ATF for 2002 Tahoe, 4L60E, mild towing

Status
Not open for further replies.
RDY4WAR

RDY4WAR

Joined
Aug 25, 2018
Messages
4,450
Location
South Carolina
I have a 2002 Tahoe with 239k miles on the original 5.3L and 4L60E transmission. Neither one are showing any signs of poor health. *knocks on wood* It serves as the family vacation vehicle, but also as the tow rig for my track car. The car, trailer, fuel, tools, etc... totals right at 6,000 lbs and the tow distance is 80 miles round trip to the nearest track (10-14 times per year) and 900 miles round trip to the furthest track (once per year for the LTx Shootout). The trip to the local track is all flat highway. There's some small mountains on the long trip going across northern Georgia and eastern Tennessee, but nothing major.

The engine I'm not concerned about. It's a stout workhorse. The transmission however is notorious for burning up the 3-4 clutches, and 99% of the time it's due to excessive heat. When I tow with this transmission, I keep it in tow mode around town and do tow in overdrive on flat highway. If I notice it jumping out of lockout, hunting for lockout or 3rd gear, I'll manually drop it to 3rd gear. This Tahoe has a tall 3.08 rear gear with 31" tires so 3rd gear at 70 mph is still only around 2500 rpm. In OD, it's about 1700 rpm.

My intention is to keep the transmission temps down to extend transmission life and help it tow easier. The OEM setup cools the ATF through the radiator which I'm sure isn't the most efficient. I plan to get a deeper oil pan with a drain plug to hold an additional 2 quarts. Would additional capacity, paired with a high quality ATF, be sufficient for this application or is a secondary external ATF cooler a necessity? Any thoughts on using Red Line D4 ATF in a 4L60E at 30k mile oil and filter change interval?
 
If you are going to keep it, i'd run a Tru-cool max cooler. I have the LPD 47391 on mine. Even on long trips in hot weather i never see temps over 170f at 90f ambient. under 90 f it usually runs 155 while towing. In 50 degree weather its about 125f. It is a big cooler.

Mine is plumbed so that hot transfluid goes to the radiator first then the Tru-cool cooler.

http://www.trucool.com/products/tru-cool-max


[Linked Image]



[Linked Image]
 
Last edited:
An extra cooler may be overkill and an additional source of leaks down the road. If you are going to drop the pan to change the filter, then adding a deeper pan would be a great idea. Redline D4 is probably the most premium fluid you can pick for your Tahoe's transmission. I buy Redline's products and enjoy using them, but if you truly are going to change every 30k miles, you might just want to buy whatever dexron III or VI fluid you can get for cheap. My vote would be for Valvoline Maxlife ATF.
 
239k miles and a boutique fluid? Maxlife would more than suffice for that application.

I would skip the pan and just get the external cooler. At 239k miles I would like parts that I put on to possibly be transferable to another vehicle. In addition to that, it is milkshake insurance in case the factory cooler fails and mixes the ATF and coolant. You can also cooler line flush it and add an external filter to the trans it at the same time.

Honestly man, I would just do drain and fills and wait for it to blow. It depends on a variety of factors, but if you think it can make 300k then get the cooler.
 
Fairly small engine, fairly high gears. I would tow in third gear only. A secondary cooler should be considered a necessity if you want to save your transmission. I would use Dex 6 and change it after each towing season. Go ahead and purchase boutique transmission oil but it won't help much unless you have the external oil cooler. I would by the auxiliary cooler before the deeper pan.
smile.gif
 
Last edited:
Spasm's got a good cooler; I don't know that you need to go that big. Most any application short of a full 1-ton truck that does heavy towing will be more than served by a plate and fin cooler that is rated in the 20-24k GVWR rating. LPD Tru-Cool 4454 can be had for about $55 on eBay and will be plenty. If you really want to take the pan off, it would be a good time to install a shift kit to ensure the line pressure is kept high, which will protect the bands. I agree, skip the boutique; MaxLife ATF is plenty stout and cheap enough to change it every 30k to keep the innards fresh.
 
