Need help picking ATF for 2013 Yukon XL 1500 SLT

[Slae]

Hey guys. Need member here. I’m not great with cars so need some advice. I picked up a 2013 GMC Yukon XL 1500 with 196k miles for less than $6000. Beautiful black body with black leather interior clean as a whistle.

It had some transmission shudder and I put 2 bottles of Lubegard instant shudder fix and it immediately fixed my problem. They say if it makes a big difference, your transmission shudder is most likely a fluid problem and not the torque converter etc. So now I bought their long term Lubegard Red Bottle ATF Protectant but for this I need to change out my current automatic transmission fluid so I can add this long term lubeguard protectant at the same time. I read a lot about Mobil1 but when I enter my VIN on autozone or advance auto parts it says Mobil1 synthetic ATF doesn’t fit my Yukon XL 1500 SLT 5.3L ? Can someone confirm or deny if Mobil1 one works in my truck? All the reviews says it fixed their transmission shuddering problems and I was so happy to order it but when I filter for ATF that fits my car all it shows me is Valvoline.

If the Mobil1 does fit my car please give me exact name of the fluid I need, if it doesn’t please recommend an alternative that will fix shudder problems like Mobil1 users say it does.

Thanks in advance!

 

[gooffeyguy]

Any Dexron VI synthetic fluid will work. I use Valvoline (blue bottle) , but have also used Valvoline Maxlife Multi-vehicle (red bottle) that is Dexron VI rated.

 

[Marky Dissod]

LubeGard makes a Dexron VI-rated ATF.

 

[j91z28d1]

I don't know anything about the tranny fluid additive, but in general a new tq converter is way cheaper than a new tranny and yours high mileage. I might try to replace the converter anyways and use amsoil fluid.


cross fingers and hope it keeps going.

 

[Marky Dissod]

For even better results, get the tcm tuned to eliminate torque converter clutch slip after replacing the torque converter.

 

[Slae]

For even better results, get the tcm tuned to eliminate torque converter clutch slip after replacing the torque converter.

I heard replacing the torque converter almost is never recommended. I read that most transmission shops will just say if your TC went bad the metal scrap etc prob contaminated rest of trans and they recommend a full transmission replacement. Just not ready to pay 5k just yet. How much is just a new TC with labor estimated? And then who does that tuning?

 

[Marky Dissod]

I heard replacing the torque converter almost is never recommended.
I read that most transmission shops will just say if your TC went bad the metal scrap etc prob contaminated rest of trans and they recommend a full transmission replacement.
Just not ready to pay 5k just yet. How much is just a new TC with labor estimated?
And then who does that tuning?

The torque converter clutch is a wear item.
That wear is accelerated by the way GM tunes it in '1500'-type vehicles.
No matter how often the ATF is changed, eventually the torque converter clutch wears away enough to give out.
When it does, the TCC debris takes out the rest of the 6L80 with it.

Might be a pain in the @r$e for the trans shop to remove and replace a torque converter, it might be much more profitable for them to remove a failed 6L80 and replace it with a rebuilt ... so what?
You are NOT a trans shop, right?

If your TCC has not yet failed, replacing it with a new one would be pennywise.

Your 6L80 is on borrowed time, but you may still be able to get lots more time out of it.

Were I you, used ATF analysis, NEW torque converter, and fresh LubeGard Dexron6 ATF, in that order.
That said, I hope someone smarter / more experienced than me comes along, even if they disagree with me.

Among other reputable ecm / tcm tuners, Black Bear does it.
Most people who do not get their pcm or ecm & tcm tuned, have no clue how much longer stuff would last ...

 

[j91z28d1]

I think that about covers it.. think of the tq as a 100k-150k maintenance item. you can buy ones with better clutches that last longer too.


if it's a 2wd it's not really that hard. I should shouldn't kill you on labor. if it's 4wd it's more involved. but hopefully still cheaper than I new tranny

 

[donjetman]

I heard replacing the torque converter almost is never recommended. I read that most transmission shops will just say if your TC went bad the metal scrap etc prob contaminated rest of trans and they recommend a full transmission replacement. Just not ready to pay 5k just yet. How much is just a new TC with labor estimated? And then who does that tuning?

You heard wrong.
5 1/2 yrs and 67k miles ago, when my Denali 6L80 had 131k miles, I replaced TC etc. Its still going strong w 198k miles. Here's the thread:
https://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/thr...7-yukon-denali-6-2.108334/page-3#post-1293118
I change the fluid in the pan every 25k miles and the filter every 50k miles.
Dexron6

 

[Charlie207]

It'd be cool if there was a list of TC vendors/prices/options listed somewhere. I'm not really looking to buy a $1200 Circle D converter for a daily driver.