[sidemouse]

4L60-E
2013 GMC Sierra 1500...

Had it rebuilt about 20,000 miles and 20 months ago...
Fluid was still in good condition, ran great.

Last week about Friday I'm headed home doing about 65-70mph...
I look in my rearview and see smoke covering the entire highway...
I clicked off the cruise control, put the transmission in neutral, cut off the engine and looked for a place to pull over. I saw the smoke clear up so that was good, pulled over under an overpass... Found a transmission cooler hose had slipped off, the hose clamps were still on it so I was able to slip it back on, tighten the clamps and gtg... Unfortunately all up until the clamps were on transmission fluid was still leaking out of the steel hose pretty good.
Cleaned up best I could, there was trans fluid everywhere, all over the bottom of the truck, all over the trailer, even the mower... Started the truck, put it in D and lo and behold I made it home like that. Ran decent, I didn't push it but really no issues.
Once I got home I started adding fluid, it took 4 and a half quarts...
Was out of town Saturday and Sunday.
Ran good monday, put about 80 miles on it, fluid level checked out good.
Ran good all day come tuesday, but on the way home it started to slip.
I pulled over, fluid level was good but it had a burnt smell to it.

Took it to a shop Wednesday.
Some diagnostics later, another rebuild is in the works.
Hopefully I get it back by end of next week.

 

[J. Baker]

Glad I rebuild my own.

 

[Brucey]

Might be time to find a different shop where they tighten all the hose clamps after the job is done. May have been ok if you didn't decide to drive it home after finding the disconnected hose.

 

[sidemouse]

Might be time to find a different shop where they tighten all the hose clamps after the job is done. May have been ok if you didn't decide to drive it home after finding the disconnected hose.

Yeah...
It is at a different shop, however the hose clamps were my fault and I feel like a real doofus. I had just replaced that hose a day or two prior because it was leaking. And I do recall tightening them, but I think they loosened their hold as they settled into the rubber, in other words I should've checked them again some hours later and then again a day later (and possibly a third time).
As for driving it home that could've well been the catalyst, could also be the damage was already done...
The mechanic at the trans shop stated he had the same thing happen and his trans was toast too...

I guess I've been lucky up to now, I drove these trucks for 18 years before I started having transmission issues.
Not entirely true, just never got to the point of a transmission going out completely.

 

[sidemouse]

Ok so, 8 days, $2,940 repair and $540 Uhaul rental later...

The band for gears 3 and 4 was pretty much gone, turns out...
It is physically the highest band in the transmission, like literally in terms of height it sits up the highest...
And when a transmission runs low on fluid it is the first band to get inadequate lubrication.

Guess I should've got a tow truck when that line blew...