Transmission or TCM Dead?

[bobsburban]

i guess this is hi and bye but now that I have a moment (we came home from our 8-week western trip to find a bunch of stuff, including the HVAC, blown out after a downed transformer caused a massive power surge in our neighborhood) - I have a question.

We left with a 2011 Suburban 2500, we came home with a 2025 SuperDuty. Yes, there's a story here.

After filling up at the Warpath 24-hour convenience and fireworks store in Plummer (next to Nowhere) Idaho, I went to pull the trailer away from the gas pumps and go pee. This was about 3 pm on a Saturday afternoon. We pulled away fine, started to park the rig on a slight inline and set the e-brake. When I put the 'Burb in park, we started rolling backwards. I quickly set the e-brake to hold everything and tried putting the truck in Park again; the transmission lever on the column just flopped. Tried restarting the car to see if anything would reboot - the car would not start, though electronics were available. Transmission lever continued to nothing but flop without any gates for P,R,N,or D. Could not open the rear hatch. All fuses were fine; truck was dead.

Roadside assistance insurance people could not get a mobile mechanic to us to diagnose the issue until Monday, leaving us stranded in 90+ degree heat for two days with no guarantee the issue could be fixed then. I had enough of that and got online to buy something new, then and there. Comparable Chevy HD prices were a few thousand more than Ford SD prices which is why I went that direction. Called the Ford store in Spokane and got a 19-year old salesman who was hungry at the end of the month. The guy was smart as a whip, had graduated high school two years early and started working as an ironworker. Saved up enough to buy a house in Spokane by 19 but got tired of that line of work so he found the sales job. I told him he was going to sell a truck that afternoon but he'd have to work for it and told him of our predicament and my proposed solution. Long story short, he and his sales manager drove down to Plummer early Sunday morning, separated the rig and towed both vehicles back to the Ford store where we bought the SuperDuty on Sunday. We still made Montana and Glacier NP Sunday evening, only missing one overnight stop in Coeur d'Alene. I cannot say enough good things about Corwin Ford in Spokane.

Now, my question (not that it really matters because I wasn't hanging in Plummer, Idaho for two-plus an unknown number of days without transportation): who can tell me what may have happened? I'm guessing the TCM crapped out but it could be more simple. Just curious at this point what it might have been and how long it would have taken to diagnose/repair. And what did it have to do with the rear hatch not opening?

And boy, does 14 years make a difference in the design of these rigs. I got an XL (work truck) with 4WD, the STX package, and the electronic locking rear diff. Pretty much the base truck outn there. While the 'Burb did what I expected (until it didn't), even pulling an 8,000 ft. grade with ease, the new truck just eats it alive in every aspect - power, ride, cabin comfort, towing capacity, every aspect of operating and towing. Without the trailer, I get 16 mpg on the highway with that new 6.8 gasser, 13-ish in town. With the trailer, it's a bit more normal - 10 to 12 mpg depending on conditions. Got 12.5 coming back through Saskatchewan; not too shabby. I'm sure the Chevy/GMC/RAM HDs will do as well but the imporovment over that that time span is pretty phenomenal. I did do some research on the ten-speed while waiting at the dealer and left there towing in manual, mostly in 7th and 8th gears on the road. 7th is 1:1, 8th is the first OD and does fine in the flatlands and slight inclines. Never used 9th or 10th. The 6.8 puts out 405 hp and 455 ft/lbs of torque - waay more than the Burb's 6.0, which explains a lot.

Anyway, thanks for any thoughts on what happened and whether I could have caught it before we left on the trip. And thanks for the kindness over the past few years I've been on the forum. Hope the Ford side is as nice.

 

[2016Dom]

I would guess the gear shift cable ether cam off or broke and it is in gear, that is why the back did not open, no start and it rolled.

 

[kbuskill]

This ^^^...

There is a bushing where the shift cable attaches to the shift lever of the transmission. They are prone to breaking with age. Cheap simple fix.

Wes @Doubeleive can probably post a link to the replacement part and a pic.

