repair 4l60e trans leak - how would you proceed?

[terminaldegree]

Hi All,

After 7 weeks away from the Tahoe (in my signature), came back to find large pool of ATF on the floor of the garage. Took it to my local garage, who says the "pump is shot/leaking" and that rebuilding the trans or replacing with used trans is advised, at a cost of $1000-1200. The transmission shifts and behaves just fine (even on the short trip to the garage just today) otherwise. The rest of the truck is still in pretty good shape. We've been chasing down ATF leaks on this truck for a while, though. [pan gasket, gasket into t-case, another gasket between trans and t-case]

I trust the mechanic at this garage, but don't trust the boss (who calls the customers) as much...

How would you proceed at this point?
What's the R&R labor time for a transmission on this truck?
If the leak is from the pump, would you just repair the problem and not rebuild the trans? (though the trans would still need to be pulled)
What happens if I keep driving it for a little while, keeping a judicious eye on the fluid level?

Keep in mind that this truck is worth maybe $3500 (with a functioning transmission), and that it doesn't get driven regularly. Oh, and we're not exactly made of money...thanks in advance.

 

[Knox]

There's a 50/50 chance, it's just the front pump bushing and front pump seal. If it where mine, i would replace those and not worry about it.

To be honest, with your budget and it not getting driven much, i would probably just sell it.

 

[FL_Rob]

Keep up with the fluids, and some might cringe about a stop leak ,but if its only used occasionally ..The Bars Two-part stop leak combo works, and with top-ups you'll save in the long run.Your talking almost two months of drips in one spot,it'll look worse than it is.Through non-use plus age ,the seals have shrunk just a hair ,so driving the truck more often may actually help keep the seals soft,without the need for stop leak.Max-life may have enough conditioners in it for just this purpose.

As for the rebuild,of course they recommend the whole job.tThey cant have you come back in three weeks claiming they did faulty work if something else happens.And the seal replacement is relatively simple compare to the job of pulling the trans and T-case.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: terminaldegree

How would you proceed at this point?


The first thing I'd do is get ALLDATA for my '97 Tahoe so I could see what I'm dealing with.

After I've assessed the situation and determined that I could repair it myself; that's what I'd proceed to do.