What should I service this 10L80 at?

I would say that these new 8-9-10 speed transmissions are MORE likely to load up a filter since they're doing a whole lot more shifting, so the clutches are cycling a lot more often. Stock-for-stock, they're also being asked to deal with more torque on a regular basis and do it with fewer friction surfaces.
I don't know how it is in truck or GMs, but in my GT, D mode skips multiple gears and acts like a 5-6 speed. In S(port), it goes through all gears...and much more fun! :)

Before I bought the car, it had a solenoid go out at around 10k so it had a fluid change. Last year, I took it in because of initial jerks when going into R and then what seems to be a too long of o pause when going into D. Had the valve body replaced (another fluid change) and was told to drive for a while to let it learn. Still doing it. Will take it back soon.

On the mustang6g forum, a tuner, Wengerd, seems to do magical things and TRANSforms (pun intended;)) with no issues.
 
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I don't know how it is in truck or GMs, but in my GT, D mode skips multiple gears and acts like a 5-6 speed. In S(port), it goes through all gears...and much more fun! :)

Before I bought the car, it had a solenoid go out at around 10k so it had a fluid change. Last year, I took it in because of initial jerks when going into R and then what seems to be a too long of o pause when going into D. Had the valve body replaced (another fluid change) and was told to drive for a while to let it learn. Still doing it. Will take it back soon.

On the mustang6g forum, a tuner, Wengerd, seems to do magical things and TRANSforms (pun intended;)) with no issues.
At least in the trucks, Tow/Haul makes them not skip at all. All 10 up, all 10 down.

Over on the Ranger board we're finding that Lubegard Platinum is tending to keep the valve bodies freed up. Never been a huge fan of additives, but this one in this situation seems to be the trick. (At least for the valve bodies)
 
I would drop the pan and change the filter at 50k. Then spill and fills every 50k after that. It’s a PITA to get the trans pan down on these. You have to drop the Y pipe from each manifold to get enough clearance to get the pan out. For refilling be prepared to burn yourself twice.
 
On the 24 Tahoe with the 10L80 transmission. I’m trying to plan ahead and form a service interval plan.

I am only at 10k miles. I know I’m very early on, but I love this truck and want to keep it for a long time.

I guess I’m trying to decide:

1. What should the first service be at?
2. Should the filter be changed at this first interval? Fluid only?
3. Should subsequent services be the same mileage intervals?
4. Filter every time, or only every so often?

If no to a filter every time, perhaps I should change to a pan with a drain or maybe I’ll have my welder FIL weld a drain bung to the pan.

Wonder if an aftermarket pan or a drain added to the OE pan would make GM void a warranty in the event of blowing up a trans.

I come from the world of servicing a 4L60E every 20k with drain and fills and every so often a filter… with long healthy trans life. For example I don’t like letting fluid get nasty. I feel you keep the fluid clean they’ll stay healthy.
I have the same tranny on my ‘22 Sierra. The filter is rather large. The dealer and transmission shops recommend service at 45K intervals for Severe Service and nothing for Normal Service. I had the dealer do a flush the first go-round at 50K. Price, $425. The next two intervals, I did a pan siphon and refill at 75K and 100K. Price, $22 (4 qts ULV from Rock Auto + tax and shipping). I used to run a two factories that made transmissions, so know how to do it. Note that the fluid goes dark quickly on these transmissions. Dealer wants $675 for full service filter and fluid change.
 
Not familiar with the 6R80, but the '10X' filters are big, and nice, but still don't filter as well as they need to in order to keep valve body wear and sticking down.

I know the pitchforks are going to come out when I post this (Because everyone seems to hate YouTube), but there is a LOT of good information in this talking video from someone in the aftermarket that seems to be putting some effort in to solving some of the '10X' problems. A lot of it lines up with things I've learned from other sources. Yes, his flat bill hat is rediculous, but the information is sound. Speed it up to 1.75-2x as it is a bit slow.

I have bookmarked a few interesting areas of his 'talk'



Mainly. It doesn't take much to knock these things for a loop, keep your fluid clean.

Links below are at specific sections of the video:


Talking about solenoids.


Talking about Ford/GM 10R80/10L90 and more sticky valves


10 Speed Shift oddities (hint, it's a slow valve body)


Small particles in the valve body.

Thank you.
SIU/Southern Illinois University also has a great series on the 10X80.
 