 

[Doubeleive]

i guess this is hi and by but now that I have a moment (we came home from our 8-week western trip to find a bunch of stuff, including the HVAC, blown out after a downed transformer caused a massive power surge in our neighborhood) - I have a question.

We left with a 2011 Suburban 2500, we came home with a 2025 SuperDuty. Yes, there's a story here.

After filling up at the Warpath 24-hour convenience and fireworks store in Plummer (next to Nowhere) Idaho, I went to pull the trailer away from the gas pumps and go pee. This was about 3 pm on a Saturday afternoon. We pulled away fine, started to park the rig on a slight inline and set the e-brake. When I put the 'Burb in park, we started rolling backwards. I quickly set the e-brake to hold everything and tried putting the truck in Park again; the transmission lever on the column just flopped. Tried restarting the car to see if anything would reboot - the car would not start, though electronics were available. Transmission lever continued to nothing but flop without any gates for P,R,N,or D. Could not open the rear hatch. All fuses were fine; truck was dead.

Roadside assistance insurance people could not get a mobile mechanic to us to diagnose the issue until Monday, leaving us stranded in 90+ degree heat for two days with no guarantee the issue could be fixed then. I had enough of that and got online to buy something new, then and there. Comparable Chevy HD prices were a few thousand more than Ford SD prices which is why I went that direction. Called the Ford store in Spokane and got a 19-year old salesman who was hungry at the end of the month. The guy was smart as a whip, had graduated high school two years early and started working as an ironworker. Saved up enough to buy a house in Spokane by 19 but got tired of that line of work so he found the sales job. I told him he was going to sell a truck that afternoon but he'd have to work for it and told him of our predicament and my proposed solution. Long story short, he and his sales manager drove down to Plummer early Sunday morning, separated the rig and towed both vehicles back to the Ford store where we bought the SuperDuty on Sunday. We still made Montana and Glacier NP Sunday evening, only missing one overnight stop in Coeur d'Alene. I cannot say enough good things about Corwin Ford in Spokane.

Now, my question (not that it really matters because I wasn't hanging in Plummer, Idaho for two-plus an unknown number of days without transportation): who can tell me what may have happened? I'm guessing the TCM crapped out but it could be more simple. Just curious at this point what it might have been and how long it would have taken to diagnose/repair. And what did it have to do with the rear hatch not opening?

And boy, does 14 years make a difference in the design of these rigs. I got an XL (work truck) with 4WD, the STX package, and the electronic locking rear diff. Pretty much the base truck outn there. While the 'Burb did what I expected (until it didn't), even pulling an 8,000 ft. grade with ease, the new truck just eats it alive in every aspect - power, ride, cabin comfort, towing capacity, every aspect of operating and towing. Without the trailer, I get 16 mpg on the highway with that new 6.8 gasser, 13-ish in town. With the trailer, it's a bit more normal - 10 to 12 mpg depending on conditions. Got 12.5 coming back through Saskatchewan; not too shabby. I'm sure the Chevy/GMC/RAM HDs will do as well but the imporovment over that that time span is pretty phenomenal. I did do some research on the ten-speed while waiting at the dealer and left there towing in manual, mostly in 7th and 8th gears on the road. 7th is 1:1, 8th is the first OD and does fine in the flatlands and slight inclines. Never used 9th or 10th. The 6.8 puts out 405 hp and 455 ft/lbs of torque - waay more than the Burb's 6.0, which explains a lot.

Anyway, thanks for any thoughts on what happened and whether I could have caught it before we left on the trip. And thanks for the kindness over the past few years I've been on the forum. Hope the Ford side is as nice.

I was just thru that same area the year before last, to bad you missed Coeur d'alene it's beautiful
hope you like that ford because you could have fixed your gm for about $25 and been on your happy way
seems like a pricey trade off to me. (but i'm poor) I would have been under my truck with a piece of string or wire and macgyvered that ***** in a pinch
dorman sells a comparable part available at most auto parts stores or could have ordered this fitzall

 

[bobsburban]

Well shit... Never thought mechanical; figured these things were all electronic everything. My tech director told me the same thing. I'm kinda kicking myself, kinda not right now. I'm pretty much an indentured servant at UT Chattanooga for the next few years.

