4L80E slipping in first then not shifting

[MrMarty51]

Need to rebuild that trans then don't do a swap/exchange

/\_/\_/\_ WHAT HE SAID _/\_/\_/\
Do a search in this forum about the transmissions, or go to the transmissions portion and start reading.
Just since I have been a member of this forum, there are enumerable threads about people that made the purchase of a reman transmission from some parts supplier, or transmission shop, the transmission was the wrong year model for their vehicle.
Then after discovering that the transmission from an OBD1 vehicle is not compatible with the transmission from an OBD2 system, then play hell trying to find the proper transmission to fit their certain year of a vehicle.
There are even characteristic differences between the OBD1 transmissions (what Yours is) in the different years.
IIRC the 93 and 94 year transmissions might be in a category all to themselves.
I might be wrong on that but something about the 93-94 seems stuck in my head.
Oh yeah, welcome to the forum Brodie.

 

[MrMarty51]

Yeah so what @ak diesel driver said, either rebuild Your transmission yourself or have a very, very, reliable shop rebuild Yours.
Be very careful the shop You choose.
Some shops are very warm on warranty work, even after enough times to make the transmission right, to shops that are effe you on the second and following followups.
Read some threads and posts and You will see.

 

[brodie]

Haha, you just jumped to the next level with that connection.
Now that it won’t overflow and soak the outside of that connection, clean it with electrical cleaner inside & out. Drive and see if atf leaks through the connection.
If so that short harness needs replaced. But there is a 90%+ possibility you are needing a full rebuild/replacement. So how much money you pour into trying to save this trans is something you need to determine ahead of time.

A warning- something many many people do is find another used 4l80e and assume they all interchange. They don’t. From here is time to start finding defective parts and replacing them with crossed fingers, knowing all the money is a waste most likely slipping 1st & reverse.

This transmission was rebuilt just 7,000 miles ago before i bought the truck and the owner showed me the receipt and everything

 

[jrsavoie]

This transmission was rebuilt just 7,000 miles ago before i bought the truck and the owner showed me the receipt and everything

Is it guaranteed?

I would take it to where it was rebuilt and see if they stand behind their work.

I'd do that ASAP.

If you mess with it much, they might be less inclined to warranty any work.

 

[jrsavoie]

This transmission was rebuilt just 7,000 miles ago before i bought the truck and the owner showed me the receipt and everything

The last 4L80E I had rebuilt was by circle track racers
I think their warranty was 3 years unlimited mileage. They had confidence in their builds and didn't expect to see anything come back. I should call them about working on my truck.

I don't know they'd do a housecall to get it together enough to get towed or driven back to their shop.

 

[Will L.]

@jrsavoie
Almost any pro mechanic will want to have the rig towed to their shop even if a ton of parts requires a uhaul truck to bring them in.
Most shops can’t handle major disassembled vehicles because of the space requirements.
And working at someone’s house is a nightmare of issues that can occur.
You can be as polite and open door inviting as possible but they have to worry about everything from the family dog attack, getting blamed for anything coming up missing, false accusations by women or children, and all that’s before the hang up of not having all their own tools with them or being blamed for damaging other cars or building while they are there.
I knew a couple guys that each were 1 man mobile mechanic business.
They are used to smaller jobs that at most take two days then get paid. So bigger jobs tend to hurt their cashflow.

Finding a mobile mechanic for your area and agreeing on paying them whatever the hourly rate is at the end of every day is about the only way you have a shot.
Then being understanding when they work half a day and have to leave for someone broke down somewhere or taking a couple days away for scheduling other jobs. They can’t focus on just one customer because word of mouth that they always respond to calls quickly.

The advantages of living in a small town are many- but the drawbacks of not many businesses to choose from are there as well. Your best bet is probably calling around to shops in Chicago and find one to have everything towed to.

 

[Will L.]

@brodie
Definitely the shop that rebuilt it is best place to start. If they won’t honor the warranty because the truck was sold, that isn’t uncommon & doesn’t mean anything negative. Charging a normal rate for diagnostics is fair.

But diagnosing what went on with your description- that’s really hard because:
1. you just had it out for some reason
2. the rebuild shop could have done something not proper- running & driving until three days ago doesn’t cover enough detail. The 7,000 miles we now know helps- but is an example of one detail- people are hesitant to ask 1,000 questions. You need to describe everything about it you can.
3. Did they rebuild original or did they replace it with different one which open up problems we mentioned earlier of not the exact set up needed.
4. Did they do a 100% rebuild & replace every part including torque converter or just a budget build- the fact that owner sold it not long afterwards suggests they only did baindaid to get it sold.
5. The rebuild shop could have tried their best but still mistakes happen.
6. Whatever you had it out for is unknown to us, and could have complicated things.
7. You could have made mistakes in whatever repair and or installation you did.

For us to help you- you will need a full diagnostics on the trans at this point because there is so many variables and that’s whats needed half the time even without any variables. So you need a bi-directional scanner capable of controlling the trans and you need to understand how to operate that scanner. The assumption is you don’t have one because if you did, you’d already have told us pressures/rpms, signal call to act and specific points of non reaction.

So best bet is give as much description about everything as clear as possible with every detail you can.

 

[jrsavoie]

@jrsavoie
Almost any pro mechanic will want to have the rig towed to their shop even if a ton of parts requires a uhaul truck to bring them in.
Most shops can’t handle major disassembled vehicles because of the space requirements.
And working at someone’s house is a nightmare of issues that can occur.
You can be as polite and open door inviting as possible but they have to worry about everything from the family dog attack, getting blamed for anything coming up missing, false accusations by women or children, and all that’s before the hang up of not having all their own tools with them or being blamed for damaging other cars or building while they are there.
I knew a couple guys that each were 1 man mobile mechanic business.
They are used to smaller jobs that at most take two days then get paid. So bigger jobs tend to hurt their cashflow.

Finding a mobile mechanic for your area and agreeing on paying them whatever the hourly rate is at the end of every day is about the only way you have a shot.
Then being understanding when they work half a day and have to leave for someone broke down somewhere or taking a couple days away for scheduling other jobs. They can’t focus on just one customer because word of mouth that they always respond to calls quickly.

The advantages of living in a small town are many- but the drawbacks of not many businesses to choose from are there as well. Your best bet is probably calling around to shops in Chicago and find one to have everything towed to.

We had 2 in the area. But both are gone.

Asking m g a reputable shop might be a good way to get a line on a roving mechanic.

I've never had a lot of luck hiring things done. Most often.have to fix some things.

The place that worked on the 1996 Suburban transmission was all over it. No. Rework necessary.