4L60-E Trans Question, Drive or 3rd Gear for City Driving
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 8,999
From: C-Town
Another cool video...that does NOT claim that excessive shifting from 3rd to 4th (OD) caused the failure. The takeaway from the video is to change the fluid often, NOT to only use D while on the highway. And MOST 4L60 transmissions do NOT last 300,000 miles (nor do most of the engines attached to them). Oh wait, I suppose that every one that you've seen go 300,000 miles only shifted to D while on the highway?
And just where in the manual does it say that? Here's from MY manual:
"DRIVE (D): This position is for normal driving.
It provides the best fuel economy for your vehicle.
DRIVE (D) can be used when towing a trailer. You may
want to shift the transmission to THIRD (3) or, if
necessary, a lower gear if the transmission shifts too
often under heavy loads and/or hilly conditions.
THIRD (3): This position is also used for normal
driving.
DRIVE (D) without using your brakes. You might
choose THIRD (3) instead of DRIVE (D) when driving
on hilly, winding roads, when towing a trailer, so there
is less shifting between gears and when going down
a steep hill."
Nowhere in (my) manual does it say to use 3rd while normal driving to minimize shifts. Nowhere. It only says to use 3rd to minimize shifts under heavy loads and windy, hilly roads. That is to minimize strain of the entire drivetrain constantly shifting back and forth. And as Doc says, if excessive shifts cause the trans to wear out, why does the 1/2 shift not wear out most often? You guys need to learn that correlation does not mean causation; By your logic, drinking milk leads to heroin abuse, since it's likely that every heroin user drank milk as a child! But hey, you do you and I'll do me. Go ahead and use only 3rd in town, thinking that it will extend the life of your tranny, and I'll use D, the way the tranny was designed to be used.
And just where in the manual does it say that? Here's from MY manual:
"DRIVE (D): This position is for normal driving.
It provides the best fuel economy for your vehicle.
Money saved on fuel will cost you more in the long run!
DRIVE (D) can be used when towing a trailer. You may
want to shift the transmission to THIRD (3) or, if
necessary, a lower gear if the transmission shifts too
often under heavy loads and/or hilly conditions.
THIRD (3): This position is also used for normal
driving.
Extends the life of the transmission!
However it reduces vehicle speed more thanDRIVE (D) without using your brakes. You might
choose THIRD (3) instead of DRIVE (D) when driving
on hilly, winding roads, when towing a trailer, so there
is less shifting between gears and when going down
a steep hill."
Nowhere in (my) manual does it say to use 3rd while normal driving to minimize shifts. Nowhere. It only says to use 3rd to minimize shifts under heavy loads and windy, hilly roads. That is to minimize strain of the entire drivetrain constantly shifting back and forth. And as Doc says, if excessive shifts cause the trans to wear out, why does the 1/2 shift not wear out most often? You guys need to learn that correlation does not mean causation; By your logic, drinking milk leads to heroin abuse, since it's likely that every heroin user drank milk as a child! But hey, you do you and I'll do me. Go ahead and use only 3rd in town, thinking that it will extend the life of your tranny, and I'll use D, the way the tranny was designed to be used.
Thread Starter
|
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2023
Posts: 11
Another cool video...that does NOT claim that excessive shifting from 3rd to 4th (OD) caused the failure. The takeaway from the video is to change the fluid often, NOT to only use D while on the highway. And MOST 4L60 transmissions do NOT last 300,000 miles (nor do most of the engines attached to them). Oh wait, I suppose that every one that you've seen go 300,000 miles only shifted to D while on the highway?
And just where in the manual does it say that? Here's from MY manual:
"DRIVE (D): This position is for normal driving.
It provides the best fuel economy for your vehicle.
DRIVE (D) can be used when towing a trailer. You may
want to shift the transmission to THIRD (3) or, if
necessary, a lower gear if the transmission shifts too
often under heavy loads and/or hilly conditions.
THIRD (3): This position is also used for normal
driving. However it reduces vehicle speed more than
DRIVE (D) without using your brakes. You might
choose THIRD (3) instead of DRIVE (D) when driving
on hilly, winding roads, when towing a trailer, so there
is less shifting between gears and when going down
a steep hill."
Nowhere in (my) manual does it say to use 3rd while normal driving to minimize shifts. Nowhere. It only says to use 3rd to minimize shifts under heavy loads and windy, hilly roads. That is to minimize strain of the entire drivetrain constantly shifting back and forth. And as Doc says, if excessive shifts cause the trans to wear out, why does the 1/2 shift not wear out most often? You guys need to learn that correlation does not mean causation; By your logic, drinking milk leads to heroin abuse, since it's likely that every heroin user drank milk as a child! But hey, you do you and I'll do me. Go ahead and use only 3rd in town, thinking that it will extend the life of your tranny, and I'll use D, the way the tranny was designed to be used.
And just where in the manual does it say that? Here's from MY manual:
"DRIVE (D): This position is for normal driving.
It provides the best fuel economy for your vehicle.
DRIVE (D) can be used when towing a trailer. You may
want to shift the transmission to THIRD (3) or, if
necessary, a lower gear if the transmission shifts too
often under heavy loads and/or hilly conditions.
