4L60E trans service?

JimmyDuncan

JimmyDuncan

Well-Known Member
Short back story.... :) I recently replaced my old 97 Subaru Impreza daily driver (drove it until repair cost outweighed its value..) with a equally old, but more fun 96 Holden Commodore VS Berlina wagon. Probably not a familiar model to you guys, but it has a few parts that will be... It has a Holden 304 5litre V8 (the next year Holden went to a Chev engine)... a 4L60E trans and Borg Warner diff.

$_57.JPG$_573.JPG

The owner before me got all the options from the factory and added an aftermarket exhaust and lowered it.. It has been really well looked after and came with lots of receipts.. The old Holden V8 is pretty bombproof, but the bits that attach to it were not the most reliable in the late 90s... So its had lots of the extra bits replaced over the 200,000kms its done.. I had to replace the radiator within a few weeks of getting it, due to electrolysis eating its insides out..o_O

Anyway... I need to service the transmission... There are a variety of kits on ebay, some with filter and gasket, some with filter , gasket and filter seal, and some with filter, gasket, seal and two solenoids....

1. Which kit should I get?

2. Other than drop pan, drain oil, clean up parts, install new parts, close up and refill, are there any steps that I should consider to improve and extend the function of the transmission?

3. Any particular oil for a high kms transmission?
 
Unless you have been changing fluid on a regular basis, I would do a complete
fluid change. Changing filter and oil in the pan is about a 1/3 fluid change.

Find the trans outlet to the radiator cooler and dump that to a container ....... at
the same time pour new fluid in the dipstick tube. Most likely you will not be able
to keep up with pouring in new fluid, so shutting off the car will be necessary. I
can be more specific if you want to take this route. The video is kinda close but there
are more details if you decide to take this route and do a complete fluid change.

.
 
Indycars said:
Unless you have been changing fluid on a regular basis, I would do a complete
fluid change. Changing filter and oil in the pan is about a 1/3 fluid change.

Find the trans outlet to the radiator cooler and dump that to a container ....... at
the same time pour new fluid in the dipstick tube. Most likely you will not be able
to keep up with pouring in new fluid, so shutting off the car will be necessary. I
can be more specific if you want to take this route. The video is kinda close but there
are more details if you decide to take this route and do a complete fluid change.

.
Click to expand...
Good call Rick. I can't be sure it was being done previously... I'm happy to do flush/full fluid change, if you think its the way to go. Can I check the fluid on the dipstick and decide if its warranted? Although, for my peace of mind it may be better to do so..?

Does the filter seal typically need replacing..? What about solenoids?

Would you use a specific oil in a higher mileage trans?
 
Only you can decide from your point of direct view? Is the fluid bright
ruby red or a brownish red?

You always get a new seal with the new filter, use it! Make sure you
remove the old seal first.
 
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JimmyDuncan said:
Does the filter seal typically need replacing..? What about solenoids?
Click to expand...
If it working like it should, then NO don't change the solenoids. Filter always needs replacing every 50,000 miles, can't go wrong with filter replacement. I would also suggest a Wix inline magnetic filter after flushing the trans.

Filter info below........

WixFilterSpecs.JPG
WixMagneticTransFilter.gif
 
Indycars said:
If it working like it should, then NO don't change the solenoids. Filter always needs replacing every 50,000 miles, can't go wrong with filter replacement. I would also suggest a Wix inline magnetic filter after flushing the trans.

Filter info below........

View attachment 7061
View attachment 7062
Click to expand...

Oh, ok. An inline magnetic filter also.. Good idea.

The oil looks very slightly brownish rather than ruby red.. Not really brown... I wiped it on a white rag and its not ruby red..

Having not had the car long, I'm not sure how the trans shifting should feel and behave.. and it is old... But, if I had to say, I think it struggles a little to get the right gear at low speeds, more so when colder, earlier in the drive.. I'm hoping an oil and filter change might help here.. Could the solenoids help in that regard?
 
JimmyDuncan said:
Could the solenoids help in that regard?
Click to expand...
The only solenoids I'm aware of is for the trans converter lock up. It only locks
up if the solenoid has pressure confirmation of 4th gear, then it will lockup the
Toqure Converter Clutch. (TCC)
 
Found this info on solenoids.. Maybe you're thinking of the non electronic..?

How To Diagnose A Bad Solenoid In Your 4L60E Transmission
Posted by Regis on Friday, October 11th, 2013

The 4L60E is an immensely popular four speed automatic transmission made by General Motors. It is basically an electronic version of one of GM’s first four speed automatics, the 700R4. It had a long production life of over 17 years and was used extensively throughout the entire General Motors line up. It could be found in very popular vehicles, such as the Chevrolet Camaro, Corvette and Silverado pickup trucks. It was also available in luxury cars like the Cadillac Fleetwood and the Escalade. In addition, it was used in a wide variety of Buicks, Oldsmobiles and GMCs as well.

As mentioned above, the 4L60E (“E” stand for Electronic) is a fully electric transmission. The shifting of the valves in the valve body are controlled by the vehicles CPU. Sensors built into both the motor and transmission send data to the computer, and the computer uses this data to determine when it is the best time to shift gears.

