vt ls1 trans slipping out of 4th and 3rd??

[Luke_chargedvt]

My brothers VX Did the same thing, he got his rebuilt for 2600 if I remember correctly.

 

[jason_85]

So I moved the vt out of the shed this morning and there was 2 puddles of trans fluid.. so definatly a leak and I checked the dipstick and it was half way up it.. could too much fluid be causing the problem? Or the leak?.. will be pitting it on ramps and checking/tightening all I can under it.. should I drain some and try drive it?...

 

[Cashman_309]

So I moved the vt out of the shed this morning and there was 2 puddles of trans fluid.. so definatly a leak and I checked the dipstick and it was half way up it.. could too much fluid be causing the problem? Or the leak?.. will be pitting it on ramps and checking/tightening all I can under it.. should I drain some and try drive it?...

Be carefull tightening the screws, they arent meant to be done up all that tight.
If you over do it you will ruin the gasket and the tranny will piss all its fluid out the next time it gets hot.

When you say the fluid was halfway up the dipstick, do you mean halfway on the indicator? or you mean literally halfway up the dipstick?

If its over filled the trans can do all sorts of crazy ****, it does sound like someone has over filled the tranny.

Do a service: Drop the tranny oil pan, change the filter, slap the pan back on and refill with new fluid. Be careful not to overfill it like the last d*ckhead
Edit: dont forget to change the gasket to if you drop the pan out.

 

[jason_85]

Yes mate I mean half way up the stick.. way past the indicater... I've serviced my vt v6 trans recently and have filled up quite a few thrans and never have filled as much as this one is.... pretty much coming up the filler if you know what I mean... I just looked under neath and it is caked in trans fluid.. I will post a pic..

 

[jason_85]

here is a pic from underneath... its like this on both sides...

 

[jason_85]

here is some of the trans fluid that i drained out.. so much for only "just" replacing it... dont think it has in the 111000ks its done..



Edit: there is no gasket between the pan and box.... just blue gasket goo...

 

[Cashman_309]

Edit: there is no gasket between the pan and box.... just blue gasket goo...

No wonder it leaked.. Looks like a fifth rate job has been done on that thing.

Assuming the gearbox isnt rooted, you might wanna spend the money on doing a oil and coolant change as well to rule out any other bullshit.

 

[Brett_jjj]

This is a good example of why so many people have problems with auto transmissions. Auto transmissions seem to get forgotten about a lot of the time when it comes to vehicle maintainance, and they really need regular servicing so they dont die prematurely. I service mine every 20,000 km, new filter and fluid. The fluid is just starting to look slightly darker and theres a very slight buildup of sludge on the pan magnet at 20,000 km so I reckon its a good time to change it before it gets dirty.
My trans now done well over 200,000 km that I know of since I got the car. It still shifts as good as the day I got it and has bugger all lag when shifting from neutral to drive etc. It hasnt had an easy life since Ive owned it, I shift it manually a lot of the time for the engine braking. Ive also set the tune so the transmission shifts quicker and firmer, the factory transmission settings make these transmissions shift very soft and laggy, and setting it to shift faster and firmer has actually made the trans run slightly cooler when im driving around town, this should help prolong its life even further yet..

 

[jason_85]

Definatly changing the filter and oil.. parts shop has a kit coming in over night... the engine oil is black.. and I mean black.. by the look of the oil, 1 of the plugs and how dirty the engine is I don't think it has yet had a service... could be wrong but that's what I think... I swapped a standard vx v6 for this Calais so I think its worth troubleshooting before I have to replace the box.. thanks for the advice guys.. will let you know how it goes..

 

[SS-Z LS1]

The weakest parts in the 4L60e is the clutch pack used in both 3rd and 4th gear and the early non heat treated sunshell. The LSX engines really push the 4l60e to the limit. The early LS1 and I suspect all V6 trans used a 6 clutch 3/4 setup (prefixed HPD on ls1 trans), MY2003 LS1 and all LS2 (HAD prefix on ls1 trans) used a 7 clutch pack to increase the power handling capacity on the shift from 2nd to 3rd.

A faulty shift solenoid is certainly a possibility but be prepared for a rebuild - if so make sure as a minimum, in addition to a full std rebuild, that they put in a later 7 plate 3/4 clutch pack in (it's a straight fit and the cost difference between the 3/4 clutch pack kit for a 4l60e and a 4l65 should be about $10 trade), "The Beast" sunshell ~$40, and also a larger boost valve ~$30 which will increase line pressure a little under higher throttle positions helping all friction surfaces last longer and slightly firmer shifts.

After that get a good tune to firm up shifts but make sure they leave some torque management in, particularly on the 2-3 shift.

Have a read on ls1tech forum in the auto trans section - many posts on 4l60e problems and loss of 3rd and 4th gear caused by 3/4 clutch failure would be by far the most frequent issue raised.


Cheers
Jamie