frictions/steels in the forward and 3/4 clutch pack being laden with fluid so it's normal. But if it feels like it is 'locked' to or with the input shaft, that would indicate either a massive gear train failure or perhaps insufficient clearance in the forward clutch pack (or a welded forward clutch). Hope that helps...
So sorry I might be annoying for asking but I’m kinda in a position where idk what to do, You replied to me on the forums about my transmission knock, Bought the transmission from a place with exchange of my core, Got the transmission the torque converter they sent was bad making crushed rock sounds, told them they ignored me never sent one and never came back to get my core 🤦♀️, Place has horrendous reviews of the same problem. Is their any reputable websites that you can recommend to send my core in? (Not the one they sent bc I don’t want any I guess you would drama from that company but the one they failed to pick up)
Sorry to hear Dixiewells; unfortunately places like that are everywhere...I don't know of anyone in particular you can do a core exchange so I'd try to find a reputable salvage yard or auto parts recycler in your area or locate a good torque converter rebuilder and have him simply go through it making it like new again.
Have you worked on u250e transmission by any chance? I rebuilt mine (1st time DIY🤦🏿♂️) and now I have no 4th gear. Like the vehicle completely refuses to get into 4th gear. If you push it, it screeches and jumps into 5th. Any ideas?
Hi Harold, thank you for watching...I had to google that transmission so no, haven't worked on it and it's outside the scope of what I typically take on. But based on your description of the symptoms, sounds like it has to come out for correction/re-work. Sucks but don't beat yourself up or get discouraged as most people in general (not those that sub to/watch my channel) don't have the nerve to try and build their own transmission. If nothing else, it's a learning experience that will serve you going forward. If you want to be sure it's really the transmission, plug in a bi-directional scan tool and watch the transmission and torque converter live data streams. If the transmission control module or PCM is commanding a shift to 4th but either it doesn't shift or makes lots of noise then eventually shifts to fifth, that would indicate a mechanical failure inside the unit.
You're welcome, man - thank you for watching...The answer to your question is 'No', not without a lot of adaptation and only certain years can be adapted to 1995 spec. 1995 is a stand-alone year from a command and control perspective so the pump, valve body, harness (factory harness, anyways), separator plate and 3-2 control solenoid are all different from the 96-E06 units. I'll be doing a follow up video that walks the viewer through all of the vintages of 4L60E and go into detail about what years interchange as is as well as what must be done to adapt certain year transmissions to work with otherwise incompatible year vehicles... It is worth noting, for the benefit of anyone else reading this comment, that all 2009 model year vehicles must use 4L60Es from 2009+; nothing older will work...Likewise, all 2008 and back cannot work with a 2009+ 4L60E. There is no amount of adaptation possible to make either vintage transmission work with the other vintage of vehicle.
Nick, thank you for a great informative video. I am interested in your take on my situation. Thank you. I am interested in a good U241E1 low miles tranny I can depend on to replace my dead tranny, which died at 204K miles. It goes in a 2007 Toyota Rav4 2FWD, 4 cylinder. Any suggestions for where to purchase a reliable reasonably priced one, and any suggestions for installation for a mechanically inclined "but not a mechanic" person. It would be much appreciated. Lack of funds rules here. Thank you,
You're welcome, man....Lack of funds = pick n pull. Scour the ones in your area for a good candidate vehicle then yank out the transmission. Most junk yards get $150-$250 for transmissions if you pull it. Follow the same general guidelines you see in this video when visually/physically inspecting it. Pop the pan off to look for debris. Bring a multimeter to test any linear solenoids that are installed. Id look for any vehicle that was wrecked in the back since it was almost certainly running and driving which means the trans is likely fine in such a vehicle.
Hard to say as I build a variety of transmissions for a variety of applications but in 10 years of doing it, I have yet to have one come back because it wore out. Thank you for watching, Harold.
