4l60E kill stories

I'm starting this thread to see what breaks in these transmissions and what everyone is doing about it. What have you broke? what hp are you at? rpm? when did it break(during 1-2 shift..etc.)?

I'll start with mine.

On my STOCK 2000 z28 running low 13's at 3400lbs trans had 105,000 miles on it before it started slipping on the 1-2 shift...but this was after a full summer of about 40 passes at the track..much more on the street.

Had a Local shop rebuild it with a B&M shift kit, beast shell, billet 1-2 servo...with a stock converter the tranny would shift super hard into 2nd...leaving 10ft posi marks everytime...after about 2 months it started slipping the 2-3 shift, then shortly after that I made a hard 1-2 shift and it broke the output shaft!!!! Only at 305hp running 12.7's with 3.73 gears. I then later found out that the B&M kit is a joke and in the instructions they say to add spacers to the 1-2 acc. to get the harder shifts...

Next build....So I added a 2800 stall, rebuilt the transmission(myself), added a transgo kit with stiffer acc. springs, the HD pump slide spring, trans shifted great for 2 years now running mid 11's ....I think the converter helped the output shaft by taking weight off of it during a shift and the better shift kit with acc. springs helped as well, and I think the HD pump slide spring kept pressure up at 6,000+ rpms for the 2-3 shift.....at the end of the 2 years I added a LS2 with a bigger cam,,, went back to the track ran a 10.9 shifting at 6,600rpms....next pass it POPS out of 2nd gear HARD...I ended up tearing the trans down to find a badly brused forward sprag..this was the dual cage sprag...I later found out that racing in the OD position does NOT apply the overrun clutch...Racing in the D position applies these clutches and can help support the sprag, I just replaced the sprag and have been running low 10's on a 75 shot racing in D and have not had another sprag issue YET.......

Now I have a 4l60e in the LS1 Dodge Ram with the beast shell, dual cage sprag, and corvette servo with the stiffer 1-2 acc. spring offered by (PATC.com)

From what I have learned you need a decent quick 1-2 shift without BANG shifts, it seems this breaks parts, the 2-3 shift I have only had clutch issues with...but once I added the HD pump spring to the pump it seems to remedy this. I have not added a shift kit or hd pump slide spring to the Ramaro yet, but before I go turning up pressures I want to see what parts are holding up or breaking in the 4l60e when behind a 5,500lbs truck...

So it seems hard 1-2 shifts is what breaks parts...Has anyone broke something on a hard 2-3 shift?

Should be some stories, collectively this site has killed 15693 4l60e's and 21036 G80 carriers.

my 4l60e never died....i sold it before i killed it....lol i had the v6 version....if there is a difference idk, but i had a nelson tune and vette servo and a tranny cooler.

it lived through all my swaps, 4.3/5.3/408...

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Originally Posted by banker099

my 4l60e never died....i sold it before i killed it....lol i had the v6 version....if there is a difference idk, but i had a nelson tune and vette servo and a tranny cooler.

it lived through all my swaps, 4.3/5.3/408...

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Hangin' by a thread with that 408n I'm sure. :lol:

I think mine is starting to slip, and my truck is stock. :sadno:

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Originally Posted by ls1ram

So it seems hard 1-2 shifts is what breaks parts

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Oh yes, I DESTROYED the 1-2 clutch pack. I still have the clutch pack piston in multiple pieces on my kitchen counter - it's a trophy now I guess

diont know if i killed it yet but last night was playin in a corn field and bean fields chasin deer and was blowin a donutm and lost first third and fourth ghears and im stuck in second now it sucks

First issue I had with my 60e was it was slipping bad going into passing gear. Felt like the truck was wanting to go into neutral instead. I delt with it until I had to floor it to make a redlight and it just coasted through it instead.... So sent it off to a local shop and they did a ton of work to it. I added 3k stall, superior shift kit, beast sun shell, different clutches. As I told them I wanted it to hold all it could so I wanted the best out there. Welp got the truck back. Took it to get 22s put on it. Got back in town and pulled onto a road one tire was in dirt other was on road I gave it gas and the rear end grenaded and locked up taking out the trans lol. Luckily the shop didnt ask no questions fixed the few failed issues on the trans and I had it back the next week or so. Ran it for about a year and gave it as much hell as I could throw at it. Ill prob have a addition to the story if I ever get the ls1 in it.

