Blown Transmission 68,000 Miles

[jdbuckshot]

i bought a used chevy avalanche 2005, z71 loaded about three months ago.

drove it on a 3,200 mile road trip to colorado and back and it performed flawlessly. it is a very nice truck. lots of power and super clean.

sunday the transmission went out in it.

it has the 4L60E, automatic.


Any body else had any trouble with this low mileage?

$3000 at the dealer with a 3 yr war.

$1000 to rebuild with a 6 month war.


Any input

[fireplug]

Had the filter been replaced recently? If so, that is your culprit.

Changed the filter on my 99 Z71, and it wasn't 3 months later I was having it rebuilt. Never change your trans filter.

[drakechaser]

I too have been told never to change the filter or have the transmission flush done that so many of the quick lube places try to push on you. Does way more harm than good.

[Rowdy53103]

Just Chevy? Or does the same advice carry over for other makes?

[Lazy Drake]

Just Chevy? Or does the same advice carry over for other makes?

I am a toyota man, but if the fluid has been neglected, small changes few quarts at a time over a couple of months is the best way to go.

It seems like chevy always has transmission problems. Has anyone had a 92-present z71, tahoe, yukon that didn't have transmission problems. Good friend back home had a 2003 tahoe that had 25K miles on it and the transmission would slip from time to time. He got it rebuilt shy of 90K miles. Seems way to common.

[TrevorH454]

I've never had a problem with changing the filter. It can get clogged and cause problems of its own. I don't ever flush mine, though. Just fluid and filter changes. That way you are just changing some of the fluid at a time. A 4L60e is normally on borrowed time somewhere in the 100k-150k range. GM's recommended tranny fluid change intervals are now at 100k miles, which seems way too much to me. I do it anywhere from 20k-40k, depending on how hard it has been used in that interval. If you wait until 100k miles, and then flush it, your fluid had a lot of the friction material from the clutches in the fluid, and poof, they are all gone when they are flushed, so goodbye friction material, hello slippage.

[MudHog]

on the rebuild, make sure the oil cooler (if equipped) is changed or an inline filter installed directly out of the oil cooler. Particles from a failure can get trapped in the oil cooler. Overtime, those particles can get released and sent back to the trans. Then you will have another failure and looking at another rebuild.

YOU CAN NOT CLEAN THE OIL COOLER IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM!!!

either replace or install inline filter.

[H20fowlkiller]

i have a tundra with 35000 on it should i get it changed or not

[MudHog]

I change my trans oil every other year.

[donia]

i have a tundra with 35000 on it should i get it changed or not

won't hurt with that few miles. what is the problem is going for extended mileage (60k+) without changing it...in that case, leave it be! as long as you change your fluid/filer at lower mileage intervals, the crud that keeps the friction going in extended mileage trannys, as stated earlier, hasn't had a chance to build up.

[Deltaquack]

Did the 05 not have the 100,000 drivetrain warranty? I know they did in 07 but can't remember what year they started doing it.

[jwayne]

Suggestion
If you rebuild it, tell them that you want them to save all the old replaced parts. A lot of the time, they will only replace what is broke and not replace everything. This way they have to replace it.

[dukmisr2005]

my transmission says this. Change it yearly or never change it.

i will say this. our farm here changes our trucks oil yearly. some of the these trucks have 250k+ on them with out a problem with the trans. these are all chevys. they do it in house. that said heres my thought, do it regularly or not at all. opinions very too much. make you own ass-upmtions...

[fireplug]

i have a tundra with 35000 on it should i get it changed or not

Man do what you want, but I won't ever change another transmission filter. I have figured out why they don't
put drain plugs on transmissions.........because they are closed systems and not meant to be changed. JMO.
This opinion is based on the fact I changed the filter on my truck, and less than 2 or 3 months I was getting my
transmission rebuilt. I wasn't having any issues before I changed the filter. Just thought one day I needed to get
it changed because "They" say change them after so many miles. To each their own, I will never do it again personally.

[kwacksmacker86]

My 2009 toyota tacamo doesnt even have a place to add or check fluid