4L60E Need to figure out a plan for rebuild.

[ODaily]

Ughh...

Started teardown.
Valve body broken in the accumulator piston bore.
Check ball jammed into separator plate.
I hate the smell of burnt tranny fluid.

Gonna tear it all down, then reassemble as money permits. Slow and steady wins the race I suppose.

 

[David89gmc]

Definitely replace all the solenoids and the harness. Then pick one of the TransGo kits you like.

 

[Schurkey]

When my K1500 trans blew the 2-4 band, the guy overhauling it installed a "Corvette Servo" for 2nd gear.

2nd gear hits pretty hard. I don't like it. Gotta be hard on the planetaries, U-joints, and rear axle. I can only imagine how bad it's going to be with a Sonnax servo.

 

[ODaily]

Pretty sure the Corvette servo was also factory original in the 93 pickup trucks. Can't be too much of a hit, it was stock in the corvettes too. It's not like people babied those vettes around all the time. If it was gonna beat the tranny up, I'm sure GM woulda recalled them just to protect their rep. (obviously not the first junk product GM turned a blind eye to, I know) Best guess is that that wasn't the only mod he did in there.

To make a long story short, I'm using a 4wd case in my 2wd cause I like the bellhousing better on the 4wd. This means my core doesn't have a useable output shaft or tail housing. I've been looking at hardened output shafts since I need one anyway, and I want to get close to a 4l70E spec if I can. Sonnax is expensive though, and some of the others on the market are either expensive or possibly fly-by-night companies who I decline to trust. This led me to look into an OE GM shaft. I think it's part number, 19356498 but I'm not sure. It's listed for my truck's application as well as many others. I'd assume they'd discontinue the untreated shaft in favor of the treated one, but I don't know if this has happened or not. Is there any way to check and see if that is indeed the heat treated shaft that the 4L70E used?

EDIT, I found that part number (19356498) as a direct replacement for the listed AC Delco part number (24238748).

 

[ODaily]

I had an idea today. I want to upgrade using the 5 pinion carriers and hardened output shaft. I don't have these items, and they're pricey if you buy them one piece at a time. BUT, they're something you would normally reuse during a rebuild, assuming not damaged.

Why not just go to the pick-n-pull salvage yard and see if I can score a 2001+ 4l65E trans and tear it down for the upgrade parts? That should get me the front and rear planetarys, with hardened sun gears, the hardened output shaft, possibly a tailhousing for my 2wd conversion, and maybe I can even re-use the high flow vain pump? All for the reasonably low cost of a used trans.

 

[Schurkey]

...or just use the Treasure Yard transmission.

 

[ODaily]

Not compatible, I've got a 93, and the 4l65E was 01 and up. Plus, most of the trannys at the pick-n-pull are, umm... crap.

 

[Erik the Awful]

Put the Sonnax part numbers into RockAuto's search bar. They have them at affordable prices.

 

[ODaily]

Sonnax doesn't actually make the 5 pinion planetaries, they're GM parts, but just for kicks,

Rockauto has;

Input carrier
6-gear sonnax 576.69
or 5 gear GM 244.79

output shaft
Sonnax 420.79
GM 94.79

rear carrier
no Sonnax available
5 gear GM 239.79

for just those 3 parts, it's

Most expensive 1237.27
Least expensive 579.37
Pick-N-Pull 122.99 + 29.99core = 152.98

Plus I might get a few other goodies out of it, like the vane pump maybe, not sure. And I can sell / trade what's left afterwards as well.

 

[Hamps]

Daily driver? Separator plate may can be salvaged but no need they are 20-30 bucks. Daily driver hell even a solid build will not require hardened shafts. Stock will be adequate. Really good idea in the stock parts from rock auto. Planetary upgrades I can’t speak to because I never had anything that required it. I don’t see a need unless over 500hp I would imagine.
I use the composite check balls from sonnax. You can buy them separate or should come in the performance pack.