Piston Installation Tips and Tricks?

[94burbk1500]

A buddy of mine, who is a Honda mechanic and has rebuilt many non-4l60e transmissions, is helping me rebuild a 4l60e out of a trailblazer and I'm running into some issues getting the pistons installed for the forward gears. The manuals and videos say to use a feeler gauge, but that resulted in me tearing a bonded seal. I'm ordering a new set of pistons and I don't want to make the same mistake. Any suggestions?

 

[91c1500sleeper]

plenty of trans fluid to lube it up and a lip seal knife to get the seal edge in without damage.

 

[94burbk1500]

plenty of trans fluid to lube it up and a lip seal knife to get the seal edge in without damage.

Link to the tool? I've seen one that was basically a wire loop on a stick, not sure if that's what you're talking about. Thanks for the input!

 

[91c1500sleeper]

https://www.amazon.com/SST-0015-Universal-Installer-Remover-Transmission/dp/B011SBGTA4

 

[94burbk1500]

https://www.amazon.com/SST-0015-Universal-Installer-Remover-Transmission/dp/B011SBGTA4

Thanks, that's the tool I was thinking of. Unfortunately it's unavailable on Amazon. I'll keep looking.

 

[evilunclegrimace]

Try this one.
http://www.transmissionpartsusa.com/Transmission_parts_automatic_transmission_parts_s/189.htm

 

[andy396]

https://www.amazon.com/SST-0015-Universal-Installer-Remover-Transmission/dp/B011SBGTA4

I’ve made one like this before out of a piece of music wire and copper tubing.

 

[Schurkey]

The only time I've cut lip seals using a feeler gauge blade is when I used a too-thin feeler gauge. Seems to me that .020 is the magic number...but I quit using feeler gauges decades ago.

There's several tools that will work on trans seals. The wire-in-a-crushed-tube works well. My favorite is to use the plastic "funnels", but they don't have them for every application, and they're expensive and single-purpose tools.

 

[94burbk1500]

Thanks for all the input guys! New pistons showed up today, gonna give it a go tomorrow or Monday. I'm gonna try a few methods, or rather I'll try one and if it is fighting me move on to the next, larger feeler gauge, guitar string in a crushed tube, and a trick I found for the reverse piston, comprss the seals and freeze the piston with them compressed. I don't particularly like the last option, as I then have to deal with condensation, but it did allow me to install the reverse piston with zero issues.

 

[John P]

I'm in Levittown, I rebuild 700's and 4L's. your welcome to stop by after I get home and I can do it for you. I have the tools and could show you a few tricks that may help with your build and have parts available if you may need something.