Auto gearbox strength

[gtrboyy]

First one was shiftkitted etc in vt 5l with only 50k on odometer...broke a couple of rebuilt/modified 4l60e behind mild 304's.

So yeah built ones do break easily enough in spectacular fashion while a stock 4l60e will slip like buggery,burn trans oil & shift later & later lol

 

[vr304]

I'm not sure if I don't like the 4l60e or they don't like me as I've busted several of them that I prefer ls powered cars to be manual.

I 2nd that mate manual is just better, more fun and engaging to drive

 

[EYY]

First one was shiftkitted etc in vt 5l with only 50k on odometer...broke a couple of rebuilt/modified 4l60e behind mild 304's.

So yeah built ones do break easily enough in spectacular fashion while a stock 4l60e will slip like buggery,burn trans oil & shift later & later lol

I think that’s mainly an issue when they’re rebuilt by ‘parts replacers’. Setting clearances properly (including machining bushings) is apparently the key to making them last long term. There are so many good parts out there for them now - it’s just a matter of finding somebody that knows how to put the right combo together.

 

[losh1971]

I 2nd that mate manual is just better, more fun and engaging to drive

Only until your clutch shits itself..... Hahaha

 

[losh1971]

I think that’s mainly an issue when they’re rebuilt by ‘parts replacers’. Setting clearances properly (including machining bushings) is apparently the key to making them last long term. There are so many good parts out there for them now - it’s just a matter of finding somebody that knows how to put the right combo together.

This is what I wanted to say. Decent trans tech should be able to build a strong 4L60e. Mine is very good at what he does that half the top half of the State want him to do their builds. Issue is it's a min 3 month wait to get in and that's if he is accepting new jobs, once he gets too much on he stops taking on new work to clear the backlog.

 

[JMP]

I don't know much about these trans but the previous owner of my car spent a couple of grand on trans which included hardened output shaft and shift kit purely because he though it was a bit weak in the gear changes, the motor was stock and this thing shifted pretty hard which is where my problem came from. I tend to use it more of a cruiser and don't drive hard as I'm getting a bit old now but the output shaft **** itself in a few months of owning it and destroyed the trans in the process. Shopping around for someone to rebuild it I had quite a few that said they aren't the strongest trans and some wouldn't even touch it if I wanted to keep a shift kit in it. From what I understand behind a stock motor they are fine but if you start modding then you want to do some decent work on the trans, well that's what my trans builder told me anyway. Now my car has got a few engine mods and I did keep the shift kit with the new trans but the gear changes are a lot more subtle now then they were before and touch wood the things still going strong.

 

[vr304]

Only until your clutch shits itself..... Hahaha

Still cheaper than a whole new craptastic 4l60e lol

 

[gtrboyy]

Mine were built by Craigs Transmissions who at the time was top of the game when it came to the 4l60e.

They can be built stronger BUT they'll never last a long time compared to a built th350/400.

Personally I just think when 4l60e is in a heavy car with some power & owner not afraid to use it...only a matter of time before it breaks even you get a good trans builder & decent parts in it.

Got 304 vp ute under 1300kgs...4l60e was pulled down by Shiftright & put back together again with basic mods....still expect it to break one day just will last longer being lighter weight car.

 

[Ginger Beer]

I was in a sort of similar situation

VX SS with a 4l60e, car had 115k when I got it, but, full service history, including trans services.

As I wanted to get a bit more power, I did some googling, heat kills the oil, burnt oil kills the trans, especially when trans services are missed, mang mang skids are done, or a high stall is installed.

I took my car to my local transmission guy, he builds alot of hi-po auto gearboxes for everything from wild street cars to drag cars, as well as stock grocery getters, after talking to him, and after he took the car for a spin, he said the box was fine, and for my current power, typical breathing mods of full exhaust, OTR, 223 228 cam, and PAC springs, which dyno'ed at "around" 270 killer wasps, he recommended:

Service, shift kit, 2800 stall and a cooler, fitted post the trans cooler in the radiator.

The billet converter came from "the converter shop" in Qld, cost me $1150, the shift kit was a "transgo" with a few of his little tweeks, and the cooler was a PWR p/n PWO6687.

His opinion was that is all that was needed for my power goals and use, he stated that the safest thing for the box now was to put it in "D" and send it.

I asked him about "building" the box with all the bells and whistles, he said from his experience it wasn't needed, he said he could build it to whatever specs I wanted, but he said it wouldn't be required for my use, daily thrasher that goes to the drags, and current power, with the above mentioned mods, yearly servicing and common sense, so, no mang mang 1st gear tyre poppers.

He did say that we may need to talk if I boosted it though.

All I can say now, is that when I put it "D" and send it for fun, with 245/45 17 RE003 tyres from the hole it spins 1st, 2nd and through 3rd, which is nice.

Normal driving, the shifts are firm, but not "hard", and the converter locks up witout a fuss.

So far so good

But, make sure you match your converter to the power band of your chosen cam, my converter was matched to the 2200-6600 rpm range that my cam gives, the 3.91 rear gears and the wheel diameter.

Opinions may vary

 

[TheIceman]

First one was shiftkitted etc in vt 5l with only 50k on odometer...broke a couple of rebuilt/modified 4l60e behind mild 304's.

So yeah built ones do break easily enough in spectacular fashion while a stock 4l60e will slip like buggery,burn trans oil & shift later & later lol

ive broken 2 input drums