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I bought an 06 trailblazer that has some issues with the trans. I am planning to do a rebuild on it to learn the ins and outs of it as this will also help me when my trans goes in my 02 chevy again. The owner had issues with the radiator breaking and causing the transmission fluid to mix with the coolant causing the coolant to overflow and the transmission to stay low on fluid. He said it was drove around like this for a few weeks before figuring out the problem. He replaced the radiator and flushed both the coolant system and the trans. About a month later the trans started leaking from the bellhousing area causing the truck to slip through almost all gears and not accelerate past 50MPH without slipping constantly. And of course it was drove during this time before realizing how bad it was leaking out. And thats were I am at. I believe the fluid to be leaking from either a cracked converter or a bad seal.
My question is due to all of this and the amount of time it was run with low/little trans fluid are there more parts that I can expect to replace than what a standard master rebuild kit would offer? I am wanting to upgrade this at least a little from stock although its just going to be a daily driver with some towing and such.
There are a lot of parts that a master kit doesn't give you that need to be replaced, whether you are having problems like yours or not. Things like sprags, thrust bearings, solenoids, 2nd gear band servo, sun shell, etc....
I would guess that you have a leak at the bell housing due to a failed pump bushing. You'll definitely need to take a hard look at all of the bushings due to the coolant that has been "lubricating" them...
If it'll be used for towing, would upgrading the 4th servo be a consideration or is the stock one sufficient? Or would a wide band on a new RI drum accomplish the same thing?
I was under the impression that new seals, thrust bushings and bearings were included in the rebuild kit. I do plan on replacing all of them regardless of how they look.
As for towing it will not be an everyday occurrence. More like on the weekends during the summer.
I was under the impression that new seals, thrust bushings and bearings were included in the rebuild kit. I do plan on replacing all of them regardless of how they look.
As for towing it will not be an everyday occurrence. More like on the weekends during the summer.
Seals, yes. Bushings, probably. New thrust bearings were not in my "master rebuild" kit, so I ordered a pack of them from Sonnax.
A sun shell and both sprags won't be included in a rebuild kit unless it's one of the really high dollar kits, usually sold as a kit add on for extra $$$. Sonnax Smart Shell is about $90 and both sprags from Borg Warner are about $60 together.
For reference, here's a picture of the rebuild kit I bought from trutechtrans to get an idea of what comes in a "master" kit. They'll vary from place to place, of course.
TruTech was one of the places I was looking at. The level 1 reuild kit seems to have alot of things. Most of the things higher than that seem to be focused on upgraded parts of the level 1. The higher priced kits in the list do include some of the things such as sun shell, planetaries and such.
Are the planetaries likely to be bad with it having been run with low/little fluid?
I've sent lots of people to TruTechTrans and all have been happy with them. The "trick" is not to order one of their listed kits, but talk to the owner Jeff and have him put a custom package together for you. He won't upsell you.
I would always suggest new torrington thrust bearings and the Sonnax Smart Shell. I would suggest a new Reverse drum too; it is mandatory if you upgrade to a wide band.
In another current thread the OP didn't replace his Reverse Drum and had too much band (servo pin) clearance. As DIYers, we don't have the experience to fully evaluate what parts can be reused; hence when in doubt it is better to replace it.
Replacing bushings is a pain without all the right tools. After disassembly, you might consider having a local trans shop clean your case and replace the bushings.
The issue with the planetaries is not the big gears, but the internal non-replaceable torrington bearings. On this subject, don't bother with a 5-pinions upgrade; instead spend the money on the Smart Shell which greatly reduces the load on the rear, failure prone, planetary's internal bearing.
Yeah, no sprags, 2nd servo, or sun shell in that kit. You'll also need solenoids and electronics, too. There are much more complete kits out there than that one.
I would skip the Sonnax shell and just put a Beast in it. Again, Sonnax creates a solution where there really is no problem and drains your wallet by a good chunk. There really is no inherent thrust load on the sun shell. That is not what breaks them. And their "Smart" system does nothing to take load off the internal bearing because its load comes from the helical cut of the gears.
As far as bushings, there are actually only six bushings that I replace no matter what. The rest of them should be inspected and, if still serviceable, left alone. Many of the bushings have very little load on them.
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As far as bushings, there are actually only six bushings that I replace no matter what. The rest of them should be inspected and, if still serviceable, left alone. Many of the bushings have very little load on them.
