New truck, new trans :(

[KaulinGraves]

Hey all. I’ve had a blue ‘00 Silverado 4.8 single cab short bed for a couple months now that I have been daily driving and I thought I’d dive into a forum for it. I have fallen into the “tar pit” of needing to either rebuild the 4L60e or swap to a 4L80e as I no longer have 3rd or 4th. I can daily drive it just fine through town as I work less than 7 miles from home and it’s all 35-45 mph for the speed limit. All other gears work perfectly fine. I’ve bought a JEGS rebuild kit(555-62158) and the torx plus 50 for the bell housing bolts. The kit came already with a hardened aftermarket shell so I’m not worried about that anymore. The kit did come with a Transgo shift kit(specifically the “SK 4L60E series L”) and was curious if anyone had any luck with it, whether they did all of it, part of it, etc. I’ll be performing the “surgery” on a salvaged ‘07 classic trans I pulled in a yard about 2 hrs north of me. The trans already has the 13-prong connection vs the 15 that came in them stock(if I remember correctly), so I know somebody has tinkered with it. Either way I have a new harness in the kit so I’m not worried about that either. Just looking for advice either on the rebuild kit, the shift kit, or even going with a Circle D 2800-3000 stall converter with a Mishimoto 40k cooler. Just looking for a more reliable set up than stock, but enough to do some work on occasion. Thank you.

 

[4silverado]

Welcome to the forum. I know there will be others that will chime in. Out of curiosity, how many miles on your truck? Has anyone done any maintenance to the transmission?

I know my 04 Silverado is way overdue on the ATF and filter. I’m hoping to get it done soon. I notice some slipping when I drop it into 3rd but it’s not noticeable when in overdrive or I just don’t notice it.

 

[KaulinGraves]

I got her at just over 180k. I put her in the shop not even 2 weeks after having it and as I was driving home, noticed it started slipping in 3rd/4th. I was told it would slip occasionally, but hasn’t ever gone out. I bought the truck off my girlfriend’s dad, who had it from his uncle. So I’m the third owner. I’ve been told that it has had been “rebuilt” 3 times but when I asked how much it costed to get a gauge on what might have been done, he stated it costed about $1,000 each time. So it sounds like just the frictions and steels, maybe a new filter and fluid. I don’t really have a whole lot of info on the previous maintenance on it, but it’s all little things that add up over time. I’ve slowly been correcting them. They include rotating tires, changing almost ALL light bulbs, changing filters, engine oil and filter, topping off fluids, adding missing fuses back in, etc. I was told it was drove maybe once every two months, other than that, just rotted under a tree. I had to clean about 50 lbs of walnuts, pecans, and acorns out of the bed just to get it cleaned up XD

 

[stutaeng]

Welcome!

I've rebuilt a few 4L80s but never a 4L60e. NickTranmissions is best channel on YT I have found on rebuilding transmissions.

 

[ORVietVet]

Welcome to the forum, from Oregon.

I recommend you build your Signature and put all your truck info there.

 

[99Sierra2500]

Welcome, nice looking truck.

 

[KaulinGraves]

Welcome, nice looking truck.

Thank you. I don’t see many of the Indigo Blue Metallic ones, at least around me. I plan on doing wheels/tires, suspension, maybe a rear bumper delete with the roll pan as well

 

[KaulinGraves]

Welcome!

I've rebuilt a few 4L80s but never a 4L60e. NickTranmissions is best channel on YT I have found on rebuilding transmissions.

I’ll take any advice I can get. I’ve always been mechanically inclined, but never been able to mess with vehicles like I’ve wanted, so now is my chance with how much support this platform has

 

[99Sierra2500]

Thank you. I don’t see many of the Indigo Blue Metallic ones, at least around me. I plan on doing wheels/tires, suspension, maybe a rear bumper delete with the roll pan as well

Yeah, that Indigo Metallic is a great color.

 

[KaulinGraves]

Welcome!

I've rebuilt a few 4L80s but never a 4L60e. NickTranmissions is best channel on YT I have found on rebuilding transmissions.

The channel I was going to use for my rebuild is “transmissionbench7842”. He has like a two part course of tearing it down and putting it back together, what to look for, what you need, and it’s like it’s in a classroom setting so everything is well put together and organized. It makes the most sense to me, but I will check that channel out. Thank you

 

[dcairns]

('03 Silverado SS with Radix supercharger, original owner). After breaking my 4L65e for the fourth time, I had a 4L80e put in by the transmission shop. Being AWD, both drive shafts had to be altered as the 4L80e is longer and the ECM needed modification to read both speed sensors on the 4L80e and change shift points. First gear is a bit taller, so it has lost a step on acceleration. It was an expensive upgrade, but it should be a bullet proof upgrade. I am not even going to consider a newer truck, I am driving this to the end, so the expense was worth it. I consider the cost verses the 20 years with no car payment.