 

[RST Dana]

Well shit... Never thought mechanical; figured these things were all electronic everything. My tech director told me the same thing. I'm kinda kicking myself, kinda not right now. I'm pretty much an indentured servant at UT Chattanooga for the next few years.

Not a bad campus to be stuck at. I helped with the revenue stream there when I got my first degree. Later worked events at the Roundhose for a few years after it opened.

 

[bobsburban]

Hah! I've been the concert promoter at the Fine Arts Center since 2004. You may have interacted with my wife - she was in the Bursar's Office for 27 years before retiring. Small world...

 

[Doubeleive]

Well shit... Never thought mechanical; figured these things were all electronic everything. My tech director told me the same thing. I'm kinda kicking myself, kinda not right now. I'm pretty much an indentured servant at UT Chattanooga for the next few years.

ya it's too bad about that, it was right under your feet yet out of reach. I used to take everything apart as a kid, rarely got it back together right but I always had a curiosity of how things work. a floppy shifter handle is a sure sign that either the connector or a bracket broke or the cable. (atleast on this gen).
did you trade it in to the ford dealer? the 2500's can be hard to come by

 

[bobsburban]

ya it's too bad about that, it was right under your feet yet out of reach. I used to take everything apart as a kid, rarely got it back together right but I always had a curiosity of how things work. a floppy shifter handle is a sure sign that either the connector or a bracket broke or the cable. (atleast on this gen).
did you trade it in to the ford dealer? the 2500's can be hard to come by

I did trade it - pretty sure it went straight to auction, as old as it was. I was 4700 miles from home without a lot of perceived options.

 

[Doubeleive]

I did trade it - pretty sure it went straight to auction, as old as it was. I was 4700 miles from home without a lot of perceived options.

at first I thought this might be it, but doesn't match up

https://www.corwinfordspokane.com/inventory/used-2011-chevrolet-tahoe-lt-4wd-4d-sport-utility-1gnskbe08br301645/

 

[B-train]

I had the same thing happen. It was a $5 grommet on the shift cable that dry rotted and fell out on a bumpy back road.....out west as well, go figure. I almost threw the shift lever through the dash when I went to put it in park due to no resistance on the cable! Time to investigate for sure after that!

I set the parking brake and crawled under to see it hanging down on the driver's side. I just used some pliers and pivoted the gear selector to P and it was fine. Then a trip to autozone in NM where it poured rain (again, go figure) while I was fixing it in their parking lot, much to the amusement of the people running the store.

 

[B-train]

I had the same thing happen. It was a $5 grommet on the shift cable that dry rotted and fell out on a bumpy back road.....out west as well, go figure. I almost threw the shift lever through the dash when I went to put it in park due to no resistance on the cable! Time to investigate for sure after that!

I set the parking brake and crawled under to see it hanging down on the driver's side. I just used some pliers and pivoted the gear selector to P and it was fine. Then a trip to autozone in NM where it poured rain (again, go figure) while I was fixing it in their parking lot, much to the amusement of the people running the store.

Edit: This is now a piece in my Murphy Kit that goes with me on long trips. Fortunately with a working parking brake, it's not the end of the world (traveling alone), but its still a PITA that a guy (me) doesn't want to deal with again.....

 

[noodlesandsam2]

Is that a risk with a 4L80? that story got me scared.

 

[bobsburban]

Is that a risk with a 4L80? that story got me scared.

Given it's a mechanical connection between shifter and transmission, my guess is yes, though I never had an issue with the 4LXX transmissions in my S10 ZR-2 or my 1995 Tahoe which went 225,000 miles before I stupidly sold it. Others would know for sure, though.

