6L80/6L90 swap

[0xDEADBEEF]

I am sure I could make that alot better with throttle/shift mapping as well. Once you are rolling even 5-10 mph there is no need to be in 1st gear at very light throttle. Even my 85E is in 2nd by about 12 mph at light throttle. Sounds like a shift point vs throttle mapping issue to me.

If you could just make it start in 2nd I think it would be better. It doesn't shift like a DCT, so it wastes time starting in granny gear.

Everyone's butt is different, but that's what I'd do.

 

[mn_ski]

So, not far off from the price I mentioned, and not including R&R. Jobber price?

Richard

Over all what is the reputation of these transmissions when used in a stock application? I am looking at a '09 Yukon XL Denali 6.2L with the 6L80E. Getting a used truck with a strong transmission is always one of my bigger concerns. Are these good for 200K+ miles with proper maintenance or not?

 

[L31MaxExpress]

Over all what is the reputation of these transmissions when used in a stock application? I am looking at a '09 Yukon XL Denali 6.2L with the 6L80E. Getting a used truck with a strong transmission is always one of my bigger concerns. Are these good for 200K+ miles with proper maintenance or not?

80-140K with the stock programming and torque converter. Beyond that they tend to shrapnel the lockup clutch, which circulates metal trash through the pump and wipes them out. PWM tcc slip and bean counters sacrificing $0.99 worth of friction material in the clutch.

 

[RDF1]

Be prepared for a $4000 repair bill.



The torque converters fail and Fill the pan with metal clogging the filter.

 

[L31MaxExpress]

Be prepared for a $4000 repair bill.



The torque converters fail and Fill the pan with metal clogging the filter.

Best thing someone can do is change the converter and delete the PWM before it fails. Saves having to rebuild the transmission and having to replace the pump which itself is $$$.

 

[RDF1]

I use a towing converter from transstar that has a billet apply piston and do all the fancy tuning for lockup to get them to last a little longer.

 

[Reluctanse]

80-140K with the stock programming and torque converter. Beyond that they tend to shrapnel the lockup clutch, which circulates metal trash through the pump and wipes them out. PWM tcc slip and bean counters sacrificing $0.99 worth of friction material in the clutch.

any just tuning related activities someone could do to potentially help it live a little longer? or is it pretty much only physical changes that will help?

 

[BeXtreme]

Over all what is the reputation of these transmissions when used in a stock application? I am looking at a '09 Yukon XL Denali 6.2L with the 6L80E. Getting a used truck with a strong transmission is always one of my bigger concerns. Are these good for 200K+ miles with proper maintenance or not?

My 2011 Suburban blew the converter at 160k miles. I rebuilt it myself for about $1500 in parts because the bellhousing/pump were completely trashed. It is now at 225k miles and going strong behind a 5.3. I re-geared to 4.10's and it has 33" tires on it. The biggest improvement to drivability was tuning to get rid of the throttle lag and using bluecat to redo all of the shift tables. The bluecat tuned tables was the best improvement BY FAR. If you use them for towing, a good cooler and a billet converter are a must. Other than that, the converter clutches wear out because the AFM/DOD tables have the clutch slipping all of the time. zeroing out the slip when locked and disabling the AFM/DOD lets them last MUCH longer.

This is my wifes daily driver and we use it to tow our 6500lb travel trailer all over the PNW.

A few weeks ago I got a great deal on a 6.2 and 6L80 from a 2009 Yukon Denali. That thing had about 280k on it when the converter went out and fragged the trans. The best thing about the earlier 6.2's is they aren't AFM, so they last a lot longer.

 

[mn_ski]

A few weeks ago I got a great deal on a 6.2 and 6L80 from a 2009 Yukon Denali. That thing had about 280k on it when the converter went out and fragged the trans. The best thing about the earlier 6.2's is they aren't AFM, so they last a lot longer.

My understanding is that '07-09 6.2L motors do not have AFM.

Best thing someone can do is change the converter and delete the PWM before it fails. Saves having to rebuild the transmission and having to replace the pump which itself is $$$.

Converter, as in torque converter? And deleting the PWM is in the transmission controller coding? For anyone looking to purchase one of these transmissions either for a swap or in a vehicle what is the best way to check the health? Or is there no way to know until the pan is dropped and fluid/filter is examined?

 

[BeXtreme]

My understanding is that '07-09 6.2L motors do not have AFM.

That's correct(and exactly what I said). The L92 was available from 07-08 and is the early 6.2 that has no VVT, is non-flex fuel, and does not have AFM/DOD. L9H(what I got in the 09) was available from 09-14 and has VVT, is flex fuel capable, and does not have AFM/DOD. The last option in the SUV/trucks was the L94, which was available from 10-14 and has VVT, Flex-fuel, and AFM/DOD.

Converter, as in torque converter? And deleting the PWM is in the transmission controller coding? For anyone looking to purchase one of these transmissions either for a swap or in a vehicle what is the best way to check the health? Or is there no way to know until the pan is dropped and fluid/filter is examined?

Yes, the Torque converter.

Ooops, I either finger fudged that or it got auto-corrected. I meant AFM, not PWM. If you delete the AFM and zero out the slip tables, the converter will last a lot longer. It's also worth while to get the updated valve body separator plate from GM with the 8 check balls and upgrade the 1-2-3-4 piston to the Sonnex billet one. It is very common for the check balls to wear and blow through the plate and also for the piston to crack. Both issues will cause you to suddenly lose all forward gears but reverse will work fine. The VB separator kit is only like $25 from any dealer and the sonnex billet piston is ~$75. The best way to check the health is to pull the pan. A converter failure will load the pan with metal and be blatantly obvious. It won't be evident in the fluid unless it was driven a significant distance in that condition. I blew mine up on a family trip towing a camper through montana the day before the July 4th weekend started. We ended up limping it all the way to Oregon through the night because it was still somewhat drivable and we didn't want to be stuck for a week in Montana. Needless to say the fluid was BURNT and it trashed the pump completely.

The 6.2/6l80 I just got has a ton of trash in the pan, but the fluid doesn't smell burnt at all. It is likely it started to slip or overheat and the owner just parked it at that point and didn't let it get too bad.