I also put in a Tru-Cool 40K transmission cooler. Now when towing uphill in the heat, the temps stay below 200.

 

[stutaeng]

The channel I was going to use for my rebuild is “transmissionbench7842”. He has like a two part course of tearing it down and putting it back together, what to look for, what you need, and it’s like it’s in a classroom setting so everything is well put together and organized. It makes the most sense to me, but I will check that channel out. Thank you

That's the gentleman that got me into rebuilding my first 4L80e back in 2020; he's retired rebuilder. He sells rebuild kits and those videos on a thumb drive were included in the kits. Highly recommended for starting out, yes.

The thing about the 4L60e (again, just as a "spectator" if you will) is that there's some different philosophies when doing performance upgrades/builds. For example: some people swear by the "Z-pack" and others say never do that. Friction name brand is another hotly debated topic. And I can't remember what.

I would say, focus on the hydraulics side of the transmission, focus on that, and do some common upgrades everyone agrees on. Don't worry too much on "performance upgrades" right now. Get the unit shifting right again. Replacing bearing and bushings is another thing a lot of guys overlook. A shop press with an Amazon master bearing installer will be a must if you don't have one.

On my last transmission build a few months ago, I finally got a dedicated spring compressor and a blind bearing puller, and they were worth it. The rest of the tools should be pretty basic, including a nice snap ring plier set, a dial indicator from HF, and basic hand tools. You should be able to find a PDF version of the ATSG for your transmission.

Lastly, make sure you know and understand the differences in generations of the transmission. You have the "LS" 4L60e with the deep pan, without the ISS. Some internal parts interchange, but some don't. That's a huge topic that's overlooked.

And I HATE giving advice that's not really part of the question, but since @dcairns just chimed in (and you did hint on first post), I would agree with him 100% on a 4L80e swap, ...so I digress.

 

[KaulinGraves]

That's the gentleman that got me into rebuilding my first 4L80e back in 2020; he's retired rebuilder. He sells rebuild kits and those videos on a thumb drive were included in the kits. Highly recommended for starting out, yes.

The thing about the 4L60e (again, just as a "spectator" if you will) is that there's some different philosophies when doing performance upgrades/builds. For example: some people swear by the "Z-pack" and others say never do that. Friction name brand is another hotly debated topic. And I can't remember what.

I would say, focus on the hydraulics side of the transmission, focus on that, and do some common upgrades everyone agrees on. Don't worry too much on "performance upgrades" right now. Get the unit shifting right again. Replacing bearing and bushings is another thing a lot of guys overlook. A shop press with an Amazon master bearing installer will be a must if you don't have one.

On my last transmission build a few months ago, I finally got a dedicated spring compressor and a blind bearing puller, and they were worth it. The rest of the tools should be pretty basic, including a nice snap ring plier set, a dial indicator from HF, and basic hand tools. You should be able to find a PDF version of the ATSG for your transmission.

Lastly, make sure you know and understand the differences in generations of the transmission. You have the "LS" 4L60e with the deep pan, without the ISS. Some internal parts interchange, but some don't. That's a huge topic that's overlooked.

And I HATE giving advice that's not really part of the question, but since @dcairns just chimed in (and you did hint on first post), I would agree with him 100% on a 4L80e swap, View attachment 6377...so I digress.

I really appreciate all the info here. I think the hydraulics is usually what causes the gears to fail. Lack of fluid/pressure is a killer. The JEGS kit I bought comes with all new o-rings, gaskets, flat bearings, bushings, seals, electronics, steels, frictions, etc. It’s about everything from the bell housing to the tail shaft minus the hard metal parts. The only hard metal part it does include is the hardened sunshell. If I was about to go without a vehicle for a while, I would upgrade to a 4L80e. The way I’m having to do it now is to rebuild the salvaged transmission, when fully rebuilt I would change out that trans with my one in the truck

 

[Tonimus]

Welcome to the forum!

There's a lot out there with swapping from a 4L60 to a 4L80. A well rebuilt and cared for 4L60 is plenty strong. I've got a 4L60 in my Tahoe and I'll rebuild it when the time comes. I've just started rebuilding my own transmissions, and it looks a lot scarier than it is. Get a copy of the ATSM for the 4L60 and get'er done. The 4L60 redone as meticulously as you like will be way nicer on the brain than a random 4L80.

As far as specific kits go, I get my rebuild kits from a transmission parts supplier. For non-racing use, any name brand frictions will be fine. If they weren't no one would use them and warranty transmissions.

 

[KaulinGraves]

“If they weren’t, no one would use them and warranty transmissions” I like how your put that, but I never thought about it that way. You’re right.

Also, I think I already have a free source of the ATSM for the 4L60e here:

Client Challenge

I may be completely wrong, but that is it, no?