Me 9k miles under warranty Ford and dealer put a new trans. in 2022 MACH 1 10R80. Car went in morning of Nov. 19 2024 back to me Feb. 10 2025 at 19:00
Mine was stock, No engine or transmission upgrades or changes was so bad! Ford after multiple times at the dealers and a lot my ownership, my car was not in my hands or at dealers, etc. or not functioning correctly. They finally gave in and put a new one in after saying they would just rebuild with the same known faulty parts.
It feels like I have had to pay multiple times for my car.
CHECK ACCURACY OF YOUR REPAIR AND DEALER PAPERWORK! My dealers mostly left problems off and wrongly documented my car’s problems. Do not assume everything will be ok because it is new and still under warranty. You will need correct documentation in the future!
Mine also had a lot of electrical problems, but that is slowed down.
I love the car when it works properly. It’s just that there has been such a short period of my ownership!
From the SIU/southern Illinois University, FLYING WRENCH, and others videos, forums, etc. It seems some of the big problems are the transmission using different materials in the wrong application/places cause the transmission to eat itself and fill the valve body, filters, magnets, with aluminum, etc.
Steel is harder than aluminum and wears the aluminum out fast.

It seems logical to me to change the fluid and filters often.
  1. CDF Drum. In earlier versions of the 10R80, a poorly designed bushing inside the CDF Drum slides out of position, allowing a Teflon seal to fail, resulting in pressure loss.
  2. Outer Shell Problems. The 10R80’s outer shells are made of aluminum, which is softer than the steel used to make the transmission’s various clutches. Sometimes these clutches stick into the divots in the outer shell, causing weird shifts.
  3. Valve Body. Valve bodies are what control the physical shifting in an automatic transmission. But if too much fine metallic contamination collects in the valve body, they behave out of spec. Which is why SIU always recommends replacing valve bodies anytime a 10R transmission is rebuilt.
  4. (In the 10R80, planetary gear sets and the one-way clutch are vital for maintaining smooth gear shifts and appropriate gear ratios. Deficiencies in these components can lead to improper shifting or transmission failures. A faulty one-way clutch might cause skipping of gears or failure to hold power in specific gears.
 
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Another video that could be applied to the 10r80 I think. Shows sticky valve body. I like this guy’s videos.
 
Yep, sooner rather than later for sure.

I dropped my pan to do the PPE pan. Nice having the drain plug, but an expensive option for sure.

That and someone on the Ranger board developed a bespoke dipstick for us. My changes take less time than changing the engine oil.
How did you like the PPE Pan? It looks like a pretty nice piece.
 
How did you like the PPE Pan? It looks like a pretty nice piece.

It was great. Not much else to say about it. Fit well, dropped temps a few deg, and the drain plug makes fluid changes a breeze. The 10R80 shallow pan holds something like 3/4 of a quart more, which wasn't a huge deal for me, just a head scratcher when I put in exactly the amount I took out and the dipstick reading was way off.
 
Service it ASAP. Change the fluid now. And do it every 30k miles or sooner.

The ford 10 speeds and GM 10 speeds are almost identical. There are a few differences, but mainly it’s the tuning. A lot of parts are very very similar, and a lot of parts are actually identical, especially on the 80 series ones.

They both have valve body issues, due to the use of poorly made aluminum valve bodies. CDF drum is also a problem, again because of poorly made aluminum that isn’t hardened properly in my opinion. They wear too easy. I work at a ford dealer, and we go through tons of valve bodies, because they simply just wear out, and that causes fluid pressure loss in the valve body, which leads to burnt clutches as well. JL3Z-7A100-C is the ford part number for the 10r80 Valvebody. It’s expensive. PC3Z-7B177-A for the Reaction shell (CDF). We sell these like hotcakes. I’ve seen 10r80’s with worn valvebodies with only 15k miles on it on a customers F150. It’s because the material is too soft and wear can happen so easily, and also some units are just destined to fail early because of quality control issues. From what I can tell, they use aluminum that isn’t properly hardened, or it’s just a poor quality aluminum. I’m sure the story is same with GM, it’s not just a ford issue.

There are now some aftermarket companies making better parts for these 10 speeds. Gotta love aftermarket trans parts for this reason.

Frequent fluid changes are crucial in these 10 speeds, to remove any particles that can cause wear on these aluminum parts. Do not do long drain intervals even with boutique fluids, because any wear metal in the fluid will eventually eat away the valvebody bores. Don’t do it.
 
I am at 18,000mi right now. Trans still shifts great.

I just ordered a PPE pan (all black), case of Dex ULV, a new Delco trans filter and exhaust gaskets.

Will be doing it within the next week or so.

IMG_4121.webp
 
A colleague of mine builds a lot of 10L80/10L90/10L1000/10R80/10R140 units....His recommendation is to install a Next Gen Drivetrain valve body kit W/ the expensive shift valves soon as possible, At $1,400 & some change it's not cheap!
 
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