4l60e - No Gears At All

[Bruce Wingate]

Long story, but I am finishing up an LS swap that someone else started. Its an LQ4 with a 4L60e that went into a 1984 K10.

I'm running a Holley Terminator X Max. Engine starts and seems to run fine, but there is no reaction from the transmission when shifting gears - RPM's do not change and there is no shudder or pull when going into any gear.

I just got it back from the shop haven't had time to start troubleshooting, but I'm suspecting that it is the pump. I am going to check line pressure and the electrical connections, but what else should I look at before dropping the trans?

Also, is it possible to use a scanner to get transmission information through the Holley's OBD2 port?

 

[TotalyHucked]

Could be lots of things. Usually if the plug is backwards, it'll go into limp mode and be stuck in 2nd gear. Nothing at all happening makes me lean toward a major wiring issue or the pump being bad. Or could be the whole trans is just shot, especially if it's an unknown junkyard unit

I don't know much about the Holley as far as diagnostics but I know there's not a whole lot that comes back from a 4L60 anyway.

 

[xm20k]

Is the converter bolted up? Don't ask why I ask but just know I've seen it happen.

 

[legopnuematic]

Is the converter bolted up? Don't ask why I ask but just know I've seen it happen.

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[Matt69olds]

Crack open a transmission cooler line, DO NOT COMPLETELY REMOVE IT!!

Have a helper start the engine, and make sure they are ready to immediately shut off the engine.

If you don’t see ATF coming from the loose cooler line, either the converter is missing, its out of fluid, or the pump isn’t doing anything.

 

[TotalyHucked]

Is the converter bolted up? Don't ask why I ask but just know I've seen it happen.

Like the story my coworker tells of one time when he was younger. *Stands up, wipes hands, feels accomplished after getting the transmission back in himself. Puts tools away, grabs a beer, looks at the workbench. Converter sitting there.* F. A. K.

 

[xm20k]

I did the trans rebuild. The converter was in it at least, he bolted the engine and trans together on the floor and decided he was going to do the converter bolts once it was in vs while it was on the hoist fast forward a day or so I get a WTF!! call.

 

[77Dmax]

Even without the computer plugged in it'll go into second and reverse..

 

[Ricko1966]

Like the story my coworker tells of one time when he was younger. *Stands up, wipes hands, feels accomplished after getting the transmission back in himself. Puts tools away, grabs a beer, looks at the workbench. Converter sitting there.* F. A. K.

I was at work and one our less accomplished techs I've told stories about Jimmy before. Anyways he has a clutch to do on a Toyota,don't remember,Celica or Corolla,he was done then Pat looked on the arm of the rack. What's in that box Jimmy? It was the throw out bearing. Poor Jimmy made so much extra work for himself. He's one that would change what he thought it needed and if it didn't fix it change it again because the new part was bad,then try to find the real problem when the second new part didn't fix it. I told him once,on a car with a miss,Jimmy did you run compression? They aren't paying my to run compression. He didn't understand 5 minutes of free diag,would make him more money and gain him more respect on the long run. He gave up wrenching.

 

[Chevy 88]

Not long ago there was a similar post. The transmission was not doing what it was supposed to do.

Some of the regulars might remember this one.

Problem turned out to be a missing driveshaft.


Kind of like the missing torque converter mentioned above, in my opinion its always best to start with the basics before going into advanced troubleshooting.

 

[xm20k]

Might be there just not bolted up, like my buddy I'll do it once it's in and then just never did, now it's someone else's problem.

 

[Bruce Wingate]

Even without the computer plugged in it'll go into second and reverse

Yeah - its not doing anything, so that led me to think that the pump was bad. Driveshaft is definitely attached. I have to double check that the transfer case is not in neutral.

I really didn't think that the converter would not be installed or connected.

I'm just hoping that the transmission is not totally hosed.

Thanks everyone

 

[77Dmax]

The T-case in neutral is your best case scenario here.

 

[Grit dog]

I’ll go with converter not bolted up as second best scenario…lol.
Much more than that and 4 extra neutrals = $4 grand! (Well maybe 3)

 

[MMostowyk]

I had a similar issue in 2000 when I swapped an LT1/4L60 into my K20.
What I learned is that the ecm looks for a specific signal from the trans to shift gears.
In order to connect the trans to the transfer case I had to remove the trans tail stock. Turns out that the signal source is in the tail stock.
In order to create the correct signal, I attached an electronic device to the Speedo cable. It turns the speedo cable into a transmitter. However, the signal was not creating the revolutions that the ecm needed. Answer was to reprogrammé the ecu by multiplying the incoming signal by 4. Has run perfectly ever since.
Don’t know if today’s technology has dealt with this, but you may want to investigate.