Thanks Nick great video , I do have one question I have a transmission 4l60e out of 2004 Tahoe with 4x4. Would that work in a 2000 obs Cadillac Escalade with a 5.7
Hey man, thank you for the kind words...Unfortunately the '04 unit won't work as is. Pump, input shaft and torque converter are all different and the later 300mm style 4L60Es are not retroactively compatible with Gen 1 SBC/BBC architecture. You will need to find a 1998-2000 4L60E in good shape to swap in.
Hi , after installing a sk 700 shift ket on a gm 700r4 it works good for a while a then i can no shift manual 1,2,3 gear but P,R,N,D1 working good ,shifting is good tmp' good , TCC works. can you give me an idea? Thank you.
Did you install the SK700R4 Jr or SK700 (i.e the 'Senior' kit)? If the latter or their reprogramming kit, they include a lot of instructions for full manual control and/or gear command in the Senior and Reprogramming kit so I'm wondering if you may have inadvertently made an error, if in fact that is the type of kit you installed. If you installed the SK700JR kit, then the cause is elsewhere, possibly with misplaced check balls for manual low or perhaps some of the valve body bolts are loose.... Please reply here vs starting a new comment so we can keep everything in one place...Thanks Avi!
Id start with a pressure test - it's possible you're not getting enough line pressure to the manual low and 2 positions for whatever reasons, usually cable geometry or adjustment...When it comes to 'TV-based' transmissions, you always want to start with a pressure test upon reinstallation into the vehicle or whenever you drop the valve body for any reason.
Hi I just rebuilt my first 4l60e im concerned about when I installed the axels the rear end was turning even when the transmission was in park . Is there a red flag for me to inspect?
Hi, thank you for watching Geo. Check your rooster comb/detent roller relationship to confirm you're actually engaging the parking rod onto the pawl. Perhaps the selector-to-rooster comb nut inadvertently came loose...
Thank you again Nick! I just replaced my broken sunshell. I put my trans together and noticed my input shaft play has almost no play at all. I can turn the shaft by hand but I have almost no play at all. Is this an issue or can I install the transmission?
What was the end play measurement? When you assembled the case, upright on the stand, you put a dial indicator on it to measure the end play - what was that measurement?
Ok, remove the pump and two drums then remove the forward drum's front thrust bearing and the selective spacer underneath it. Look at the number on it and measure it's thickness. Whatever that measurement is, find another washer that is .012-.015 thinner and install that thinner washer. Reassemble and recheck. The higher the number stamped on the spacer, the thicker the spacer. Look for a spacer that's two numbers less. For example, if you have a spacer with a "71" on it, look for a "69".
Depends on how they are built but I'd say a max practical limit would be 650-700 HP and that's assuming your budget went balls to the walls with billet parts and other required mods to support that horsepower level. GM builds a 'Supermatic' 4L75E that they sell as an OTC alternative to the 4L80E for high performance applications with a focus on resto-mod vehicles that won't physically accommodate a 4L80E without enlarging the tunnel. Thank you for watching, Michael.
Good video, Nick. I usually go by the color of the electrical plug to determine if it has a turbine speed sensor or not. The green/gray plugs do not, but the black/tan plugs do. You could also count the pins in the connector. I'd love to see a teardown video on the trans you're looking at here. Let's see what has failed to give it that much end play. I'm betting it's that input drum bearing you talked about. Keep up the good work, sir.
Thank you, Kevin and great tip! To piggy back on that, the 2009+ units have a blue and tan plug which can distinguish those units from previous years' black and tan plugs. Thinking I will do a follow up video on changes through the years for the 4L60e and get into more detail how to distinguish between the three main vintages and interchange rules.
Excellent video I enjoyed learning your great tips on what to look out for. Gonna check out your other videos!
Leard so much going to buy one Friday didn't know much now I do thanks you
Thank you for watching, Cristifer!
Thanks Nick, good info!!
You're welcome and thank you for watching, Doug!
