New Guy with tranny question...

djmika · March 22, 2002

Hey Guys,

It great to find a forum for GM Trucks! I bought a '96 Yukon a few months back for a really good price expecting to have to do some work on it. I got a little more than I expected, but oh well. I have a pretty bad oil leak coming from the back of the engine. I am pretty sure it's a rear-main seal leak. It looks like I will be pulling the tranny here soon to fix it. My tranny works, but when down-shifting from 3rd to 2nd, it slips and then grabs HARD. I'm under the assumption that this means the clutches are going bad, and that I should just replace the tranny. Any input or advice would be greatly appreciated. Also, if I do need to replace the tranny, should I get a GM remanufactured tranny, or is there somewhere else I should look. FYI, i will be towing a 21ft ski-boat with the truck during the summer, and making a lot of trips to the Sierra to snow ski during the winter. On occasion I tow a light trailer for work. In other words I need a fairly stout tranny. I don't want to spend TOOOOO much money, but I do want something that will last. Once I get the new tranny in, what do you all think about shift kids and such. Are they a good way to firm up shifts and make the tranny last under towing conditions? Sorry for the long post, looking forward to seeing your replays! Thanks!

tinman · March 22, 2002

The only thing that I can suggest is get the tranny built by a good builder. The can add a 7 vane front pump and extra clutches. That way you will end up with a better that new tranny for a less than new tranny price. We go through a lot of 460le at work and we started doing the setup on all or work truck . Side note or 460LE fail from hard miles and abuse. The upgrade make them shift alittle harder but they last .