Bought a '97 Suburban yesterday. Plan in my head was to call this week about getting the transmission checked since the vehicle is new to me and has 108K on it. On the way home from buying it, coming around the Hughesville Bypass, the check engine light came on. Went to AutoZone to have it scanned. Figured it was bad gas, loose gas cap, something like that since I had just filled it up at the WaWa in Cedarville. Nope. Transmission error code. So, came home, got the number of the transmission guy and made a call. Told him the situation. He said "You've got the 4l60 transmission. It threw code P1870 didn't it?". Yep. That was the code. Gave me a price over the phone. Dropped it off with him yesterday. He's gonna do a full inspection of the transmission and fix the problem for me. I should have it back on Wednesday or Thursday.

Gotta love the timing. Never even had it to my house before it had to go to the shop. :banghead:

I didn't sell it to him, I swear. :lmao:


Sorry 'bout the 'burban Huntr.

I didn't sell it to him, I swear. :lmao:


Sorry 'bout the 'burban Huntr.:lol:

What's it going to cost to fix it?

What's it going to cost to fix it?

Arm, leg, first born..... the usual.

What's it going to cost to fix it?
About $300, I believe he said...

As we were signing the paperwork at the dealer where we bought it, there was one that said, "no warranty" so as I'm signing it, I said, "so if it falls apart as soon as we drive off the lot, too bad, right."

And the salesman is like, "Oh, don't worry, it won't do that, we're a reputable dealer."

No, it took about 30 miles.

Is it a 700r4 tranny ?

I was under the impression that dealers had to warranty product for a limited period of time, like 30 or 90 days?

Scott

Nevermind....I see the year now...my bad.

I was under the impression that dealers had to warranty product for a limited period of time, like 30 or 90 days?

Scott

Yeah, I'm pretty sure they have to give you at least a 30 day limited warranty. The lemon law or something like that.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure they have to give you at least a 30 day limited warranty. The lemon law or something like that.

Now I admit that im not the best in math but 30 minutes is less than 30 days right?

As Is - No Warranty

When the dealer offers a vehicle "as is," the box next to the "As Is - No Warranty" disclosure on the Buyers Guide must be checked. If the box is checked but the dealer promises to repair the vehicle or cancel the sale if you're not satisfied, make sure the promise is written on the Buyers Guide. Otherwise, you may have a hard time getting the dealer to make good on his word. Some states, including Connecticut, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and the District of Columbia, don't allow "as is" sales for many used vehicles.

Vehicle was bought in Virginia. The Buyer's Guide said, "No Warranty" and we signed it saying we knew that. So we are SOL. However, the repair isn't all that expensive, considering the age of the truck. It was bound to happen and better now than when we were counting on it to get us somewhere.

I have a 1999 suburban 170K on it I drive the hell out of it I pull trailers up and down the road and put 1K in miles a month on it...hell I always even forget to check the oil..gotta love them

Yeah, I'm pretty sure they have to give you at least a 30 day limited warranty. The lemon law or something like that.

Nope, You can buy vehicles all day long with no warranty, AS-IS...every dealer that I khow of has them on the lot.

Lemon laws only apply to new vehicles bought at retail from a new car dealer.

Got the truck back that Thursday night. Drove it to work the following day. Code came back.on the way home. Took truck back to shop that night, Friday a week ago. He thinks it's fixed now. Testdriving today. If this didn't fix it, next step is to replace the torque converter. I REALLY hope it's fixed now.

Truck is fixed. However, during his testdriving, he could tell the torque converter was damaged and so asked if I wanted him to replace it. I get the truck back after Thanksgiving. So far, I am happy with his work. Will report more when I have the truck back.

Happiness is a working transmission.

:yay: Hopefully, that will be the end of repairs.

Check your idler tensioning belt pulley....just sayin...:yay:

:yay: Hopefully, that will be the end of repairs.

It's not. I now have a leaking transfer case or the seal between the trans & tv.

It's not. I now have a leaking transfer case or the seal between the trans & tv.

It was the seal between the transmission and transfer case. Took it back to my guy. Also was not going in to 4x4 (low or high) so I had him look at that.

4x4 problem was a plug that was not properly seated.

He fixed both problems. No charge.

If you need any work done on a vehicle, and the Hollywood area is convenient, then I HIGHLY recommend him. I'm not putting his info on here, but feel free to message me for it.

