thirdgen60

iTrader: (10)

I just got my 4.8/4l60e swap finish in my s10 and when i took it out for a drive i have no 3rd or 4th gear. When it shifts in 3rd it just feels like neutral.

I got the engine and trans from the junkyard out of a wrecked truck so i assumed that both would be good since it was obviously still moving in order to be wrecked.

But i guess my question is before i pull the trans, could there be an issue with my wiring causing a problem like this or maybe just a bad solenoid or something. Id like to rule any other possible issues out before i pull the trans out.

Any ideas would be great, thanks
Tyler

mrvedit

Please refer to these similar current threads:

https://ls1tech.com/forums/automatic...cks-toast.html

https://ls1tech.com/forums/automatic...60e-gurus.html

You might be lucky and only have a shorted shift solenoid (Solenoid B, also called the 2-3 shift solenoid) which is basically leaving the trans in 2nd gear after the PCM instructs it to shift into 3rd. Usually you will have a "Check engine light" if the solenoid is bad, but not always.

However, if it really feels like neutral, it is probably a failed 3-4 clutch. This can be caused by the notoriously troublesome 3-4 clutch wearing out, and/or a leak in the 3-4 apply circuit. Usually you can tell that the 3-4 clutch is failing because you can feel it starting to slip in 3rd gear, but with an unknown trans it may have already completely failed.

thirdgen60

iTrader: (10)

Ok thanks for the info. I have also read that you can unplug the trans and it will default to 3rd. I I were to do this and 3rd gear isn't burned up, the truck should try to move at least a little correct?

mrvedit

Yes, unplugging the trans will make it default to 3rd and would be an useful test. There is still a slight chance that solenoid B is stuck and you would actually end up in 2nd. However, if you can't get the car moving (there will be a lot of slipping in the converter until you are up to speed), then pretty sure the 3-4 clutch is smoked.

There is an old thread, recently revived, that got ugly about whether unplugging the trans is a good idea. What I got out of that thread, is to remember that the PCM will throw lots of codes with the trans unplugged. After the test, you should unplug the the battery for a while to let the PCM reset, and if you do take the car to a mechanic, remember to tell him what you have done so that he knows to first reset any remaining codes.

Good luck and let us know.

thirdgen60

iTrader: (10)

Yeah that's the thread where I saw it. Iv got hp tuners and checked for codes already so ill just try unplugging the trans tonight and clear the codes afterwards. Thanks again for the help

thirdgen60

iTrader: (10)

Ok now i am more confused than ever. I unplugged the trans to force it in 3rd and it seemed to go into gear and wanted to take off.

So next i double checked all of the trans connector pins to be sure they were in the correct slots in the ecu connectors and they all looked good.

Finally i pulled the pan back off to be sure there were no wires that looked suspicious or got pinched and no luck there either.


So now what??? I seems that the trans does have a 3rd gear, although i did not drive it to see if it actually was 3rd. So maybe ill throw the pan back on and try driving the truck with the connector unplugged.

mrvedit

Here is a very detailed and clear wiring diagram of the 4L60E.
(The site is actually an open-source project for building your own controller for the very experienced electronics person.)

Here is some solenoid troubleshooting doco:
http://www.trutechtrans.com/Topic-1-00-01.html

Hopefully it is just an electrical problem and not too difficult to diagnose.

thirdgen60

iTrader: (10)

After some more troubleshooting, double checking wiring and scratching my head, i believe i may have found the problem. The engine and trans came out of a wrecked truck and the first time i changed the filter i had to beat a dent out of the back of the pan. I didnt think anything of it a threw it back on. Well when i took the pan back off, i borrowed the scanner from my old work and used it to click the shift solenoids on and off and the 2-3 solenoid barely made any noise compared to the 1-2 solenoid. So i got to looking at it and found this, the 2-3 is on the right.



The plastic at the top appears to be cracked and smashed in. So with any luck i will go get a new solenoid and be on the road.

Thanks a lot mrvedit for all your help

mrvedit

Great, looks like you found the problem; that probably stuck the solenoid ON, which would be consistent with your symptoms.
Any tranny shop should stock or be able to get you a solenoid overnight; should be less than $20. (Only $12 online plus shipping)

thirdgen60

iTrader: (10)

Yep i picked up a new solenoid and it shifts good as new now.

Thanks again for all the help