So what’s the story about transmissions in these cars? I bought my car off an individual and didn’t have the luxury of getting a CarFax - I’m the 3rd owner of a 83,000 miles car. Are there anything else I should keep an eye on. Are there anyone else that’s suffering from the dreaded rust problem- I discovered a small area at the LR fender wheel well and I’m just sick about it.

 

What do you want to know?

The 4t65e trans was a weak point on the 3800 powered cars with 200 HP, so it is very weak on a 300 HP higher torque LS4. Some people get lucky and don't need to worry about their transmission, some people have them break easily. The best thing you can do is a pan drop, filter change, and refill with new fluid. Do this regularly and don't manually shift your car. If you think the car doesn't shift the way that you want, get a tune.

Fenderwell rust is a common issue on these cars, costs a good penny to cut it out and repair it correctly, I would find a shop that you trust and would hopefully warranty their work.

 

I see you've got a LS4 car. Best of luck to you with the trans as it's a total gamble. IMO thats the #1 reason why the LS4 car values are as low as they are. Everyone is scared of the possibility of having to spend $5k on a trans (just throwing a number out there including labor) for a $5k car just to stay together on stock power.

I agree with Chibi, keeping the fluid and filter fresh is helpful. As is keeping it cool with a trans cooler, especially if you live in a hot area.

But to be honest, people still have failures even doing that and taking it easy on the car (myself included).

I think you've got a few options:
-Sell the car before it starts having issues thatll make it impossible to sell.

-Start socking away money now to get a trans fund built up. Drive it until it blows. Hope you've saved up enough by then to cover the repair. Maybe you'll get lucky and it'll live a very long life (or has already been rebuilt once and was done well) and you'll end up with a small pile of bonus cash for your next car purchase.

-Be proactive and buy a semi built trans before you start having issues. You dump a lot more cash into it up front, but at least then you can actually enjoy the car while you own it instead of always worrying that it'll come apart on you.

 

Thanks

 

I don't know much yet about these transmissions but I heard they are barely capable of handling the power of a stock 5.3. I bought my car at 88k and the owner said he had to have it rebuilt at 45k. The starter is also mounted on the trans which I thought was different but it was pretty easy to replace.

 

I am replacing my tranny at 190K. Only real problem is the typical hesitation. Now the real problem is you cannot find a 4T65E. Called 3 very large rebuilders and they are 10 weeks out. Still trying to find one. Now in your case, if you want a bulletproof one, another poster mentioned $5K, which is about right. ATI in MD builds fantastic stuff that is race proven. I used their stuff back in the 90s. There is not a better company out there.

 

TEP (Triple Edge Performance) for years has been the popular vendor of choice for the 4t65e transmissions. Not sure if they are still working on them or not or if their quality is what it used to be. But I would consider contacting them. Here is their website: https://tripleedgeperformance.com/

 

Thanks for your input. Appears they don't build them anymore but sell upgraded parts (when they can get them). This is the problem I have encountered with most everyone. Too much being sourced from overseas and the supply chain is broken. I spent most of the day online trying to find one. Even GM doesn't have any. So being an old drag racer, I reverted back to some of the speed equipment companies, and happened to find Jegs. They actually sell ATK reman transmissions, and by pure luck, found the only one left in the country. It is shipping today (hopefully). It was $2000.99. Shipping was $144 but they do charge sales tax. Seems like a decent transmission and it is dyno tested and comes with a converter that is checked and balanced. Also send the right amount of Dexron. Comes with a 36 month, unlimited mileage warranty also (but I think the labor rate is $50 an hour - good luck with that). They also pay the freight back for your core. So hopefully we get this car back on the road next week. Had to put a front seal in the motor, and a rear seal, so went ahead and did the oil pan gasket and adapter. The cradle had to come out to get to the rear seal, so figured why not do the tranny at the same time and save labor. It has that terrible shudder we all know so well. Replaced the left axle due to a bellows leak also. But hey, the car has 190K miles on it. Just glad the motor runs so well. And all the electrical problems got solved by finding a bolt loose where the grounds met up in the right front. So new starter, new brakes and rotors, wheel bearings, new rear calipers, fixed the leaks, and have a fresh tranny. New power seat frame and seat back.. Taking it to the guy that painted my other MC and letting him just tweak on some of the scrapes and dings and fix the clear coat on the rear. Tight car and drives great. Added a new 33mm solid sway bar and found some almost new Firestones for $160. Still under $10K.

 

Just curious, how recently did they tell you they dont rebuild them anymore?

I know they quit a few years ago, but they resumed at some point. I see they've got a note from 1/1/22 on their rebuilds page about delays in supply chain causing it to take 6-8 wks.

I'm just curious if your response from them came before or after that post date?

Reason I ask is I reccomend them to a lot of people (having done business with them myself in the past and knowing of several of their builds holding big power), so I'll quit suggesting them if they're back out of it again. I hope its just temporary as IMO there's no one better at doing performance 4t65s.

 

Well, it's not rocket science. By now most everyone knows what fails on these trannys. I hit the link you provided, and did not see any suggestion of a tranny for sale, only parts, and some of them on backorder, which seems to be the story for most everyone. Every major rebuilder I talked to quoted 8-10 weeks and I think they were guessing. I did not bother to try and contact anyone. I knew Jegs supposedly had one from ATK in Texas (turned out it was in NC), but they called and verified it was there. After 6 hours online I immediately gave them a credit card number. Even GM is out of them. One place (I think Monster) even offered a HD version for $1000 more, but I have no need for that as my motor is stock. Some were adding Corvette parts to them, like an additional clutch disk (we were doing that back in the 90s). The main thing to ask is who they use for clutch packs. My guy here says Borg Warner makes their own, and that is all he will use. But other parts must be coming from China. Reason I quit racing back in 2000. Nothing but crap back then. They knew nothing of metallurgy.

This is the write up Jegs has for them:ATK rebuilds quality transmissions that go through vigorous testing and simulations to eliminate premature failures. Each transmission will include fluid and an application-specific torque converter that is tested for leaks, lock-up, concentricity, and balance. Fully-rebuilt valve bodies feature a complete system correction and recalibration kit that includes an updated throttle valve, manual valve, 4-spool switch valve, pressure regulator valve, and governor plugs for improved shifting, lubrication, and performance. ATK's attention to detail and quality will save you time and money by keeping your General Motors product out of the shop and on the road.

Remanufactured transmissions are built to OE horsepower and torque specifications

ATK Remanufactured Transmission Warranty

• 36 month/unlimited mileage warranty