1BAD98TA

iTrader: (11)

long story...

I have a thread a little lower about my TC install.. it went poorly.. and has gotten worse since.. We ended up saying the hell with it and decided we didnt want to pull the tranny again.. took it to Cottmans Transmission.. they took it out today and sure enough, the pump is broke they also pulled the pan and found ALOT of sludge.. graphite colored grit more less.. the tech there said it looks like something else in the tranny is either fried or is going to let go soon again... then the tech asked me why i was replacing the TC.. i told him for the performance of it.. he said to me that the TC would make my car slower in the 1/4 mile and that unless I had ALOT more motor that he wouldnt suggest putting it in.. i overruled him since I know better and told him its going in anyway.. then he tells me that typically people that race their auto's alot go through 2-3 trannys a year I was like WTF??? he said a guy with an IROC went through 5 tranny's in one year.. so i already dont like this guy, he obviously either builds shitty tranny's or doest know anything about them.. either way.. they are supposed to open it up tommorrow and tell me exactly what is the "problem".. they dont know if it needs a rebuild or just a new clutch somewhere.. they have already told me that the pump would cost a little over 300 bucks and the labor is already up to 300.. thats 600 just to pull it and find out "something" is wrong.. so im kinda pissed.. should I just pay for what they have done so far and take it elsewhere or what the car is my DD and my pride and joy.. its NOT going to just sit forever.. The tranny was performing perfectly before we pulled it for the TC swap, and we never ran the car after that.. i dont know why he is telling me that something in the tranny is fried when it was working like a champ two days ago.. could it be that since I bought a used converter it might have had all that crap up inside it and now its in my pan?? or should I go ahead and let them crack it open.. im so lost as to what to do.. i budgeted the money for the TC swap only.. i have no idea how im going to pay for this

LT1PWRD

iTrader: (2)

Well,your gut feelings sound right to me. They sound real shady,and sound like they can't build a 4L60/e for ****! 5 tranny's in one year! OMG take ur car and run for your life! ! ! I work at a trans shop and that gray on the magnet is normal (for the most part) for a trans with miles on it. If there is larger silver or brass colored flakes,these are signs of a poss. future prob. But like you said it was fine before the TC install,it just wasn't fully engaged when you ran the bell bolts in and you craked the pump rotor. Most likely the pump body and cover is galled and you'll need a new pump. $300 for a pump that i'm sure they have in a core they could build and sell you is a little high. I would either pull my car and go to another shop or just have them build a pump,install ur corverter and be done with them.

cbrich

I would do the same. If they told it might need a clutch and they are going to replace the clutches without do a full rebuild something is wrong. Finding a good TRUST WORTHY transmission is very rare if not impossible to find. I took a transmission class back in 99 and have been rebuilding my own transmission myself, you save all the money on the labor and a lot on parts.

This how I look at this:
if tranny is slipping - time to rebuild it
if tranny is not shifting right - time to rebuild it
if tranny not going into gear - look at detent valve, then rebuild it

My advise to you is get your tranny rebuilt this time, take a class and never rely on someone else to do it again.

1BAD98TA

iTrader: (11)

Ok.. ill describe this as best as I can.. he told me the 2-4 band is about gone.. I saw it but didnt know what it "should" look like.. there is a drum looking thing that he said is mainly used for reverse but also has stress on it at other times as well.. the drum has teeth at the top for a shaft to go through.. the ring at the top of the drum was broke off and the only thing catching the shaft was the teeth of the drum left inside.. so he said it might still have been working when i drove it but wasnt going to last much longer at all.. there is also another part that is all scratched up.. anyway, point is that I do beleive him that it needs rebuilt.. i know some stuff in the pan is ok, but there was alot.. 1/8 of goop in there.. He is charging 288.86 for the pump.. said its a 13 vein high performance pump and thats why its expensive??? the parts for a total rebuild including fluid and new shift cable is 940.15.. the labor is 859.86.. with tax the bill is 1908.00.. that is with NO warranty.. he said since he is building it for the use of racing he wont warranty it.... well needless to say i cant swing that so im gonna look for a used one

buffman

iTrader: (9)

Personally I'd stay away from a trans shop that says one guy goes through 5 autos a year. I wouldn't also trust anyone who doesn't give you a warranty. I mean if shops like I mention can offer 1 or more yr warranties with unlimited mileage, why can't this guy, unless he knows his crap won't hold up. Many guys will agree that only a hand few people actually know how to build a 4l60/e. Pro-built.net or FLT outta chicago, etc.
IIRC most the builders (Pro-built for example) just use the 10 vane pump. I think there might be a few thing you need to do to the trans for the 13 vane pump, but I'm not a trans builder so I wouldn't know..

I was in a similiar situation when I blew the stock trans in my car. I was broke at the time and asked my dad for help. Being that I didn't know much about the 4l60e at the time a local guy did the build. I told him what I was going to do with it (I.e Occasional racing) and he said the warranty will cover it and he can build them to last. Well 7 months and 11k miles later, It was toast. He called me up and basically said he refused to rebuild it without me paying for more parts which were supposed to be covered under his warranty. I got pissed and told him I was just going to buy my own trans and he was going to install it for free.

Come to find out when I sent this guy's trans back to the builder I chose as a core, he found outdated 700-r4 hard parts in there, my output shaft had 3/4" cut off of it for some reason, and it was the shitties build he had ever seen. That was one of those $1700 life lessons.