Like I said, us DIYers don't have the experience to tell what is still serviceable.
If you are willing to share more info, that is always appreciated!
Thanks for all the replies. Mrv, you said not to bother with the planets and my question to that is with 175k miles on it and its issues will I have a problem with the failure prone bearings later down the road? Would it be smart to just go ahead and replace them at this point?
I didn't say not to replace the planets; just not to bother with the 5-pinion upgrade, especially because that requires a bunch of additional parts for the front planet.
Perhaps Dynamic or other pro builder can give you more/better advice.
I would skip the Sonnax shell and just put a Beast in it.
I stopped using Beast sunshells years back, Way to much run-out, You may get 1 in 10 that have acceptable run-out.
The Sonnax shell is a well made reinforced piece that is true, balanced, rollerized & made in the USA.
A Delco shell is underrated, The new stock replacements are not near the problem they used to be....Seen a few strip splines at high mileage but have yet to see one break.
It depends upon whose Beast shells you're using. Besides, once that shell is splined onto the R/I drum and riding squarely on the stator support, any small amounts of runout are inconsequential.
The Sonnax shell rollerizes an area where there is really minimal load...but it sure looks fancy! They're claiming to transfer the thrust loads from the sun shell to the planet carrier and not the sun gear, taking load off of the captured bearing in the rear planet. The problems with this are: A) there really isn't any thrust load from the sun shell, and B) thrust loads from the sun shell is not what generates the load on the captured bearing. But if a guy is into paying twice what is necessary, more power to ya...
I do agree on the OEM AC Delco sun shell, though. The 4L65E shell has a stronger hub with hardened splines and is definitely better than the old shell.
Hopefully I'm not hijacking this thread but it's along the same lines.
I will be doing my first 4l60e build next month due to wanting to learn and tired of "poor" rebuilds by local builders ( 3 rebuilds in 4 seasons )
I'm pretty confident but am fully prepared to pull the tranny back out a couple times in order to get it right. mrvedit, clinebarger and Dynamic396 thanks for the time you put in on this forum, I have learned a lot from your many many posts.
Would one of you mind reviewing this kit and give me your input? I have Lt's, yank ss3600 and 3.73's in a 98 Trans Am/ full weight and also will be spraying a 150.
I have a smart shell and will be adding the reverse input drum and seperater plate to this kit https://www.700r4l60e.com/store/prod...&cat=55&page=1
98CayenneT/A that looks to be a good put together kit with most of the high quality parts that are needed to make one of these 4L60E live. I prefer the Sonnax .490 boost valve with o-rings over the TransGo .500 boost valve. The o-ring helps with leaks around the boost valve sleeve and pump housing. I also like to install two of the Sonnax Forward & Reverse Abuse Valve Kits and another part that I feel is a must is the Sonnax Heavy Duty 2-3 Shift Valve. The biggest thing to getting this trans to last is repairing all of the internal hydraulic leaks and not having the 1-2 shift real hard a part throttle. You can install all of the best parts in the world but if you don’t address these areas it will not live. I have attached the instructions to the Sonnax Sure Cure Kit that has very good info on how to test for the leaks and a lot of other good info.
98CayenneT/A that looks to be a good put together kit with most of the high quality parts that are needed to make one of these 4L60E live. I prefer the Sonnax .490 boost valve with o-rings over the TransGo .500 boost valve. The o-ring helps with leaks around the boost valve sleeve and pump housing. I also like to install two of the Sonnax Forward & Reverse Abuse Valve Kits and another part that I feel is a must is the Sonnax Heavy Duty 2-3 Shift Valve. The biggest thing to getting this trans to last is repairing all of the internal hydraulic leaks and not having the 1-2 shift real hard a part throttle. You can install all of the best parts in the world but if you don’t address these areas it will not live. I have attached the instructions to the Sonnax Sure Cure Kit that has very good info on how to test for the leaks and a lot of other good info.
Thanks much for the input and also for your time you put in for I have learned from your posts also and have actually downloaded that PDF from a previous post you made in a different thread.
I will be addressing all the hydraulic problem areas and that PDF you posted was and will be a massive help especially for a rookie like me. I will be doing this the right way as from what I have learned from you guys of many many hours of thread research and videos.
You’re welcome and good luck. Just take your time and you’ll have a good trans when you’re done. If you run into any problems post back and we’ll try to help. It may be best to start your own build thread.
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4L60E Repairs 