Drove the truck on Sunday, it ran great.
Drove it to work today and it appears I have lost 2nd gear and overdrive.
It doesn't shift till I hit 30-35 MPH and then at 60 I am running 2200-2500 RPM instead of the 1700-2000 I had been.
No evil sounds. No smells. No Check Engine light.
From what I have found online, it looks like it may be the shift solenoid. Anybody ever change one on a 4L60E? How difficult is it? How long did it take?

:moneypit:


:huggy:

:moneypit:


:huggy:

No doubt! Buying a vehicle of any kind that old would have been a complete :nono: for me.

I hate transmission problems, but it sounds like the 2-4 band is slipping or the servo seals may be damaged (they say the seal can be fixed without removing transmission, good luck with that). Otherwise, 2-4 band is worn out and you need a rebuild or replacement.

I hate transmission problems, but it sounds like the 2-4 band is slipping or the servo seals may be damaged (they say the seal can be fixed without removing transmission, good luck with that). Otherwise, 2-4 band is worn out and you need a rebuild or replacement.

He had some torque converter work done too. With a 500rpm slip at 60, maybe it's the TCC solenoid? I hope so. thats a pretty simple fix.

No doubt! Buying a vehicle of any kind that old would have been a complete :nono: for me.

A 97 isn't that old. :lol: Our newest vehicle we own is a 2003 and that's NEW for us! :lol: D likes old fords, and now he has a 1981 Ford truck and a 1986 Ford stepside truck that he's rebuilding. Good thing he's a mechanic or else they would be money pits. He finds all his parts at junkyards though, because those old trucks were plentiful. :lol:

He had some torque converter work done too. With a 500rpm slip at 60, maybe it's the TCC solenoid? I hope so. thats a pretty simple fix.
Hope so, but he says he doesn't have 2nd or 4th. It looks like his truck likes the shop on about a two-week cycle.

A 97 isn't that old. :lol:

True, but for an every day vehicle (for me) it is. I have a 2003 SUV that I love and there is nothing wrong with it, still going strong, and I have about 120K miles on it. I have no plans to get rid of it any time soon... but can tell you I won't be driving it forever. :lol:

I hate transmission problems, but it sounds like the 2-4 band is slipping or the servo seals may be damaged (they say the seal can be fixed without removing transmission, good luck with that). Otherwise, 2-4 band is worn out and you need a rebuild or replacement.

Just dropped it off to have the transmission pulled and completely rebuilt.

Hope so, but he says he doesn't have 2nd or 4th. It looks like his truck likes the shop on about a two-week cycle.

Doh! Didnt catch that, I just keyed on the RPM difference.

Just dropped it off to have the transmission pulled and completely rebuilt.

Good luck huntr1, hope all goes well.

Just dropped it off to have the transmission pulled and completely rebuilt.
That sucks bigtime, hopefully this will be the last of your problems with this "boat".

Just dropped it off to have the transmission pulled and completely rebuilt.

Good luck, the past month has not been very good for you'll, vehicle problems and septic problems, plus playing Santa to 4 kids. Maybe when they start digging with the septic, maybe they'll hit a bubbling crude, oil that is Texas tea. :buddies:

From what Ive seen driving by, (when its not in the shop)the old Suburban, looks to have nice looking exterior, looks like a good scout hauler.

Good luck, the past month has not been very good for you'll, vehicle problems and septic problems, plus playing Santa to 4 kids. Maybe when they start digging with the septic, maybe they'll hit a bubbling crude, oil that is Texas tea. :buddies:

From what Ive seen driving by, (when its not in the shop)the old Suburban, looks to have nice looking exterior, looks like a good scout hauler.Ah, well the septic turned out to be an entirely different issue. Turns out that when we had some subflooring replaced just before Thanksgiving, the carpenter put a nail in the electrical wire going to the septic pump. :banghead:

Just dropped it off to have the transmission pulled and completely rebuilt.

Got it back last night.

The 2/4 band was broken. The hub it was on was worn. The 1/3 band was worn and not too far from breaking as well. All parts that showed ANY wear were replaced.

Drives like a totally different vehicle. Nice smoother acceleration, good firm shifts, no clunks, etc.

When he rebuilt it, he put in a heavy duty kit. All the bands and clutches are stronger than stock items. Put in a 7 clutch pack as opposed to the stock 5. He said he has never had one built this way break.

Hopefully I am done putting money in to it for a while.

