4l65e problems

[MidKnight1993]

So I've got an 02 chevy suburban with a 4l65e that I've had rebuilt in the last 8 or 9 months from monster transmission and I had another reputable shop tear it all apart after I got it after already having problems with rhe transmission I got before. We'll long story short im having problems where after sitting and idling for long periods of time the truck gets stuck on second gear after starting to move again and goes into limp mode for a little bit but I can manually shift it back into second and then drive and it's usually fine im just wondering what would cause this. I've seen some other people talking about a tcc valve and I'd rather not go back to another shop if I can replace it my self since I work on cars all day. I replaced everything when I did thr transmission this time went with braided lines and a trucool 40k cooler. I also have no codes when this happens I've had a shop run codes before shutting the vehicle off.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Welcome to the Forum from NH.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

Pics of the truck, please.

@NickTransmissions is our resident transmission expert, and he will chime in with his thoughts and perspectives.

 

[NickTransmissions]

So I've got an 02 chevy suburban with a 4l65e that I've had rebuilt in the last 8 or 9 months from monster transmission

Hmmm...Why did you have Monster rebuild your transmission???

To your issue now: Limp mode in these transmissions is 3rd and reverse (manual 2nd than manual upshift to third)...It is always caused by a loss of voltage signal or communication between ECM and transmission for at least one node (i.e. solenoid, pressure switch manifold, etc). The shop that went through it should have replaced all of the electrical components, including your VSS (if you have a 2WD) and manual lever position sensor. Other things that can cause your symptoms include bad/worn chassis or powertrain grounds, poor battery health, ignition switch, etc.

Did the 2nd shop rebuild just the transmission and provide a new torque converter or did you give them the entire truck and have them do the removal, rebuild and installation?

 

[MidKnight1993]

Hmmm...Why did you have Monster rebuild your transmission???

To your issue now: Limp mode in these transmissions is 3rd and reverse (manual 2nd than manual upshift to third)...It is always caused by a loss of voltage signal or communication between ECM and transmission for at least one node (i.e. solenoid, pressure switch manifold, etc). The shop that went through it should have replaced all of the electrical components, including your VSS (if you have a 2WD) and manual lever position sensor. Other things that can cause your symptoms include bad/worn chassis or powertrain grounds, poor battery health, ignition switch, etc.

Did the 2nd shop rebuild just the transmission and provide a new torque converter or did you give them the entire truck and have them do the removal, rebuild and installation?

So the second shop looked over my warranty transmission from monster. The first transmission from them made ir about 7 months and 7k miles bedote the pump exploded and took out everything in the transmission. All the second shop did was open it and make sure everything looked good and that I didn't get a new to me transmission from monster with metal already in it if they just rebuilt mine

 

[NickTransmissions]

So the second shop looked over my warranty transmission from monster. The first transmission from them made ir about 7 months and 7k miles bedote the pump exploded and took out everything in the transmission. All the second shop did was open it and make sure everything looked good and that I didn't get a new to me transmission from monster with metal already in it if they just rebuilt mine

So why did you choose Monster to begin with? Asking as it's quite surprising to me whenever I hear folks knowingly choosing to buy one of their transmissions given all of the failures/high failure rate with their products. So am trying to understand what keeps people going back to them over and over.

You also didnt state whether on not the shop took in the entire truck or not - that detail makes all the difference in the world when it comes to recommendations for next steps folks may make to you.

 

[MidKnight1993]

So why did you choose Monster to begin with? Asking as it's quite surprising to me whenever I hear folks knowingly choosing to buy one of their transmissions given all of the failures/high failure rate with their products. So am trying to understand what keeps people going back to them over and over.

You also didnt state whether on not the shop took in the entire truck or not - that detail makes all the difference in the world when it comes to recommendations for next steps folks may make to you.

No im the one pulling and installing the transmission everytime im a mechanic for mercedes. And I didn't know monster was thst bad til after I got my transmission from them. It failed in 7 months and they warranty it out with another one and thats the one I took to the other shop to have opened and inspected

 

[NickTransmissions]

No im the one pulling and installing the transmission everytime im a mechanic for mercedes. And I didn't know monster was thst bad til after I got my transmission from them. It failed in 7 months and they warranty it out with another one and thats the one I took to the other shop to have opened and inspected

Gotcha...Being in the German Auto space, you probably weren't aware...Unfortunately, it's a hard lesson all to many have to learn...Monster pours an enormous amount of resources into marketing/advertising and seemingly very little in comparison to the production/QC space. They've done all the math and ran all the models and it would seem their calculus shows greater margins with this approach vs a higher quality, higher price approach that would otherwise result in a much lower overall defect rate. Monster is far from alone in this regard...The overwhelming majority of transmission reman companies in this country, at least for the GM, Ford and Dodge stuff, do business this way.

 

[MidKnight1993]

Gotcha...Being in the German Auto space, you probably weren't aware...Unfortunately, it's a hard lesson all to many have to learn...Monster pours an enormous amount of resources into marketing/advertising and seemingly very little in comparison to the production/QC space. They've done all the math and ran all the models and it would seem their calculus shows greater margins with this approach vs a higher quality, higher price approach that would otherwise result in a much lower overall defect rate. Monster is far from alone in this regard...The overwhelming majority of transmission reman companies in this country, at least for the GM, Ford and Dodge stuff, do business this way.

Yeah its absolutely awful. I can't seem to get the truck to remake the same problems now that the weather is cooler here my trans never goes over 110f and idk If that maybe point to a sign of what could be wrong. I've got a snap on scan tool connected while driving to see if im getting a command to shift into 3 from the solenoids. But as of right now its shifts absolutely perfect

 

[rockola1971]

Inspect your tranny wiring harness from PCM to tranny. Look for harness damage.

 

[MidKnight1993]

But it only seems to happen when my transmission gets warm. Since its cooled off now its been 3 weeks since I've had a problem

 

[rockola1971]

But it only seems to happen when my transmission gets warm. Since its cooled off now its been 3 weeks since I've had a problem

If it isnt a damaged wiring harness then Its more likely a stuck valve in the valve body. A solenoid (which actuates the valves) goes bad and it will throw a code almost immediately. A stuck valve has no electrical signal to give to the PCM. There should be a fail to achieve the next gear but that isnt foolproof. Id inspect valves for binding. You may have a worn valve in the body (They may not have installed new) or didnt even perform valve body updates on their "rebuild". Next to a sticking check valve on the separator plate all other internal failures within the tranny are either permanent (never get better) or catastrophic (burn up a clutch pack and steels). So its convenient that your best luck at finding the issue is in the valve body, you get to drop the pan and while in there inspect for dusting and flakes in the pan and while you are at it go ahead and throw in a new filter.

 

[MidKnight1993]

If it isnt a damaged wiring harness then Its more likely a stuck valve in the valve body. A solenoid (which actuates the valves) goes bad and it will throw a code almost immediately. A stuck valve has no electrical signal to give to the PCM. There should be a fail to achieve the next gear but that isnt foolproof. Id inspect valves for binding. You may have a worn valve in the body (They may not have installed new) or didnt even perform valve body updates on their "rebuild". Next to a sticking check valve on the separator plate all other internal failures within the tranny are either permanent (never get better) or catastrophic (burn up a clutch pack and steels). So its convenient that your best luck at finding the issue is in the valve body, you get to drop the pan and while in there inspect for dusting and flakes in the pan and while you are at it go ahead and throw in a new filter.

Ok ill have to do thst when I have time im just gonna drive my other car til I decide what to do with my truck im honestly tired of spending money on it. This is my 4th transmission in the 5 years I've had it

 

[Matthew Jeschke]

Ok ill have to do thst when I have time im just gonna drive my other car til I decide what to do with my truck im honestly tired of spending money on it. This is my 4th transmission in the 5 years I've had it

That's ROUGH. IMO the 4L60E is a good transmission when rebuilt right. It shouldn't do you wrong. Upon opening your post I had similar thoughts to @rockola1971, a sticking valve in the valve body.

When I built my transmission I tested each valve with ATF transmission fluid and a syringe. I put a bit of ATF in bore behind the valve and waited to see if it leaked out. More of a sanity check for me.

Also you may want to clean the valve bores with these things.

Superior BB100 | Superior Transmission Parts - The problem solvers of the transmission industry

Sonnax has some AWESOME diagrams. There's one showing how to vacuum test the valve body. I did a poor man's version and used ATF as I didn't have the vacuum pump tool. Upon searching for the diagram I found @NickTransmissions's video! Nick is awesome he helped me with questions about my build...

I'm sure you did as suggested; but just incase, double check your harnesses for damage, and bad grounds. I'm not 100% sure which chassis ground is for the transmission harness but worth inspecting that one in detail.