Nothing wrong with Redline D4 and a 30k interval
smile.gif


If your transmission doesn't have a drain plug, get an aftermarket pan that has one
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted by slacktide_bitog
Nothing wrong with Redline D4 and a 30k interval
smile.gif


If your transmission doesn't have a drain plug, get an aftermarket pan that has one
smile.gif


thumbsup2.gif


If I were towing I would also consider the Amsoil Signature series of ATF.
 
If you look on Rock Auto, AC Delco has a transmission cooler, and the lines.

Looks like some of the Tahoe's came with it from the factory, so it's just a matter of installing it...

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/chevrolet,2002,tahoe,5.3l+v8,1380372,transmission-automatic,oil+cooler,2088
 
Thanks for the input. I'll get a fluid cooler. I'll also look more into Max Life. My thoughts were that a more stout ATF like Red Line D4, Amsoil Signature, Driven AT3, etc... would handle heat better and protect the transmission better should the fluid get too hot. I could probably go 50k miles (or more) on Red Line, but that would also take about 7-8 years to rack up as this truck only sees 7,500-10,000 miles per year. If Max Life would serve the purpose just as well for 25-30k miles while saving the wallet a little, that may be the route I take.

New question: Would there be any benefit to bypassing the radiator cooler completely and running just a big external cooler?

Originally Posted by slacktide_bitog
Nothing wrong with Redline D4 and a 30k interval
smile.gif


If your transmission doesn't have a drain plug, get an aftermarket pan that has one
smile.gif



That's the main reason behind the deeper pan. The stock pan doesn't have a drain plug, and looking at aftermarket pans with drain plugs, a stock capacity and +2 quart capacity pan are the same price so might as well go with the extra capacity.
 
Last edited:
Nothing about Redline impresses me anymore with less than 10% esters and it has products which have lower flashpoints than competitors. I'm sure it's racing products have some decent applications.

Just use DEX VI product and do a drain and fill every 30-50K. Your maintenance practice will still be well beyond what the majority do.
 
I bypass the in-radiator cooler altogether and just go to an aftermarket cooler. The main purpose of the in-radiator cooler is to get the transmission fluid up to temp faster. Never had a problem in 20 years. Dex6 flows just fine at low temp.
 
Bummer about the 3.08 gears. That trans will be struggling for sure. I recommend dex6 in it. It definitely needs a better cooler. Keep in mind that most if not all of these trucks pump the fluid from the bottom of the cooler and out the top! So when you put on a cooler check the flow direction.
 
Originally Posted by Chris142
Bummer about the 3.08 gears. That trans will be struggling for sure. I recommend dex6 in it. It definitely needs a better cooler. Keep in mind that most if not all of these trucks pump the fluid from the bottom of the cooler and out the top! So when you put on a cooler check the flow direction.


Noted. Thanks.

I actually like the 3.08 gears. It gets 19.5-20.5 mpg (not while towing) on long drives out of state with the family cruising in overdrive under 2000 rpm. I have no issue leaving it in 3rd gear for towing duty cause like I mentioned, even in 1:1 third gear, I'm still under 2500 rpm cruising down the highway. I keep it in tow mode while towing which increases the line pressure and holds lower gears longer. The converter still locks out in 3rd and 4th gear in tow mode.

I'm not afraid of the miles. The truck is solid. I just want to make sure it stays solid. I plan to keep it until the wheels fall off. It's in excellent condition for being 17 years old.

[Linked Image]
 
I thought 3.23 was the lowest numerical gear offered?

FYI, the stock 00-06 1500 gauge cluster will support the trans temp gauge that came standard in the 2500 Suburban. The information is already there from the computer. It's a fairly easy upgrade. I did it on my 02 Yukon XL. In cooler weather, towing 6k with 3 people in the car, the trans didn't get above its normal operating temp.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

R
My 10,000 mile review of the 2024 Tahoe
2
Replies
26
Views
9K
redhat
A
2007 Toyota Corolla with P0741
Replies
7
Views
1K
AKhan87
J
4L60E Issues and Proactive Service
Replies
17
Views
4K
jmvar
S
2017 Honda Pilot ATF Experience
2
Replies
38
Views
16K
nicholas
M
1 Week Review - 2025 Toyota Tacoma Hybrid Limited
3 4 5
Replies
84
Views
23K
mikeduf
Back
Top Bottom