SURPRISE! here i am with yet another 6L80 question…(ill try to make it my last…)

[denalilex]

okay, first - i want to just say thanks to all of yous who have shown up for & shared with me your wealth of knowledge & experience to help me work through these projects i’ve been able to complete over the last year & as a result - you’ve all taught me a hell of a lot & provided me with so much extremely valuable information & thus - knowledge that i’ve been able to use towards improving my skill. & for all of the threads on this site - i’ve learned more than i ever planned to. i think that’s awesome.

ok now - i’m finally finishing up with my 6L80 repairs - which i first decided to take on by myself as i’m rebuilding this truck anyway - & the neck-breaker 1-2 shift, sometimes 2-3 - was an ailing embarrassment that i got tired of saying “no sorry, it’s fine, it does that but it’s fine” & i do believe i’ve found the issue in the form of my #1 checkball being hella shrunken. so i replaced those, the laminate seals & am now in my garage & about to put this thing back together but i still have mixed opinions on how to address the fluid .

the major clunk was the only issue i had. so my trans - fwiw - is in considerably decent shape for almost 300K. it has been serviced before. not by me. probably a solid 150K ago. maybe more. fluid was definitely nearly black. no metal chunks in the pan. normal amount of buildup on magnet. nothing worrisome.

flush or just refill with what i’ve taken out by dropping the pan? i’ve been told both which came along with their own serious reasons of why to do one over another.

opinions on this as im about to be filling her up & want to keep it in the best shape possible.

TIA!

PS sorry i’m so long winded. i try & fail to summarize.


*EDIT*: i originally planned to flush & thus, bought everything needed in preparation for it. so i have 14 quarts of Dexron-VI, acdelco filter, seal, & cork gasket & lucas stop slip transmission stabilizer. i have plenty of vinyl tubing. so i can do either.

 

[OR VietVet]

Use fresh fluid, IMO, and fill as needed. Replace the filter while apart.

 

[Miami-Dade]

okay, first - i want to just say thanks to all of yous who have shown up for & shared with me your wealth of knowledge & experience to help me work through these projects i’ve been able to complete over the last year & as a result - you’ve all taught me a hell of a lot & provided me with so much extremely valuable information & thus - knowledge that i’ve been able to use towards improving my skill. & for all of the threads on this site - i’ve learned more than i ever planned to. i think that’s awesome.

No worries on making this your last question on the 6L80.
If have any more questions on it [or anything else] just ask away and help will be on the way.
For almost 300K miles you are doing really good plus it still looks good.

 

[gooffeyguy]

Don't use the cork gasket, reuse the OE rubber one if it looks good. Spray it down with brake parts cleaner and wipe it off.

 

[denalilex]

No worries on making this your last question on the 6L80.
If have any more questions on it [or anything else] just ask away and help will be on the way.
For almost 300K miles you are doing really good plus it still looks good.

thanks … you all have definitely made me in all of my amateur-ness glory feel a little less amateur-ly.

i never planned to but over the last year i’ve realized this is definitely something i enjoy doing & i think i’m not too bad at it either(watch, now ill blow the truck up), & i hope to one day be able to educate, motivate & assist other woman(& men) to become more confident under their own hoods.

i’m sure ill have more questions lol. i’m planning to lift it next. but have a torn rear shock. which are delphi, btw & i believe that they are passive? gas? otherwise not autoride? i have z55 on my RPO sticker. i am guessing i have the delete modules somewhere. i’m anxious for that project lol


(i said i’m long winded)

 

[denalilex]

Don't use the cork gasket, reuse the OE rubber one if it looks good. Spray it down with brake parts cleaner and wipe it off.

thank you! is MAF sensor cleaner the best option to make sure i’ve cleaned off the tehcm before installing it? & parts cleaner for the valve body exterior? i don’t have a parts washer(i’m about to build one tho out of my old laundry sink in the basement …. them metal ones yano ) … i wanna make sure it’s free of any harmful anything

 

[Joseph Garcia]

I'm very pleased that you like belonging to this Forum, and have found it to be very useful.

Keep asking your questions when needed, as this is the primary purpose of this Forum. Also, any issues that you post here are likely to be issues that others will encounter, and your journey in resolving issues will help these other folks.

