i just replaced my vigilante stall in my c5 for the 3rd time. i just pulled it out because it was slipping while locked up. when i talked to them they said that they hadnt done the repair work correctly, the previous time i sent it in, and there was an surface that wasnt flat that burned the clutches..blah blah...anyways i had them upgrade it to a multi disc and lower the stall. i installed it today and when i put the car in reverse it dies. and when i put it in drive it wants to die but stays running but you can tell the converter is locked up. is this just another bad rebuild on my converter? the car is still on jack stands. Could they have sent it back to me "locked up" ?? this c5 is a freaking nightmare to pull the tranny. and this will be the 4th time since december i will have pulled it. NOTE: it was not having this problem before with the other converter. it was just slipping while locked up. thanks

 

The hydraulics in the 4l60e do not allow the converter to lock in 1st gear or reverse. So the converter is the likely culprit.

 

im beginning to question myself if it was seated properly. the converter spun freely when i attached the converter bolts to the flexplate. i spun it with my finger to align the first bolt. if that was the case. would everyting still bolt up properly and still run in drive? im scared now that i may have damaged pump or something. i will remove inspection plate tomorrow and try to unbolt the converter to see if it will slide back any further. i guess im second guessing myself because of all the horror storys ive read on google searches.

 

You should be able to turn it with your finger.
Has nothing to do with it being in fully or not.

The pump turns when the engine runs. If putting it in gear reveals a problem then it's not an improperly seated converter.

 

du.. good point just wore out from rolling around on the concrete all day with that thing. and yes putting it in gear reveals the problem. i put it straight to drive and it will stay running and accelerate. if i try to put into reverse, goes dead instantly. but its locked up in drive as well. i guess i got a bad converter rebuild again. first the cluthes slipping after rebuild , now this.

 

Actually the TCC in a 4l60e does have the capabilities to lock in all ranges. I believe you are thinking about the 700r4 which did use 2nd gear oil for the TCC. I believe the problem the OP is having is one of two things. First being a plugged TCC solenoid filter or solenoid being clogged with debris from the old converter that failed. The other thing I can think of is with a multi disc converter the idle in the tune might need to be raised. Being that stall converter is being used in this application, it is pretty common to have to adjust the idle. I would look into these two things before pointing the finger at PI. I think you might just find your problem here and save you the hassle of having to pull the trans again. Good luck. Vince

 

Actually I was thinking of the 4l80e. It could be a stuck converter clutch valve also. But like vince stated try the solenoid and your tune first.

 

If I had a TCC fail, there is no way that I would just throw another converter in. Tranny would come apart to be cleaned and inspected.

 

changed fluid, valvebody, and tcc solenoid. still locked up. pulled it back out and inspected o ring on input shaft. it aint the tune either. this thing is locked up. when you i put in drive its locked up immediately., it will run in drive, but when you try reverse and it slams to a stop cutting the engine off. the clutches were slipping before. i sent it back, they said they didnt repair it correctly, leaving some machined surfaces warped. so i had them upgrade to multidisc and apparently they have built it to tight. i talked with a local trans shop who has been racing for years and he said he has seen converters built to tight before. i am sending it back and see what precision finds. just wanted to cover every base before i sent it back. thanks for the advice. ill post back the results. and i wasnt pointing any fingers. i did every check and swap of parts that it could be, before i pulled it again. nobodys perfect. they sent it back wrong admittingly last time so why isn't it possible to mess up again . i had already swapped valvebodys and tcc solenoid this previous time, because everyone said "it cant be your clutches slipping," they just rebuilt it"

 

kinda hard to explain, but here goes. this trans is a new stage 5 trans from century trans. this converter is fresh from precision. i had the converter rebuilt because my stock tranny failed and the converter cluthces were worn. when i got it back i installed it into my new trans. the converter was slipping while locked up in overdrive. everybody said its the tcc solenoid or valve body. so i swapped those items out, still slipped in lock up. so i returned the converter and they said they didnt repair it correctly causing the outter area of the cluthes to slip. they fixed it free even though it isnt under warranty. i had them upgrade it while it was there. i install fresh converter and now it is not right. i was told something like its possible there isnt enough clearance in something. ill post the results when i get it back. thanks

 

update. they told me nothing was wrong with converter and sent it back. i installed it and when i shifted to reverse the car did not choke down and die like before instead it ran but transmission had no reverse. i took tranny to shop and watched them tear down and inspect and repair. they said that when the tight converter was forcing the car to die, it must have cocked the reverse piston. nothing else was wrong with my transmission. we reassembled it, cranked the car and it is now working correctly. the transmission shop and myself beleive they had the clutches to tight, loosened them up and sent it back saying nothing was wrong. my word against theres i guess. all i know is my tranny was fine when i sent the converter off. first time i got it back it killed the car instantly when put in reverse. now when i get it back its fine putting into reverse. BTW: nothing was or will be changed with the idle on the tune. the car acts right now.

 

I agree with Vince that you should check over those other things first since if a multidisc clutch was fully locked the car would not just cut off it would be like you pop the clutch out on a manual at idle.

Vince-Trinity

On the 4L60E lockup you are both correct, The early pre PWM version could not lock on 1st gear as the second clutch oil was used to stroke the TCC regulator valve. However after PWM a different strategy was used however even then to lockup up at idle in first gear would require both a TCC solenoid or valve issue and a Converter regulator issue at the same time,(exception being if PWM was eliminated through the heavy spring or other means to keep the converter regulator valve stroked) Then you would only need the TCC or TCC valve stuck.

Another thing that could possibly cause a converter to be locked or partially locked is a restriction in the input shaft.(something got in there)

 

The GM book that I have does show the pwm solenoids in transmission oil diagrams. The next time I have an early unit on the dyno I will have to verify the info above. Vince

 

What things could cause a converter to lock up in a 4l60e with MVB and vac modu? I think I could be having the same issue with my converter. Mine doesn't immediately go dead in first or reverse, but it does stumble all over itself... sometimes you can keep it running. No electronics going to my trans at all, does there need to be? I got the vig 4400 converter on this site, it's a lock-up, but I was told that it wouldn't lock up in my application.

 

problem solved. going back to single disc. gave up on multidisc. pi made it right for me.

 

Well I am not sure what to tell you here. I would do this myself I would get another converter from another manufacturer and see what happens. All your describing however is very strange and unlikley. However one thing I have learned in this business sometimes some people just have bad luck with a particular supplier every so often.
Since you are wanting a multidisc unit we do not offer those at present so I would suggest you contact CIRCLE D as from our customers I have gotten feedback from they do indeed build a very good unit. While yes it will cost you additional money at best your issue will be solved. At worst you will know that you have a non converter issue.Since the odds of getting another converter with similar issues from a completely different manufacturer would be akin to your odds of hitting the lottery.

At the same time we have many customers running the precision units also with excellent results. So I am not sure what to think about this situation. But like I said could just be a case of really bad luck.
Thanks the best advice I can give.
Frank at PerformaBuilt