04 Denali with some trans issues, new guy here!

[Rhines]

Good Evening!

I have been an official lurker here for about a year now { since i bought my truck } and i have found lots of awesome info from many threads i have searched from great contributors..thank you!

Recently i have run into a trans issue on my denali { 173,000 miles ) which after lots of searching and diag im pretty certain i have the 3-4 clutch issue going on. came off highway after 2 hours of 65-75 to exit, bottom of ramp starter to get to the 45 mph mark and noticed 3rd was spiking like a clutch going { ex 5 spd guy here, have had some clutches go bad in past } let off throttle it shifted but as i added throttle it would slip again. pulled over check fluid, was level and had a slight dark red tint to it. was not dark before my trip up north. i check all levels and conditions of dipstickable { a word? } fluids before 2+ hour trips.

Trans never got over 200, i was driving up to farmington ME so there are some grades but i only had passengers { 4 } no trailer or large cargo. Dropped pan and filter, nothing huge in pan or on magnet just alot of graphite looking paste { mushed shavings? } replaced fluid ran some lucas into it drove out of driveway immediate symptoms again, drove 5 miles checked fluid level all was well looked a little pinker no burnt smell.

After what ive done,and read im leaning towards burnt clutches in 3-4. i thought maybe shift solenoids, but manual 1, manual 2 work all the way up to red line with zero slipping. manual 3 slips about 30 MPH, In D, 1 and 2 shift perfect but when 2-3 shift comes it slips like its in nutrul if i let off itll catch but wont hold under WOT until i romp on it hard and then it catches for a slip second and nothing.

Dropped many trans { subaru, chevy, volvo } so im not worried about the process of removal - but for sake of any wisemen around that have seen this and it WASNT 3-4 clutches { valvebody, electrical, VSS issue?} any input would be greatly appreciated. And, if it is a trans i plan on taking lots of pics and making a writeup as a contribution back to the site, i LOVE my denali and i know others do as well!


mods include, full kn intake, corsa touring exhaust.

any help is appreciated before i drop this thing and replace it, rebuilding the 4l65e at this point schedule wise would be tough, a swap in would be much faster for myself.

Thanks!
Ron

 

[Donnie Yukonie]

Unless someone has anything else to add that "paste" is usually a burnt up clutch which would explain your 3-4 clutch being bad . with 173K on the truck its very possible for your trans to go out While everyone seems to have them last longer or shorter I would say that 18-200k is normal for the trans to expire .

 

[01ssreda4]

You are at the upper mileage limit of your transmission IMO. At this point the clutches are worn and likely past their service life, even when driven non-aggressively their whole life. The thing to do would be to pull it, and carry it to a competent builder. While it was apart I would apply some upgrades to it. HD2 shift kit, low roller sprag, Z-Pack 3/4 clutch, Beast Sunshell etc.

 

[Rhines]

Thank you!!

Thank you very much Donnie Yukonie and 01ssreda4 for your input!


Im leaning on the feeling of a rebuild. I can obtain a pulled 4L65E with a reman TC for 675 with my core. However, theres a devil you know vs devil you dont feeling i get with the whole idea.

In the past i have done this with manual subaru transmissions as cracking the case and performing internal work was not something i was afraid of so it was of no bother to me to get a cheapy with a who knows taillight warranty and repair it.

However - This would be my very first AT rebuild. I guess my next question is this for all that would like to chime in, and i wont take offence if you believe the job is more difficult than a first time AT builder can handle. Not to name drop, but there is a gentleman on Youtube named Hiram Gutierrez that has a few vids on tear down and rebuilds on 4LE60s. i find his detail and and manner in the way he has his videos easy for me to sponge up, moreso with the use of non specific OEM special tools for repair. Whether he is the gold on this type of video, im unsure but they work for me.

As a background i maintain and repair newspaper press/production post press systems. so without going to nuts in detail { and for those who have maybe worked in or seen a newspaper press environment } there's a wide variety of industrial goodies i get to work on 24/7 on call and there's not much that scares me.

