194k miles. Transmission starting to fail.

[Jedibusiness]

Just finished a Top end on my 6.0 at 191k and made a run to South Dakota dropping off a FWC camper.  Loaded my 4K lb. truck camper, making a run to Oregon for a new client opportunity.  40 miles from home felt a slight resonance in the steering wheel while rolling onto an overpass.  RPMs at 1800,  in 5 gear noted a slight increase in rpm (50) when resonance cycled every 30-40 seconds. Switched manual gear selection to 4th showing 3000 rpms and resonance stopped.  Knowing the climbs ahead, 81 miles out, turned around and headed home.  

 

Took the truck to the shop, gave a detail report.  Shop confirmed my observations and pulled the pan.  

 

I’ll update the site and detail the repair. 

 

15k miles on third transmission filter change. Pan showing metal bits and magnet covered  as well.  Shop suspects a torque converter fail. 

 

Edited June 11, 2019 by Jedibusiness

[GTBensley]

Thats a bummer! Pretty good life out of the transmission though for the weight you pull. 

[Black02Silverado]

Well you can't say you didn't maintain it.  Stinks that this happened.  Sounds like it has had a hard life and the truck was used as a truck doing work.  So I would say it lasted well.  

[Sierra Dan]

Maybe one of these will be in your future.....

 

 

[Jedibusiness]

I'm in CA and selected ProBuilt Transmission in West Sacramento for the rebuild.  Crawling into the world of Transmissions, at first was overwhelming...shop rebuild vs remanufactured.  Initially was headed towards remanufacture (Certified Transmission due to 100K mile warranty) and ship to an installer.  However I learned not many shops will install another vendors work.  Also their advert for heavy tow is listing parts upgrades already used in the 2015 6L90.

 

The owner Don (Probuilt) was very open discussing my observations and quickly narrowed the culprit to the torque converter, then confirmed metal grits in the pan.  Don took the time to walk me through the tear down.  Showed where it failed, how it failed and why.  Spoke of the thin converter wall heating and causing a wave the plate rubbed against, migration of metal between the pump and housing, how it wore pump vanes.  He was shocked the majority of clutch plates were in good shape and knew I took effort to keep my transmission on a partial fluid flush and filter replacement schedule.  In a world that says "Due to insurance regulations no customers allowed in the shop" signage, Don insisted on showing me his work place.

 

Don also spoke about OEM design and engineering vs. bean counter restraints and what he does to rebuild transmissions, which I'll list in the rebuild post.

[Jedibusiness]

6 minutes ago, Sierra Dan said:

Maybe one of these will be in your future.....

 

 

Nope.  While it's beautiful and would love to have one, why spend 35K (I'm a WT man) when 6k (top end, transmission remanufacture, engine rear seal, drive shaft balance and universal joints replaced ) takes me to 400K miles of hard payload and pull?

[Sierra Dan]

22 minutes ago, Jedibusiness said:

Nope.  While it's beautiful and would love to have one, why spend 35K (I'm a WT man) when 6k (top end, transmission remanufacture, engine rear seal, drive shaft balance and universal joints replaced ) takes me to 400K miles of hard payload and pull?

[Icutmetl]

8 hours ago, Jedibusiness said:

Nope.  While it's beautiful and would love to have one, why spend 35K (I'm a WT man) when 6k (top end, transmission remanufacture, engine rear seal, drive shaft balance and universal joints replaced ) takes me to 400K miles of hard payload and pull?

Can’t knock that?

[GTBensley]

Am I understanding that the TC failed due to heat or did I just make that up?

 

What are your transmission temps while towing? Fluid exchanged every 64K it sounds like roughly? 

[Jedibusiness]

No...friction ring on the torque converter was worn to the metal.  That metal migrated to the pump and turn fed into the shift solenoids.  Odd thing, after 194k miles the majority of clutch plates were serviceable.

 

The one thing I did that increase transmission life was after the first filter change at 50K was pull 5.5 quarts of transmission fluid out and replaced every other oil change.  The shop said that's the reason, under full payload and tow, could get 194K.  What I did observed, at the last filter change was a high concentration of gray paste around clinging to the magnet.  That material was the torque convertor friction plate.

 

Full payload and towing temperatures never got above 200 degrees.  Averaged 185 during tow.  145 unladen.

 

Bottom line is.  Using a HD truck doing heavy duty, the Torque Converter friction plate will fail.  I'll have a new post today showing pictures.

 

[rocnrol]

Hhhmm.... Interesting [emoji848]

I just had a transmission flush done to my truck yesterday, no filter change. Normally I do it myself with a filter change.

Most of the time my truck is used as a daily driver, only pulling our 35' TT about 5 times a year . I'm at about 85,000 MI on my truck now.

On the next transmission fluid change, I'll be sure to do it myself again and pull the pan and look at what's in the bottom.

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[GTBensley]

I flushed my transmission at 30K and replaced with good fluid. Next year I intend to drop the pan, replace the filter and install a pan with a drain plug. Once I year I will drop the pan fluid and replace it to hopefully extend the fluid life.

 

While I am normally not one to mess with tuning, I cant help but imagine that the TM probably is what caused the friction disc to wear out faster if everything else looked good......hmmmm

[dozerboy]

Mine has 180k and never had a fluid or filter changed until 175k. A tiny bit of metal in the filter, but the pan was clean. It doesn’t tow very often. I’m curious how long the trans will last.


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[Colossus]

Wow-- here's to hoping GM has improved their transmission reliability.  That has been a weak link for a long time.  Engines that can go 400,00+ miles but transmissions where you are lucky to hit 200,000 miles on the original.  (referring to the GM Transmissions, not the trusty Allisons in the HDs)

[Black02Silverado]

7 hours ago, dozerboy said:

Mine has 180k and never had a fluid or filter changed until 175k. A tiny bit of metal in the filter, but the pan was clean. It doesn’t tow very often. I’m curious how long the trans will last.


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Who knows.  I have a friend that has 369k on their 2005 Suburban and as far as I know the transmission fluid and filter have never been changed. It is as black as coal though.