HELP! 4l60e is being a Dick Weed!

[jjester6000]

I just recently bought this '98 Burban, and everything seemed good with the transmission, it shifted perfectly, the fluid looked good, but all of a sudden I was moving around my driveway, and it wouldn't go into reverse or drive. Then I turned the ignition off for a minute, and it seemed to be fine again for about 30 seconds, then it would seemingly come out of gear.

No hideous noises, just would stop moving all of a sudden, but when I pulled the battery cable everything consistently briefly goes back to normal.

 

[Nad_Yvalhosert]

Yup. Same as my '00 Denali. No warning, had no gears. Let it cool a few minutes and it moved again. 30 seconds of driving, no gears.
I had replaced the cooler lines due to a leak in April and by August I lost the slush box. I dropped the tranny pan and it was full of material. The clutch packs wore out.
Drop your pan and see

 

[jjester6000]

Yup. Same as my '00 Denali. No warning, had no gears. Let it cool a few minutes and it moved again. 30 seconds of driving, no gears.
I had replaced the cooler lines due to a leak in April and by August I lost the slush box. I dropped the tranny pan and it was full of material. The clutch packs wore out.
Drop your pan and see

Could it be a front pump? This is a real kick to the balls for me since it was my only ride to work.

I guess I'm going to have to pick up a used trans and stick it in.

 

[thinger2]

A 98 is OBD2. Get a scanner that pulls Transmission Control Module codes ( TCM codes.
Or find somebody who can do it.
Not saying thats whats up but, the world is full of people who bought a new transmission when it was actually a TCM problem.
Just do your homework.
Every transmission shop tells you to buy a new transmission.
And trans codes might not light up your Check Light on a OBD2
Do you have a check light on?

 

[jjester6000]

A 98 is OBD2. Get a scanner that pulls Transmission Control Module codes ( TCM codes.
Or find somebody who can do it.
Not saying thats whats up but, the world is full of people who bought a new transmission when it was actually a TCM problem.
Just do your homework.
Every transmission shop tells you to buy a new transmission.
And trans codes might not light up your Check Light on a OBD2
Do you have a check light on?

I unplugged the trans from the computer completely so at minimum I had 3rd/reverse, and it did the same thing.

 

[thinger2]

I unplugged the trans from the computer completely so at minimum I had 3rd/reverse, and it did the same thing.

Dont unplug it. The ECU/TCM is not making things fail, it is telling you that something is failing.
Everytime you unplug inputs from the the ECM you are loosing the information that you need in order to diagnose the problem.
And, everytime you unplug it or disconnect the battery to make thd code go away.
Not only have you lost the data that could diagnose that problem.
But now your ecm has no data at all and will try to start and run off of base data.
So you have to attemp to get through an entire GM OBI drive cycle just to try to to get the registers reset.
Which, by the way on an OBI 1 TBI will foul your plugs and crud up your egr valve in about 1 day.
Disconnecting your battery to make the codes go away is like putting a bag over your head so you dont have to look at your wife.
When the sun goes down down, the truck is still broke.
And, when you pull the bag off,
She still looks like Alice Cooper

 

[jjester6000]

Dont unplug it. The ECU/TCM is not making things fail, it is telling you that something is failing.
Everytime you unplug inputs from the the ECM you are loosing the information that you need in order to diagnose the problem.
And, everytime you unplug it or disconnect the battery to make thd code go away.
Not only have you lost the data that could diagnose that problem.
But now your ecm has no data at all and will try to start and run off of base data.
So you have to attemp to get through an entire GM OBI drive cycle just to try to to get the registers reset.
Which, by the way on an OBI 1 TBI will foul your plugs and crud up your egr valve in about 1 day.
Disconnecting your battery to make the codes go away is like putting a bag over your head so you dont have to look at your wife.
When the sun goes down down, the truck is still broke.
And, when you pull the bag off,
She still looks like Alice Cooper

What I was saying is that with no shift solenoids active, the trans would have full line pressure, so unplugging the trans from the computer through the connector on the side of the trans let's me rule out the computer as the issue.

I didn't reset the computer, I just unhooked it from the trans.

The truck won't make a drive cycle, it will only go 50 ft before seemingly comes out of gear.

It should consistently have 3rd/reverse without either shift solenoid a/b active (I've hotwired a 4l60e to run without a computer before using 3 switches on the dash).

Anyways, it does the dame thing as it did, so I think there is a lack of line pressure.

 

[thinger2]

Did you have any TCM codes or any codes at all?
They are kinda known for solenoids sticking or failing and the wiring harness gets cooked internally too.
You can also check line pressure without pulling it but you will probably need that done at a trans shop unless you have the equipment to do it.
Im just a firm believer in doing all of the possible electrical diagnosis before i pull it and deffinitly before taking it to a trans shop.
I have never encountered a transmission shop that didnt say " you need a rebuild"
Even for the auto repair business, transmission shops can be pretty damn sleazy so be carefull who you take it to.
It is often the easy money scumbag side of the industry

 

[jjester6000]

Did you have any TCM codes or any codes at all?
They are kinda known for solenoids sticking or failing and the wiring harness gets cooked internally too.
You can also check line pressure without pulling it but you will probably need that done at a trans shop unless you have the equipment to do it.
Im just a firm believer in doing all of the possible electrical diagnosis before i pull it and deffinitly before taking it to a trans shop.
I have never encountered a transmission shop that didnt say " you need a rebuild"
Even for the auto repair business, transmission shops can be pretty damn sleazy so be carefull who you take it to.
It is often the easy money scumbag side of the industry

I don't actually own a code reader (I usually work on old carbureted junk) so I don't know. I didn't see a check engine light though.

I do know for sure that I should have at least 3rd/reverse without any electronics whatsoever connected.

Anyways, thanks for the help, I am going to drop the pan and check for ruined clutches, as well as get a code reader on it.

Last time I blew up a 4l60e, I swapped in a TH350. Not that simple with a vortec engine.

 

[Transamco]

Based on what you've stated it's unlikely to be anything other than a blocked filter. Obviously a reasonable amount of material is required to do this, so something is definitely failing. Dropping the pan and replacing the filter may get you mobile again - until the filter is restricted again, but without knowing how long ago the filter was changed and how long it has taken to reach the point that it was restricted sufficiently to lose drive, it's a wild guess as to how long it will drive for.