Have some upgrade items on my to do list (transmission temp gauge, transmission drain plug, charge rear-end fluid, may add an additional transmission cooler, additional lights in front and back, replace the driver's side mirror due to shakes, replace remote mirror adjustment switch) but those are for the summer.

From what Ive seen driving by, (when its not in the shop)the old Suburban, looks to have nice looking exterior, looks like a good scout hauler.Body on the Suburban is in really good shape. I cannot find any rust.

Can haul me plus 7 scouts, some of our gear in back and the trailer with the rest of the gear out back. :yahoo:

Drove the truck to work today. Or at least I tried to.

Passing 202, I noticed a "vibration" coming from the truck. Got worse and worse. Pulled over just after the exit for 50 and looked under the truck for ice or something caught up in the drivetrain. No joy. Got back in and accelerated out into traffic. MUCH worse than before. At about 35 MPH, as I got to the merge of 50 into 495, something went BOOM!!! Immediately pulled over and noticed I had no power. Made it to the shoulder. Put it in park and started rolling backwards. Jumped on the brakes and set the parking brake. Got out and took a look under the truck. Transmission fluid pouring out and a missing rear driveshaft. Eventually got it towed to the in-law's.

I think there may be a slight problem...

Isn't this a rebuilt transmission? Warranty?

Hmmm... I'd rule out a possible allignment problem.

Isn't this a rebuilt transmission? Warranty?

Yep and there damn well better be.

I think there may be a slight problem...

Damn! Glad you were unharmed.

Where did you buy this car, if I may ask?

Damn Huntr, seems like that truck likes the shop more then I originally thought. Good luck on getting the warranty work done. And if I was you as soon as it's fixed you ought to consider getting rid of it.

Damn Huntr, seems like that truck likes the shop more then I originally thought. Good luck on getting the warranty work done. And if I was you as soon as it's fixed you ought to consider getting rid of it.But once all the problems are fixed on this vehicle, it'll be a brand-spankin' new Suburban.

But once all the problems are fixed on this vehicle, it'll be a brand-spankin' new Suburban.
Might be, but it sure seems to me that it likes the shop more than Huntr.

Hunter, unbelievable. Hope the guy makes good on any warranty.


I always worry about losing a driveshaft, and having it punch thru the floor. Just one of my few phobias....

Might be, but it sure seems to me that it likes the shop more than Huntr.

It was the thought of carrying all those Scouts.... it got skeered.

It was the thought of carrying all those Scouts.... it got skeered.
I think at the shop it spends more time indoors all warm and comfy.

Hunter, is it 4 wheel drive?

Looks like it was just the driveshaft u-joint that went bad and took out the tailcone when it let go. If so, it's unrelated to your tranny problem, but shouldn't be expensive to fix as long as you retrieved your driveshaft.

Can get a new driveshaft built for less than $200, and tailcones are cheap at the junkyard.

Hopefully, that's it.

Been thinking about this..... a vibration that got progressively worse, bang and lose the forward driveshaft connector and bust out the tranny housing.

I wonder if the u-joint clips were put back in correctly when the shaft was re-inserted. If the u-joint bearings drifted, this is exactly what could happen.

Hunter, is it 4 wheel drive?

Looks like it was just the driveshaft u-joint that went bad and took out the tailcone when it let go. If so, it's unrelated to your tranny problem, but shouldn't be expensive to fix as long as you retrieved your driveshaft.

Can get a new driveshaft built for less than $200, and tailcones are cheap at the junkyard.

Hopefully, that's it.

Yes it's a 4x4. 1997 K1500 Suburban.

I did find part of the driveshaft. Yes, I did say PART. It's about 2-2.5 feet of driveshaft w/ 1 U-joint attached. I picked it up off the beltway when wife drove me back to the truck.

Once it's fixed (again) I am not getting rid of it. Too invested in it now, and I plan to NEVER get rid of it. Eventually, everything that can break, will, and the truck will be all good parts. Hopefully.

Been thinking about this..... a vibration that got progressively worse, bang and lose the forward driveshaft connector and bust out the tranny housing.

I wonder if the u-joint clips were put back in correctly when the shaft was re-inserted. If the u-joint bearings drifted, this is exactly what could happen.

Oh how I hope this can be laid at the feet of my transmission guy. I've paid him a bunch of money (less than a regular shop to do the things he has done, but still...) and I still have no Suburban to drive.

I have driven it maybe 350 miles since the rebuild.

It did great last weekend pulling the troop trailer to/from Little Bennet in Montgomery County. Even though it screwed up my day today and cost me a day of leave, I would much rather this happen today than while pulling the trailer.

