OP
OP
Growing up doesn't have to suck
- Thread starter iamdub
- Start date
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Dantheman1540
Full Access Member
Yeeeeah. I'm just gonna stick to oil changes and tire rotations.
No it's to late your already infected! Keep learning and asking questions!
It helps me learn!
OP
OP
iamdub
Full Access Member
Since a few terrible influencers including @pwtr02ss talked me into building my own trans, I've been on the lookout for a good core. An ad for an '08 Tahoe being parted popped up a week or so ago. A guy bought it from an insurance auction for rear body parts, got what he needed and was parting out the rest before scrapping. He said he has to assume the trans was junk and would take $100 for it. What are the chances of me finding a rebuildable Gen4 4L60E in my little town for $100?! I messaged him with the commitment to buy. He had a buyer for the engine and trans as a combo ahead of me but would call me first if it fell through. Well, that guy was a no-show and someone else claimed the engine, so the trans was available and already pulled since they pulled them together. I went that next afternoon to claim my prize.
When I got there, I saw that the trans looked like shit. Not that I cared since I'd be cleaning and painting the case, but it had a light green moss haze on the top, indicating it had sat out in the weather, uncovered for some time. He told me that when they pulled everything, the trans was bolted to the engine by just the bottom four bolts and the torque converter wasn't bolted to the flywheel. Obviously, this trans was not original to the Tahoe nor was the Tahoe ever driven with it.
At the time, I didn't know about deciphering the tag on the case nor anything else to verify it was a Gen4. But, it looked like one and I had already told him to consider it sold. I wasn't gonna back down from my word so I took it home.
I ran numbers and spent a couple hours researching and started to suspect it was actually a Gen3. The next morning (yesterday), I popped off the pan (half the bolts were missing and the existing ones were hand-tight) to look for the Input Speed Sensor (ISS).
Pics from yesterday morning-
This is right after I removed the pan. No filter to be found it had water in the pan, among other contaminants:
...Contaminants such as leaves, pine needles and dirt:
Watery oil (or oily water?) and what appears to be an expected amount of metal on the magnet:
As expected, the ISS was not there, confirming that this WAS a Gen3 trans. BUT, the hole where the ISS goes was there and had a factory cap secured by a snap ring, so it's not like I'll have to drill out a cast-in blank or machine a hole, etc. to add the ISS:
I really don't care about the filth since all I need is an undamaged case with good internal hard parts, and, so far, I still believe I have that. I'll be replacing the major parts with upgraded ones and the rest will be new upgraded normal wear items (clutches, steels, etc.). What I'm trying to do at this point is verify that the only difference between this Gen3 and a Gen4 is the addition of the ISS. This one is an '07, but from the "Classic" body style. As far as I know, I'll need the ISS, the internal harness (was getting a new one, anyway) and the correct pump (this part stings a little, but whatever). I MIGHT need the later input shaft if this one doesn't have the reluctor on it. In the meantime, I'm still keeping a look out for a cheap and rebuildable true Gen4 4L60E.
When I got there, I saw that the trans looked like shit. Not that I cared since I'd be cleaning and painting the case, but it had a light green moss haze on the top, indicating it had sat out in the weather, uncovered for some time. He told me that when they pulled everything, the trans was bolted to the engine by just the bottom four bolts and the torque converter wasn't bolted to the flywheel. Obviously, this trans was not original to the Tahoe nor was the Tahoe ever driven with it.
At the time, I didn't know about deciphering the tag on the case nor anything else to verify it was a Gen4. But, it looked like one and I had already told him to consider it sold. I wasn't gonna back down from my word so I took it home.
I ran numbers and spent a couple hours researching and started to suspect it was actually a Gen3. The next morning (yesterday), I popped off the pan (half the bolts were missing and the existing ones were hand-tight) to look for the Input Speed Sensor (ISS).
Pics from yesterday morning-
This is right after I removed the pan. No filter to be found it had water in the pan, among other contaminants:
...Contaminants such as leaves, pine needles and dirt:
Watery oil (or oily water?) and what appears to be an expected amount of metal on the magnet:
As expected, the ISS was not there, confirming that this WAS a Gen3 trans. BUT, the hole where the ISS goes was there and had a factory cap secured by a snap ring, so it's not like I'll have to drill out a cast-in blank or machine a hole, etc. to add the ISS:
I really don't care about the filth since all I need is an undamaged case with good internal hard parts, and, so far, I still believe I have that. I'll be replacing the major parts with upgraded ones and the rest will be new upgraded normal wear items (clutches, steels, etc.). What I'm trying to do at this point is verify that the only difference between this Gen3 and a Gen4 is the addition of the ISS. This one is an '07, but from the "Classic" body style. As far as I know, I'll need the ISS, the internal harness (was getting a new one, anyway) and the correct pump (this part stings a little, but whatever). I MIGHT need the later input shaft if this one doesn't have the reluctor on it. In the meantime, I'm still keeping a look out for a cheap and rebuildable true Gen4 4L60E.
Tonyrodz
Resident Resident
At least you're a man of your word. That's rare today.
Sam Harris
Supporting Member
Holy shit! That thing went through the wringer! But I still say that’s a hellova bargain! I know you’re replacing a lot of it, but you were planning to anyway. Too bad about the ISS, but I think it will still be a great deal overall. And I can’t wait to see this done!! Wish I had the guts, time, skills, and tools to do this myself.
Dantheman1540
Full Access Member
Thos is awesome! You are allowed a break from tuning to build the trans lol.
OP
OP
iamdub
Full Access Member
I'm a strong believer in karma. He didn't know anything about the trans until it was pulled with the engine and I (as well as he) assumed up until that point that it was original to the Tahoe. I kinda jumped the gun in my excitement for thinking I found such a deal on a Gen4, so that's on me. At $100, I kinda wasn't overly concerned since cores are usually $200-$300. I could probably sell it to a rebuilder for $100 if I really just wanted to offload it and start over. It's not the deal I thought I was getting, but it's not a loss, so I'm content with that.
From everything I've seen, it looks like the PO of the Tahoe took their trans out and put this one in its place so insurance wouldn't deduct it from their settlement. The one they kept may have been replaced or rebuilt not long before the Tahoe was wrecked so they didn't wanna let it go with the Tahoe. It happens all the time, just usually with wheels, radios, etc. That's why you find stock radios in the dashes at the salvage yards that aren't even hooked up, they're just there for looks and sometimes aren't even from that brand of vehicle. Someone just threw "a" transmission in there so it'd be "complete".
I thought of something earlier: That guy said he also had an '07 GMT900 Avalanche, but it was 4WD. I'm gonna check with him on the trans from that one and maybe work up a deal. You can convert a 4WD to 2WD and vice versa by swapping the output shaft and tailhousing. Swapping the shaft requires a complete disassembly, which it's getting anyway. So, my Gen3 trans could end up being a $100 conversion kit (cheap) as well as a guinea pig for practicing and/or spare parts supply.
I'm reminded of this quote:
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iamdub
Full Access Member
I've always shied away from transmissions. Diving into one has never interested me at all because there is so much to learn and so much that could go wrong and thousands of dollars and hours of work can be wasted over a 25¢ part not meeting a .001" tolerance...
... But if a knuckle-draggin mouth-breather such as @pwtr02ss can build one, then so can I.
OP
OP
iamdub
Full Access Member
Lol
Well, one thing I wanna tune is to reduce or remove Torque Management. I can't do that on a (supposedly) 200K-mile stock trans and expect to drive home. So, this needs to happen.
