Vehicle is a 1999 GMC Sierra 1500 4x4 with the 5.3l and 4l60e, 201.5k miles
Note: I am a novice. My knowledge currently consists of hours and hours of scouring forums and articles for information. I am also taking auto tech classes in college.
I have been expecting the transmission in this truck to go out for a bit now. It started making a noise like 1-2 years ago and I was told it was probably the torque converter. The noise corresponded to engine rpm, but only when in gear, and not vehicle speed. I sent an audio clip, and they said torque converter. Made sense to me. Anyways besides the point, the transmission itself stopped working. 6 weeks ago it started making some pretty bad vibrations, and I knew the time was near. 3 weeks ago I was driving to school, and it didn't like 3 and 4. I got into a parking lot at school, and put it in reverse to back into a spot, and it did not move. I manually put the shifter in 1st and it didn't go. It managed to move in 2nd. So I think I've lost every gear but second. All my internet searches are yielding results about this transmission just losing 2nd gear, which is more or less the opposite of my problem. Does anyone maybe have an idea on what might cause that specific issue? Is it solenoids or another issue in the valve body? I read that if both A and B solenoids stopped working, it would default to 3rd, but I'm not sure. I also read that it's common for the 3-4 clutches to burn up causing 3rd and 4th to stop working, but 1st, 2nd, and reverse would still work if that was case. If all the forward clutches went out, 2nd would stop working as well as 1st, 2nd, and 4th, but reverse would still work, unless I'm wrong. If the band failed, I would no longer have 2nd and 4th. I think I'm missing some valuable information here, and I'm not sure what or where to find it. If someone(s) here could perhaps impart that knowledge, I would be eternally grateful, thank you.
Honestly I've been hoping that it would wait to give me issues until after I had taking the class in automatic transmissions next semester. I would really love to rebuild the transmission (or get it rebuilt) with some good Raybestos clutches/discs, Raybestos band, Corvette servo, Sonnax TCC valve, 5 pinion gear assemblies, new valve body, and whatever good stuff you guys reccomend. The problem is that I do not have the money, yet. If I decided to take on the task of rebuilding myself (cheaper than sending it off), I would take my time on it of course, however I need the truck driving asap. Things don't go to plan ever do they.
Until then I am trying to get it at least driving for now. People reccomended I try to get a tran and tc from a junkyard. I went and got a one from a GMC Yukon at a junkyard, I think it was a 2001. Same electrical connectors and all that. Unknown mileage and condition. I had a bad feeling the entire time I was taking it out.. I went to put it in the truck crossing all my fingers and toes that it just works, and then I broke it.. I am way too hasty of a person, and I didn't really think about checking to make sure the tc was in all the way, and it wasn't and I pulled the trans to the engine with the bell housing bolts. So now I've made a grave mistake. I haven't yet taken the trans back out, but I can't get the tc to rotate at all so that I can bolt the flex plate to it. I'll check when I get it out tomorrow or saturday when I can get to it, but I'm assuming I broke the pump or worse. I could pull the pump out of the og trans and put it in the junkyard one. It looks like that would require new gaskets and seals. I don't even know of that's worth it to do, because I have no idea if the junk trans even works. I saw that you can take the input shaft assembly out and use air to test the 3-4 clutches, forward clutches, and overrun clutches, but I don't know if that's even a reliable way to test it, or if I should even take it apart.
Any helpful info, thoughts, ideas, suggestions? Thanks in advance for all your help.
-Ben
Note: I am a novice. My knowledge currently consists of hours and hours of scouring forums and articles for information. I am also taking auto tech classes in college.
I have been expecting the transmission in this truck to go out for a bit now. It started making a noise like 1-2 years ago and I was told it was probably the torque converter. The noise corresponded to engine rpm, but only when in gear, and not vehicle speed. I sent an audio clip, and they said torque converter. Made sense to me. Anyways besides the point, the transmission itself stopped working. 6 weeks ago it started making some pretty bad vibrations, and I knew the time was near. 3 weeks ago I was driving to school, and it didn't like 3 and 4. I got into a parking lot at school, and put it in reverse to back into a spot, and it did not move. I manually put the shifter in 1st and it didn't go. It managed to move in 2nd. So I think I've lost every gear but second. All my internet searches are yielding results about this transmission just losing 2nd gear, which is more or less the opposite of my problem. Does anyone maybe have an idea on what might cause that specific issue? Is it solenoids or another issue in the valve body? I read that if both A and B solenoids stopped working, it would default to 3rd, but I'm not sure. I also read that it's common for the 3-4 clutches to burn up causing 3rd and 4th to stop working, but 1st, 2nd, and reverse would still work if that was case. If all the forward clutches went out, 2nd would stop working as well as 1st, 2nd, and 4th, but reverse would still work, unless I'm wrong. If the band failed, I would no longer have 2nd and 4th. I think I'm missing some valuable information here, and I'm not sure what or where to find it. If someone(s) here could perhaps impart that knowledge, I would be eternally grateful, thank you.
Honestly I've been hoping that it would wait to give me issues until after I had taking the class in automatic transmissions next semester. I would really love to rebuild the transmission (or get it rebuilt) with some good Raybestos clutches/discs, Raybestos band, Corvette servo, Sonnax TCC valve, 5 pinion gear assemblies, new valve body, and whatever good stuff you guys reccomend. The problem is that I do not have the money, yet. If I decided to take on the task of rebuilding myself (cheaper than sending it off), I would take my time on it of course, however I need the truck driving asap. Things don't go to plan ever do they.
Until then I am trying to get it at least driving for now. People reccomended I try to get a tran and tc from a junkyard. I went and got a one from a GMC Yukon at a junkyard, I think it was a 2001. Same electrical connectors and all that. Unknown mileage and condition. I had a bad feeling the entire time I was taking it out.. I went to put it in the truck crossing all my fingers and toes that it just works, and then I broke it.. I am way too hasty of a person, and I didn't really think about checking to make sure the tc was in all the way, and it wasn't and I pulled the trans to the engine with the bell housing bolts. So now I've made a grave mistake. I haven't yet taken the trans back out, but I can't get the tc to rotate at all so that I can bolt the flex plate to it. I'll check when I get it out tomorrow or saturday when I can get to it, but I'm assuming I broke the pump or worse. I could pull the pump out of the og trans and put it in the junkyard one. It looks like that would require new gaskets and seals. I don't even know of that's worth it to do, because I have no idea if the junk trans even works. I saw that you can take the input shaft assembly out and use air to test the 3-4 clutches, forward clutches, and overrun clutches, but I don't know if that's even a reliable way to test it, or if I should even take it apart.
Any helpful info, thoughts, ideas, suggestions? Thanks in advance for all your help.
-Ben