When the CPU sends an electrical signal, it goes to one of the many solenoids used in the 4L60E transmission. It’s not uncommon for one of these solenoids to fail. Luckily they are easy to diagnose, easy to replace and fairly inexpensive.

The solenoid consists of a coil of wire, that when energized, creates a magnetic field. The magnetic field in turn moves a plunger that is connected to one of the valves in the valve body. Once the current is disconnected, the magnetic field disappears and a spring is used to return the plunger back to its original position. The solenoid can fail in a number of ways.

The wire inside the solenoid can break. A break in the wire is usually the result of excessive vibration or a spike in voltage. To test a solenoid all you need is a hand held ohm meter. Connect the two wires coming off the solenoid to the two leads on the ohm meter. A properly working solenoid should return a reading of around 20 – 30 ohms of resistance. If no reading is returned, you can assume the wire is broken.

The wire inside the solenoid can melt. This is usually caused by excessive transmission temperatures or a spike in voltage. The wire that makes up the electrical magnet is coated with a fine layer of protective plastic. Under the wrong conditions, the plastic coating can melt, allowing the bare wire to make contact with a segment of wire further down the coil. This results in what is known as an electrical short. Use the ohm meter test as described above, and if you get a reading below 20 ohms you can assume that there is an internal short in the solenoid.

The plunger in the solenoid can sometimes get stuck in its bore. Debris from within the transmission or corrosion can lead to this condition. To fix this problem, disassemble the solenoid and use WD40 to free the plunger. Once removed, clean up both the plunger and plunger bore with a fine grade of emery cloth.

The last item that can fail is the return spring inside the solenoid. It can either break or become weak. Once it fails it’s time to replace the solenoid. All this talk about WD40 and plungers reminds me of the time I tried to do my own plumbing. Fixing transmissions is a bit like plumbing – you have to recognize your limits. We like to provide some do-it-yourself tips, but you need to know when to hand those repair jobs over to the experts.

Sooner or later, due to high mileage or abuse, you will be faced with a decision to replace your 4L60E transmission. I highly recommend doing so with a re-manufactured transmission over one that was simply rebuilt, or a used one. A re-manufactured transmission will include major internal modifications and upgrades designed to make it both stronger and more durable. A rebuilt transmission will not include this feature. A re-manufactured transmission also comes with a much better warranty; three years compared to an average 90 days for a rebuilt transmission.
 
heat, torque levels and shock loads are what kills transmissions
be wary of places that advertize transmission strength based on HORSEPOWER and not TORQUE CAPACITY
Here is how to year date a 700R4/4L60 transmission. It can also be used to date 4L60E transmissions if you continue the date progression. 4L60E's use the letter D as the 3rd digit of the 3 letter model code, where 700R4/4L60 uses a M. To go into the 4L60E years just go up from the 1993 code, 1994 =4 1995 = 5 etc. Just looked at 98 GM repair manual and 98 and later trans, the 1st number after the 3 letter code will be the build date of the trans. Example- if 8 is the 1st # in code for 98 model year, after the 3 letters could be a 7 or 8 for the build date.

4566d1302911286-700r4-4l60-determining-what-year-case-codes-700r4-dating-jpg
Click to expand...

https://www.700r4transmissionhq.com/identifying-a-700r4/

http://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/transmissions/automatic/th700r4

https://mechanicbase.com/transmission/700r4-transmission/

https://www.gmtransmissionparts.com/700r4-4l60e-4l65e-year-range-information/

https://www.advanceadapters.com/tech-vault/3-gm-700r4--4l60/

https://www.powerperformancenews.com/tech/spotters-guide-4l60e-transmission/

https://www.monstertransmission.com/4L60E-Identification-What-type-of-4L60E-do-you-have_ep_61.html

https://www.roadkillcustoms.com/transmission-cross-reference/?Transmission=4L60E

https://www.700r4transmissionhq.com/gm-automatic-transmissions/4l60e-identification/
the formula for HORSEPOWER is
torque/times/ rpm divided by 5252=hp

think about that a second

350 ft lbs at 6500 rpm= 433 hp

500 ft lbs at 4500 rpm=428 hp
the stock 700r4 trans is rated at 350 ft lbs
http://www.crankshaftcoalition.com/wiki/Talk:General_Motors_transmissions
investing in a couple high heat tolerance magnets to place in any transmission,or engines oil pan certainly won,t hurt durability either
proper magnets trap metallic debris
SmCo Samarium Cobalt Disc Magnets
http://www.magnet4less.com/
enginemagn.jpg


Samarium Cobalt MAGNETS HELP
http://www.magnet4sale.com/smco-disk-magnet-dia-1x1-4-samarium-cobalt-magnets-608-f-temperature/
magnets are ceramic and glass hard, don,t try to drill or grind them, as they can shatter
 
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Thanks for mentioning the Wix inline magnetic filter, Rick.
I will get a few for my vehicles. It will be a great addition to my new to me 2003 Camry,
as well as my GMC K1500 truck and the Trans Am.
 
Yes I used a couple of them in the first 1000 miles of my new TBucket 200-4r trans.
 
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