Anyone here have experience with rebuilding an automatic transmission?

"The Swedish Bandit" (swedishbandit) 06/27/2018 at 13:15 • Filed to: Trans, C10

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How hard would you say it is for someone who’s never done it before?

2nd gear in the 4L60E in my c10 gave up the other day. Pretty sure that the whole trans needs a rebuild since oil level and all is spot on and it was serviced late last year.

Seems like summit sells a master kit for around 200$ which would also upgrade it to handle 500 horses. On the other hand I could turn it for a stock replacement unit at a local trans shop for around 1400$...

See why rebuilding it myself seems really appealing?

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > The Swedish Bandit 06/27/2018 at 13:19

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C10 isn’t your daily driver is it?

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > The Swedish Bandit 06/27/2018 at 13:20

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If you have time (assuming this is the daily driver) I don’t see any reason not to try. Just make sure you get some thorough directions and follow them.

Wacko > The Swedish Bandit 06/27/2018 at 13:22

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very very very hard,

you should sell me that truck for next to nothing hard.

so will you take 500$

Wacko > The Swedish Bandit 06/27/2018 at 13:24

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so manual swap time???

The Swedish Bandit > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 06/27/2018 at 13:26

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Well I’d say it’s around 50% of my daily driver with the other half being the 86. However I’m on vacation right now + that I should be getting my new DD car sometime this week (no, I’m not saying what it is!) so I feel like I should be in a good position  to take care of stuff like this.

The Swedish Bandit > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 06/27/2018 at 13:27

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How hard could it be, right? 

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > The Swedish Bandit 06/27/2018 at 13:28

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Sounds like it. The important part of that is making sure you can take your time. You also then run into the potential scenario of having to take the parts to a local trans shop and say “please fix this sir, I was in over my head ”. Also, good news is owning a pickup means you have a nice work bench that can hold a whole transmission, haha

The Swedish Bandit > Wacko 06/27/2018 at 13:29

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But not impossible you say?

So which part of the truck do you want? 

Wacko > The Swedish Bandit 06/27/2018 at 13:31

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everything but the auto trans please.

love your truck by the way.

RutRut > The Swedish Bandit 06/27/2018 at 13:31

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In general I wouldn’t call it easy for most people. The bright side is there is a surplus of info and resources out there for a 4L60 so if you have the time and are well organized and good with details it should be manageable. 

The Swedish Bandit > Wacko 06/27/2018 at 13:33

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Ok I’ll give you the rotten doors and the shot interior.

Thanks "it's really not as bad as it looks".

The Swedish Bandit > RutRut 06/27/2018 at 13:38

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I've rebuilt an engine, a rear axle and a couple of carbs. Transmission just seems like the next logical step.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > The Swedish Bandit 06/27/2018 at 13:40

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Manual swap and then turn the auto housing into a sink?

A lternatively, its just planetary gears right?

The Swedish Bandit > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner 06/27/2018 at 13:41

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Haha I feel like I’m too stubborn to accept the scenario you mentioned. If I get in over my head I would probably just end up giving up on this trans and switching to something more reliable like a th400.

OPPOsaurus WRX > The Swedish Bandit 06/27/2018 at 13:44

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i’m still stuck trying to adjust the derailleu r on my mountain bike. i feel like a transmission is something i personally should stay the fuck away from. those and doors, for some reason, i cant get doors to work well, closet or cabinet.

The Swedish Bandit > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 06/27/2018 at 13:47

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Yeah just need to find a T-56 (or whatever people use this day), a clutch pedal, a flywheel and then probably also need to rebalance the engine.

Oh! And drive shaft will probably be the wrong length as well.

Sorry if I’m sounding pe ssi mistic but I sorta feel like a truck with a bench seat is one of the few vehicles were an auto is "allowed"

The Swedish Bandit > OPPOsaurus WRX 06/27/2018 at 13:51

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Hey! I haven't actually done anything yet. I sometimes also have problems with doors so you're not alone on that one.

crowmolly > The Swedish Bandit 06/27/2018 at 14:12

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The complete shop manual is out there if you search. I’d take a look at it and see what you are getting in to, if you need special tools, etc.

Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > OPPOsaurus WRX 06/27/2018 at 14:17

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Rear derailleur: Back out limit screws; put adjuster barrel about three screws from all the way tight ; put shifter into second gear; loosen cable screw; “push” derailleur a little past second cog as you pull the cable tight then hold derailleur and tighten down cable clamp screw. Shift down a cog to 1st and ensure cable has a little tension(if it’s too far towards second cog, loosen barre adjuster) . Once cable tension is good then adjust lower limit screw. Then go all the way up to largest cassette cog adjusting tension as needed but hopefully less and less as you fine tune . Then be careful going to largest cog(cause no limit screw yet) and tighten down upper limit screw so that you can shift into gear but no further movement. (This isn’t going to help I just realized).

Front derailleur adjustment is maybe even worse even though it’s only those 2-3 rings. But height of derailleur , angle, and cable tension are key.

