Advice needed 5L50e output shaft end play

[DmanSTS]

Hi, I have a 2006 Cadillac STS 4.6L V8 RWD 5 speed auto 5L50e.
I recently replaced center drive bearing, flex joints and rear carrier bushing. All torqued to spec. All were worn especially the bushing was shot. I had been getting knocking under the arm rest.

Knocking went away for a few weeks but came back and got quite a bit worse. Upon inspection my new bearing broke completely off it's mount. Could have been defective but I am concerned it may be a tranny issue.

There is very minimal output shaft end play up/down or left/right of the shaft when the extension housing is in place. There is however quite a bit of axial movement in/out. There is plenty of movement all around with the extension housing off. Is this normal? I don't have a dial indicator so can't give precise but it looks like a couple mm axial to me.

I took videos of the play, I apologize for the quality. Hopefully you can still tell well enough from them. Also have a photo looks like some scouring inside the race of the extension housing. The 2 bearings inside the housing seem to be good, no flat spots and spin free and easy, as does the one bearing at the plastic spacer.

If there is too much play end to end can I remedy this by putting in a thicker spacer/shim? If so where can I find those?

Sorry for the long post and thanks for your expert advice.

 

[clinebarger]

You used GM OE parts?

I see this often....Cheap aftermarket parts fail we're off down some rabbit hole.

 

[DmanSTS]

No sir, all genuine GM replacement parts used. I plan to replace the bad center bearing (again) and put it all back in as is and see if the knock is still there. If it is then it would appear to be the tranny output too much axial movement but I have been unable to locate shims for the 5L50e output. We'll see how it goes. I will post a follow-up either way.

 

[clinebarger]

Is the shim plastic, Got a picture? "French" Hydramatic's are weird so it's helps to know what's exactly in there.

Transmissions don't just gain a bunch of end-play all the sudden for no reason, Either something failed or it was built that way.

Have you pulled the pan? If there's no metal debris....I highly doubt something crashed inside the unit to cause excessive rear unit end-play.

 

[DmanSTS]

Yes, the shim is plastic.

The pan had the expected greasy paste on the magnet but no flakes or pieces.

I put it all back in and the knock is greatly reduced but it is still there intermittently when accelerating hard from a stop.

Maybe I will just bite the bullet and take it to a dealer to diagnose as it is out of my element. If it is the tranny, happens to be a used one with low mileage near me for a good price.

Looks like a fun one to swap out though.