Expected transmission life span

[BlueCollarTahoe]

when you guys say service 1x a year what do you mean exactly? full fluid exchange or a filter change and refill for what comes out with that?

 

[mattt]

What I have been doing with decent success so far, knock on wood, is to have drop the pan & replace the filter every 50k or so. When that is done, you swap out ~5-ish quarts. In addition, every 3rd oil change or so I pull the plug on the trans pan to drain then refill. That again swaps out ~3-ish quarts. I have never done a full fluid exchange or flush. YMMV.....

 

[BlueCollarTahoe]

thats what i jsut did at the 100k maintenance. ^^ for the other guys you are doing this yearly?

 

[GIZZ]

My 65e in my '01 blew up around 150k miles, put another 100k on it before tq convo lockup started intermittently acting up. I think 60/65/70 are fine if you aren't racing or towing. Get a big cooler, if running a multi plate high stall convo get into hp tuners and get that locked up as much as you can. Wrap any exhaust running near the trans pan.

I blew up my 70e a couple on months after I put my stroker motor in, I had it built up with the best parts I could find. The good part about that was the price wasn't sky high, the bad was I knew it's still going to break again one day.

 

[D is for DENALI]

I purchased my denali and it had the trans with 1,2 slip at 175k.. replaced it with a tow/vette model trans, and now it has 193k and drives like a dream(I also recently rebuilt my front diff,tc,and rear end, so that helps alot too lol)

But while it was being rebuilt, I flushed the trans fluid using the radiator method and flushed all fluid completely, and surprisingly easy if you are paying attention...

Now that I know how to flush the fluid from the line by the radiator, I will make it a annual thing... every 20k, flush it all.. around $80 on fluid (maybe do the trans filter/gasket every 2 years, along with a new fuel filter)

And since i have the new beefier trans, this will make me sleep better for something that can be done in 30 minutes after i change the engine oil...

Every spring I buy new windshield wipers with my oil, now I'll add trans fluid to the list..

$80 is cheap insurance for as much driving/roadtripping/towing as I do...

I bought my AAA premier plan for this vehicle, not my 2014 toyota.. lolz also cheap insurance, and good discounts too)

 

[rockola1971]

You ALWAYS flush all trans coolers and lines when a transmission is replaced/rebuilt. Most if not all shops wont even warranty a tranny if you bring it in already removed from the vehicle to be rebuilt because they have no way to know for sure the owner flushed the lines/coolers properly. All shops flush the lines/coolers during a tranny R&R. If a transmission gets nuked it throws its guts up into the pan, coolers and lines and you dont want that crap going through your rebuilt tranny and new torque converter.

 

[MikeW]

My 4l60 lasted until 287,068 miles....

 

[oldchev]

I can add that if the electronics (valves and solenoids) are not replaced at the time of the so called rebuild, you will be back soon. If the trans has over heated it affects these electronics too. Expect to pay $1800+ and more otherwise you are not getting a full rebuild. I have seen several come back when not done completely.
There are shops that offer extensive upgrades that will make your 4L60e/65e a worthy contender. My 2004 has 205K on it. I service it regularly and drive normal ... no towing, so far works great.

 

[mattt]

Thank you for weighing in from the perspective of someone in the know. I thought 3200 sounded like a lot. I am in CA, so I suppose the price will be higher, given that everything costs more here. I have also been told by a longtime Chevy line mechanic that there is something about 2nd gear that the aftermarket has a stronger than factory part, but the details escape me. How far and long is it safe to push a high mileage trans that is still functioning correctly? I do notice that when I do the pan fluid swap, shift quality improves. That leads me to believe the trans isn't quite ready for a rebuild. Thanks again for the insight.

I'm sitting just over 260k and debating when is the right time to rebuild my trans? Is there any advantage to rebuilding it now, when it's still working vs. waiting til it just gives up the ghost?

Anyone have info on recommended upgrades that I've previously heard about? 2004 Tahoe 4wd with above mileage, and I tow multiple times per year.

 

[Toomanyhobbies]

Both of my trucks have 4l60e are at 190K. The 2004 shifts a little hard from second to third but overall is totally fine. The '98 I just had rebuilt as part of the restoration and I got to see the trans inside up close. It looks basically brand new inside. It was totally fine when it went in.

So in short I don't know why one of these wouldn't last 250 if you are not ******* the truck and do the maintenance. I have changed fluid every 30K miles since new.