How many miles did you get out of your original Transmission?

[Marky Dissod]

I'd say it depends on what transmission you have. The 4L60E are known to go 200k+ on average, I am at 186k on mine.
It seems like I read about more problems with the 6L80E but that could just be because it is more common in this generation of Tahoe.

The 4L60E from what years?
GM obviously did something right if the 4L60Es in GMT800s & early GMT900s are going 200k.
4L60Es in mid- and late-'90s LT1 & LS1 cars seldom made it to 150k before needing their first rebuild.

When did Dexron6 become the factory fill? This alone may have improved 4L60E longevity.
One of the first things I always do when I acquire a vehicle (always used), I change out the transmission filter and replace the ATF with
LubeGard COMPLETE Full Synthetic ATF.

Then again, I also think axle(s) gearing is an underestimated overlooked distinction.
3.42 , 3.73 , 4.10 , & 4.30 axle(s) gearing helps 4L60Es live much longer between rebuilds.
GM got away with 2.56 , 2.73 , 2.93 , 3.08 , and 3.23 in CARS.
I firmly believe CAFE-MpG gearing sacrificed the longevity of thousands of 4L60Es, passing the cost of the impending rebuild onto the customers far sooner.
If I could afford to upgrade both my 3.73 axles to 4.10, it'd improve my metro / urban MpG enough to offset any highway MpG penalty, and add some more longevity to the 4L60E as well.

 

[Dustin Jackson]

@Marky Dissod It must have started with the GMT800. I recall the GMT400 guys complaining about their 4l60e although I have a 94 with 370,000 on the original drivetrain in addition with my 08 with 186,000. Both with 3.73 gearing

 

[Marky Dissod]

Roughly around the transition from GMT400 to GMT800, three things happened to improve the 4L60E's durability (methinks):
1. Dexron3 to Dexron6
2. updated 4L60E hardware / parts specs
3. 12200411 pcm has more control & more precise controls (not just torque management) over the 4L60E.
Don't know exactly when each of those things happened, but together they made the 4L60E hardier & sturdier.

Too bad I can't afford 4.10 axleS for my Z71.
(Anybody want front & rear 3.73 axles in exchange for 4.10?)

 

[89Suburban]

not this Gen, but I have a 96 with what I believe is the original 4l60e with 325k miles on it. I dropped the pan and did the filter when I first got it, like 20 years ago at this point with high 100k range I wanna say 175k but not sure, it's been forever ago and 3 states haha. but since then I've used the vacuum extractor to suck out the fluid from the dip stick and top it back off. it only gets like 3 or 4qt out, but done it probably 5 or 6 times now. it's still going.

funny it's had a slight delay to shift into reverse since I got it, when I first got it it was like eh, it will need a tranny soon but it's a good deal. so I picked it up. still going all these years later.

I feel like good fluid is the best thing for these trannys. that and keeping them cool. mine has the tow package, so all the extras coolers.

my 2011 has the hybrid tranny that I believe is based off a Allison hybrid bus tranny tech back then, just smaller in a multi manufacture collaboration to bring it to the truck world. 145k, never seems to get over 167deg even when towing, doesn't have a torque converter but does have some electric motors and some veritable gear ratio thing going on. so no clue what the life expectancy of it is, but I plan to keep fresh fluid in it and just got a test sample back from Blackstone labs and it seems all is good wear wise from there.

if you're curious, a fluid sample test will tell you a lot about what kinda wear you have going on.

On my to do list to get an aftermarket cooler installed, hopefully this year.

 

[j91z28d1]

The 4L60E from what years?
GM obviously did something right if the 4L60Es in GMT800s & early GMT900s are going 200k.
4L60Es in mid- and late-'90s LT1 & LS1 cars seldom made it to 150k before needing their first rebuild.

When did Dexron6 become the factory fill? This alone may have improved 4L60E longevity.
One of the first things I always do when I acquire a vehicle (always used), I change out the transmission filter and replace the ATF with
LubeGard COMPLETE Full Synthetic ATF.