 

[adventurenali92]

deleted my comment because I re read the last paragraphs and actually understood the question. Oops lol

 

[denalilex]

update - i have finally completely repaired the 6L80 - & it’s not at all what i was focused on.. well, it was but… there was more & it was a host of unsuspected parts & issues.

my camshaft actuator magnet / camshaft poison sensor wiring harness had failed. tabs dry rotted off & created an environment where the electrical terminals / connector would unseat on bumps. this also created a new issue of an intermittent code situation with my cmp sensor & act solenoid sensor …. my timing was off & it resulted in my trans solenoids to enter “stuck off” mode.

i had trouble finding the correct harness cause the bracket wiht mine had an additional “arm” that housed the camshaft actuator magnet connector. all of the reccmd parts marketplaces matched me with the bracket that did not have the arm or the act mag connector & only had a 3 way terminal connector that went to the PD … mine had a 5 pin 5 way that connected with the trucks PD… turns out - it’s the same part # & part as the ‘15 camero 6.2 v8… & the act. mag is of a “2nd design” & when you replace the harness - you have to replace it t/w the new magnet.

anyway i finally got the parts 2 weeks ago & replaced everything & the trans is running beautifully & within all of the correct parameters & has no codes & has thrown no codes & no longer has any solenoids stuck in any way.

a doozy really

 

[Geotrash]

update - i have finally completely repaired the 6L80 - & it’s not at all what i was focused on.. well, it was but… there was more & it was a host of unsuspected parts & issues.

my camshaft actuator magnet / camshaft poison sensor wiring harness had failed. tabs dry rotted off & created an environment where the electrical terminals / connector would unseat on bumps. this also created a new issue of an intermittent code situation with my cmp sensor & act solenoid sensor …. my timing was off & it resulted in my trans solenoids to enter “stuck off” mode.

i had trouble finding the correct harness cause the bracket wiht mine had an additional “arm” that housed the camshaft actuator magnet connector. all of the reccmd parts marketplaces matched me with the bracket that did not have the arm or the act mag connector & only had a 3 way terminal connector that went to the PD … mine had a 5 pin 5 way that connected with the trucks PD… turns out - it’s the same part # & part as the ‘15 camero 6.2 v8… & the act. mag is of a “2nd design” & when you replace the harness - you have to replace it t/w the new magnet.

anyway i finally got the parts 2 weeks ago & replaced everything & the trans is running beautifully & within all of the correct parameters & has no codes & has thrown no codes & no longer has any solenoids stuck in any way.

a doozy really

Wonderful! Thanks for following up! How did you find this gremlin, by the way?

 

[Sam Harris]

Don't use the cork gasket, reuse the OE rubber one if it looks good. Spray it down with brake parts cleaner and wipe it off.

Cough* Lubelocker *cough

 

[gooffeyguy]

Cough* Lubelocker *cough

Well yeah if you get a new gasket, get a LubeLocker, but the OE one is reusable if it's in decent shape

 

[denalilex]

Wonderful! Thanks for following up! How did you find this gremlin, by the way?

i laid on the ground & stared up at my undercarriage , cried & wondered where it all went wrong …

jk lol


i’m somewhat (ok, extremely) OCD with my truck … any noises coming from it that even remotely shouldn’t be, same with how it drives & if something feels off… & im a gauge watcher. something felt different from the dreaded, resident wonky 2-3 .. & i went into limp mode. at times wouldnt shift out of first. but when i would park, shut down & reset the tehcm via GM’s pedal method - all would return to normal. but anytime this happened i ran my codes & pulled my freeze frame. a few months back i had a CMP performance code pop up & just as quick as it came - it was gone. i bought a new CMP sensor anyway. the first shift sticking issue started happening more frequently (also worth mentioning that i was not driving my truck for everyday use - i was only driving it trying to diagnose it) - & the data & graphs showed me each time it happened - my CMP sensor wasn’t communicating… so i ran active tests on the cmp sensor & it was functioning fine & within the correct voltage & 5v drop etc etc … it would come on & disappear within the same cycle. so i just ran the live data & drove my back street which has potholes & noticed the voltage read 0 some times but only when i’d hit a bump / agitated it somehow. the cam act magnet would also lose voltage intermittently & throw intermittent codes.

so i assumed that with the intermittent codes - it had be electrical in nature because obviously the parts themselves were fine as they were operating when they had voltage but not when it dropped & this went on & off. so i knew nothing was actually wrong with the sensors themselves. only culprit left was the wiring.

