What causes A4's to break?
5k when it busted.... shift points 6k on the 1-2, 5.9k on the 2-3, and 5.9k on the 3-4. Just out of curiosity, how much automotive stuff have you done??? 5k is not high RPM's. And yes it could happen @ high RPM's but this wasn't one..
Originally Posted by ChocoTaco369
oh you definitely can. i guarantee you that happened at a high rpm 
FormerVendor
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From: D-F/W
I am curious to know what the rear planets look like. That is not a typical failure of a sunshell in my experience. I have seen countless hubs broken off of them... the circular splined area, but not the cage. The stock sunshell is suspect at best, but that part failure is the result of something else interacting with it with allot of energy! IE... the sungear stopped rotating at a high rate of speed and the reverse input drum did not or vice-versa.
Did the car lurch real hard when the tranny failed?
g
Did the car lurch real hard when the tranny failed?
g
Originally Posted by Ratchthed
I am curious to know what the rear planets look like. That is not a typical failure of a sunshell in my experience. I have seen countless hubs broken off of them... the circular splined area, but not the cage. The stock sunshell is suspect at best, but that part failure is the result of something else interacting with it with allot of energy! IE... the sungear stopped rotating at a high rate of speed and the reverse input drum did not or vice-versa.
Did the car lurch real hard when the tranny failed?
g
Did the car lurch real hard when the tranny failed?
g
I was coasting down the street 20-25 mph in overdrive (4.11 gears). I floored the car and it popped real loud when it down shifted and wouldn't engage any gears unless the shifter was in 1st or 2nd. 2nd slipped real bad, so I finished it off with trying to do a burnout. The fron planetary looks good, I haven't pulled the rear one out yet. The car would move in 1st and reverse but was making a horrible noise b/c the sunshell was rubbing the case. Parked it until I had time/felt like messing with it. I only work on it 20min to an hour at the most any given time. Tranny had 116,000 miles on it when it let go. All clutches in the front drum and reverse drum looked worn, but ok. Alto red eagle with kolene steels are going in it now. New reverse drum with Alto carbon wide band, beast sunshell, and too many other goodies to list.
Originally Posted by Trust
In defense of the 4L60E there is a black WS6 here running 9's on one consistently, and 10s on motor. It can be built well.
Tech Resident
Joined: Jan 2006
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From: Philly
Originally Posted by 02 BLK WS6
5k when it busted.... shift points 6k on the 1-2, 5.9k on the 2-3, and 5.9k on the 3-4. Just out of curiosity, how much automotive stuff have you done??? 5k is not high RPM's. And yes it could happen @ high RPM's but this wasn't one..
and FWIW, a stock tranny lasting behind an LS1, even unmodded, for 116,000 miles, is a very well built transmission for a stock transmission. the 4L60E deserves more credit than it gets.
Joined: Nov 2001
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From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
Originally Posted by ChocoTaco369
the 4L60E deserves more credit than it gets.
I agree.
People like to bad mouth this trans. I don't know why? They do great unless you push them too far without doing some internal upgrades.
Some people seem to expect GM to give them a stock auto trans that'll hold 2000rpm extra stall speed, an extra 100+rwhp, and nearly 1000rpm higher WOT shift points for 100,000 miles or something, and when it doesn't they call the 4L60E "crap". I don't get that sort of thinking???
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Verdad Gallardo Tech Resident
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From: Philly
Originally Posted by RPM WS6
I agree.
People like to bad mouth this trans. I don't know why? They do great unless you push them too far without doing some internal upgrades.
Some people seem to expect GM to give them a stock auto trans that'll hold 2000rpm extra stall speed, an extra 100+rwhp, and nearly 1000rpm higher WOT shift points for 100,000 miles or something, and when it doesn't they call the 4L60E "crap". I don't get that sort of thinking???
people do expect too much. the problem is, the manual transmission competitor is a T56 and sees 10's all the time in stock form. of course they always forget to mention the clutch, which craps out in no time flat
the 4L60E's downfall is it's difficult to build. it's not simple like a TH400. even trans builders have a hard time building a 4L60E, which is evident by all the fried built 4L60E's out there. the moral of the story is the 4L60E is a great STOCK transmission and as long as you find someone experienced, it can be built to hold power.
Joined: Nov 2001
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From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
Originally Posted by ChocoTaco369
people do expect too much. the problem is, the manual transmission competitor is a T56 and sees 10's all the time in stock form. of course they always forget to mention the clutch, which craps out in no time flat
We do not have any problem building the 4l60e .
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FormerVendor
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From: D-F/W
I can say that from our experience that some of the old school techniques just do not hold up in this tranny at 6500 rpm and around 500 rwtq.
