I'm not new to this site it has just been awhile and I forgot my old user name and password. Anyway on to the problem. Drove car for first time in about a year and noticed a whining sound up to about 15 mph. Thought it was something to do with the car not being run for a year so I kept driving. Then it wouldn't shift back into 1st gear at a stop and felt like it was taking off in 3rd gear and also no overdrive. Then I heard what sounded like a marble bouncing around in a metal trash can coming from trans. I pulled the pan and the oil seemed to have a lot of gray material in it. I ohmed the shift solenoids and they were both at 23 ohms. Car has a fuddle 3400 stall and shift kit. Ran fine before being parked. Anything else ican check or does it sound like I'm due for a new trans and converter?

 

sounds like you broke the planetary gears. Been there, done that. Marbles in a can.

 

Looks like there are a few trans shops on here that have good reviews. Now I need to make up my mind on spending around $2000 on a proven trans from here or take my chances on a local guy who says he uses the same quality parts for $650.

 

Did you have your kids in the car?

 

I learned a long time ago to tune out the kids whining. If I could only stop my car from whining the same way I do with my kids. Duct tape.

 

Anyone know of a good transmission shop in the Kansas City area?

 

Something else I noticed is if I put the gear selector to 1 the car will move but acts like I have the park brake engaged.

 

That indicates that another gear is partially selected. I don't know if a broken planetary (as suggested) could cause this, but so far it sounds like you have a serious internal problem.

It seems unlikely that something would break while the car is parked or upon startup. If it were my car, I would first remove the valve body (VB) and examine it for a stuck valve, torn gasket and everything related to the shift kit. (Do you know what shift kit was installed?) I would also look for evidence if a super high line pressure (due to a stuck valve) had blown out something, starting withe the VB and the passages in the case. If I saw no correctable problem there, I would personally install a spare VB just to be sure. If the problem persisted, I would then remove the trans and rebuild it.
I suspect that a trans shop would not find all those steps worth their time (and your money) and would likely pull the trans after just a few tests.

I would stay away from anyone offering to rebuild the trans for $650. For a conscientious and careful rebuild with stock parts and a modest labor rate, it will come to about $900.
If you go to a shop, ask that they use a 4l65E rebuild kit as that will come with 7 frictions for the 3/4 clutch (that is the ONLY difference), and install the Sonnax 4l60-LB1 boost valve for an additional $25.

In any case, ask that

 

It's a transgo shift kit. It's been in there about 6 years and around 15000 miles. The guy I talked to about the rebuild said he would sell me the performance rebuild kit for his cost of $250. So that leaves $400 for labor and he said that is plenty for him cause he lives in a small town and his expenses are low. He said he has built transmissions for race cars and rock crawlers. I will probably have to have a tuner check the tune cause when all this was originally done the guy helping me went in and changed some things with hp tuners and I'm not sure what.

 

I've pretty much decided what I want to do now. After a lot of reading on here it looks like I'll be going with a Flt level 4 trans with a yank ss3600. And while I'm at it I'll be putting in a tsp 228r. Sound like a good combo?

 

That is an excellent choice of transmission, converter and cam.
Be sure to add a trans cooler too.

 

I'm back to working on my car again. I tested the shift solonoids a while back and they passed. Im going to replace them today since i can get them for $12 each. Can these solonoids be plugged up and still ohm out ok?

 

Also there is still no codes being set. If i disconnect the battery i get all gears back but not for very long. It then goes back into limp mode.

 

I haven't thought about your problem in a while, but after a quick read, I don't think your shift solenoids are the problem. However to answer your new question....
Yes, even if solenoids ohm out OK, either the plunger can be stuck or the tiny screen filters can be clogged. Generally if they "rattle" the plunger is not stuck. Like you said, for $12 each, it is a cheap test and there have been plenty of threads here where new solenoids solved various problems. (Still I will be surprised if this is it.)

 

So what are you thinking it could be? I don't understand why it's going into limp mode with no codes being set. I was all set to replace the Trans but i really want to make sure what it is first.

 

My mention of the clogged filters in the solenoids got me to thinking...
You mentioned a lot a gray material in the fluid and the trans has been sitting for 1 year+.
There also are small, but critical filters snapped into the separator plate. One is for the AFL circuit which basically controls everything; clog that and nothing works.

Absolutely no guarantee this will fix your problem, but I would remove the valve body to replace those filters and give everything a thorough cleaning while replacing some of the ATF. Details:
1. Order a new separator plate. While the dealer has very specific ones, I suggest the Transgo universal plate # 46-PLT-96; drill it according to the instructions for a V8.
2. You also need separator plate gaskets and the separator plate filters (Google "35330A 4L60E Transmission shift solenoid screen" and "35330B 4L60E Transmission EPC solenoid screen").
3. Buy 6 quarts of ATF, Dexron 3 should be fine.
4. The Transgo HD2 instructions might help you with removing and re-installing the valve body. They are here:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/automatic...questions.html
The key steps are putting the check ***** in the right place and most importantly installing the different length bolts in the correct position.

Note that dropping the pan will only remove 4-5 quarts of the 11+ quarts in your trans. Some shops have the special equipment to completely flush the trans.

Again, no guarantee this will fix your problem, but is consistent with a trans not working properly after sitting for a year with very dirty ATF. (And not throwing any codes.)

Maybe a pro builder has better ideas or corrections, but that's what I have.

 

I just replaced the 2 shift solonoids and it worked for 2 blocks and now it's back in limp mode.

 

And still no codes

 

Before going into limp mode the Trans sounded fine. But now that its in limp mode it's making a grinding noise in drive and reverse while sitting still.

 

That makes me think even more that the valve body just needs a good cleaning and the entire trans a flush. And of course replace those two critical separator plate filters.