Matt

1BAD98TA

iTrader: (11)

so does the transmission come with a 10 vein or a 13?? this guy is telling me that my car has the 13 and that is what he "has to order"..???

buffman

iTrader: (9)

I would have no idea about ls1 transmissions, but I know my 4l60-e originally had a 10 vane and still does.

1BAD98TA

iTrader: (11)

here are a couple pictures i took of the estimate.. anything look outta place to you guys???

cbrich

Damn 9 hrs. of labor kinda seems high for me unless they are pulling the tranny out. I wish I could get a $100/hr. for work, I would be a very happy person.

blown94

iTrader: (1)

I too work at a tranny shop. My advice to you is you've already let them go too far. Now they're pulling the parts switcheroo game on you most likely. You broke the pump rotor like the other guy said installing the converter, many people have made the same mistake, I always laugh when people try to fix thier trannies themselves and do this. Everyone thinks they're a mechanic. Granted its not rocket science, but this is why you pay good money to have _qualified_ techs to do this work. And believe me, I dont work for peanuts, so the cost gets passed on to the customer. I know everyone wants to save a buck, but you gotta know your limitations or at least do tons of research b4 you break stuff and end up further in the hole than if you had it done my a pro.
Ok, ive beaten that horse too many times already. Now then......you probably only had a broken pump rotor and needed a new pump, but now that this guy has opened your tranny, probably taken all the good parts out, and shown you junk he had laying around, you cant very well take the tranny out of there and pay him what u owe him because now you need many hard parts he has shown you to be broken. I would have taken the car out of there as soon as you talked to that moron tech that told you not to put a stall conv. in there. They obviously have no clue wtf they're talking about. Even in a stock LT1, a 2500 stall conv. will make a big difference in launching the car and better 1/4 mile times. Now you're stuck with do you let these morons build your tranny or cut your losses and take whats left of your tranny somewhere else. My suggestion to you, learn from your mistake, and get your vehicle out of that shop ASAP b4 they mess with something else. Dont call them and tell them anything, just show up, pay them what u owe them and watch them put all your stuff together and tow it out of there. Its pointless to let them build your trans. as I think you'll have nothing but problems and regret from dealing with these people. Unfortunately, these are the people that give trans. shops a bad rep. Sorry you had to go through this but like someone else said, when you need trans. work done, you need to research research research, look online for BBB and find out the reputations of places you're considering. Find out how long they've been in business, under the current management. Look around the shop, if it looks like a dump, it probably is. If they're working on cars from the 80's that are all sh1tboxes, there's probably a reason. They do cheap work, and you get what you pay for.

black 2001Vette,Nightmare

Ummm, yeah...your camera, and my neck! I'm going to have to go see the chiropractor now, after trying to read your estimate...lol!

All kidding aside, I really do feel for you, especially after rebuilding my 4l60e 3 times and learning the hard way. I have to agree with the poster above who said tow your car the hell outta there, and with a quickness!
I didn't see where you live, but if it's in the DFW area, I can send you to the shop I finally found, that can rebuild 4l60e's with the best of them, and right here in DFW too, and comes with a one year warranty.(I think there is a Cottman's Transmission in Tarrant Cnty...is that where your car is?)

If I don't have your location right I appologize...but if I do, post up and I'll save you some grief!

BubaGumpShrimp

iTrader: (1)

i would suggest the same as others have said, get your car out of there and dont waste your money on a crap rebuid.. You can get a sponsor built trans(that will hold 500+ hp) and take all the abuse you can give it..
Only other thing i could suggest is you 1. find a used 4l60e in your area and let them install it. 2. Buy a sponsor built trans and let them install it.

cbrich

Damn, you have hit every reason why I took an transmission class in the first place. The class I took is the same class that the majority tranny techs in my area took. I think as for finding a good HONEST mechanic whether is be a tranny, engine, or diagnostic tech is a rare find.

1BAD98TA

iTrader: (11)

ok.. well i am going to take your advice.. if i cant track down a used tranny today then im just going to have dad tow it home on the dollie.. it might sit for a couple months while I gather the money for a good tranny.. but i guess thats what I get.. you know the sad thing is this.. i read the article on how critical it is to have the TC in right.. I checked it twice to be sure.. put the tranny up there.. and blah, one flexplate bolt had to be enlarged for the 7/16th bolts the TCI used.. so we pull it back out.. my buddy then takes a hammer and lightly taps the converter back in.. he swore up and down that it was in right and all.. and i knew it went back to far into the tranny, but i prayed it was ok after that.. i dont know if the broken parts are mine or not but fact is ill never know.. the tranny had 120,000 on it and i ran the **** out of it.. hitting it with a 100 shot every now and then too.. so either way im not surprised the tranny was shot.. i just couldnt beleive the guy telling me that i shouldnt put the TC in.. i dont like arguing with people at all.. so i just nod and say, "well im gonna try it anyway, i already bought it".. i wish i had the ***** to just tell the guy he's retarded and i want my car back.. well guys, live and learn i guess.. thanks for all your opinions and help.. after i get a final solution ill bring this back from the dead to let you all know..either way, the car will hit the 1320 this summer..

King James

iTrader: (13)

You should be able to find a used, low mile tranny for no more then $600 in a junk yard some place. If you can't find anything local try using www.junkyarddog.com to expand your search.

blown94

iTrader: (1)

****, for that price man, plus whatever it would take to ship to you I will build you one bro. I can give you some references of members of my club and shops i've worked for. I wouldnt let a brother spend $600 on some p.o.s. tranny that may not even work when you get done bolting it in. PM me if you want about what your goals of the vehicle are and go from there.