Transmission rebuild

[chiccokaiser1]

Hi there, I live in Italy and still enjoy my 2002 ltz trailblazer. I drove the car for 250000 km and I am afraid of transmission wear.. Here the job would cost 4000 euros 😪😪. Bring it to a garage I mean, not so many people here can handle automatic transmissions, they are not so common. How much does it cost more or less in the states? By the way, how long does a transmission last usually? I replaced oil & filter each 40000 km.. Thanks for your infos.

[Stealthee]

I assume your TB has the 4L60E in it? People here in the states rebuild them relatively cheap. There are some local and semi-local places to me that do it for as low as $600.

Your biggest issue there would be shipping. Summit Racing sells entire refurbed transmissions for about $1600, but again shipping would be your main hurdle.

[chiccokaiser1]

Wow can't believe it.. 600 dollars.. This means replacing all parts or a cheap job?

[Schurkey]

Originally Posted by chiccokaiser1

Wow can't believe it.. 600 dollars.. This means replacing all parts or a cheap job?

Cheap job, probably done as a "carry-in"; YOU have to remove it from the vehicle and then put it back in.

I had the TH700R-4 in my '88 K1500 rebuilt around Y2K; it cost $1600 then. I'd expect $2000 now, maybe higher since I always seem to estimate low. The price will vary depending on how much damage there is inside. I needed some planetary gears and other hard-parts in mine. At that time, I was told that everything inside was "upgraded" to 3/4-ton specs. It went 18+ years but now needs to be gone through again.

First Guess: You're changing fluid and filter at least twice as often as you'd need to. Maybe three times as often.

[Blue Bowtie]

That's not extraordinary for a complete job. Transmission removal and installation in an AWD vehicle requires more labor and additonal parts and supplies. It's rare to have the transfer case separate cleanly, and at a minimum will need 2 liters of AutoTrak oil and a front gasket. Further, for a truly "complete" repair your shop may replace the front seal in the case as well as the output shaft seals, and probably the mag drain plug.

As for the transmission itself, the wear parts are not expensive. A full clutch and seal kit can be had for less than 300€. If "hard" parts are needed the costs can increase quickly. Most professional shops will not warrant their work without a new torque converter being installed. You will want a new oil pump and separator plate at a minimum.

Then there is almost always some valve body work to be done, or a replacement valve body. That can be reasonably priced in North America, but I'm guessing that not many shops on the continent understand what needs to be done, let alone have the reamers, drivers, and pilots to repair Hydramatic valve bodies. At best, some BMW shops may have some idea since they used Hydramatic transmissions for several years, but even that is not as likely.

You might expect another 100,000km of service, and your routine scheduled maintenance certainly can't hurt, but eventually the trans will need some work. Hopefully, that provides some time for you to shop for a better option.

Of course, your can always do it yourself:

http://www.wwdsltd.com/4L60/4L60ERepairs.html

[chiccokaiser1]

Thanks for your interest in this issue, so kind of you. I have a school mate that used to work for a ftase military barrack so he got confident with this kind of transmissions fixing military private cars. The 4000 euro price info comes from them and includes a complete tear down and rebuild, I was told (and I agree) that is not worth to replace just what wore off.. I am considering to check how much shipment usa-italy would be.. How much weighs more or less a transmission?

[Stealthee]

Trans itself is around 150 lbs dry. With the torque converter add probably another 40 lbs. They are not light.