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1st Tranny down

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Old 08-20-2009, 07:26 PM
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Default 1st Tranny down

Well, my tranny died today. I was getting off the highway, and the whole car jerked so bad I almost hit the steering wheel, then stalled out. Every idiot light came on, and every warning scrolled through the info box under the speedo. I coasted to a stop (At the end of the off ramp) and restarted the car. All the idiot lights went out, and everything seemed ok. I threw it in drive and only have 1st and 3rd and it is shifting so hard it feels like the tranny is going to fall out.

I'm flashing the tune back to the factory tune, and going to try to limp it in to the dealership.

I'll post updates when I get them. I'm curious to see what they may/may not say about the aftermarket rims, and the cat-less pipe. I'll make sure I have a copy of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act in the glove box. hahahaha


C-ya

Last edited by beznich; 08-20-2009 at 07:32 PM.
Old 08-20-2009, 07:51 PM
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Bummer.

How many miles did you get out of it?
Old 08-20-2009, 08:09 PM
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Just turned 29K
Old 08-20-2009, 08:14 PM
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The trannies in these cars are very spotty. My 06 GXP trans acted up with 14k miles on it. Now I have an 08 Impala SS with 43k miles on it and the trans is awesome (knock on wood).

I don't necessarily abuse my cars, but I really USE the V8. I love torque.
Old 08-20-2009, 08:19 PM
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The way I drive it (Not abusive, but I bought a V8 for a reason) I figured it was only a matter of time.
Old 08-20-2009, 10:15 PM
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when the transmissions on these cars go out, does it usually allow you to limp home like you're able to do? does it ever just go totally out and you don't have Drive at all?
Old 08-20-2009, 10:22 PM
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Good question, I called by buddy that helps with with the tune and gives me dyno time. I asked if it had a "limp mode" he wasn't sure. I'll post all the info once I get it to the dealership tomorrow. I'm having a hard time finding my stock tune, I know I put it somewhere, hahahahaha.
Old 08-21-2009, 12:51 AM
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Not sure about the 4T65-HD, but the 4T80-E I had in my 95 Aurora had a limp-home mode...It locked itself into 2nd gear when it failed on me, which the tech said it was programmed to do in case of a major failure. Of course, this caused the motor to spin 3 rod bearings, too!

Glad I bought the warranty!
Old 08-21-2009, 07:57 AM
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Is it fair to assume that you had a tune with a few tweaks to torque management and shifting characteristics?

I just turned 29k with mine (odd coincidence) and no problems so far, but so far I have not done anything to the trans tune except raise the shift points a little. The stock shifts are so weak I can't stand it.
Old 08-21-2009, 08:02 AM
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I think there is a good chance that if you mess with the Tranny while tuning the car and have 20's you will have transmission failure...that or they built all your cars on Monday and Friday....
Old 08-21-2009, 09:27 AM
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I bet they say the wheels took out the trans. I would find the exact weight of the stock wheels and the aftermarket ones just incase they try to stick it to you. Good luck with getting it fixed.
Old 08-21-2009, 11:37 AM
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Sorry to hear about that man. I hope it all works out for you. Crossing my fingers!
Old 08-21-2009, 02:35 PM
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Mine has been doing some crazy **** lately, just like waiting to shift into OD an stuff, so i think im next. Im at 28k.
Old 08-21-2009, 06:25 PM
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Welcome to the Tranny Drop club!!! You're member #53548571548421!!

Mine blew at a little over 50k and I was able to limp mine about 20 miles to my parents garage. I would have gone back home but it's a PITA to get a tow truck in my complex. Look on your door and see when it was built, mine was built in 11/06(holiday season) so thats why my tranny blew!!! lol
Old 08-21-2009, 06:31 PM
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couple hundred thousand LS4's built, read about maybe 7 of them taking a dump. Sounds like good odds to me! (currently at 70K miles and zero tranny problems)
Old 08-21-2009, 08:04 PM
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There are dozens and dozens of LS4 tranny failures out there. You need to look on other forums to get the whole picture.

Originally Posted by 06 SS
couple hundred thousand LS4's built, read about maybe 7 of them taking a dump. Sounds like good odds to me! (currently at 70K miles and zero tranny problems)
Old 08-21-2009, 08:12 PM
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Originally Posted by turbotaguy
There are dozens and dozens of LS4 tranny failures out there. You need to look on other forums to get the whole picture.
OK, 25 out of ~300000 = 0.008% failure rate. Hardly Earth shattering. Point is that while they do fail, and it sucks big time for the individual who is unlucky or stresses it beyond it's design, it is not the handgrenade with the pin pulled that some make it out to be.
Old 08-22-2009, 06:14 AM
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*knocks on a whole lotta wood* ive had my 07 GXP since it was new. It has been tuned(70km) with a shift kit(60km) now at 80 km. So far no issues. Summer only driven. My winter beater though just got written off in a major hail storm where i live. So im scrambling to find another winter beater.
Old 08-24-2009, 10:18 AM
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New tranny going in tomorrow, and I should have the car back Thursday. Yes the tune has many changes to both the engine, and the tranny and all TQM has been removed. They are also replacing the front right hub assembly again (3rd time for that), and they are also replacing the rack and pinion (they said there was a problem there as well), but I didn't notice anything. No complaint about having a tune in there (The tune I loaded to bring it in for service removed DOD and removed the emmission error light), or for the 20's, or the cat-less pipe, or anything. Very happy with the level of service, and can't wait to get my car back.
Old 08-24-2009, 10:54 AM
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Originally Posted by beznich
New tranny going in tomorrow, and I should have the car back Thursday. Yes the tune has many changes to both the engine, and the tranny and all TQM has been removed. They are also replacing the front right hub assembly again (3rd time for that), and they are also replacing the rack and pinion (they said there was a problem there as well), but I didn't notice anything. No complaint about having a tune in there (The tune I loaded to bring it in for service removed DOD and removed the emmission error light), or for the 20's, or the cat-less pipe, or anything. Very happy with the level of service, and can't wait to get my car back.
damn man i wish i could have a tune but my dealership made it very clear my warranty would go out the door.



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