4l60e Swap Questions?

[dreck]

Hello,

 

I am new to this forum. Looks like a very nice site. And like all new members I came here with a few questions about my truck. I own a small business where I remodel homes that requires me to pull a trailer. Times being the way they are, last month I lost my F350 to the bank. Leaving me with my secondary truck:

 

1995 Chevy Silverado

Light Duty 2500

2wd Ext Cab short bed

5.0 350 Liter

Automatic transmission with the 4L60E

 

This truck is not made to pull a trailer in larger part due to the 4L60E transmission that I have had problems with in the past in other trucks. And to no surprise to me the trucks transmission has begun to give me problems slipping the last few days. I removed the battery cable yesterday to try an reset the ECM. This has seemed to have helped. But, I expect the problem to come right back.

 

So.. This brings me to my questions. I do not want to put any money into the 4L60E. I would like to swap the transmission out with:

 

1.)

 

4L80E: Which I know requires a new drive shaft & rear end yoke.

 

Does the wiring harness need to be replaced on a 95?

 

Do I really need to replace the rear end or rear end gear for better results?

 

What am I not thinking about?

 

2.)

 

Manual transmission: Which I know requires a new transmission, fly wheel, clutch, pressure plate, clutch petal, gear shifter, drive shaft, & rear end yoke.

 

What manual transmission should I choose?

 

Do I really need to replace the rear end or rear end gear for better results?

 

What am I not thinking about?

 

 

Also, does anyone have any feedback on weather or not I should go with a 4L80E or a manual, or any other ideas?

 

Thanks for any help, dreck

[Rob94F250]

Hi,

 

I was wondering how many miles you have on the truck, and how much weight you are towing?

 

I would disagree that it is not meant to tow trailers. That is exactly what the LD 2500 is (should be) designed to do. The only thing I believe GM recommends against doing is driving in O/D while towing (there is a sticker on the drivers door indicating so on my Sub). The Sub has pulled travel trailers for quite a few years without any problems. The problems started to flare up once the (now-ex) started driving it around town...

 

Do you have a scan tool? If so, can you monitor the data stream while driving (note missed/delayed shifts etc.)? It might be worth changing the fluid and filter, but if you can feel that it is starting to act up, that might not help. You still might want to drop the pan to see how much metal is on the magnet.

 

I put a replacement GM 4L60E tranny into my 95 Sub at 240,000. It cost me $2500, plus my time to swap it out. It comes with a three year warranty, and GM will repair it from here on out if anything goes wrong. They would have also done all of the updates during the rebuild.

 

I would be tempted to install a GM rebuilt 4L60E rather than gamble on a used 4L80E. A manual transmission is probably quite easy, but you would want to have a donor truck nearby for the all of the brackets and miscellaneous parts you would require to the do the swap.

 

Sorry to hear about the F-350 and the bank.

 

Rob.

[Riverjet502]

Just a thought here... How about having a local tranny shop rebuild your present tranny and beef it up some? I have gone this route in the past with very good results. Plus it will most likely save you some cash too. Doesn't hurt to seek out a competent shop and tell them what you want the truck to do.

[dreck]

Thanks for the replies. Yes I pull trailers a lot. 6x12 enclosed daily & a 5 ton bi-weekly. I have thought about beefing up the tranny. But, I am leaning towards a manual transmission.

 

I had a truck a few years ago that had a 4L60E & the dealership rebuilt it twice, & ended up replacing. The day after I drove it home reverse went out backing a trailer into a driveway. They replaced the transmission again. 6 months later it started to slip, so I traded it for the F350.

 

I also had a 1500 with the 4L60E 10 years ago. Had nothing but electrical problems. Replaced the wiring harness twice.

 

I am not a fan of the 4L60E. :-)