MoCamino > The Swedish Bandit 06/27/2018 at 14:19

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Super Chevy did an overview write-up of this rebuild last year. Looks to me like it could get complex quickly. With that said, saving $1200 is a pretty good motivator.

http://www.superchevy.com/how-to/transmission/1706-rebuilding-a-4l60e-transmission-with-more-toughness/

RutRut > The Swedish Bandit 06/27/2018 at 14:22

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As long as you can get through the valve body and pay enough attention to get the clutch packs assembled it isn’t a big deal. 

Urambo Tauro > The Swedish Bandit 06/27/2018 at 14:30

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My first transmission rebuild was a Ford 4R70W. It was a really good learning experience. The internet has tons of free videos and rebuild diaries, and I’m sure the 4L60E is no exception. I don’t know if you need any special tools for that one, but with all the money you’d be saving , it shouldn’t be too big of a deal. (I used some of the money I saved to treat myself to a parts washer, which makes the job go so much easier. )

It’s really not that hard, it’s just time-consuming and you need to be meticulous about it.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > The Swedish Bandit 06/27/2018 at 14:33

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It’s easy you take it out, haul it to the scrap yard, and go get a manual transmission 

OPPOsaurus WRX > Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle 06/27/2018 at 14:34

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yea i’m working on the rear.... i watched a half hour youtube video and followed it step by step and somehow came out worse.

cmill189 - sans Volvo > The Swedish Bandit 06/27/2018 at 14:37

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I rebuilt a 4T65E recently. It’s basically a FWD 4L60 with some additional crap shoved in there. Never opened one up before and it’s back in the vehicle working fine. I bought an ATSG manual and watched some videos. The only thing I needed special tools was for assembly of the 2nd clutch. I took it into a transmission shop and they did it for free.

It’s “simple” in the fact that it only has 4 gears. There are a lot of parts once it’s all the way apart. Best advice is just to be organized, have a lot of room to work with, and follow the assembly directions. The only way it can be assembled incorrectly is check ball placement, seal orientation, and clutch pack layout . But it’s all documented in the manual. 

Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > OPPOsaurus WRX 06/27/2018 at 14:42

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Lots of bike shops would probably do it without charge. But I still think starting from scratch(limit screws out, loosen cable, barrel adjuster almost all the way in) is the best bet. Keep in mind that lots of things can make this more challenging(drivetrain wear, old cables, cable routing, barrel adjuster backing all the way out or breaking). The scary part about starting from scratch is that things can go completely awry.

Good luck!

The Swedish Bandit > cmill189 - sans Volvo 06/27/2018 at 14:47

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Thank you! This is what I was looking to hear. I’m also always looking for a good excuse to expand my tool arsenal so if I need to buy 1 or 2 special tools it’s no big deal .

The Swedish Bandit > Urambo Tauro 06/27/2018 at 14:50

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Yeah gaining experience and saving money is actually a pretty big motivator if you think about it.

The Swedish Bandit > MoCamino 06/27/2018 at 14:53

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Thanks for the link! And yes I'd do a lot of things in order to save/earn 1200$...

cmill189 - sans Volvo > The Swedish Bandit 06/27/2018 at 14:57

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No problem. It was something I really wanted to tackle but was really nervous about after finishing. Assembly was pretty straight forward but that didn’t mean squat till the car moved and shifted properly. I didn’t do a high HP rebuild, just fixed all the little things that go wrong and added a shift kit. It went into a Volvo XC90, so it did need the ability to handle the weight and power, which is not insignificant. It’s why the transmissions failed so frequently.

Urambo Tauro > The Swedish Bandit 06/27/2018 at 15:13

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Yeah, it’s really rewarding. I got a quote from a l ocal shop ($1500) which gave me a budget to work with. I think I ended up sp ending about $500 in all (rebuild kit, new direct drum, torque converter, parts washer, etc.).

Took me a while though. I only had nights and weekends to work on it, and it was nearly 2 months before the car was back on the road. Not a big deal if you have a second vehicle, though. I just took my dear sweet time, to ensure that it came out successful. It turned out great, and m y next rebuild after that (a FWD transaxle) took less than a month to complete.

I’m of the opinion now that the worst part of the job is wrestling the thing out of (and back into) the car.

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

The Swedish Bandit > Urambo Tauro 06/27/2018 at 16:07

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Really glad to hear this! And even if I turn it in to a shop I still have to take it out of the truck to begin with , which is as  you say is the worst part.

Urambo Tauro > The Swedish Bandit 06/27/2018 at 17:07

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I don’t know if you have a parts washer, but I ca n’t stress enough how helpful it is for something like this.   Oh, and make sure you have plenty of work space, too. You’re gonna want roughly 10 feet of uninterrupted bench space (about 25 sq ft or so, the more t he merrier) to lay all the parts out. I covered my bench with a fresh sheet of plastic, and draped some more plastic over it every night to keep the parts from getting dust on them . A clean trash bag was perfect for covering the main case that I had mounted to an engine stand.

The Swedish Bandit > Urambo Tauro 06/27/2018 at 17:18

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Thanks for the tips! Space shouldn’t be an issue since my garage is pretty roomy. Don’t have a real parts cleaner (except for tonnes of brake  cleaner) but I have been thinking about buying one for awhile. I also just got my tax return so now would be the perfect time to pull the trigger on one.