 

[noodlesandsam2]

I have to look underneath. I see there is a 4L60e part, but now I understand how it should look ( I went to 270K in my 4L60 with no issues, but that is really troubling )

 

[kbuskill]

I have to look underneath. I see there is a 4L60e part, but now I understand how it should look ( I went to 270K in my 4L60 with no issues, but that is really troubling )

4l60 and 4l80 use the same style shift cable, so yes.

 

[B-train]

i guess this is hi and bye but now that I have a moment (we came home from our 8-week western trip to find a bunch of stuff, including the HVAC, blown out after a downed transformer caused a massive power surge in our neighborhood) - I have a question.

We left with a 2011 Suburban 2500, we came home with a 2025 SuperDuty. Yes, there's a story here.

After filling up at the Warpath 24-hour convenience and fireworks store in Plummer (next to Nowhere) Idaho, I went to pull the trailer away from the gas pumps and go pee. This was about 3 pm on a Saturday afternoon. We pulled away fine, started to park the rig on a slight inline and set the e-brake. When I put the 'Burb in park, we started rolling backwards. I quickly set the e-brake to hold everything and tried putting the truck in Park again; the transmission lever on the column just flopped. Tried restarting the car to see if anything would reboot - the car would not start, though electronics were available. Transmission lever continued to nothing but flop without any gates for P,R,N,or D. Could not open the rear hatch. All fuses were fine; truck was dead.

Roadside assistance insurance people could not get a mobile mechanic to us to diagnose the issue until Monday, leaving us stranded in 90+ degree heat for two days with no guarantee the issue could be fixed then. I had enough of that and got online to buy something new, then and there. Comparable Chevy HD prices were a few thousand more than Ford SD prices which is why I went that direction. Called the Ford store in Spokane and got a 19-year old salesman who was hungry at the end of the month. The guy was smart as a whip, had graduated high school two years early and started working as an ironworker. Saved up enough to buy a house in Spokane by 19 but got tired of that line of work so he found the sales job. I told him he was going to sell a truck that afternoon but he'd have to work for it and told him of our predicament and my proposed solution. Long story short, he and his sales manager drove down to Plummer early Sunday morning, separated the rig and towed both vehicles back to the Ford store where we bought the SuperDuty on Sunday. We still made Montana and Glacier NP Sunday evening, only missing one overnight stop in Coeur d'Alene. I cannot say enough good things about Corwin Ford in Spokane.

Now, my question (not that it really matters because I wasn't hanging in Plummer, Idaho for two-plus an unknown number of days without transportation): who can tell me what may have happened? I'm guessing the TCM crapped out but it could be more simple. Just curious at this point what it might have been and how long it would have taken to diagnose/repair. And what did it have to do with the rear hatch not opening?

And boy, does 14 years make a difference in the design of these rigs. I got an XL (work truck) with 4WD, the STX package, and the electronic locking rear diff. Pretty much the base truck outn there. While the 'Burb did what I expected (until it didn't), even pulling an 8,000 ft. grade with ease, the new truck just eats it alive in every aspect - power, ride, cabin comfort, towing capacity, every aspect of operating and towing. Without the trailer, I get 16 mpg on the highway with that new 6.8 gasser, 13-ish in town. With the trailer, it's a bit more normal - 10 to 12 mpg depending on conditions. Got 12.5 coming back through Saskatchewan; not too shabby. I'm sure the Chevy/GMC/RAM HDs will do as well but the imporovment over that that time span is pretty phenomenal. I did do some research on the ten-speed while waiting at the dealer and left there towing in manual, mostly in 7th and 8th gears on the road. 7th is 1:1, 8th is the first OD and does fine in the flatlands and slight inclines. Never used 9th or 10th. The 6.8 puts out 405 hp and 455 ft/lbs of torque - waay more than the Burb's 6.0, which explains a lot.

Anyway, thanks for any thoughts on what happened and whether I could have caught it before we left on the trip. And thanks for the kindness over the past few years I've been on the forum. Hope the Ford side is as nice.