Is a driveshaft something I can trust from a junkyard? I've got a guy at a local yard that will cut me a good discount if they have the needed part in his yard.

Is a driveshaft something I can trust from a junkyard? I've got a guy at a local yard that will cut me a good discount if they have the needed part in his yard.

no.....get a new one and make sure it's balanced.

I've paid him a bunch of money (less than a regular shop to do the things he has done, but still...) and I still have no Suburban to drive.
You can't be for real...:rolleyes:

You can't be for real...:rolleyes:Yeah, he's for real...but the guy has been reasonable and gets the opportunity to make good on the work....If the fault is his, like he didn't put something together right, I think he'll take responsibility for it and fix it.

Problem is that we can't possibly sell it for what we've now put into, so if the guy can/will fix it, we need to get him to do it or take a big hit.

And to answer Vrai's question, we bought it at Tyson's Ford, it was something they listed on Ebay because it was a trade-in that they couldn't sell for the trade-in value. I'm more upset with them, because they probably knew there were issues with it and hid them, then with the transmission guy.

huntr1 you have one great attitude. I would have gone nuts by now (with all the problems you had). I'm sure everyone is pulling for ya!

Yeah, he's for real...but the guy has been reasonable and gets the opportunity to make good on the work....If the fault is his, like he didn't put something together right, I think he'll take responsibility for it and fix it.

Problem is that we can't possibly sell it for what we've now put into, so if the guy can/will fix it, we need to get him to do it or take a big hit.

And to answer Vrai's question, we bought it at Tyson's Ford, it was something they listed on Ebay because it was a trade-in that they couldn't sell for the trade-in value. I'm more upset with them, because they probably knew there were issues with it and hid them, then with the transmission guy.
Your post sounds reasonable in that you seem to recognize this latest event may not have been the fault of the mechanic at all but rather metal fatigue and part failure of a different sort than the transmission.

My son chose a '93 F-250 Ford dually as his first vehicle. Fortunate for him, he is his own mechanic because he has had to pretty much replace every part in and under the truck due to worn parts and original parts failure. I have a fit everytime it's something new, but he explains to me it is to be expected. He loves his truck, but its not something I would chose to put up with if it were a vehicle I intended to rely on so I would never buy an older vehicle.

As for being upset with the dealer, I don't really understand that either because it sounds like you knowingly purchased an "as is" vehicle. It sounds like you got it for a considerably low price. If the dealership had put any kind of work into the burb to fix any of these things they would have gotten their money back for it in resale. Its when they know they won't ever be able to sell it for what it would take to fix it that they sell "as is" for such a low price. It's a known gamble for anyone that choses to go this route to get a vehicle.

Your post sounds reasonable in that you seem to recognize this latest event may not have been the fault of the mechanic at all but rather metal fatigue and part failure of a different sort than the transmission.

My son chose a '93 F-250 Ford dually as his first vehicle. Fortunate for him, he is his own mechanic because he has had to pretty much replace every part in and under the truck due to worn parts and original parts failure. I have a fit everytime it's something new, but he explains to me it is to be expected. He loves his truck, but its not something I would chose to put up with if it were a vehicle I intended to rely on so I would never buy an older vehicle.

As for being upset with the dealer, I don't really understand that either because it sounds like you knowingly purchased an "as is" vehicle. It sounds like you got it for a considerably low price. If the dealership had put any kind of work into the burb to fix any of these things they would have gotten their money back for it in resale. Its when they know they won't ever be able to sell it for what it would take to fix it that they sell "as is" for such a low price. It's a known gamble for anyone that choses to go this route to get a vehicle.Oh, I think the latest problem is probably the mechanic's fault. I actually hope it is because than I expect him to fix it for free. It's because I expect him to stand by his work that I'm willing to tolerate that he made a small mistake that had unexpectedly large consequences.

As for the dealer, If it had just been a matter of them not checking out the vehicle and they didn't know if/what was wrong, I'd be ok. But circumstances lead me to believe that the "check engine" light was on at some point while it was in their possession and they just turned it off and hoped it wouldn't trip again in the middle of a test drive. THAT's why I have issues with the dealer. Also, had we bought the truck in Maryland, instead of Virginia, we'd have been able to hold the dealer responsible for fixing it or been able to return it because Maryland law gives 30 days for stuff like this and we'd had it about an hour when the first problem arose.

can anybody sharpen up the picture?