Then again, I also think axle(s) gearing is an underestimated overlooked distinction.
3.42 , 3.73 , 4.10 , & 4.30 axle(s) gearing helps 4L60Es live much longer between rebuilds.
GM got away with 2.56 , 2.73 , 2.93 , 3.08 , and 3.23 in CARS.
I firmly believe CAFE-MpG gearing sacrificed the longevity of thousands of 4L60Es, passing the cost of the impending rebuild onto the customers far sooner.
If I could afford to upgrade both my 3.73 axles to 4.10, it'd improve my metro / urban MpG enough to offset any highway MpG penalty, and add some more longevity to the 4L60E as well.

I had friends back in the days of the early lt1 camaros that would eat 4l60s for lunch.. went thru like 8 of them trying to bearly run 12s back then lol. for years before that he 700r4 would lunch itself after a few times of shifting into 4th at wot. auto is basically a constant wear item any time it shifts gears it wears a clutch of some type. limit the constant up shifts and down shifts especially when towing and keeping Temps low with fresh fluid goes a long way. I'd have to look it up for the specific numbers. but a member here posted results of his tranny fluid sample and said talking to a gm engineer about viscosity at 100c which is about what they run at all the time. at 5.5 it's time for a change, damage starts blow 5.0 and oem acdelco fluid is only 5.8 to start with. I feel like this is probably correct info and we are told it's no big deal to run 100k miles

ATF Lab Results, Dexron VI, 43k miles on fluid

I recently changed the ATF & filter. I took a sample with a JG Lubricant Services used oil analysis kit. They use Polaris Laboratories. Sent it in and 5 working days later here are the results. This is the same fluid and filter as before (see result #1). Lab flagged the viscosity of 5.6, so I...

www.tahoeyukonforum.com

but these aren't life time units and still better than the new 8 and 10 speeds that we are seeing get replaced like clock work at 100k.

 

[j91z28d1]

On my to do list to get an aftermarket cooler installed, hopefully this year.

I've always been a manual guy but I've been told over and over how you keep a auto alive in a fast car is keeping the fluid cool and changing it often. something we don't think to much about in stock cars/trucks, but I'm sure the same applies just over a longer time and I definitely don't feel like you can over cool the fluid. it might not show super hot on a temp gauge, but inside the converter, it's much hotter where the work is being done.

my 11 doesn't have a torque converter to heat the fluid and a nice heat exchanger factory. most trips mine doesn't show above 130deg around town short 15-30mins drive times. it does have a normal style pump, along with a electric pump and 4 normal clutch based gear packs. just not the converted heat to get rid of. I've seen 100s of posts about cold tranny fluid somehow damaging trannys, but I just don't see that as a real thing. I mean if it's zero outside let it warm some(along with engine oil) but I don't believe it needs to be 200+deg for any good reason.

 

[j91z28d1]

Roughly around the transition from GMT400 to GMT800, three things happened to improve the 4L60E's durability (methinks):
1. Dexron3 to Dexron6
2. updated 4L60E hardware / parts specs
3. 12200411 pcm has more control & more precise controls (not just torque management) over the 4L60E.
Don't know exactly when each of those things happened, but together they made the 4L60E hardier & sturdier.

Too bad I can't afford 4.10 axleS for my Z71.
(Anybody want front & rear 3.73 axles in exchange for 4.10?)

my thoughts on that is the higher gear let's you drive around in high gear with the tc locked up more often causing less heat. you could probably get the same results by just adding a nice tranny cooler to cover for the extra heat from the tc which unlocked. the clutch packs themselves should have more than enough clamping force to not wear more or less just gong from a 3.73 to a 4.10.


mins has a 3.08 in it front and rear haha. but there's a lot of things going on in there that it doesn't feel like it till you get on the highway and it's lofting along at 0.50 over drive. knocking down 24mpg

 

[Dave S]

2008 Tahoe. Original owner. Lasted around 225k. I pulled it and had it rebuilt.

 

[czargee]

Owner of a 2004 GMC Yukon SLT. Bought the Yuk in 2005 with 36K and now has over 312K.

Original tranny and shamefully only changed the tran fluid once when I got it. Fortunately old faithful is still running smooth as the day I bought it. Go figure.

I heard after you passed a certain number of miles without changing the tran fluid, you just leave it.

 

[salisburyv]

i have the 6L80 transmission