1998 Lumina 4T60E transmission problems

[Rick B]

Hello everyone,

 

My first post since joining because google kept pointing to your forum.

 

My daughters car is a 1998 Lumina with the 3.1 and 4T60E transmission. I picked it up cheap got it running for her about 3 months ago.

 

Initially the transmission cooler lines were leaking so i repaired those, and dropped the pan to change the filter and tranny fluid.

 

There was a coating of grey sludge on the bottom of the pan, and the fluid was pretty dark. Didn't smell burnt, just real dirty. Didn't see any metal on the magnet. I opened the filter and there were maybe 5-6 small shavings of aluminum, which i read is normal.

 

I did a poor mans flush by replacing the filter adding some fluid and disconnected the output cooler line and ran it into a pail while adding fluid to the transmission until it was clean.

 

Her can ran and shifted well for about 3 months.

 

A few days ago i saw fluid on the driveway where she was parked and a line going down the driveway. I called her and she said the car was driving fine. I told her she needed to stop and park the car. She called back a minute later and said that it slipped at a red light, and she immediately pulled into a parking lot.

 

There was no fluid reading on the dipstick, and i figured out that the driver-side axle seal was toast. Had the car towed home and changed the seal, and added fluid.

 

There was no leak at that point. I shifted the car into drive and reverse and felt a good tug in both. When I looked again i could see fluid leaking yet again.

 

I took it back apart and checked the seal, it was not damaged. CV joint surface is good with no wear line from the seal either.

 

There was some play in the output shaft which i read was normal.

 

After doing some research, and referencing a thread from this forum i believe, I think that there is too much play...its probably about 1/16th of an inch.

 

I figured that the output shaft bearing is bad, which would mean removing and rebuilding the transmission. She doesn't have the money at the moment, and i'm not sure if i can tackle the job myself. Removing it looks like a pain...let alone trying to rebuild it.

 

I found an aftermarket part called an axle stabilizer that is basically a seal with a needle bearing behind it, which makes it more like a 4T65E setup.

 

I purchased this, and was told that its only a band-aid, since I don't know if any damage was done inside.

 

So I decided to drop the pan again, and see if anything was in there. Fluid was nice and red, magnet had some black goop on it but no visible shavings.

 

I opened up the filter again, and this time it was filled with the plastic pieces from that bearing. No metal at all. Personally I can't believe they were so stupid to even put a bearing like that in there.

 

My question is this. Is this transmission toast? I plan on throwing a new filter in, and installing that axle support to give it a shot. My daughter needs to save some money if it needs to be repaired.

 

Is there even a remote chance that this will work for a while? She is pretty close to her work, where a breakdown wouldn't be terrible.

 

If the filter caught all the plastic then it might be ok...but i have to wonder where all the needles went.

 

Sorry for the long first post, but any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.