I've never killed one. I ran a 150 shot on my bolt on, tuned, 5.3 for almost two years (40k HARD miles) with no issues. There are two things you can do to save your 60e... or rather prolong its life.

#1) Keep it as cool as possible.
#2) Any time the gas pedal his the floor, it should be in 3 instead of D. 3 is direct drive and puts more pressure on the clutches.

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Originally Posted by jetmech

Oh yes, I DESTROYED the 1-2 clutch pack. I still have the clutch pack piston in multiple pieces on my kitchen counter - it's a trophy now I guess

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Could you take some pics? wondering what parts you mean exactly...forward piston and clutches? or sprag

I'm going to gather all my parts to take some pics...

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Originally Posted by pl4yboy

I've never killed one. I ran a 150 shot on my bolt on, tuned, 5.3 for almost two years (40k HARD miles) with no issues. There are two things you can do to save your 60e... or rather prolong its life.

#1) Keep it as cool as possible.
#2) Any time the gas pedal his the floor, it should be in 3 instead of D. 3 is direct drive and puts more pressure on the clutches.

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any 1/4 miles times? what does the truck weigh?...

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Originally Posted by ls1ram

any 1/4 miles times? what does the truck weigh?...

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It was a NNBS RCSB z71. From my research only, it weighs around 5100-5200. My only 1/4 time that was on the bottle was a 14.5. It was on a 125 wet shot and the bottle had less than 800 psi. I had to let out 3/4 track and coast through. From a 30 roll on a 150 dry, I was 1.5 lengths behind a 13.1 second SRT8 Jeep.

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Originally Posted by pl4yboy

I've never killed one. I ran a 150 shot on my bolt on, tuned, 5.3 for almost two years (40k HARD miles) with no issues. There are two things you can do to save your 60e... or rather prolong its life.

Any time the gas pedal his the floor, it should be in 3 instead of D. 3 is direct drive and puts more pressure on the clutches.

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Really? This actually prolongs the life of a 60E? Very interesting

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Originally Posted by jetmech

Really? This actually prolongs the life of a 60E? Very interesting

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This is a post made by freemasson on TBSSowners.com. Input from Vince (formerly of FLT) is included.

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but this is tranny survival 101 per ol' free-AZZZZ -

this trans is designed as a drive and overdrive tranny and GM did us all a HUGE DISSERVICE when they marked this tranny with D - 3 - 2 - 1...

3 is driect drive (which means DRIVE to the lay person) and it should be thought of as drive and the trans is at is BEST when the gear selector is in DIRECT DRIVE, it routes the fluid in the vavle body to maximize the clutch application and makes the trans the most efficient and stable that it can be......

D is over drive (which means NOT A RACING GEAR to the lay person) and it should be thought of as ,exactly that, OVER DRIVE not RACING GEAR....the valve body fluid flow in D is that of over drive to make the trans operate in a smoother and softer manner which creates slip in the clutch packs (in our trucks with the HIGH HEAT and WEIGHT) and thus causes UNDO or PREMATURE WEAR....it also creates the slip/bank shift sequence that is so HARMFUL to these trannys.....

it is a combined 1-2 punch combo on these trans that is causing them to die early....i killed 3 trannys becuase of operater error and most all these that i've seen die could have been avoided to a large degree......

the killers:
HEAT - get alvin's fuggin cooler on now if you do not already have it or a reasonable facsimile

WEIGHT - CAN'T DO **** ABOUT IT it is what it is........DEAL WITH IT and CHANGE THE AREAS YOU CAN....