I've been thinking of a Ford pickup with a gas motor as well. I had the diesel and the 6.2L in work trucks and all I can say is the 6.2L is an animal of an engine.....and it eats Ike one too for most driving conditions.

My friend has a couple of the 7.3L gas motors and can't say enough good about them - even returning decent fuel economy for a 1 ton truck. I haven't driven a 7.3 or a 6.8L, so I'm curious on your take now that you've put quite a few miles on

What cab configuration did you get? I know it's more of a work truck model - my preference actually. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[bobsburban]

I've been thinking of a Ford pickup with a gas motor as well. I had the diesel and the 6.2L in work trucks and all I can say is the 6.2L is an animal of an engine.....and it eats Ike one too for most driving conditions.

My friend has a couple of the 7.3L gas motors and can't say enough good about them - even returning decent fuel economy for a 1 ton truck. I haven't driven a 7.3 or a 6.8L, so I'm curious on your take now that you've put quite a few miles on

What cab configuration did you get? I know it's more of a work truck model - my preference actually. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks!

Hi B-Train, I'm impressed with this platform. It's a "short" bed crew cab work truck with the STX package (with payload upgrade), big alternator, and an electronic rear locker. Not that 6' 9" is a short bed by my definition. Fit and finish is very nice, though the carpets could be higher quality. The carpet mats started pilling before we got home and I highly recommend the Rough Country fitted rubber mats I put in a couple of weeks ago. I took a chance and I'm glad I did. They fit better than anything Weather Tech or Husky makes and frankly, look better, clean up easier, and cost far less.

The 6.8 is a de-stroked 7.3 so for intents and purposes, it's the same motor. It pulls like a freight train with the 3.73 gears, can't imagine how it does with 4.10s. 405 hp (up a hundred or so from the 6.0 in the 'Burb) and 475 ft/lbs of torque. I lack for nothing in the power department, even if we buy a 25' camper in a year or two. The ten-speed is nice around town, I can get 14 mpg or so commuting if I'm careful and there's the occasional freeway run to the other side of town mixed in. If not, more like 12 mpg for stop and go. 16 on the highway. We managed 10-11 mpg pulling the camper after we got out of the mountains, more like 10 through them. After doing some research in the Ford truck forums, I came to the conclusion my best driving style while towing was to be in tow mode, stay in manual, and never shift past 8th gear (first overdrive). 7th is 1:1; I figure it's the strongest way through the transmission but I could be wrong. Running in 7th and 8th on flat ground may have cut my mileage a bit but I'm trying to baby a bunch of itty-bitty gears in a big, heavy truck. Apparently there were issues when this transmission was first released and I've had my fill of transmission issues.

Ride is far more controlled (even with a bouncing unloaded back end) than the 2500 'Burb with Bilsteins. I know these are just the factory shocks but they do a decent job. Lots of insulation keeps things quiet inside, which may contribute to the impression. By the time I hit 50,000 miles, I'll probably go with Fox 2.0s or 2.5s as a friend who has one of these with a couple of years on it installed Bilstein 4600s and I was not as impressed with that combo as I was with 5100s on my 1/2 ton Suburban with the stiffest Dobinson rear springs.

Didn't think I would like the STX package as its more cosmetic but the payload upgrade and 360-degree camera/rear parking sensors make it palatable. I like having those upfitter switches already installed - they will keep things neat when I start installing the lights and air compressor I removed from the Suburban. Would have preferred getting the FX4 package but they didn't have one on the lot. That said, really all I need off it until the shocks are worn out is the skid plates on the gas tank and transfer case. Just have to wait until the aftermarket catches up as Ford wants $1300 for the gas tank plate alone. The parts guy looked at me and I looked at him and we both agreed I could get one fabbed up for a third of that. The dealers - at least out west - seem to be ordering these with the electronic rear locker, which I used the other day yanking some old clothes line poles out of the back yard. It does help.

All in all - and I'd say this about any new truck these days - if it stays together, it's a good vehicle. Highly recommended at 5k miles.