only drives 30 feet!

[pennyanguy]

Need some help, 2004 burban 5.3l 4X4 . Truck drove fine today until I stopped to pick up a friend. Put it in gear, drove about 30 ft and it seems to slip out of gear, just revs. Stop the truck, shift through the gears and nothing, no engagement at all. Here is the odd thing. Shut truck off, let sit for 2-3 min, and I can drive another 30 ft, then same thing happens. If I shut truck and restart within a minute, no engagement...Let it sit a few minutes and I get 30 feet.... I know it's tranny related, but can anyone give me an idea what in the tranny let loose? Transmission fluid looks good and right level.

 

[rockola1971]

Sounds like 2-4 band slipping. Put it in manual first gear and see if it can be driven more than the 30ft. Manual 1 will prevent any attempt to shift to 2nd gear which requires the 2-4 band. Tranny fluid smell burnt?

 

[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.

You are already receiving sage advice from the knowledgeable folks on this Forum. @NickTransmissions

 

[strutaeng]

Any history on the truck? Transmission serviced before?

I had something similar a while back: gears worked and vehicle drove, then lost everything. There was some foreign matter floating inside the pan and would get caught into the filter inlet, cutting off lubrication. I was able to hook up a pressure gauge on the transmission and confirmed pressure dropped to zero after a few seconds. Transmission forward clutches got burned up and required an overhaul, unfortunately.

 

[Mudsport96]

Sounds like 2-4 band slipping. Put it in manual first gear and see if it can be driven more than the 30ft. Manual 1 will prevent any attempt to shift to 2nd gear which requires the 2-4 band. Tranny fluid smell burnt?

I would almost bet this is the case. Sounds alot like my Silverado did when the 2-4 band was shot. Could also be the 2nd gear piston is damaged and not applying the band.
Do as stated above with the manual 1st gear hold and see if it keeps driving.
Then, if it does that. Manually hold first and accelerate to about 25 in first gear, then shift into 3rd. If the 2nd gear band is shot, this will allow the transmission to "skip" 2nd and go right to 3rd. I tried this when the 4l60e lost 2nd in the truck, just to get home. You also will not have 4th if the band is shot.

 

[NickTransmissions]

Need some help, 2004 burban 5.3l 4X4 . Truck drove fine today until I stopped to pick up a friend. Put it in gear, drove about 30 ft and it seems to slip out of gear, just revs. Stop the truck, shift through the gears and nothing, no engagement at all. Here is the odd thing. Shut truck off, let sit for 2-3 min, and I can drive another 30 ft, then same thing happens. If I shut truck and restart within a minute, no engagement...Let it sit a few minutes and I get 30 feet.... I know it's tranny related, but can anyone give me an idea what in the tranny let loose? Transmission fluid looks good and right level.

The others above, including @rockola1971 and @Mudsport96 mirror my own suspicions.

How many miles on the vehicle/transmission?

Start preparing for an overhaul - perhaps call around to shops in your immediate area w/good reviews on Yelp and other places or see if anyone in your social / professional circle has had good luck with transmission rebuild in the relative recent past. Just tell them the symptoms you're experiencing (i.e. moves 30 feet then revs like it's in neutral) - don't tell them what you think it is as that usually overcomplicates things. They will determine what happened once the unit's been torn down and inspected.

Ask them for a list of parts/procedures they perform as well as their warranty on complete rebuilds.

Whatever you do, DO NOT install a used 4L60E - you'll be right back to where you are now in six months or so (that's typically how long they last in my personal experience based on customer units I rebuilt that they initially put in as used).

If you want, drop the pan and see what is at the bottom...I'd guess a whole bunch of burnt band and/or 3-4 clutch pack material. If that's what you see, put the pan back on w/a few bolts and yank it out for rebuild.