2011 Yukon XL Transmission Slip

[Snackz]

Im gonna circle back and keep searching to see if this has been discussed but my first search seems others have a different issue and this one is weird..
I have a 2011 Yukon XL with approx 175k miles (280k kilometres) No codes on dash or in reader....It recently let go the transmission on the highway.. I was noticing some hesitation in what I thought was the engine and then when I tried to get up to speed on the highway it slipped in 3rd/4th.. I was able to get off the highway and limp it home at 30mph or less with multiple stop signs in-between.. the truck would drive but slip, manually and automatically it does 1-2-3 shift fine. but top of 3 nothing... fluid is at proper level... shop is calling it for a transmission... I still have strong reverse gear also.... it got stuck in 4WD a few weeks back but I got it out could be unrelated I don't use 4WD ever but my sister was driving it in when I was in mexico.... my gut says transmission can't be fully popped with reverse - 1-2-3 being ok... I know most places don't wanna band-aid transmissions and rightly just call a reman but i'm like everyone else hoping for a cheaper solution to put the problem down the road... Admittedly this truck is a Canadian salt driven truck that has seen better days, just not sure she's quite done yet.... im sure the gurus here have seen it all by now with these units.....

 

[donjetman]

@NickTransmissions is the resident tranny guru

 

[Snackz]

The upside to driving a 15yr old car is usually the gurus have found all the issues... the downside is you are the one finding them not the original owner hahah this truck has came back from the dead more times then I can count every time I count her out she's gives me new hope... I really feel like having reverse and up to 3rd is a benefit here... not looking forward to $5k for a repair tho.

 

[petethepug]

It literally went into limp mode or 3rd gear max. Yes, time and milage says it’s due for a rebuild.

You do have the option to add a 10SP trans from a 2019 truck.

2007-2014 GM SUV - Powertrain Swap Solutions

www.powertrainswapsolutions.com

 

[Snackz]

It literally went into limp mode or 3rd gear max. Yes, time and milage says it’s due for a rebuild.

You do have the option to add a 10SP trans from a 2019 truck.

2007-2014 GM SUV - Powertrain Swap Solutions

www.powertrainswapsolutions.com

thats interesting. I assume those transmissions are similar priced to buy used but better tranny and easier to find with low miles??

 

[petethepug]

Correct. This Gen truck is incredibly blessed to have so much aftermarket support and available upgrades / updates.

 

[Familyman2112]

Would that be the case for a 2011 Yukon Denali as well? I had my trans rebuilt about 2 years ago and only have put just shy of 20k miles on it since then. During a road trip, yesterday, I was noticing some occasional weird ‘feelings’ while driving on the highway. I just attributed it to our amazing roads in Illinois. However, after I stopped to get gas, the trans started slipping. I checked the fluid, it was full. It did smell a little funky but it still had some pink to it. I went to an ap store and got a bottle of Lucas anti-slip. It didn’t help. I then pumped out about 5 quarts of fluid and replaced it with 4 fresh quarts and a new quart of anti-slip. There was a good amount of shavings in the fluid that I took out, trans FUBARd. Reverse is gone, but me and an awesome Advance Auto manager in Greenfield In. pushed it out. I was able to manipulate it through rpm’s and manual shifting. However, I was only able to get it into 3rd or 4th, the manual shifting control stopped working and wouldn’t display on the dash.
Sorry for the long story, I’m assuming the trans shop that did the rebuild for $4,800 with a 12 month/12,000 mile warranty isn’t going to be helpful.
I’m pondering, get it rebuilt again (by a different shop), buy a rebuilt or buy a new trans. I have had numerous transmissions rebuilt over the years. I have never had one go out so quickly.

