I have been working on an LS swap into a 1957 Chevy with my father. We have built several 4L60E and TH400 for projects in the past but are having issues with a 4L80E.

The power-train is a 6.0l with a 4L80E out of a 2003 truck.
The power-train management system is the Holley Terminator X Max.

When putting the shifter into the R selection or 4th selection the transmission seems to slip. It will creep in either selection but as soon as you apply any throttle it will increase engine speed but not vehicle speed.

If you put the shifter in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd it seems to work as you would expect. It will shift manually from 1st to 2nd.

Some things we have tried without seeing any difference

• Disconnected the shift linkage and manually put the transmission into R and 4th.
• Another set of transmission electronics (all solenoids and harness)
• Another valve body and accumulator (unmodified)
• New center support (saw the seal appeared to be damaged)
• Disconnected transmission wiring harness
• Removed transmission to pressure check everything and measure clutch packs (again)
• Reset Holley to factory settings
• Tried other transmission tune settings

The 4L80E was rebuilt using the following componets:

Alto greeen frictions
New steels / seals / bushings / roller bearings / pistons
New forward drum and center support
New electronics
TransGo HD2
Summit 2800 Stall Torque Converter

We are coming to the point where we are not sure if we should look into an issue with the Holley system as it seems like we should see some difference with the transmission behavior when unplugged.


Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Please post line pressure readings and any modifications to the transmission from stock.
Was the pressure relief modification performed from the TransGo instructions?

 

Overdrive roller clutch sounds no bueno
the overrun clutch takes over in d3 and does the job the roller is supposed to
Likely needs a teardown

 

The pressure relief modification was done as instructed by TransGo.

The pressure readings are:
At Idle
P: 40
R: 60
N: 40
4: 40
3: 40
2: 40
1: 40

At 2500-3000 RPM
P: 180
R: 300
N: 180
4: 180
3: 180
2: 180
1: 180

Thank you again!

 

that is pretty low idle numbers in my experience. with the transgo kit I usually see 80-90 idle psi hot in park

i have had issues with holley transmission harnesses (however they have improved a lot starting in january this year) I would download the schematic from their website and check the pinout with a VOM. takes about 30 mins and eliminates a huge variable.

 

It was no bueno, it was open in both directions.

 

Glad to hear you tore it down and figured it out.

 

Is there a "trick" to setting these up?

I put the old one back in and it worked as expected.
Tried to put the 1st new one back in and it spun freely in both directions.
Went and got another new one from a transmission supply house and it also spins freely in both directions.
Put the old one back in again and it seems to work as expected.

After measuring both I can't seem to find any real difference aside from the spring that pushes on the rollers.

Is there a preferred style or brand to use?

Thank you again,

 

Are you installing the same "type" on the correct drum
Early on right
late on left

 

These look to be the same style, however, I could be wrong.

 

So after getting another new one, we were able to get it to work as expected.
Got the transmission back in the car and took it to the gas station. Seems to shift pretty well.
I need to play with some of the shift settings in the Holley now that we can see some results!

I appreciate all of the help getting this squared away!

 

Definitely the same.

 

in a cruel turn of events, I think same thing has occurred in a unit I just built up for a friend. Pressures all look normal for a line pressure boosted unit. It'll creep back about 3 feet and then nothing. Same in D4. D3, 2 and 1 function as normal.

 

If the vehicle makes good power... and you have the 1997+ Over-drive One-Way Roller-Clutch fail repeatedly...
You can retro-fit the 1991 - 1996 Over-drive planet/ Over-run drum... It has a larger One-Way Roller-Clutch.

If you do this; order an extra 1997+ sun-gear shaft bushing with oil-grooves and install it into the Over-run drum instead of the original bushing.
Then enlarge the Lube hole in the drum to 0.125" or keep the hole stock, but drill a second hole 180 degrees apart.




Drill this hole in the pump also to 0.125":

 

For anthing making decent power, be sure to always race/beat on it in D3
If the driver cannot remember this, Add 200 bucks to their bill and install the sonnax overrun kit (#34200-40K) that applies the overrun clutch regardless of gear shift position.
The early roller is stronger as already stated.

 

does everything else from the 97+ unit fit the 91-96 drum?

I may add that sonnax kit for this guy, he has to back his equipment trailer into some gnarly spots and having both the clutch pack and the roller clutch holding in reverse seems like a good thing for his application.

 

you'll need the planet with outer race and also the drum

 

local parts house had a loaded drum for $200. catalog listed its application as 1991 to 2000 for some reason? It def had the large dia rollers. i put the fluted bushing in and honed for a nice fit.

the over run clutch valve kit you mentioned was pretty easy to install and I will probably add that to any towing units.

anyhoo, the overrun roller replacement solved the weak/no reverse & D4 and hopefully he'll get more miles out of it between rebuilds. its maybe 6-700hp 4" bore, 4" stroke six liter with a 7875 turbo. equipment mover/racecar haha

 

All that is needed is to use the 4L80E with the gear selector in the "D3" position while driving all the time...
unless on the expressway and Over-Drive is needed; shift to "OD/ D4".

 

This is what I say also.
BUT...there are some customers that just can't seem to be wise enough to understand how to drive something.

so...$200 extra to their bill and they can have a kit that thinks for them

Also...trucks up here in NW Iowa that are used exclusively for plowing snow in the winter...they get the kit too.
There are far too many Reverse to Fwd gear changes (that don't always happen when fully stopped) to risk anything.