so
i read the freeze frame data for the solenoid codes on the trans & the engine run time & parameters were identical to the cmp sensor losing voltage so i went back & put it back on my jack stands & when i went to look & see what was going on - the connector @ the truck PD literally fell out when i bumped it with my arm when i went to feel for if the CMP sensor connector was seated. so i pulled the whole thing & every connector was dry rotted the same way.


a lot of process of elimination.. & it clicked to me that if my timing is off because my camshaft isn’t communicating correctly - the shift timing would likely be off, no? & seeing as how the trans is electronic as well & communicates in a daisy chain nature in regards to topologically - the limp mode made sense & i figured i’d take my theory & throw it at the wall & see if it sticks & it did. in researching afterwards - the cam / timing / etc. does in fact command the solenoids off & the engine into limp mode. no cruise control, etc.

**** sorry i’m so long winded ughhhh ****

 

[Geotrash]

i laid on the ground & stared up at my undercarriage , cried & wondered where it all went wrong …

jk lol


i’m somewhat (ok, extremely) OCD with my truck … any noises coming from it that even remotely shouldn’t be, same with how it drives & if something feels off… & im a gauge watcher. something felt different from the dreaded, resident wonky 2-3 .. & i went into limp mode. at times wouldnt shift out of first. but when i would park, shut down & reset the tehcm via GM’s pedal method - all would return to normal. but anytime this happened i ran my codes & pulled my freeze frame. a few months back i had a CMP performance code pop up & just as quick as it came - it was gone. i bought a new CMP sensor anyway. the first shift sticking issue started happening more frequently (also worth mentioning that i was not driving my truck for everyday use - i was only driving it trying to diagnose it) - & the data & graphs showed me each time it happened - my CMP sensor wasn’t communicating… so i ran active tests on the cmp sensor & it was functioning fine & within the correct voltage & 5v drop etc etc … it would come on & disappear within the same cycle. so i just ran the live data & drove my back street which has potholes & noticed the voltage read 0 some times but only when i’d hit a bump / agitated it somehow. the cam act magnet would also lose voltage intermittently & throw intermittent codes.

so i assumed that with the intermittent codes - it had be electrical in nature because obviously the parts themselves were fine as they were operating when they had voltage but not when it dropped & this went on & off. so i knew nothing was actually wrong with the sensors themselves. only culprit left was the wiring.

so
i read the freeze frame data for the solenoid codes on the trans & the engine run time & parameters were identical to the cmp sensor losing voltage so i went back & put it back on my jack stands & when i went to look & see what was going on - the connector @ the truck PD literally fell out when i bumped it with my arm when i went to feel for if the CMP sensor connector was seated. so i pulled the whole thing & every connector was dry rotted the same way.


a lot of process of elimination.. & it clicked to me that if my timing is off because my camshaft isn’t communicating correctly - the shift timing would likely be off, no? & seeing as how the trans is electronic as well & communicates in a daisy chain nature in regards to topologically - the limp mode made sense & i figured i’d take my theory & throw it at the wall & see if it sticks & it did. in researching afterwards - the cam / timing / etc. does in fact command the solenoids off & the engine into limp mode. no cruise control, etc.

**** sorry i’m so long winded ughhhh ****

SUPER helpful. Thank you for your detailed explanation. One more question: were you using a Tech 2 for the data gathering and analysis?

 

[denalilex]

SUPER helpful. Thank you for your detailed explanation. One more question: were you using a Tech 2 for the data gathering and analysis?

sorry for the late reply i’m really bad at the internet lol. no tech2… i have an autel my905…. it’s old but i got it for 100 with a free update sub & i have the thinkdiag dongle i got when i first started this all & it surprisingly compares heavily to the tech2 in regards to functionality & options …. it lacks in the area of coding & programming obviously… i do want a tech2. i haven’t used one tho lol noob.

 

[Geotrash]

sorry for the late reply i’m really bad at the internet lol. no tech2… i have an autel my905…. it’s old but i got it for 100 with a free update sub & i have the thinkdiag dongle i got when i first started this all & it surprisingly compares heavily to the tech2 in regards to functionality & options …. it lacks in the area of coding & programming obviously… i do want a tech2. i haven’t used one tho lol noob.

The Autel is fine for most things. Can't really do any programming with the Tech2 either, per se, except activate new keys, trigger system relearns and adapts, etc. Can't really modify any factory parameters or anything like that.