We have taken apart "built" 4L60E's this year that had old steels in them, they were burned previously, the obvious tool marks gave that away. In 350's, glides, 400's, C4's & 6's, 904's and basically all of the old school 3 speeds you can get away with cleaning them up with a roloc grinding disc and reusing them to help control customers costs and manage overhead. Not on this tranny. We see blocked accumulators, pinned converter clutch valves and other short cuts that do not cut it in the 4L60E. And it's usually a shortcut that was taken that leads to the failure of "built" trannies... in our experience.
We have learned that this transmission requires attention to detail and it is in those details that we find our successes.
g
We have taken apart "built" 4L60E's this year that had old steels in them, they were burned previously, the obvious tool marks gave that away. In 350's, glides, 400's, C4's & 6's, 904's and basically all of the old school 3 speeds you can get away with cleaning them up with a roloc grinding disc and reusing them to help control customers costs and manage overhead. Not on this tranny. We see blocked accumulators, pinned converter clutch valves and other short cuts that do not cut it in the 4L60E. And it's usually a shortcut that was taken that leads to the failure of "built" trannies... in our experience.
We have learned that this transmission requires attention to detail and it is in those details that we find our successes.
g
Originally Posted by Ratchthed
I can say that from our experience that some of the old school techniques just do not hold up in this tranny at 6500 rpm and around 500 rwtq.
We have taken apart "built" 4L60E's this year that had old steels in them, they were burned previously, the obvious tool marks gave that away.
We have learned that this transmission requires attention to detail and it is in those details that we find our successes.
g
We have taken apart "built" 4L60E's this year that had old steels in them, they were burned previously, the obvious tool marks gave that away.
We have learned that this transmission requires attention to detail and it is in those details that we find our successes.
g
My reason for not buying a built unit ready to install comes down to money.. Could I afford to spend more than 2k on a tranny-yes-do I want to-not if I am capable of doing it. Attention to detail is key here.I am using almost all new hard parts, clutches, steels, solenoids, etc. I am reusing output shaft, valvebody, housing, and a few other parts, not many.... I haven't added up my costs yet, but somewhere around 1k-1.2k. This cost is with a used vig 3600 converter that checked out good.
Hardparts list includes: Beast sunshell, reverse drum w/ carbon wideband, front input shaft w/clutch drum, front sprag assembly, 13 vane pump rebuild, high rpm pump slide spring(helps to keep pressure from droppping at higher rpm) and theres more to tear into the rear of the tranny.... I have had the tranny out for a couple of weeks and haven't torn it completely down yet. I have however put the clutches and steels in the new reverse drum... The rest of the clutches are soaking in tranny fluid, so they are ready to go when I want to put it together.
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From: Philly
Originally Posted by 02 BLK WS6
My reason for not buying a built unit ready to install comes down to money.. Could I afford to spend more than 2k on a tranny-yes-do I want to-not if I am capable of doing it. Attention to detail is key here.I am using almost all new hard parts, clutches, steels, solenoids, etc. I am reusing output shaft, valvebody, housing, and a few other parts, not many.... I haven't added up my costs yet, but somewhere around 1k-1.2k. This cost is with a used vig 3600 converter that checked out good.
Hardparts list includes: Beast sunshell, reverse drum w/ carbon wideband, front input shaft w/clutch drum, front sprag assembly, 13 vane pump rebuild, high rpm pump slide spring(helps to keep pressure from droppping at higher rpm) and theres more to tear into the rear of the tranny.... I have had the tranny out for a couple of weeks and haven't torn it completely down yet. I have however put the clutches and steels in the new reverse drum... The rest of the clutches are soaking in tranny fluid, so they are ready to go when I want to put it together.
Hardparts list includes: Beast sunshell, reverse drum w/ carbon wideband, front input shaft w/clutch drum, front sprag assembly, 13 vane pump rebuild, high rpm pump slide spring(helps to keep pressure from droppping at higher rpm) and theres more to tear into the rear of the tranny.... I have had the tranny out for a couple of weeks and haven't torn it completely down yet. I have however put the clutches and steels in the new reverse drum... The rest of the clutches are soaking in tranny fluid, so they are ready to go when I want to put it together.
the problem is, EVERYTHING'S gotta go because a trans is only as strong as its weakest link. put the highest quality everything in there, but miss out on one little component and BAM - another rebuild 
well, if it matters......i got the car used with 18k....my stock A4 has gone thru about 2 years, 50k+ miles of countless WOT runs, daily driving, and many street races, plus about 9 months and 19k miles of an untuned hotcam, now going to an sts kit.... i'd say so far she's lasted pretty good, but i'd better start planning for a new one sooner or later