Hi Nick. Jay from GMT 400 site. :) 1998 C1500 5.7 4l60e
Hey Jay! Welcome to the channel and thank you for watching!
Thank you!!!!
You're welcome!
AWESOME MAN!!!
Thanks, HMG! Appreciate you watching!
Do you do builds for customers? I currently have a 4l60e behind an lt4 that will need to be beefed up.
Hi SPG, thank you for watching!
I do rebuilds for customers however don't ship transmissions...Please reach out to me on NastyZ28.com via private message and I may be able to assist you depending on how close you are to me (I don't give out my location on UA-cam at this time).
Nick I have a 97 one piece 4l60e 298 mm input shaft and am looking at replacements with 300mm input shaft that the case is longer also. What problems does this create such as dipstick tube compatibility rear mount and driveshaft length ? Thanks
Hi d5oper, if you have a Gen 1 small block engine (i.e. 5.7L instead of 4.8, 5.3, 6.0, etc) you want to stay with the one-piece case, 298mm design as the 300mm design is not compatible with your engine. You'd need to swap the pump, 300mm input shaft in the drum and Ls bell housing over for their Gen 1 small block counter parts. Not worth the effort; if you're going to go through all that you should just rebuild your transmission.
I'm going to do a follow up video in a few weeks that goes through the specific vintages, changes, compatibility, etc for all 4L60Es so will address this particular type question there as I see it a lot on internet forums, etc...
Thank you for watching!
Thanks I am in northern Illinois,where is your shop located ? Also would a two piece case up to 1999 with the 298 mm shaft work? 298000 miles on my current one just looking for a core to get started on. Thanks
If it's 298mm design then all other things equal, it should work. You will have to bolt it up to determine if everything lines up and drive shaft doesn't need to be modified.
If it's a 4x4 unit, your existing one-piece case uses four extension housing bolts while the newer designs use six so your T-Case adaptor won't work with a 6-bolt design. There may be other adaptors that could work but in the end, you're taking on a lot more risk then reward by trying to shoe horn an otherwise non-conforming design into your car or truck.
I'll go back to what I said earlier - find a 1996 or 1997 model year case for your swap that otherwise passes the checks as outlined in my vid and you should have a decent chance of getting it back on the road.
Thank you Nick. Question... would a 4l60e from a 97 4wd suburban ( one piece design ) work into a 98 4wd tahoe (existing tranny is two piece design)? They both have the green/grey plugs. I do have the extension housing installed on both ( output to the transfer case would be the same ).
As long as you have the correct ext housing which will bolt to your tcase, you should be able to interchange. Dimensionally they're identical and nothing is differerent command/control wise between 1996-E2006.
@@nickstransmissions Thanks! What about the torque converter? Are they interchangeable?
You're welcome, James. TCs will interchange but id buy a new TC and drop the pan on the replacement transmission, check all solenoids with a DVOM and replace the filter. Also your 97 prob has a shallow pan-put the deep pan fr the 98 on the 97 so you have a little more fluid capacity.
Thanks for watching!
@@nickstransmissionsThanks. I will match the 97 Suburban tranny to my 98 tahoe. Which TC to buy to match to the 97 tranny? Do i buy the TC match for the 97 suburban or the 98 Tahoe?
James, sorry - didn't see this...The torque converter is the same for both of those years for those vehicles.
so when i turn my input shaft the output shaft does spin with it. is that bad or can i still put it in my truck?. i thought just because it was a 4x4 it was supposed to do that, but when i watched this im second guessing myself.
Thanks for watching, Best Western. Grab the output shaft and then spin the input shaft...If you can spin the input shaft without the output shaft trying to force it's way out of your grip, it's fine. It may want to turn a little bit and that's due to the frictions/steels in the forward and 3/4 clutch pack being laden with fluid so it's normal.
But if it feels like it is 'locked' to or with the input shaft, that would indicate either a massive gear train failure or perhaps insufficient clearance in the forward clutch pack (or a welded forward clutch).
