2008 Yukon Denali Transmission Swap

[ford141]

My transmission is on its way out in my 2008 Yukon Denali. For several years it has had a delay going into reverse, and for the past year it has had a flare on the 2-3 shift. Now, for the past month or so it has had a 1-2 second delay and slippage on the 4-5 shift, especially first thing in the morning. I have been letting off the throttle on the 4-5 shift because it feels like it wont catch. I know its days are numbered, it's only a matter of time.

Currently funds are pretty tight, and with 175K on the Yukon, which is only valued at $6-8K, I can't see putting $3k into a new transmission. I'm thinking a used takeout is my best option at $1100-1500. My question is, what years will swap directly into my 08? I've narrowed my search to only Denalis and Cadillacs with the 6.2 6L80e, but can i swap in anything from 07-14? I know the 09-up had DOD, but I'm not sure if that affects the transmission. I've heard there were refinements to the later 6l80s, so I'd prefer newer if I can as long as it will swap directly in and work with my computer.

Any help is appreciated. I'm limping mine along for now but I'm afraid I only have a few months before 5th goes completely.

 

[wjburken]

My transmission is on its way out in my 2008 Yukon Denali. For several years it has had a delay going into reverse, and for the past year it has had a flare on the 2-3 shift. Now, for the past month or so it has had a 1-2 second delay and slippage on the 4-5 shift, especially first thing in the morning. I have been letting off the throttle on the 4-5 shift because it feels like it wont catch. I know its days are numbered, it's only a matter of time.

Currently funds are pretty tight, and with 175K on the Yukon, which is only valued at $6-8K, I can't see putting $3k into a new transmission. I'm thinking a used takeout is my best option at $1100-1500. My question is, what years will swap directly into my 08? I've narrowed my search to only Denalis and Cadillacs with the 6.2 6L80e, but can i swap in anything from 07-14? I know the 09-up had DOD, but I'm not sure if that affects the transmission. I've heard there were refinements to the later 6l80s, so I'd prefer newer if I can as long as it will swap directly in and work with my computer.

Any help is appreciated. I'm limping mine along for now but I'm afraid I only have a few months before 5th goes completely.

I would suggest you find a trusted transmission shop and have them look at it to see if it would make more sense to try and fix what’s wrong with your current transmission. You may find that for about the same money, they can go through your transmission and replace what’s needed and you will know what you versus a used one.

 

[Big Mama]

Others will chime in I believe you have a 6L80E. Try searching for that. I don’t think it changed until 2012 or 13. Have you gotten a quote on doing a rebuild? Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water. Spend to fix it or have car payments. Easy choice if the rest of the rig is good.

 

[ford141]

Yes, I do have the 6L80e. There are technical bulletins everywhere that describe the exact problem that I have, which are delays in reverse engagement, flares in 2-3, and 3-5. All indications are that the rev/3/5 drum is cracked, which is a common issue with 07-08 6l80/6l90 trans. Requires replacement of the drum. I believe paying a shop to remove/tear-down and rebuild my trans will be cost prohibitive for me at this time, which is why I'm considering the used route. If I can swap in a 09-13 trans that would be great, but I don't know if it will swap directly.

https://atracom.blob.core.windows.net/gears/2011/2011-12/2011_12_20.pdf

 

[swathdiver]

My transmission is on its way out in my 2008 Yukon Denali. For several years it has had a delay going into reverse, and for the past year it has had a flare on the 2-3 shift. Now, for the past month or so it has had a 1-2 second delay and slippage on the 4-5 shift, especially first thing in the morning. I have been letting off the throttle on the 4-5 shift because it feels like it wont catch. I know its days are numbered, it's only a matter of time.

Currently funds are pretty tight, and with 175K on the Yukon, which is only valued at $6-8K, I can't see putting $3k into a new transmission. I'm thinking a used takeout is my best option at $1100-1500. My question is, what years will swap directly into my 08? I've narrowed my search to only Denalis and Cadillacs with the 6.2 6L80e, but can i swap in anything from 07-14? I know the 09-up had DOD, but I'm not sure if that affects the transmission. I've heard there were refinements to the later 6l80s, so I'd prefer newer if I can as long as it will swap directly in and work with my computer.

Any help is appreciated. I'm limping mine along for now but I'm afraid I only have a few months before 5th goes completely.

Too bad you didn't say something here sooner. More often than not, the first thing these transmission need is their solenoids rebuilt, not a complete overhaul. I would not recommend a junkyard transmission but the improvements came midway through 2009 but that will not affect anything that I'm aware of, the computer is built into the transmission so if you change it, it will have to be programmed to your truck. The tail cone can be swapped to make a RWD trans work for AWD and visa versa.

The shop manual covers those gripes you mentioned, what causes them and how to fix them, AllDataDIY.

 

[ford141]

Too bad you didn't say something here sooner. More often than not, the first thing these transmission need is their solenoids rebuilt, not a complete overhaul. I would not recommend a junkyard transmission but the improvements came midway through 2009 but that will not affect anything that I'm aware of, the computer is built into the transmission so if you change it, it will have to be programmed to your truck. The tail cone can be swapped to make a RWD trans work for AWD and visa versa.

The shop manual covers those gripes you mentioned, what causes them and how to fix them, AllDataDIY.

I've always heard that these transmissions are not real smooth shifting and have some quircks, so I hadn't put much thought into the issues until the 5th gear issue just started to crop up. I've owned it for 5 years and bought it with 125K, and reverse has been slow engaging since then. Thought it was normal. Since the 5th gear issue, I started searching for answers and found the bulletin for 3/5/rev drum issues.

 

[swathdiver]

I've always heard that these transmissions are not real smooth shifting and have some quircks, so I hadn't put much thought into the issues until the 5th gear issue just started to crop up. I've owned it for 5 years and bought it with 125K, and reverse has been slow engaging since then. Thought it was normal. Since the 5th gear issue, I started searching for answers and found the bulletin for 3/5/rev drum issues.

No, that's not been my experience. Mine runs like a top as does most of the other guys here. Also had it tuned along with the engine to perform better. How many times have you serviced the transmission and how old is the fluid in it now?

 

[ford141]

No, that's not been my experience. Mine runs like a top as does most of the other guys here. Also had it tuned along with the engine to perform better. How many times have you serviced the transmission and how old is the fluid in it now?

I don't have the service records from before I bought it, but I changed the fluid/filter at about 170K. Both fluid and filter were clean.

 

[Big Mama]

As James stated I haven’t really heard a lot about trans problems or rough shifting. Unfortunately we never know the history of a used rig in most cases. The only way I’d get one used is with a warranty and have it checked before installing and rebuilding the solenoid mentioned. It’s a bite in the budget but as the truck sits today you won’t get much for it. Tough call to make.

 

[ford141]

So, I think I will try the solenoid rebuild before I give up totally on this trans. Worth a shot for $100. If I can get rid of the delay in the 4-5 shift I'd be happy. Not sure it will fix it but better than swapping the trans.