I've had a Performabuilt Level 2 60e in my car for barely over a year (Literally 2 weeks out of warranty) and I took the car out to grab some lunch and groceries, started to head home and the car has no 3rd or 4th gear. It was turning 5k rpm just to maintain speed, drove it the rest of the way home in 2nd and slowly made it home, by the time it got home the car lost 1st and 2nd as well as reverse. No gears whatsoever. It wouldn't even pull into my driveway, I parked it in my yard. Let it sit for 5 or 6 hours, and I went out and pulled it into the driveway. Next morning, (The day I had to leave for LS Fest) I took it for a 1 mile test drive, well, the car had 1st and 2nd and reverse for half a mile, no 3rd and 4th at all. And it left me sitting on the side of the road. I shut it off, waited 5 minutes, and then managed to get it back home where it sat all weekend while I was at LS Fest. Now I know plenty of people on Facebook and on forums that have run Performabuilt 4L60Es without issues. And my car being a cam only LS1, I know the trans should hold it like nothing. The day it lost 3rd and 4th I never had an WOT shifts into 3rd, it was simply pulling away from a red light in a 35mph zone.

So before I get this thing towed to a shop and have the trans pulled to be sent for a refresh. What else could be causing the car to not have 3rd and 4th and causing it to lose 1st and 2nd after a very short time? The trans has fluid in it, it's still pinkish, not brown or anything.
Car was driving perfectly fine that morning, too and from work. So I'm at a complete loss. Any help and input is appreciated, thank you.\

And I want to make sure it's known that I am not bashing Performabuilt AT ALL. Customer Service when I had questions has been excellent and it's drove perfect for a year. I will continue to run one of their transmissions and recommend them to anyone looking for a transmission.

 

You have lost pressure in some way. Are you sure its full?

 

Im sure it is full of fluid 100%.

 

I ask cause you would be dumbfounded by ones that "think" its full, and its not. Not saying it will fix your issue if it is. But need to confirm.

Im sure there is a massive leak internal, but you really need to get a pressure gauge on it first off. Then drop the pan and see if you see anything obvious as well as check for DTC's

 

I would say get it back to us so we can see what happened and get you fixed up ,
Frank

 

i hope you called them to see what they say. they will work with you. mine has been great so far....

 

First off I agree with others, call Performabuilt and see what they want you to do. Whether it's yank it and send it or put a gauge on it and get readings it's their unit and any reputable shop will do you right.

By chance have you changed the filter or done any adjustments/parts changes recently?

 

Ryan always talks about the installation of this tranny.
There are some rules you have to follow in order for it to work.

Once they send you the tranny, after you install it and set the TC clearance right, they provice 3 more steps :

1. Install a tranny cooler
2. Change fluid and filter after 2000 miles.
3. Clean your cooler lines from ANY OLD dirt.

I've been dealing with trannies like yours, where the filter gets clogged up when you do a short drive and it stops moving. When you turn the ignition off, the oil from the pump gets drained back to the pan, releasing the clog, and after you start the car, it drives normally a few miles and then stops again.

If this is your issue, you have to stop trying driving it right now and drop the pan and see whats going on.
If your oil is not smoked black, there is a small chance that your 3/4 and FWD clutches are safe.

When i drop a pan of a stock tranny i built after around 3000 miles, my magnet is super flooded with metal because of new bushings. Cant find the right words to describe how full of metal dust it is.
And after this service, no new metal goes on the magnet (Checked 25,000 miles after the 3k service).

I Learned that from Ryan from Performabuilt and this procedure MUST be done on any tranny where bushings and other hard parts were replaced.