02anti_vnm

iTrader: (32)

I am looking at picking up a 4l60e from a local craigslist add i have never messed with a 4l60e or an automatic at all really.

so my questions are what should i look for when buying it?
how can i tell if its in good working order?
and lastly how can i tell if it is even infact a 4l60e?

thanks

02anti_vnm

iTrader: (32)

Bump need some help going to look at it tomorrow

mike171562

iTrader: (4)

I dont think you can tell much by looking at, you could take the pan off and make sure the fluids not burnt. Move the shifter linkage through the gears to make sure its not locked up.

It should have 4l60 on it somewhere, but you need to make sure its the right 4l60 for your vehicle.

I bought a used 4l60e from a sliverado and had to change the tailshaft housing over from my original

Jeremy@RPMTransmissions

iTrader: (12)

It is close to impossible to tell the condition of a used automatic transmission without tearing it down. You can pull the pan off and pull the filter out. Cut the filter open and inspect it for excessive clutch material or metal shavings. But even that isn't going to tell the whole story.

If you can afford it I would highly recommend buying a rebuild unit from one of the vendors like myself here on the forum.

What kindof vehicel is the trans going in? Let me know and I will help you identify the correct unit for that application.

mrvedit

Avoid 1995 or earlier.
The most popular rebuild kits are for 1996-2006; significant improvements were made in 2002.
Make sure you get the desired 2WD or 4WD unit as switching the output shaft requires a great deal of dissassembly.

OK, lets say you find a year 2000 unit. It is already 12 years old and on average has 144,000 miles on it. That's a lot of miles and it will likely need a rebuild before used in a performance application. Or you spend $400-$600 to have it installed in your car and perhaps blow it a month later and will have wasted $1000 and be back at square one. A quality rebuild with performance upgrades will likely cost $1500+ plus the price of your core. And a local rebuilder will likely have very limited performance experience. Compare that to what one of the sponsors here will charge you; plus you get a unit from an experienced performance builder.

All the auto forums are full of sob stories of people who tried to save money on a cheap trans, only to blow a grand and still have to buy a "new" one.

If you do decide to go with a local rebuilder, you can often find a "broken" one on CL for just $100 or so. Broken ones are often advertised as no reverse or no 3/4; problems which are fixed by a routine rebuild.
Just my opinions.

Leeroyws6

iTrader: (4)

if you are buying an used transmission,that will be a huge mistake.4l60e are very hard to keep from slipping and even harder to hold big horsepower.i recommend staying away from any transmission on CL.i wasted alot of time and money doing that.finally had to pay 2k on a complete rebuild.and never been happier as far as my tranny is concerned.

mrvedit

And there you have yet another "sob story" of someone who bought a used trans on CL and regretted it.

Mind you, I have bought 4L60E on CL; my last one was known bad (no reverse) and only $100. I spent over $1000 on performance parts and rebuilt it for enjoyment and education.

projectX

iTrader: (51)

I don't know I will be selling my 01 4l60e in the next few weeks on Craigslist - Not everybody is a crook. Shoot mine just needs 3-4 clutch pak - and it's good to go. Only asking $300 for mine with the stock converter. Car drives perfect no issues of slipping under normal driving conditions - only bounces off rev limiter when WOT on 3rd - 4th but then shifts 2 seconds later.

mrvedit

I have bought many things off Craigslist, several cars, engines, transmissions, even super fancy computer networking equipment. Never met a crook or got a bad deal.
No, its a matter of expectations. People think they can buy a used 4L60E with 100K+ miles, that worked perfectly behind a 250HP engine in a family sedan and drag race it behind a 400HP+ LS2. Such attempts will lead to disappointment.

projectX

iTrader: (51)

^^ Right, but that's just ignorance on their part. lol

RevGTO

iTrader: (12)

Lol, sig worthy