Hi all,

My tranny crapped out on me a few weeks back. Truck is a 1991 Suburban, 350 fuel injected and 4 speed OD box. That's about all I know about it. I mess around with Zooks mostly, and living in England, there's not alot of Subs/GMs to use as comparison.

Basically I seem to have sprung a leak, and during a 200 mile drive home after a camping trip, literally 1/2 mile from my door, the truck lost third. Shifts fine 1-2, then at the 2-3 shift seems to slip into neutral....just revs right up until it downshifts to 2 again. I checked the oil when i got home and had to add 3 litres! Since then 3 has gone. Before I fork out almost $3000 (yes....$3000!!!!) for a rebuild, does anyone have any ideas on what may be wrong? I'm guessing the 3 band burnt out when it was low on fluid....but part of me is hoping it may just be a stuck valve/solenoid. But I know f**k all about auto boxes. If this happened in my Zook I'd just stick another box in at he cost of $50...

As it's so expensive to get a rebuild, I'm considering importing a tranny from the US....but not sure if it's a 700r4 or 4l60e....any ideas?

Don't use the truck for towing/offroading/heavy duty use. Just to drive 3 kids/wife/three dogs around in...I just like owning a rare (over here) car...

Sorry for the long post but any help/advice gratefully received.

I'm pretty sure its a 700R4, I thought the 60e came out later.

I have the exact same vehicle. (The wife's 1990 Suburban).
You have a 700R4.

Is it 6 or 8 lug on the wheels.or 1/2,3/4 or 1 ton?if it's 1 ton then it will be a turbo 400 other wise 700r4

never mind i see you said 4 speed od. 700r4 it is then.

I thought at much....renamed to 4l60 to protect the innocent. I had another of those crap out on me in my old Blazer (which I see is still in my sig...woops!). Paid for the rebuild at a wallet breaking 2500 bucks...

So...what's the consensus...is it shagged as they say in england...or will a drop the pan, change fluid filter give it a good clean sort it out....

Been browsing ebay and may import one. Save myself about about $1200 bucks doing it that way....

700r4 would be the one you have.. $3,000 is a lot of money for a transmission :eek: You could buy the whole truck over here for that :D

I was talking to a guy from over there last week that is flying over this week to New Jersey to pick up his new Dodge truck.. Even after plane tickets, shipping and tax to get it back home it still will cost about half of what it would to buy it over there..

Here is a link to a place that will ship a tranny anywhere.. It's less that a grand plus shipping.. http://www.transmissioncenter.net/StockTransShip.htm

that transmissioncentre place looks pricey....some of the stuff on ebay is is about $700 incl TC.....or is that too cheap and like to crap out me too?

If your Sub is a 3/4 ton (8 lug wheels) it will have a 4L80E.
Or, rather, it is a possibility. '91 was the first year for this.

There is one other option you haven't mentioned.
Buy the manual and a rebuild kit, and do it yourself. If the prices are that high over there, you may run into a profitable evening business.

I would definitely check into a rebuild kit and doing it yourself, otherwise have someone you know US side order you and send you a rebuild kit for $139.99 from PartsAmerica.com, I don't know if they ship overseas. And the 700R4 is the 4L60. (for the experts out there)

If it slips, it's dead... no need to even pretend dropping the pan and cleaning out the brown gook is gonna help... it'll actually hurt it more to do that...

for the kind of change you're talking about putting into that thing, I'd spend a lot more on a high quality built tranny... even if you end up having $2000 after shipping in it, you're still saving yourself $1000... don't wuss out on a $700 build

I had another of those crap out on me in my old Blazer (which I see is still in my sig...woops!). Paid for the rebuild at a wallet breaking 2500 bucks...



Yikes! Mine was $750 & the dude did the extraction and installation too.

TEX

For aftermarket 700R4's

Guy I know got an Art Carr that finally held up, him and another guy I know with a Blazer have gone through at least half a dozen Raptors though before they wised up.

The 700R4 is no TH400, but it can certainly be built to live. Especially if the truck is just a regular DD that doesn't get flogged. Whatever you do, I always give the same advice about auto trannies and ESPECIALLY with ODs: put in a shift kit and a good cooler, change the fluid/ filter regularly (I change mine every 10K- it's cheaper than an overhaul), and for God's sake man, keep fluid in it! Particularly with the overdrives as they seem to be extra sensitive to low fluid levels.

If it started slipping and then lost 3rd gear, it's fried. Don't even waste your time and $$ on a fluid and filter change. Besides, if you dropped the pan, the smell would probably cost you lunch as well! :)

The 700R4 is no TH400, but it can certainly be built to live. Especially if the truck is just a regular DD that doesn't get flogged. Whatever you do, I always give the same advice about auto trannies and ESPECIALLY with ODs: put in a shift kit and a good cooler, change the fluid/ filter regularly (I change mine every 10K- it's cheaper than an overhaul), and for God's sake man, keep fluid in it! Particularly with the overdrives as they seem to be extra sensitive to low fluid levels.

If it started slipping and then lost 3rd gear, it's fried. Don't even waste your time and $$ on a fluid and filter change. Besides, if you dropped the pan, the smell would probably cost you lunch as well! :)

The 700R4 is no TH400, but it can certainly be built to live. Especially if the truck is just a regular DD that doesn't get flogged. Whatever you do, I always give the same advice about auto trannies and ESPECIALLY with ODs: put in a shift kit and a good cooler, change the fluid/ filter regularly (I change mine every 10K- it's cheaper than an overhaul), and for God's sake man, keep fluid in it! Particularly with the overdrives as they seem to be extra sensitive to low fluid levels.

If it started slipping and then lost 3rd gear, it's fried. Don't even waste your time and $$ on a fluid and filter change. Besides, if you dropped the pan, the smell would probably cost you lunch as well! :)

OK guys, thanks for the advice. I've decided to buy a "super stock" rebuilt tranny off ebay and have it shipped over. My Sub is only used for carting a few kids and dogs around and the occasional run to the dump/garbage. No heavy duty towing or anything like that. And certainly no offroading....it's to rare a car over here to risk breaking it. Also doing it this was will save me about 2000 bucks...

Anyway....on the Suzukis I work on, I can get a gearbox in and out in under an hour, but it it only weighs about 50 pounds...I'm guessing this box will be closer to 160-180 pounds, so I may need to hire a gearbox jack lift thing. Also, the big argument in the Zook world about swapping gearboxes is the "gearbox out" or "engine out" question. I'm a "gearbox out" person, and is this possible on the sub? I take it the procedure is more or less the same as for the zook? Remove rear drive shaft, remove transfer case, remove various connectors to the gearbox...undo bell housing bolts, support and slide back....replacement is, as they say, the opposite of removal....??

Any advice on swapping out the box very gratefully received.

yep you have a 700r4 the 4l60e's didn't debut until 93. With the fluid running low you wiped out the 3-4 clutch pack. It is definitly in need of a trans rebuild.
I need to do buisness over there. I get $850 for a heavy duty rebuild around here on a 700r4. $650 being a standard rebuild.

Blow out your cooler lines with brake clean or mineral spirits REALLY well. Also like mentioned above get a minimum 20,000lbs. gvw radiator style cooler. You will also need to make sure your detent is set correct or it will eat the new trans quickly.