 

[MWD_CTSV]

Would that be the case for a 2011 Yukon Denali as well? I had my trans rebuilt about 2 years ago and only have put just shy of 20k miles on it since then. During a road trip, yesterday, I was noticing some occasional weird ‘feelings’ while driving on the highway. I just attributed it to our amazing roads in Illinois. However, after I stopped to get gas, the trans started slipping. I checked the fluid, it was full. It did smell a little funky but it still had some pink to it. I went to an ap store and got a bottle of Lucas anti-slip. It didn’t help. I then pumped out about 5 quarts of fluid and replaced it with 4 fresh quarts and a new quart of anti-slip. There was a good amount of shavings in the fluid that I took out, trans FUBARd. Reverse is gone, but me and an awesome Advance Auto manager in Greenfield In. pushed it out. I was able to manipulate it through rpm’s and manual shifting. However, I was only able to get it into 3rd or 4th, the manual shifting control stopped working and wouldn’t display on the dash.
Sorry for the long story, I’m assuming the trans shop that did the rebuild for $4,800 with a 12 month/12,000 mile warranty isn’t going to be helpful.
I’m pondering, get it rebuilt again (by a different shop), buy a rebuilt or buy a new trans. I have had numerous transmissions rebuilt over the years. I have never had one go out so quickly.

Familyman, that is indeed unfortunate. Getting metal shavings in the fluid at only 2 years/20K miles is a pretty catastrophic sign along with the major slipping. The heavy shavings at such low miles is likely from the TCC clutch failing, but regardless those heavy shavings tend to damage the pump pretty quickly and the loss of pressure affects the transmission rather suddenly. Given the catastrophic failure, you might get some goodwill from the trans shop if they are reputable, and can lean on their supplier for help or warranty.

If it is mainly converter failure and the rest of the trans is fine, you might be able to just replace the pump and converter and just clean out the rest. But that may not be an option that any trans shop will offer, except for the original rebuilder. If the trans didn't actually get any actual upgrades, there may be other failures waiting to happen or still undiagnosed, so a second 'lite' rebuild may have the same outcome in 2 years. Almost no one actually rebuilds the converter, so they are at the mercy of the supplier because they can't inspect the internals. Even a good rebuilder can have some failed rebuilds.

A GM reman is around $5-6K and at least you have a longer warranty (36 months maybe??) and sort of of a fresh start.

 

[MWD_CTSV]

Im gonna circle back and keep searching to see if this has been discussed but my first search seems others have a different issue and this one is weird..
I have a 2011 Yukon XL with approx 175k miles (280k kilometres) No codes on dash or in reader....It recently let go the transmission on the highway.. I was noticing some hesitation in what I thought was the engine and then when I tried to get up to speed on the highway it slipped in 3rd/4th.. I was able to get off the highway and limp it home at 30mph or less with multiple stop signs in-between.. the truck would drive but slip, manually and automatically it does 1-2-3 shift fine. but top of 3 nothing... fluid is at proper level... shop is calling it for a transmission... I still have strong reverse gear also.... it got stuck in 4WD a few weeks back but I got it out could be unrelated I don't use 4WD ever but my sister was driving it in when I was in mexico.... my gut says transmission can't be fully popped with reverse - 1-2-3 being ok... I know most places don't wanna band-aid transmissions and rightly just call a reman but i'm like everyone else hoping for a cheaper solution to put the problem down the road... Admittedly this truck is a Canadian salt driven truck that has seen better days, just not sure she's quite done yet.... im sure the gurus here have seen it all by now with these units.....

280 km is a good run especially for 14 years of use. Most of the short term bandaid options are gone once you reach the point of heavy slip. It is very common to have apply issues on the 4-5-6 clutch (because it is small) and the 3-5-R, so that can be related to the excessive slip in 3/4.

For a 14 year old winter beater with those miles, the only real economical option for another 25k mile of life is probably either DIY labor to do the trans removal/install and try to find a local cheap rebuilder or a small shop or individual that does 6L80 rebuilds on the side. A basic rebuild kit with pistons and frictions starts around $600, and then another $500 minimum for the torque converter and new pump. With the cheapest labor or maybe someone was has a bunch of used 6L80 parts you might be able to get away with a patch job for less than $1500, but you would really have to shop around and find somebody who needs the work. And that doesn't include the trans removal and install in the vehicle.

The cheapest bandaid option for the 2011-14 era 6L80 is to replace the torque converter at approx. 150K miles before it fails or slips. Because you don't have to open the trans, that should be around $1K all in.

 

[rdezs]

I think it's time for a quality reman. And after flushing out the transmission coolers, install one of these: