Corvette Servo Blew Transmission case

[brad6603]

Hey guys just wanted to let everyone be aware of my problem with the corvette servo. After reading on this site about them i picked one up off oregon performance on ebay and installed it in my 2001 Tahoe 4x4. I ran the servo for three months with no problems and everything seemed fine. That was until Friday morning on my way to work. It was around 40 degrees and i was driving normally when i noticed that it wasn't shifting into overdrive. I came to a stop and then took off again and noticed it was not shifting correctly. Thats when i saw the smoke pouring from behind me. I immediately pulled over and looked under the car to see trans fluid gushing out. I turned the car off and called a wrecker that took it to my chevy dealer trans shop. On the rack we looked and the case under the servo area was busted. It was just a huge crack. I told the techinician about the corvette servo and he simply just shook his head. He said he has seen this many times. The case is weak at this spot and cannot take the increased pressure. He said that he has been running a corvette servo for 2 years in his truck with no problems but the other technician had the exact same thing happen to him. So beware folks putting the corvette servo in your daily drivers. I learned from this expensive mistake and will never do it again. I will post pics when they pull the case out of the tahoe.

 

[vatahoelt]

wow, that sucks. sorry to hear this.

this would be my luck if i put that servo in.

 

[bub]

i had one in my silverado for over a year and never had a problem. i read that if you don't have the cover on the trans seated right, which is a ***** to do and took me a while, down the road it can cause the trans case to crack. did you install it yourself?

 

[bigblue]

this kinda worries me about doing it now on my 2007 tahoe. Maybe they are different in the newer vehicles, i just dont see Justin at BBP reccomend doing it if it was a known issue to tear up transmissions.

 

[MASS-HOE'Z71]

when i had my transmission rebuilt last month, the owner suggested putting one in mine said he puts em in almost all of the 4l60e's he has coming through the door and never has any problems with em. cant imagine as many people recomending them if they are a danger to the transmission. although i have heard a few stories of people not installing them right and the seal not being seated correctly and needing a trans rebuild.

 

[KrautBurner]

kinda funny

...about the corvette servo and he simply just shook his head. He said he has seen this many times. The case is weak at this spot and cannot take the increased pressure

the tranny case is the same as in the corvette, and the corvette servo is a stock part in that tranny.

must be an issue with the instalation

---------- Post added at 08:50 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:48 AM ----------

...although i have heard a few stories of people not installing them right and the seal not being seated correctly and needing a trans rebuild.

this is why I'll have mine installed (and not do it myself)

my tranny guy has built many a 4L60E to run in the 10's on street driven vehicles (and a few running 9's)
I'll trust him for my <300hp truck

 

[ScottyBoy]

I installed my own servo over a year ago and have zero problems. Like others have said, I have heard that if you don't get everything seated back in correctly, you can damage or crack the case. I double check everything on mine when I was putting it together. I had trouble getting the cap back on, then took it back out and re checked everything then it back on and a lot smoother the second time. It pressed in enough to snap the ring back in fairly easily. I hear that if you have lots of problems getting that snap ring for the cover to pop back in then it most likely isn't seated in there right. Did you have any problems like that when you installed it? Or did the cover go on fairly easily?

 

[chistoso]

Mine blew up a couple of months ago too. It turns out the retaining ring wasn't seated properly and with the shifting pressure it was just a matter of time before it snapped.

 

[swtz71]

wow seems like install error???
guess this is a good warning to all to make damn sure it's snapped in properly or this result could happen...
Thanks for the heads up!!

 

[KrautBurner]

i read that if you don't have the cover on the trans seated right, which is a ***** to do and took me a while, down the road it can cause the trans case to crack. did you install it yourself?

although i have heard a few stories of people not installing them right and the seal not being seated correctly and needing a trans rebuild.

I have heard that if you don't get everything seated back in correctly, you can damage or crack the case. I double check everything on mine when I was putting it together. I had trouble getting the cap back on, then took it back out and re checked everything then it back on and a lot smoother the second time. It pressed in enough to snap the ring back in fairly easily. I hear that if you have lots of problems getting that snap ring for the cover to pop back in then it most likely isn't seated in there right. Did you have any problems like that when you installed it? Or did the cover go on fairly easily?

Mine blew up a couple of months ago too. It turns out the retaining ring wasn't seated properly and with the shifting pressure it was just a matter of time before it snapped.

wow seems like install error???
guess this is a good warning to all to make damn sure it's snapped in properly or this result could happen...
Thanks for the heads up!!

I think we're seeing a pattern here,
it's not a "BAD PART"
it's more than likely a bad install

 

[bub]

it's def a nice mod imo.

 

[JKmotorsports]

kinda funny



the tranny case is the same as in the corvette, and the corvette servo is a stock part in that tranny.

must be an issue with the instalation

Totally agree. If it was a problem, GM wouldn't have used this part in the vette's 700r4/4l60 trans stock from the factory. I've installed many of the larger servos in plenty of 700r4/4l60 transmissions w/o any probs. If it is installed correctly, you won't have any problems.

 

[blueflamed03]

<------- two years, no issues.

 

[2 E L O]

Just like KrautBurner said, if the Corvette servo was a problem then a ton of Corvettes would be running around with cracked transmission cases. However, that is not the case and the servo itself is not the issue.

If you install it correctly then there is no reason the case would get damaged from the Corvette servo.

 

[Travieso]

1 year and 70K miles no issues

 

[dwmmatt23]

Ive had mine sitting in the tool box still brand new that i bought for my two door and now was going to get around to installing in my current tahoe myself. I do all maintenance and repairs myself but after reading this ill have a trans shop do the install so I wont be wondering if all is seated correct. Figure it couldnt cost much labor to do this

 

[Nickleahy23]

yup i had the same thing happen to me...its not that the trans is weak in that spot, its that the snap ring doesnt get seated correctly. I did mine and made it half mile down the road until it shot out, and fluid was everywhere..I got lucky and it didnt break the case..turns out i didnt have the snap ring on totally..live and learn i suppose..i ended up blowing up my trans since i burnt up some clutches when i lost my fluid

 

[brad6603]

Im not saying its a bad part. I ran one in my 700R4 for years with no problems. I did have problems putting the ring back in for the 4L60E (yes i installed it myself). But i pulled the servo back out and reinserted and the cap and ring went in perfectly (or so i thought). Its funny that it took 3 months to finally crack the case. I didnt get to take any pics of the old case to show you guys where it exactly cracked at. But when it was still in the vehicle it looked like the bottom of the servo portion of the case just exploded. Im not saying the servo is a bad part because i do have friends that are currently running it. But like me another friend of mine busted his case as well. So just beware is all im stating. Best to get a tranny shop to install so at least they may warranty it if it busted in the future.

 

[Tahoewhat]

Got a question involving the servo. Did any of you guys notice when taking off in 1st sometimes it feels kind of sluggish. ALmost like a slipping. Then when driving and punch the gas a little, it jerks a little into 2nd gear. Is that normal for the servo? Otherwise i notice no problems. Just wondering if this is just my imagination or suppose to be like this.

 

[bub]

i never notice that.