Gear Selection - keep the trans in direct drive EVERY TIME YOU HAMMER IT PERIOD......EVERY TIME, not just at the track or when i want to race or what not......EVERY TIME YOU HAMMER THIS TRANS IT SHOULD BE IN DIRECT DRIVE (drive for the lay person) and that gear selection on our gear selector is 3......GOT IT 3



IN SUMMARY: Keep the fluid as COOL as possible, keep the trans in direct drive unless you are on a free way cruise or be DSICIPLINED enough to put it in driect drive (3 on the selector) before you beat on it

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how about the theory of lower gears? seems logical, dont know if there is any truth to it. i was reading on another forum about a guys tranny builder telling him no 4l60 would last in his tahoe without lower gears.

Thanks again. This is some helpful info and I wish I knew this sooner - maybe I wouln't have killed my last 60E :sad:

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Originally Posted by sloCaddy

how about the theory of lower gears? seems logical, dont know if there is any truth to it. i was reading on another forum about a guys tranny builder telling him no 4l60 would last in his tahoe without lower gears.

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Lower gears would allow the vehice to accelerate with less effort from the engine. But at wot with good traction you are going to be putting the full torque of the engine through the tranny regardless of the gear ration in the rear end. It wont make any differece as far as longevity as far as I can tell if you plan on drivintg it hard.

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Originally Posted by sloCaddy

how about the theory of lower gears? seems logical, dont know if there is any truth to it. i was reading on another forum about a guys tranny builder telling him no 4l60 would last in his tahoe without lower gears.

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I believe gears help alot, It takes load off of the clutches and band and can help them from slipping as easy.....Ever drive a 5 or 6 speed with a clutch thats starting to go bad? Notice it slips more or easier the higher the gear you are in..very similar to having a taller rear gear.

Good info to know.

when i first got my 2008 silverado brand new in late 07' i slapped a 112 magnacharger on it with 4.8...blew the trans at 2900 miles lol...60e's suck

Andy from flt also told me to keep my truck in 3rd when beating on it.

I take the EPC out and put a vacuum module in it to control the fluid pressure. Screw the GM computer logic! :laugh:

first run with my 408 went from 4th to 2nd during a 55roll and truck went no where just reved to the moon lol, that was 2 years ago truck hasent ran since :lol: ive destroyed an allison too :naughty:

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Originally Posted by STUNNA

when i first got my 2008 silverado brand new in late 07' i slapped a 112 magnacharger on it with 4.8...blew the trans at 2900 miles lol...60e's suck

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Do you know what broke in it?

Broke my 60e in a roll race. stock trans with a Yank 3k stall, 30k trans cooler, Transgo HD2 kit and servos. Had the trans in 3rd at 5500 rpm in 3rd i back out of it and the trans locked up! Broke the drive shaft in half, broke the tail housing on the trans, broke the trans mount, cracked the case and who knows what else inside the trans......... I have a fully built 60E from Wiley trans in Round Rock aka DBRODS trans guy. so far so good trans has been great since the rebuild....

Burned all the clutches lol,,i lost 3rd gear

very nice to know!!! All i have is 40k cooler, HD2, servo, and 3600 TC. KNOCK ON WOOD!!! it has lasted 58,000 miles behind the the cammed 4.8 and now round 1000 behind my 6.0, ith no slipping yet.
Which im sure wont last long behind the torque of the 6.0..

im also afraid,i got mine replaced through warranty(lucky) now im full bolt on cammed stalled 6.0 4.56 gears....i know it wont last long

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Originally Posted by GreenMonster

Broke my 60e in a roll race. stock trans with a Yank 3k stall, 30k trans cooler, Transgo HD2 kit and servos. Had the trans in 3rd at 5500 rpm in 3rd i back out of it and the trans locked up! Broke the drive shaft in half, broke the tail housing on the trans, broke the trans mount, cracked the case and who knows what else inside the trans......... I have a fully built 60E from Wiley trans in Round Rock aka DBRODS trans guy. so far so good trans has been great since the rebuild....