Oh, I think the latest problem is probably the mechanic's fault. I actually hope it is because than I expect him to fix it for free. It's because I expect him to stand by his work that I'm willing to tolerate that he made a small mistake that had unexpectedly large consequences.


I can see how you'd be hoping, but I just don't see how you can feel so sure you can put this back on the mechanic especially since huntr1 has already said, "It did great last weekend pulling the troop trailer to/from Little Bennet in Montgomery County." I guess we'll have to wait and see what the true point of failure was.

can anybody sharpen up the picture?

Is that the intermediate housing (some call it 'adapter), between the transmission, and the transfer case that broke? It looks like it in that fuzzy picture. I have certainly those break before but the causes vary.


I build off-road trucks as a hobby and have for a long time...but not Chevy's, so I'm not immediately familiar with the Chevy setup. 700R4 automatic tranny?..what model T-case?

Not much to work with... Looks like the lens was fogged.

I can see how you'd be hoping, but I just don't see how you can feel so sure you can put this back on the mechanic especially since huntr1 has already said, "It did great last weekend pulling the troop trailer to/from Little Bennet in Montgomery County." I guess we'll have to wait and see what the true point of failure was.Multiple people who have heard about this, including my brother, father and others feel the most likely cause is something the mechanic did. Even if he didn't replace the parts that broke this time, he had them pulled out, so he would probably notice any pre-existing problems and if there weren't any, it is likely he put something back together incorrectly. But we'll see. He's supposed to pick it up today and look it over again. I'm trying to be optimistic here. Stop trying to burst my bubble.

How about this one?

Is that the intermediate housing (some call it 'adapter), between the transmission, and the transfer case that broke? It looks like it in that fuzzy picture. I have certainly those break before but the causes vary.


I build off-road trucks as a hobby and have for a long time...but not Chevy's, so I'm not immediately familiar with the Chevy setup. 700R4 automatic tranny?..what model T-case?

Unfortunately, it's not the intermediate housing. It's the transmission case between the back of the pan and the intermediate housing. Transmission is a 4L60E. Don't recall the model of the transfer case. In the first picture I posted, the rust brown part to the left is the flange of the intermediate housing.

Unfortunately, it's not the intermediate housing. It's the transmission case between the back of the pan and the intermediate housing. Transmission is a 4L60E. Don't recall the model of the transfer case. In the first picture I posted, the rust brown part to the left is the flange of the intermediate housing.

Gotcha. Eww..although the trans will usually be ruined by the intermediate case breaking too (because the output shaft of the tranny goes through there) so its not really a case of one failure being any better or worse than the other.

Good luck..I can see determining the exact cause of failure being pretty darned difficult to figure. I've seen broken tranny casings, broken adapter housings and broken transfer cases...some looked like they just 'decide to give up and let go for no apparent reason' while others were clearly being abused (off roading as sport does that). That it was just rebuilt and re-installed..sure does give one pause though, doesn' it?

Drove the truck to work today. Or at least I tried to.

I think there may be a slight problem...

Got the truck back yesterday.

Still not sure what exactly happened, but whatever caused it snapped the transmission case in half, destroyed the internals of the transfer case and of course the broken driveshaft.

Mechanic replaced the rear driveshaft with a brand new one, replaced the u-joints on the front driveshaft, got a transfer case and transmission from Brandywine and completely rebuilt both of them to make sure they were in like-now (or better than new) condition. The only things in the drivetrain from the engine to pumkin that are original are the front driveshaft and the intermediate housing that joins the transfer case to the transmission. Everything else from the flywheel back has been rebuilt and/or replaced.

Oh, and the cost? $0.00.

After he was done telling me everything he did, I asked what I owed him. He said "Nothing. I stand behind my work. I cannot prove that it was or was not due to something I did or something that was damaged that I did not see in working on it in the past, so it's on me. I stand behind my work and we are good. You and I are good. Have a nice day and if you need anything else, call me. Keys are in the truck."

He will continue to get my work.

He does any work needed on a vehicle, not just transmissions, so if you want an HONEST repair guy, PM me for his info.

Wow. That is some of the best customer service I've ever heard of....

Good luck with the truck now. It owes you a few trouble-free miles at this point...

Wow. That is some of the best customer service I've ever heard of.... Yep. This is why I continue to champion his work.

Good luck with the truck now. It owes you a few trouble-free miles at this point... From your fingers to God's ears.