Hope that helps...
So sorry I might be annoying for asking but I’m kinda in a position where idk what to do, You replied to me on the forums about my transmission knock, Bought the transmission from a place with exchange of my core, Got the transmission the torque converter they sent was bad making crushed rock sounds, told them they ignored me never sent one and never came back to get my core 🤦♀️, Place has horrendous reviews of the same problem. Is their any reputable websites that you can recommend to send my core in? (Not the one they sent bc I don’t want any I guess you would drama from that company but the one they failed to pick up)
Sorry to hear Dixiewells; unfortunately places like that are everywhere...I don't know of anyone in particular you can do a core exchange so I'd try to find a reputable salvage yard or auto parts recycler in your area or locate a good torque converter rebuilder and have him simply go through it making it like new again.
Have you worked on u250e transmission by any chance? I rebuilt mine (1st time DIY🤦🏿♂️) and now I have no 4th gear. Like the vehicle completely refuses to get into 4th gear. If you push it, it screeches and jumps into 5th. Any ideas?
Hi Harold, thank you for watching...I had to google that transmission so no, haven't worked on it and it's outside the scope of what I typically take on. But based on your description of the symptoms, sounds like it has to come out for correction/re-work. Sucks but don't beat yourself up or get discouraged as most people in general (not those that sub to/watch my channel) don't have the nerve to try and build their own transmission. If nothing else, it's a learning experience that will serve you going forward.
If you want to be sure it's really the transmission, plug in a bi-directional scan tool and watch the transmission and torque converter live data streams. If the transmission control module or PCM is commanding a shift to 4th but either it doesn't shift or makes lots of noise then eventually shifts to fifth, that would indicate a mechanical failure inside the unit.
Thanks Nick, question. Will a 99 suburban 4x44l60e fit on a 95 suburban 4x4?
You're welcome, man - thank you for watching...The answer to your question is 'No', not without a lot of adaptation and only certain years can be adapted to 1995 spec. 1995 is a stand-alone year from a command and control perspective so the pump, valve body, harness (factory harness, anyways), separator plate and 3-2 control solenoid are all different from the 96-E06 units.
I'll be doing a follow up video that walks the viewer through all of the vintages of 4L60E and go into detail about what years interchange as is as well as what must be done to adapt certain year transmissions to work with otherwise incompatible year vehicles...
It is worth noting, for the benefit of anyone else reading this comment, that all 2009 model year vehicles must use 4L60Es from 2009+; nothing older will work...Likewise, all 2008 and back cannot work with a 2009+ 4L60E. There is no amount of adaptation possible to make either vintage transmission work with the other vintage of vehicle.
@@nickstransmissionsthank you for the quick response.
You're welcome, Hot Rod.
🔥🔥🔥🔥
Thanks, man!
Nick, thank you for a great informative video. I am interested in your take on my situation. Thank you.
I am interested in a good U241E1 low miles tranny I can depend on to replace my dead tranny, which died at 204K miles. It goes in a 2007 Toyota Rav4 2FWD, 4 cylinder. Any suggestions for where to purchase a reliable reasonably priced one, and any suggestions for installation for a mechanically inclined "but not a mechanic" person. It would be much appreciated. Lack of funds rules here. Thank you,
You're welcome, man....Lack of funds = pick n pull. Scour the ones in your area for a good candidate vehicle then yank out the transmission.
Most junk yards get $150-$250 for transmissions if you pull it.
Follow the same general guidelines you see in this video when visually/physically inspecting it. Pop the pan off to look for debris. Bring a multimeter to test any linear solenoids that are installed.
Id look for any vehicle that was wrecked in the back since it was almost certainly running and driving which means the trans is likely fine in such a vehicle.
How long do your rebuilt transmission last on average?
Hard to say as I build a variety of transmissions for a variety of applications but in 10 years of doing it, I have yet to have one come back because it wore out.