That being said - I like the idea of installing components that can prolong the life of my trans as i enjoy having this vehicle around alot! But, at 675 with a core charge, OR for the rebuild around 200 or so for rebuild kit minus add on goodies that were spoken of above ( 500 ish?) what would you guys do? { tell me if 200 is cheap for a rebuild kit, looks like everything id need minus new sunshell }

If anyone has done this rebuild and had good luck, id love to hear of any specific kits\parts clutches etc you may have used for.

Any future upgrades { way future } would be a cam\tune after new lower and upper gaskets and worn pumps, so im not looking for insane power holding just enough in case i ever have to tow something up north and i need my 3-4 clutches to make it past what OEM\close to it has to offer id like it to last.


thanks again!

 

[Mighty Mouse]

3rd and 4th gear gone. Only one fix, remove and rebuild or replace. Mine has 144k on it and had a Jasper trans put in before I bought it, well Friday it decided to puke that one. Drove fine all morning, then when headed home it started to slip and 5 minutes later no 3rd and 4th. On a good note you can still drive it in 2nd but there is no easy fix. I'm having my trans guy build mine with towing in mind. $850 with a new converter isn't to bad and it will be better then the Jasper junk.

 

[01ssreda4]

Call Dana at Probuilt Automatics. Describe what you are wanting to do and let him put together a custom kit for your needs so you get exactly what you need and parts that will work together.

 

[Rhines]

a little less than a year and its funky again :[, any help would be appreciated.

Hello everyone again!

So, long story short - i ended rebuilt my 4l65e with trusted part combinations that i had noticed many users on this forum and others used.

ran great everyday all day, all conditions and i do a decent amount of miles for my job, and she preforms flawlessly. until this morning.

on highway doing 80, i slowed my speed to go through ez pass fast lane {65 MPH } upon getting back into left lane i noticed that i wasnt shifting into 4th and it felt as if it were "locked" in 3rd. manual shifted into 3, no change.

driving at 35 mph, and cycling manual shifter between D and 3, i get a trans bump and drop in rpm as if it is shifting between the 2

Oddly enough my symptom is nothing im either finding, or understanding

I have park, reverse, 1 2 3, but no 4th { over drive } highway speeds are not happening without huge oil pressure numbers. { i dont want to damage engine }

No clunks, no bangs, no over temp, and no codes. i did have a knock sensor { bank 2 } code last week after some heavy rain bu it cleared it self before i could get scanner on it when i returned home that day, no performance issues noticed.

am i missing something, or when i read " bad 3-4 " on a million posts im sure lots here can attest too seeing, that i just happen to have burnt 4th clutches now instead of 3rd. im not even seeing any account of people not having OD, or 4 without other issues, such as no reverse, or loss of second gear.

any help would be appreciated again, i was very proud of my rebuilt trans, and love my denali more than any vehicle ive owned, and serves many of purpose for me and my family and would hate to see her have to go to a trade in scenario for another vehicle. I do have another denali, a 99, but it does not even come close to the love i have for this one.

thanks everyone
Ron

 

[Rhines]

update on trans issue

Hello everyone,

after a 75 mile trip today of only max speeds of 45 mph, the trans temp got close to 200F which is rarely does after rebuild, and after a few hilly grades - 4th gear came back strong....

is it possible my tourque converter is failing causing line pressure issues in the gears? trans oil pump? im going to hook a gauge to it tommorrow { happy easter! } and see what it says but i figured id throw it out there.

drained out one gallon of trans fluid via my drain hose on external trans cooler and found it to be a little dark { at least 3500 miles from last gallon out gallon in treatment } did not smell burnt, did not look shiny in bottles in dumped them into

any insight or opinions would be appreciated

thanks
ron

 

[01ssreda4]

Keep running it and see what happens. All you can really do at this point.