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I wonder what broke in that thing to cause it to lockup? Have any pics? Did you have the beast sunshell, or the stock one? I have seen the stock sunshell to be the first thing to break in these heavier applications, I have never seen a beast sunshell break.

its a mystery as to what broke but for the damage that happened something had to seize up cuz the drive shaft twisted in 2 and the tail housing was broke off the trans completely. sun shell was stock this is behind a cammed 5.3 in a reg cab short bed.....i have pics of the drive shaft some place it was trashed twisted like a soda can.

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Originally Posted by Mf2racer

Andy from flt also told me to keep my truck in 3rd when beating on it.

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I have 160,000 hard beat on miles on mine(track runs, street runs, untold number of burnouts, hauling,etc) and its still holding up, scares the crap out of me everytime I get on it because I know one day it will go boom. I have never put it in 3rd, usually just leave it in drive. I guess I am going to have to start using 3rd and maybe this thing will last me to at least 200,000 if I'm lucky. Mine is a stock convertor, no upgraded servos or shift kit, no bigger cooler, only thing done is line pressure bumped up and TM removed.

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Originally Posted by GreenMonster

its a mystery as to what broke but for the damage that happened something had to seize up cuz the drive shaft twisted in 2 and the tail housing was broke off the trans completely. sun shell was stock this is behind a cammed 5.3 in a reg cab short bed.....i have pics of the drive shaft some place it was trashed twisted like a soda can.

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thats what happens when you race rickys truck :LOL:

yup he is bad luck Luke!!!! just like the vette that burned up his clutch racin Rizzle....

My 01 yukon 4x4 had 140k on it when I put in the 2004 lq4 6.0, needless to say after about two months of me hammering the throttle from one stop light to another, it went to shift from first to secong and bounced off the rev limiter :ugh2: from then on it would go into second but flare immediately after. Since I knew I had lost the band I pulled the servo pin and built the end up by welding on it which made it longer. :rolly: That bought me enough time to order a new reverse input drum and hughes extra wide band. Put it in about 20,000 extremely hard miles ago still holding strong. I have a 12,000lb toy hauler that I tow but with 4:10 gears, 6.0, and the upgraded 4l60e band and drum(Also corvette servo) I am very pleased with how it does. I know the rest of the clutches can't be great but hey they seem solid and I don't typically fix what isn't broken especially when I break enough to keep myself busy. :hyper2:

broke a forward sprag in my 60e. u cant make a 4L60 bullet proof. might as well do the 80 swap and save a few headaches! ive been into mine 3 or 4 times

Thanks for starting this thread. I didn't know about the Direct drive thing, although I had a feeling it was better to beat on it in 3 instead. I've got a second cooler I was planning on stacking on top of my other one and I've got a fan off an R6 I was gonna throw on it too.

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Originally Posted by DINK

broke a forward sprag in my 60e. u cant make a 4L60 bullet proof. might as well do the 80 swap and save a few headaches! ive been into mine 3 or 4 times

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This is why you need to race in 3....helps support that sprag, applies bothe the overrun and forward clutches, racing in D(in trucks) OD (in cars) only applies the forward pack transmitting all power through the sprag, and on the 1-2 shift it shocks the sprag hard!!

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Originally Posted by ls1ram

This is why you need to race in 3....helps support that sprag, applies bothe the overrun and forward clutches, racing in D(in trucks) OD (in cars) only applies the forward pack transmitting all power through the sprag, and on the 1-2 shift it shocks the sprag hard!!

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yes a brutal downshift like 4-2 is what really tear these trannys up. if your runnin along 60 or so and wanna hammer down on it make sure you pull it down into the proper gear!

i too didnt know about the gear selection, so maybe that explains the slippage in my trans. last april i put a transgo hd2 SK with a vette servo and a 28k cooler, after a few hundred 1-2 2-1 burnouts, a .75 mile long burn out and a few passes down the track it slips pretty bad in 1st and 2nd and at about 55 it feels like someone kicks it in the ass and it grabs and goes. ill be rebuilding the trans this coming spring with the beast sunshell, wider 2-4 band, alto or reybestos clutches and a few other things, and ill definitely be selecting the 3 from now on. good info guys.

Make sure to take a good look at that forward sprag, and clutches in the input drum