Thank you for watching, Harold.
Thanks Nick great video , I do have one question I have a transmission 4l60e out of 2004 Tahoe with 4x4. Would that work in a 2000 obs Cadillac Escalade with a 5.7
Hey man, thank you for the kind words...Unfortunately the '04 unit won't work as is. Pump, input shaft and torque converter are all different and the later 300mm style 4L60Es are not retroactively compatible with Gen 1 SBC/BBC architecture. You will need to find a 1998-2000 4L60E in good shape to swap in.
Hi , after installing a sk 700 shift ket on a gm 700r4 it works good for a while a then i can no shift manual 1,2,3 gear but P,R,N,D1 working good ,shifting is good tmp' good , TCC works. can you give me an idea? Thank you.
Did you install the SK700R4 Jr or SK700 (i.e the 'Senior' kit)? If the latter or their reprogramming kit, they include a lot of instructions for full manual control and/or gear command in the Senior and Reprogramming kit so I'm wondering if you may have inadvertently made an error, if in fact that is the type of kit you installed.
If you installed the SK700JR kit, then the cause is elsewhere, possibly with misplaced check balls for manual low or perhaps some of the valve body bolts are loose....
Please reply here vs starting a new comment so we can keep everything in one place...Thanks Avi!
@@nickstransmissions I used the SK 700- JR -B .it works well for some time and then it start doing it. in D1 it is shifting good 1,2,3,4 no problem.
Did you do a pressure test after installing the shift kit? If so, what were your pressure test readings in manual low and 2?
@@nickstransmissions no i didn't do it yet , I'm still trying to find where the problem is.
Id start with a pressure test - it's possible you're not getting enough line pressure to the manual low and 2 positions for whatever reasons, usually cable geometry or adjustment...When it comes to 'TV-based' transmissions, you always want to start with a pressure test upon reinstallation into the vehicle or whenever you drop the valve body for any reason.
Hi I just rebuilt my first 4l60e im concerned about when I installed the axels the rear end was turning even when the transmission was in park . Is there a red flag for me to inspect?
Hi, thank you for watching Geo. Check your rooster comb/detent roller relationship to confirm you're actually engaging the parking rod onto the pawl. Perhaps the selector-to-rooster comb nut inadvertently came loose...
Thank you again Nick! I just replaced my broken sunshell. I put my trans together and noticed my input shaft play has almost no play at all. I can turn the shaft by hand but I have almost no play at all. Is this an issue or can I install the transmission?
You're welcome, James...What was your front end play measurement?
@@nickstransmissions Nick, almost nothing. I can turn the shaft by hand but can barely get the shaft to budge up or down.
What was the end play measurement? When you assembled the case, upright on the stand, you put a dial indicator on it to measure the end play - what was that measurement?
@@nickstransmissions About .005". I have to tug to get that.
Ok, remove the pump and two drums then remove the forward drum's front thrust bearing and the selective spacer underneath it. Look at the number on it and measure it's thickness. Whatever that measurement is, find another washer that is .012-.015 thinner and install that thinner washer. Reassemble and recheck.
The higher the number stamped on the spacer, the thicker the spacer. Look for a spacer that's two numbers less. For example, if you have a spacer with a "71" on it, look for a "69".
Hi ,nick i have a question about gm 700r4 is it ok?
Hi @aviabramovich8359 - Thank you for watching.. Sure, go ahead and ask; I'll respond when I see it.
What horsepower are both these transmissions good for
Depends on how they are built but I'd say a max practical limit would be 650-700 HP and that's assuming your budget went balls to the walls with billet parts and other required mods to support that horsepower level. GM builds a 'Supermatic' 4L75E that they sell as an OTC alternative to the 4L80E for high performance applications with a focus on resto-mod vehicles that won't physically accommodate a 4L80E without enlarging the tunnel.
Thank you for watching, Michael.