You probably had one of the two reactions when you read “4L60E”. It was either a light shoulder pickup when you vaguely remembered that you had a 4L60E in your reliable, daily V6 Firebird with 150,000 miles, or it was sick GM-Aimed anger because you had flashbacks to your ’96 Impala SSs 4L60E with an inability to shift to the third. The internet is filled with forums, threads and videos that complain that the 4L60E is a weak, problematic, pale shadow of the citizen 4L80E, or a perfectly fine, usable transmission that only experiences problems when people forget to change their transmission fluid or put too much strength through it.
There are areas where the opponents and the supporters have to shake and mutter reluctantly, “good point”. 4L60E Haters will notice that the transmission has a number of common problems and can paralyze them. 3-4 Linking packages can burn prematurely, the drive scale can break and problems with solenoid can influence the shifting. 4L60E Apologets will give an answer that most 4L60e problems can be solved through good maintenance and never drag in overdrive.
Now a major problem with the reputation of the 4L60E can be the torque rating of 360 LB-FT. That in itself is not so much a problem, but this transmission is located in many GM products with LT1 and LS1 V8s, which can make around 330 LB-FT torque and 350 LB-FT torque respectively. So placing a transmission with a coupling capacity on or hardly above the peak couple of the engine in a performance vehicle can request problems. It is true, the best Corvette is a cheap Corvette, but a Corvette that only shifts to first gear because of a defective 4L60E quickly becomes cheap.
What is the Forking Family Tree or GM transmissions here
The 4L60E is a direct descendant of the 700R4 and part of the turbo-hydromatic branch, which is based on a design from the 1920s that in essence the revolution for automatic transmission kicked off. Well, the 4L60E is essentially a 700R4, only with electronic controls instead of mechanical controls for changing gear. Yes, there is a 4L60 without the E, and it is a 700R4 that went to the courthouse and filled in a petition for name change.
The 4L60E first appeared in trucks, SUVs and vans in 1993 and in passenger cars in 1994. The 700R4/4L60/4L60E was the last good night kiss for the long-term TH350 (1969-1984), which went to a farm, where it is very happy. No matter how great the TH350 was, it had no fuel efficiency that stimulated overdrive or a heat-reducing lock-up couple. Here is the rub. As far as we can see, GM has never placed the TH350 behind large blocks or powerful small blocks that stretched out his 350 LB-FT couple limit. For example, if you wanted a Camaro from 1971 with an LT-1 or 402 (the real relocation of the “396” in the 70s) and a vending machine, you had to check RPO M40 for the TH400, which could last up to 450 LB-FT.
If you have ordered an L48 350, you can get the M38 (TH350). That ’71 L48 had a gross torque assessment of 360 LB-FT, but in 1972 GM reported the SAE-Net figure, which was a more realistic 300 LB-FT, well within the capacity of the TH350. In short, the TH350 did not generally have to be too resistant to the punishment of folding time space, torque loaded V8s. But the 4L60E tolerated the trauma of V8s that pushed it on the edge of its capacity. Can you blame the transmission for this?
Where the 4L60E gives you a headache
Okay, enough lawyer from the Devil for the 4L60E. Transmission Bench has a fantastic YouTube video that discusses the most common problems of transmission and their symptoms. Can’t you move to third gear? It is likely that the 3-4 coupling package will be burned because the rubber seals of the piston have become bad. Is the first acceleration the only one who is concerned? You probably have a broken drive shell. Does it switch hard from the first to second gear? The TCC control valve is probably worn out. Another frequent problem with 4L60es is that their solenoids become bad. When this happens, shifts can become hard or erratic.
Regarding other members of the four -speed gearbox Auto Family, there is the 4L65E, which is what the 4L60E changed in 2001. GM has upgraded the four-Pinion carrier to a version of five Pinion, which improved the coupling capacity. In trucks, the rating was 380 LB-FT, and in cars such as the Corvette of 2005, the torque rating was 400 LB-FT. The 4L70E is largely a 4L65th with a pump-mounted speed sensor and an improved coupling capacity of 430 LB-FT, according to a new product announcement from GM. That transmission was placed in vehicles such as the Chevy Trailblazer SS (400 LB-FT torque) and Saab 9-7X Aero (a trail blower SS with plastic surgery and 395 LB-FT torque).
The 4L80E is the muscular big brother or sister who can handle 440 LB-FT torque and gives wedgies to the 4L60E. Unfortunately for Torquey Performance Car Fanatics, GM has only placed the 4L80E in vans, trucks and the Hummer H1. So if you want to drop $ 12,500 on a 1996 Chevy Impala SS and to upgrade it to a 383 as Callaway did in the 1990s, the 4L60E will rip and exchange in a 4L80E is difficult but executable.
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