NEED HELP!! DRIVETRAIN COMPATABILTY FOR A 1993 CHEVY 1500

[Gacho_Libre]

Just as title says, 4l60e and the 5.7 TBI crapped out on my 1993 Chevy 1500 (2wd) within a couple days of each other. I hear there’s some compatibility issues within the years, and I’m having a surprisingly hard time finding parts for that specific year of truck, do I have other options? What can I do? Open more to budget options i cannot buy a crate engine/trans in a students salary.

 

[fancyTBI]

How did it crap out? Find an 88-95 donor and stab it in. There will be minor changes throughout the years. 96+ are Vortec with CSFI and those are not a direct swap.

As far as transmissions go:

The real differences in 700r4/4l60/4l60e transmissions by year

I have been compiling this info for a while, finally got around to posting it. I could not find a thread on here that outlined the actual differences in the automatic transmissions of our trucks. Feel free to comment or ask questions if you need anything. I BELIEVE all this is correct, but feel...

www.gmt400.com

 

[Sean Buick 76]

Find another 88-93 truck and remove the engine, trans and matching computer to swap in to your truck.

 

[fancyTBI]

Find another 88-93 truck and remove the engine, trans and matching computer to swap in to your truck.

93-94 4L60e and they’re the same for both years. 88-92 is 700R4/4L60. Probably easier to find a 93-94 truck.

 

[Gacho_Libre]

How did it crap out? Find an 88-95 donor and stab it in. There will be minor changes throughout the years. 96+ are Vortec with CSFI and those are not a direct swap.

As far as transmissions go:

The real differences in 700r4/4l60/4l60e transmissions by year

I have been compiling this info for a while, finally got around to posting it. I could not find a thread on here that outlined the actual differences in the automatic transmissions of our trucks. Feel free to comment or ask questions if you need anything. I BELIEVE all this is correct, but feel...

www.gmt400.com

The transmission was first to go, something gave and it would just start bleeding fluid out the front , heavy and aggressive slipping/grinding anything over 10 mph, and horrific acceleration to even get to that.
As for the engine, popped it open while it sat with the tranny issues and found deep lateral scarring in 3/8 cylinders, as well as the fact that the previous owner used nothing but unfiltered water in the cooling system, and NEVER CHANGED THE OIL FROM 2007. along with a rotted head gasket I can safely say that the engine is way too gunked up to salvage for a cheap price, and I’ve already tried some recomended engine/coolant flushes.

 

[Sean Buick 76]

93-94 4L60e and they’re the same for both years. 88-92 is 700R4/4L60. Probably easier to find a 93-94 truck.

True but it’s not an issue to swap the engine, trans and computer from the 88-92 truck.

 

[fancyTBI]

The transmission was first to go, something gave and it would just start bleeding fluid out the front , heavy and aggressive slipping/grinding anything over 10 mph, and horrific acceleration to even get to that.
As for the engine, popped it open while it sat with the tranny issues and found deep lateral scarring in 3/8 cylinders, as well as the fact that the previous owner used nothing but unfiltered water in the cooling system, and NEVER CHANGED THE OIL FROM 2007. along with a rotted head gasket I can safely say that the engine is way too gunked up to salvage for a cheap price, and I’ve already tried some recomended engine/coolant flushes.

Are you handy with a wrench? You could probably rebuild your transmission on a budget. You can get another TBI 350 pretty cheap too depending on your location.

True but it’s not an issue to swap the engine, trans and computer from the 88-91 truck. Splitting hairs here but I believe 91 was the last year for the 700

91 - 700R4
92 - 4L60 - same as 700R4 just a name change. 93 brought the electronic shift.

I’d rather swap in something that’s a direct replacement than deal with swapping in a mechanical 700R4 into a truck that’s set up for a 4L60e. But that’s just me.

 

[Sean Buick 76]

Are you handy with a wrench? You could probably rebuild your transmission on a budget. You can get another TBI 350 pretty cheap too depending on your location.


91 - 700R4
92 - 4L60 - same as 700R4 just a name change. 93 brought the electronic shift.

I’d rather swap in something that’s a direct replacement than deal with swapping in a mechanical 700R4 into a truck that’s set up for a 4L60e. But that’s just me.

Thanks I was incorrect 92 was the last year for the 700R4.

I can’t verify this info but it seems pretty accurate. Copy and paste from an old post on here:

1988, 89, and 90- 700r4 trans. Nothing changed

1991, 92- Name changed to 4l60. No changes were made from the 700r4.

1993- first year for the 4l60-E. In its simplest terms, it is an electrically controlled 700r4. No PWM. 11 pin connector

1994- NOTHING changed between 93 and 94. Transmissions are directly interchangeable. No PWM. 11 pin connector

1995- Stand alone year. First year for PWM. Has an extra solinoid to control the PWM. 3-2 shift AND TCC are PWM in this trans. Has a different 3-2 control solonoid, and a extra wire in the harness to facilitate the PWM TCC lockup. Addition of a trans mounted neutral safety switch. If you put a 95 trans in a 94, it will not recognise the PWM circuits and will go in to limp mode. If you put a 94 trans in a 95, the check engine light will stay on, and the TCC and the 3-2 clutch pack will burn up after just a few miles. If you put a 96 trans in a 95, the 3-2 clutch pack will also burn up after a few miles. 95 has a 10-15 ohm TCC solenoid and a 10-15 ohm 3-2 solenoid. 12 pin connector.

1996- 3-2 shift is NON-PWM. It was changed back to a on/off arrangement. The 3-2 solenoid was changed to a 20-31 ohm unit. The 3-2 control valve was changed to "design 2". TCC is still PWM and uses the same 10-15 ohm solenoid as a 95. You can create a 95 trans out of a 96 or vice versa, but you have to change the 3-2 solenoid, the valve body, and the separator plate. If only the 3-2 solenoid is changed (and not the valve body casting), the transmission will 'cut loose' on 3-2 downshifts (shift from 3rd to neutral, then to 2nd as the accelerator is released). 12 pin connector.

1997 (one piece bell housing)- Identical to 1996. Direct swap. 12 pin connector.
1997 (two piece bell housing)- Identical to 1996 EXCEPT the addition of a transmission ground wire in the harness. This was done to address poor transmission grounding issues on the previous models. Can be interchanged with the 1 piece bell housing, but the ground wire should be added to the harness if you are using the 2 piece. 2 piece bell housing models also had hardened sun shells to address the sun shell fracture issue common to the previous model automatic transmissions. Identical in fit, function, and design, the material just changed. 13 pin connector.

1998- Identical to 1997 2 piece bell housing.

1999-up Identical to 1998 and 1997 2 piece bell housing

 

[someotherguy]

The 5.7 engine is essentially the same from 1988-1995 with minor accessory changes up top. If you use the long block from the donor and your accessories you'll have no issues.

The minor changes include things like whether it has the steel or aluminum accessory drive brackets, smog pump/provision for one, external spark control module, type of EGR valve, throttle body changed TPS style, presence of canister purge valve, stuff like that. So just use your stuff on the long block wherever it differs.

Richard