Metal in 6L90 drain pan, Express van

[clinebarger]

I use a CTA Tools model# 6500 most of the time for the 4-5-6 pistons, And use a Hagerty "Snap Press" model# KB-20 for the other drums.

The Snap Press will work on ALL the Drums/Pistons, The CTA tool is NO GOOD for the Lo/Reverse or the 2-6 Pistons. On the 2-6 Piston.....I just walk the Snap Ring in with a large flat blade.

 

[Hank3band]

Today I was able to order a new AC Delco bellhousing and a new pump/stator assembly from Amazon for a very reasonable price.

Thanks for posting the measurement procedure for rotor clearance/sizing. I will attempt it when I get the new parts.

Where do I place the straight edge to align the two parts together? It's only $45 for the ring tool. Might just get it.

Also, this picture is the rear case bushing. Looks bad but is still very smooth to the touch. Is replacement possible without the correct bushing driver?

 

[clinebarger]

If you can swing the alignment tool.....Buy it!

The Case Bushing is the easiest to replace, Use a appropriately sized seal driver (larger than the Bushing O.D.) & drive it in 'til flush with the back of the case. Make sure to align the lube feed hole.

Bushing Service is very difficult to convey over text, It's more Feel & Experience than Technical Procedure. In fact.....GM Dealer Technicians are not expected to replace Bushings at all.

To make it easier....Use Durabond "Seamless" Bushings as they aren't nearly as easy to distort as seamed bushings.

That Bushing has a lot of service life left in it.....Assuming that surface finish is consistent all the way round??

 

[Hank3band]

Clinebarger, once again, thank you. When this is complete I will need to send you beer money or bootleg whiskey from Iowa or a tool gift card...

The rear output bushing feels smooth all the way around and the output shaft is smooth as well. I think I am going to leave it alone.

Any input regarding piston replacement? Sonnax? Hi-Per? AC Delco? I need to order something soon.

I ordered a Hagerty Snap Press and will have that on hand to aid installing new frictions and pistons. I ordered the OEM AC Delco Frictions, 6L80 kit. I will have to order some additional for the 6l90 required amount.

I got some parts delivered over the last few days. Unfortunately Amazon damaged the pump cover in shipping. Easy return but days lost there. See picture attached.

 

[clinebarger]

Any input regarding piston replacement? Sonnax? Hi-Per? AC Delco? I need to order something soon.

OE GM/Delco would be my recommendation, Though I have used Seal Aftermarket "High Performance Blue" pistons with great results.

Aftermarket part quality is more of a crapshoot now than ever before.

 

[Hank3band]

Update time. Took some time off in August to do fun stuff. Knoxville Nationals.

Racing a local Enduro:

Recently got back to working on the transmission. Got the snap press setup and installed all new frictions in each drum. Installed the Sonnax 4-5-6 Heavy Duty kit too. Also installed the Sonnax billet piston in the big drum.

Started tearing down the valve body tonight for cleaning. Hoping tomorrow to install all the Transgo Tow&Pro parts for it. Possibly get the TEHCM torn down and resealed if needed. Making progress. Labeled all the parts tonight, definitely needed.

 

[Hank3band]

Update time. I got the valve body re-assembled with all the Transgo Tow&Pro parts.

I put my newly purchased assembly stand to use and started putting all the components back in the case:

Got the huge snap ring back into place, victory!

2nd transmission re-assembled with new components and ready to be lifted out of the stand. Waited for some family to help lift it out and help swap it into the van.

I was able to get the old transmission out by myself but didn't have enough frame to floor clearance to get it out on the jack. I had to air hammer the dowel pins to get them separated from the block. Steel dowels in aluminum bellhousing...

 

[Hank3band]

Once we got the 2nd transmission up into the van it went in pretty easy. Filled with fluid, flashed the TEHCM with HP Tuners using file pulled from the original transmission. Doubled checked a bunch of stuff, went to start the van for the first time in months... and the starter failed. So I had to go get a starter and replace it. Once that was changed, the van started and ran. I took it easy backing the van out of the driveway and checking fluid level as it warmed up. First test drive around town went well. First trip on the interstate after a few days of town only driving went well too. Using a scanguage, I watched the trans temp on the interstate at 75mph and it ran 132 degrees F. Here are a few pics of the completed van and starting to use it for it's intended use.

 

[Hank3band]

Fast forward to today. I made a quick trip in the van to the gas station for Craiglist sale. Afterwards, I was pulling out into traffic, light throttle during left turn, van shifted, and then it made 3 quick thumps that felt like driveline binding. I got out of the throttle and left the van coast. The issue stopped, I slowly got back into the throttle and it didn't do it again. Drove a mile or so home and it didn't do it again.

