Transmission shot. Thinking about getting rid of my beloved Hummer.

[bendyprissy]

Was driving home from work the day before yesterday when I lost all acceleration. It was like the car was in neutral. It was going nowhere; not forward or reverse. Pulled over, hubby came & said that's not good. Well duh. He went to the transmission shop to run it by them & they immediately knew what it was. The forward planetary gear. Total rebuild or new transmission. Unfortunately with hubby's school he doesn't have time to do it himself which will cost us a small fortune. For us to do it ourselves will be $1300. Transmission shop wants $1800-2600.

Reason why I am considering selling after the transmission is replaced is because the shop said they see this problem frequently with this transmission & his wife replaced 2 before she finally sold it. But also all of the chatter on this site about the motor's going out after only 150,000 miles or less has me wanting to run for the hills!

I LOVE my Hummer but am really disappointed and unsure at this moment in time.

Anyone have any experience with this? What are your thoughts?

 

[Panzer07]

It all comes down how much you really like your hummer...as well life span of the motor transmission...would depend on driving habits and how frequently the services etc are done...most people are cheap and wait till the very end of the fluids life or what not to replace or service the trucks...which results in early wear and tear of components and engines. Folks here have logged 250,000 miles if I'm not mistaken.


Torres

 

[High Five H2]

engine swap! come on, dude! I need someone to go on my BB trip. slap a 6.2 and 6L80 in there.

I'm surprised that the mechanic would say that. these trannies are supposed to be pretty solid.

 

[alrock]

There are a lot of members on this forum, and very few that have replaced or rebuilt their transmissions, and to my knowledge zero that have done it twice. You know the members here often point to conspiracies and "major failures" when more than one member has experienced the same problem:wink:. One thing to consider is that if you get a new GM transmission it may be measurably different, and better, than your original transmission as the 2015 build will be different than your original build, including possibly upgraded components.

It sucks to put that kind of money into a vehicle, but that's also only equivalent to 3-4 payments. Maybe it's time to get rid of it but maybe not. All of us have felt that sting with major repairs - and that need to dump a vehicle - but overcoming it can be fine.

FWIW, I put a new OEM transmission in for around $2200 at 113,000 miles due to a failed pump. Stuff breaks, and the second transmission has been fine for the last 26,000 miles. 2nd FWIW - last time I kept a vehicle for 100,000 miles it was a Honda, and that transmission failed at 78,000 and the replacement was a crappy OEM rebuild.

 

[amrg]

Is their a specific mileage for the trans pump to be replaced (if possible) ?

 

[RamRod]

There are a lot of members on this forum, and very few that have replaced or rebuilt their transmissions, and to my knowledge zero that have done it twice.

For obvious reasons I am now on my third Tranny, and not long before it's the 4th.... But 440hp and 37's will do that

To the OP, it could happen to any vehicle, one thing I have learned is that it can happen to any of them, modded or not.

My brother and mom both drive BMW x5's, my mom has not had a single problem, my bro has nothing but issues (both same year both around the same milage) the funny part is I think my mom is the crazier driver of the two.

Moral is, it sucks but it happens to everything from to "economy" cars to the high end cars



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

I'd find another shop that doesn't tell you Jeep stories. The 4L60e continues to be a very reliable transmission, and can be built to handle more than 1000 hp... if you really want to upgrade, you can... I certainly wouldn't - get a rebuilt transmission and life will be good again.

I have 120k on mine, and it works just fine... I've seen them go 200k without any flaws.

 

[amrg]

For obvious reasons I am now on my third Tranny, and not long before it's the 4th.... But 440hp and 37's will do that

Do you have a trans cooler installed? Is it overheating thats killing the trans or somethig else? (Since our trans operating range is supposed to be up to 500 tqs)

 

[scoreh3]

If it's just the cost of the new trans that's making want to sell it , well let's do a little math . Ok see if this is cheaper than a trans , down payment + tax + new monthly payments + registration fees go up ( do to value of veh) + insurance goes up ( value of new vehicle ) + mods to make it your vehicle . Just a little something to think about .

