I need a 4L60E...: Grassroots Motorsports forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

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Dec. 7, 2011 2:06 p.m. HiTempguy SuperDork

I believe I am now in possession of a 1993 Chevrolet Z71 extended cab. Don't ask why I "believe" this to be true It's free!

Anyways, it needs a transmission. Cheap is good (ok, cheap is best) but I don't want a reman/rebuilt tranny that will explode like E36 M3ty ones tend to do. Lots of people have mixed reviews on 4L60E's, but I love 'em and have had very little problems with them even when towing.

Should I get a cheap rebuilt/reman? Should I get the one in the truck fixed? Should I get one "built" for towing with all of the upgrades? The truck WILL lead a hard life (50% plus of the time towing through the mountains). I'm pretty easy on equipment though, my biggest concern is doing the transmission ONCE and doing it properly.

The transmission lost all drive except in 1st gear (with tons of slipping) quite suddenly. That is the extent of my knowledge. I would assume I should get a new torque converter as the old one is probably full of crap eh? Any problem with cheap torque converters, or should I get a "nice" one?

Should I buy one from the US? Off Ebay? Get it rebuilt locally? So many questions!

Edit- Oh yea, and apparently there is a difference between the 2wd and 4x4 4L60E but I can't find the specifics as to why. I don't know how the t-case setup is, so I'd assume that is the issue. I also am under the impression it must be a 1993-1996 transmission as they changed in 1997?
Dec. 7, 2011 2:45 p.m. aussiesmg SuperDork

I have one lying on my shp floor, picked up with GRM purchase, history not known, its yours if you want to come get it.
Dec. 7, 2011 3:08 p.m. Ranger50 Dork

You should be able to get it rebuilt locally and with the updated parts for under 1k.

The cheap Dacco/Dynamic converters will work good. I have done put enuff of them in over my lifetime....

My advice: Run the BIGGEST cooler you can and bypass the radiator cooler. The cooler you can keep it under load, the longer it will last. Unless you end up with some kind of hard part failure later on.
Dec. 7, 2011 3:31 p.m. Appleseed SuperDork

Or do what the 9C1 does and run a cooler in addition to the radiator cooler.
Dec. 7, 2011 4:55 p.m. patgizz SuperDork

bypass radiator cooler, that just keeps the fluid hot. silly designs, i saw a chart years ago about how exponentially a transmission's life span increases for every 10 degree drop in fluid temp. i always run a big cooler in front of the radiator.
Dec. 7, 2011 6:12 p.m. curtis73 Dork

At the shop, my preference of torque converters always started with Precision. They're only about $10 more than a Dacco but light years ahead in quality. Expect to pay around $100 for a Precision converter that will outlast the tranny.

I've worked with builders who slapped stuff together so it would last just longer than the 1-year warranty, and I've also worked with guys who could build them to last 300k. It all depends on the shop and how they choose to make profits. Transmission shops are far less reliant on return business than general repair shops so some really do quality work and some go as cheap as possible.

Or, just buy a Haynes manual and do it yourself. Definitely replace the TCC and PWM solenoids. shift solenoids are pretty easy to get to if they fail later.
Dec. 7, 2011 6:20 p.m. curtis73 Dork

As far as coolers go, Hayden sells a very nice stacked-plate design. For most installations I route the fluid through the radiator, then through the external cooler. In the winter you'll want the radiator to help get the fluid up to a proper temperature for viscosity reasons. Then once everything balances out, the radiator is a sorta "pre-cooler" that takes the edge off before sending it to the external.

The reason I do that when towing is because of heat soak. The external cooler is fluid-to-air which is many times less efficient than fluid-fluid like in the radiator. If you're towing up a mountain its possible for the heat going into the fluid to exceed the heat that the cooler can take out. At that point the temperature of the fluid rises continually. Running it through the radiator first (while only capable of dropping it to around 230 degrees) will eliminate that problem. Running it through the radiator first lets it share the heat load with 5 gallons of coolant with its own massive radiator.

On some cars like Dodge trucks and many Nissans I bypass it totally, but GMs do a fair job with their heat exchangers