I was pumped for the first 100 miles that I actually pulled off the rebuild. Now I am concerned that there is an issue with clutch apply, something binding, or torque converter clearance. Any ideas @clinebarger ???

I have HP Tuners at my disposal to measure transmission parameters. I haven't tuned the TEHCM to remove the torque converter lockup in lower gears but I can't remember if the 6L90 suffers from the same issue as 6L80 with regards to lockup.

 

[Chris142]

Don't try to rebuild it yourself. Have a reputable shop do it..... trust me.

 

[clinebarger]

PM me so you can send me the Calibration via email, I'd like to review it.

Try resetting the Adaptives & perform a "Quick Learn", These units can act very strange if all the Clutch Apply & Release Volumes are not reset! I use my Snap-on or Autel scan tools to do this, Haven't tried with the HP-Tuners Scanner.

 

[clinebarger]

This was a Segment Swap?

 

[Hank3band]

This was a Segment Swap?

I swapped in a different transmission than original after rebuilding it. I flashed the swapped transmission TEHCM after installation using OBDII port and HP Tuners dongle and software.

 

[clinebarger]

Segment Swapping is a tool within the HP-Tuner software. Simply overwriting the file doesn't change the entire calibration as there's underlying code that you can't see or edit with the software.

Going back & looking at the trans you bought.....The first digit of the broadcast code is 1....So it came from a 2011. The 2 piece dipstick says it came from a Savanna/Express van.
The 2 TCM's (Calibrations) were likely carbon copies of each other, So writing one file over the other wouldn't cause any issues.

If the TCM was out of a Silverado/Sierra & you tried to overwrite it with a Van file.....Problems can ensue, Weird/Strange shifting patterns is one of the symptoms.

If you want to make sure that the calibration files are the same.....Compare the "Calibration Details" (Red Arrow) between the 2 modules......The Segment ID Numbers should match (Black box)

 

[clinebarger]

I went through the file you sent.....Nothing stood out. The TCC locks up in 2nd at pretty low speeds & stays locked at normal throttle angles through the rest of the gears, This is how all 2010+ 6L90E calibrations are.
Older calibrations didn't lock the TCC 'til 43 MPH & was completely locked out in 1st & 2nd.

I'd be happy to edit your file for better TCC behavior & send it back to you.....If this is the file you're going to stick with?

 

[Hank3band]

I went through the file you sent.....Nothing stood out. The TCC locks up in 2nd at pretty low speeds & stays locked at normal throttle angles through the rest of the gears, This is how all 2010+ 6L90E calibrations are.
Older calibrations didn't lock the TCC 'til 43 MPH & was completely locked out in 1st & 2nd.

I'd be happy to edit your file for better TCC behavior & send it back to you.....If this is the file you're going to stick with?

I will happily take you up on your offer! This is the file I plan to stick with. It's original to the van. The transmission and TEHCM I installed are in fact from the same year and model I have. So I see no reason to use a different file unless you have a reason otherwise.

I can look through HP Tuners forum and YouTube to teach myself but having an experienced person do it is all the better.

 

[clinebarger]

Email sent.

 

[Hank3band]

Chris, thanks for sending the tune. We had our first child late last week so I haven't had much van time. But I did get the tune loaded into TEHCM and it shifts noticably better during a short drive I took. I might get away this Sunday for a few hour trip in the van. Let you know how it goes.

 

[MacManus99]

Chris, thanks for sending the tune. We had our first child late last week so I haven't had much van time. But I did get the tune loaded into TEHCM and it shifts noticably better during a short drive I took. I might get away this Sunday for a few hour trip in the van. Let you know how it goes.

Congrats on the child!!!
RIP free time.
Great thread. Keep us posted on your progress.

 

[Hank3band]

Small update. I had been chasing a few codes related to the bank 1 oxygen sensor. I finally got around to putting a multimeter to the situation. I found 12+ volts on the harness side so I knew it was good. I removed the sensor and found an open circuit in the heater wires of 02 sensor. So I ordered a new Denso on Amazon for half the Napa price. While removing the old sensor, I found an open hole in the exhaust pipe where it meets the catalytic converter. Like the weld broke away from joint. So I filled that in with JB Weld Extreme Heat. After sensor showed up, installed it, cleared the codes, and fired up the ole 6 liter. Purrs like a Kitten. I used HP Tuners scanner to do a crank relearn and now it idles and runs awesome. Been driving it around town today and very happy with the progress on this van compared to the day I brought it home.