 

[CaseyS]

Get another price. I got a rebuild done complete with labor for $1400.

BS on the lifespan. I put over 275k on the original transmission and there was nothing wrong with it when I rebuilt it. Had to tear into it to reconfigure it.

 

[3Hummers]

A new tranny is far cheaper than a new car. 116k on our H3. I know stuff is going to break/fail at some point, it does on every vehicle. Only you know how much you want to keep your truck or move on. I wouldn't let a speedy repair talk me out of a vehicle I really liked though.

 

[rsc]

4l60e transmissions (and the 700r4 before it) have some well known weaknesses. If cared for and not abused they can live a long life. The problem is that the 3-4 bands tend to overheat and burn out (as well as the clutches under loads), the planetary has been upgraded to 5 inead of 4 gears and holds up better under load, the sun she'll tends to crack and a good tune and stronger servo do wonders for driving. If towing, running hard, have larger tires fitted, etc then expect the stock transmission not to last. 140k is a common point for them to need work. A fully upgraded rebuilt transmission can be as low as $1100 installed or you can spend about that on the HD parts from PATC and have a reputable shop rebuild it for you for another grand (installed). If needed, there are 4wd2005+ Colorado and Canyon transmissions on ebay for about $650-1100 plus about $500 labor to install.

Give a look into this guy in Denisson if you can make it over there, there are plenty of good places advertising locally on CL.
http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/pts/4891063657.html

 

[Mr_Rich]

My comments don't relate to my H3T since my truck is a 5M, but I do have relevant experience with a GM OD trans. My '89 K1500 went 235K miles with the original trans. Two years ago when I decided to swap my engine to a spare I had I decided to overhaul everything. I took my 700R4 trans to a rebuilder that a friend of mine recommended. Bad idea. He thought the shop looked good to him because he'd done some work there during his telco career. I wound up getting a budget rebuild that lasted roughly ~200 miles. I was climbing a grade and suddenly my truck revved out and I lost 3-4 gears. Fortunately I was close to the house I was staying at the time and limped home in second gear. It shifted well from first to second. Nothing after that. I think the real trick is finding a rebuilder who can put together a reliable trans and test it properly. I learned that once the trans is installed it HAS to be pressure tested through all the gears. The oil pressure in the trans operates at over 100 psi. Betcha didn't know that. After this experience I went to a trans builder who fixes all the other shops F-ups. That's their claim to fame and their claim has proven true for me. I spent a little more money but it was worth it. I bought an "install kit" after I installed the trans and was ready to put my truck back on the road. I hooked up a 300 psi pressure gauge to a 1/4" pipe fitting on the driver's side of the trans near the shift lever. I checked the pressure through all the gears with the the TVS switch unoperated (unconnected) and connected and logged the pressure readings. I called the trans company and gave them the readings and they said I was good-to-go and they said my guarantee was in effect as I was a DIY-er. That was two-and-a-half years and 30K miles ago. I'll definitely sing the praises of the trans builder I went to the second time. I told my friend to stay away from the first shop after my experience.

 

[Mr_Rich]

There is a small plug just above and forward of the shift lever where a pressure gauge is connected to test line pressures in the trans. You don't hear anyone mention this, but I'll mention it here. It should help you weed out shops to stay away from if they don't test a trans like this. This was for my 700R4 trans and hopefully a 4L60 is the same except it is electrically shifted.

 

[SedonaBound]

Reason why I am considering selling after the transmission is replaced is because the shop said they see this problem frequently with this transmission & his wife replaced 2 before she finally sold it. But also all of the chatter on this site about the motor's going out after only 150,000 miles or less has me wanting to run for the hills!

Anyone have any experience with this? What are your thoughts?

You'll find very few H3 trans failures reported here. How many miles on your H3? Has the trans been serviced? Do you tow a trailer? How well do you know the trans shop? That transmission has been used in Chevy and GMC trucks for many years and has an excellent reputation. Any trans tech saying that it's not dependable doesn't know his business. I'd get a second opinion from a reputable shop or dealer. Some will include the cost of picking up your truck to get the work.