Truck transmission gone bad.

[BuzzStPoint]

Re: Truck transmission gone bad.

If the body of your truck is still good, rebuilding the transmission is the way to go. Although it has 150K miles, the 4.3 is a very good engine and will last if properly maintained.

Unfortunately, people don't understand automatic transmissions, and they don't properly maintain them--changing filters and fluids, etc. Heat is the biggest reason for failures in automatic transmissions. You would expect the oil and filter to be dirty in a truck with so many miles.

My recently departed son in law was a Master Mechanic, and he loved to rebuild 2 wheel drive Chevy truck transmissions. He could remove a 2wd Chevy transmission, tear it down, clean it, replace the bands, reassemble the transmission and reinstall it in about 75 minutes. He charged $1100 for the job--and seldom put more than $125 in parts into the job. Transmissions are often a license to steal for a repair shop. Shops are charging even more for repairing electronic transmissions, when they're actually less expensive to repair.

Good luck with your repairs.

Exactly. For most transmissions.
Exaplme my impala. No over drive. A master kit, with the 4th gear clutch hub and solenoids I can buy for about 300 bucks. I would charge minimum 800-900 bucks to do the job.
Also it doesn't take a Master Mech to know how to rebuild a transmission. It just takes the understanding on how the auto trans works. Many people will look at a trans and say forget it.. Then look at a break down and see 50-100 parts and say no freakin way..

Sure it's more then spark plugs and oil changes...
I knew a guy that could pull a 350 out, rebuild and put back into a car or truck in no time at all. But, when asking him to rebuild the transmission, he wouldn't touch it. Not even think about it.

For some back yard mechs, sometimes the extra 300 bucks for a used or rebuilt trans it better and easier then rebuilding it. Me? I would rather rebuild it myself and save the money.

On a side note to rebuilding your self. While on a difficulty level of 6-8 out of 10 (depending on trans, FWD are a bit harder because of space.) it's not for everybody. If you do want to build yourself, Buy a master kit, and a ATSG book for the trans. It's quite fun if you like kind of thing.

 

[CVX20SPRINT]

Re: Truck transmission gone bad.

When drained the trans. fluid was dark and not clear at all.it smelled OK. Fatwing Chris, I thought the lines through the radiator were just a tube like the rest of the pipeing from the trans,does it take a solvent to flush them?. I did not flush them when I changed the rad. 4 yrs. ago but they did drain when they were disconnected. Fluid looked better 4 yrs. ago when changed. I cracked the plastic housing on the park/neutral switch trying to unplug the top elec. connector and still havent got it out, RAIN. First AT Ive removed and I remember why I always liked manual trans!!I could have changed 2 clutches in the time Ive spent on this and Im still not done![/QUOTE

GM had a canister that you added a biodegradeble soap to and pressurized.You hooked a water line to it and ran the combination through it one way and then reversed it for a while(hooked to the trans end of the cooler lines).You then dried it with the water off and just the air on.You would not believe the crap that would come out.
I'm sure an aftermarket flush kit would work.Just make sure to back flush it.

 

[CVX20SPRINT]

Re: Truck transmission gone bad.

I've flushed them at home with an elec fuel pump just sitting in a pale of varsol.Pump the varsol through both ways and then air dry.Same pump I used when I built a parts cleaner at home.

 

[mommicked]

Re: Truck transmission gone bad.

Im thinking of adding an aftermarket finned external cooler on the front of the radiator.It seems to me that would cool the trans.better than lines in the radiator on hot days.Is this a good Idea? or more chance for leaks?

 

[wifisher]

Re: Truck transmission gone bad.

Im thinking of adding an aftermarket finned external cooler on the front of the radiator.It seems to me that would cool the trans.better than lines in the radiator on hot days.Is this a good Idea? or more chance for leaks?

Both! Every time you add a component, you add a chance for a leak. The chance for a leak in this case, IMO, is outweighed by the benefit of the trans. temp staying lower.

 

[mommicked]

Re: Truck transmission gone bad.

Im going to install the cooler.My friend says it will help w towing my boat and actually help the engine stay cooler also.I have a few tips for removing the trans. on the 98 S10 learned the hard way!.You must heat(hair dryer or heatgun) the electric connections to the plastic switch box on the side of the trans. to unplug them,they have glue on the gaskets on the plugs and I cracked the box trying to pry one out w a screwdriver.A simple fix but I could have broken it completly off and had to replace.And I made a neat tool to remove the trans. lines c clip from the line fittings by bending open a large worm hook in a ? shape and bending the point sideways slightly,then i clamped it in the end of my longnose Visegrips and slipped it behend the C clips to easily pop them out in the tight spaces on the trans.and the bottom of the rad. under the bottom rad. hose.it worked very well.

 

[mommicked]

Re: Truck transmission gone bad.

Got the trans. back from my bud. Rebuilt, w new Recon remanufactured torque converter - (3 yr. warranty on converter) and new Hayden 1677 oil cooler to install w it for $600, Im impressed and tried to give him a tip but he refused it repeatedly. He did mention me taking him fishing soon and I told him tomorrow, if he will pull the boat to the lake w his truck! I was suprised to see "Made in Australia" stamped on the Hayden cooler, I dont believe I've seen that on anything I've bought before , It appears to be a well made, high quality product.