THIRD (3): This position is also used for normal
driving. However it reduces vehicle speed more than
DRIVE (D) without using your brakes. You might
choose THIRD (3) instead of DRIVE (D) when driving
on hilly, winding roads, when towing a trailer, so there
is less shifting between gears and when going down
a steep hill."
Nowhere in (my) manual does it say to use 3rd while normal driving to minimize shifts. Nowhere. It only says to use 3rd to minimize shifts under heavy loads and windy, hilly roads. That is to minimize strain of the entire drivetrain constantly shifting back and forth. And as Doc says, if excessive shifts cause the trans to wear out, why does the 1/2 shift not wear out most often? You guys need to learn that correlation does not mean causation; By your logic, drinking milk leads to heroin abuse, since it's likely that every heroin user drank milk as a child! But hey, you do you and I'll do me. Go ahead and use only 3rd in town, thinking that it will extend the life of your tranny, and I'll use D, the way the tranny was designed to be used.
. You need to learn the 4L60’s common failure points, which includes the 3-4 Clutch Pack as hummerz has said several times. You go on and use
D
3
Thread Starter
|
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2023
Posts: 11
Another cool video...that does NOT claim that excessive shifting from 3rd to 4th (OD) caused the failure. The takeaway from the video is to change the fluid often, NOT to only use D while on the highway. And MOST 4L60 transmissions do NOT last 300,000 miles (nor do most of the engines attached to them). Oh wait, I suppose that every one that you've seen go 300,000 miles only shifted to D while on the highway?
And just where in the manual does it say that? Here's from MY manual:
"DRIVE (D): This position is for normal driving.
It provides the best fuel economy for your vehicle.
DRIVE (D) can be used when towing a trailer. You may
want to shift the transmission to THIRD (3) or, if
necessary, a lower gear if the transmission shifts too
often under heavy loads and/or hilly conditions.
THIRD (3): This position is also used for normal
driving. However it reduces vehicle speed more than
DRIVE (D) without using your brakes. You might
choose THIRD (3) instead of DRIVE (D) when driving
on hilly, winding roads, when towing a trailer, so there
is less shifting between gears and when going down
a steep hill."
Nowhere in (my) manual does it say to use 3rd while normal driving to minimize shifts. Nowhere. It only says to use 3rd to minimize shifts under heavy loads and windy, hilly roads. That is to minimize strain of the entire drivetrain constantly shifting back and forth. And as Doc says, if excessive shifts cause the trans to wear out, why does the 1/2 shift not wear out most often? You guys need to learn that correlation does not mean causation; By your logic, drinking milk leads to heroin abuse, since it's likely that every heroin user drank milk as a child! But hey, you do you and I'll do me. Go ahead and use only 3rd in town, thinking that it will extend the life of your tranny, and I'll use D, the way the tranny was designed to be used.
And just where in the manual does it say that? Here's from MY manual:
"DRIVE (D): This position is for normal driving.
It provides the best fuel economy for your vehicle.
DRIVE (D) can be used when towing a trailer. You may
want to shift the transmission to THIRD (3) or, if
necessary, a lower gear if the transmission shifts too
often under heavy loads and/or hilly conditions.
THIRD (3): This position is also used for normal
driving. However it reduces vehicle speed more than
DRIVE (D) without using your brakes. You might
choose THIRD (3) instead of DRIVE (D) when driving
on hilly, winding roads, when towing a trailer, so there
is less shifting between gears and when going down
a steep hill."
Nowhere in (my) manual does it say to use 3rd while normal driving to minimize shifts. Nowhere. It only says to use 3rd to minimize shifts under heavy loads and windy, hilly roads. That is to minimize strain of the entire drivetrain constantly shifting back and forth. And as Doc says, if excessive shifts cause the trans to wear out, why does the 1/2 shift not wear out most often? You guys need to learn that correlation does not mean causation; By your logic, drinking milk leads to heroin abuse, since it's likely that every heroin user drank milk as a child! But hey, you do you and I'll do me. Go ahead and use only 3rd in town, thinking that it will extend the life of your tranny, and I'll use D, the way the tranny was designed to be used.
. You need to learn the 4L60’s common failure points, which includes the 3-4 Clutch Pack as hummerz has said several times. You go on and use D, but every forced downshift that poor transmission does, is two less upshifts it will do in it’s life. PS, I’ve seen plenty of 4L60’s go over 300,000 miles when they would utilize the advice when the thing is prone to gear hunting. I’ll use 3 knowing that I’m increasing the life of my tranny.
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 150
Glad i just got here. After reading this whole thread. What happened 3-4 clutch packs went out and you literally cant go past 45 mph and it just revs. had to get the transmission rebuilt. the transmission has 1 gear 2 gear is a band and then the 3-4 clutch pack. The guy that rebuilt it was in a small town of almont, mi Howards transmissions. Weird how my transmission decides to go out on the other side of the state and the closet shop happens to been working on transmission for over 40 years. He said exactly what hummerz said the 3-4 goes bad and it can happen and just like that. everything is good then bam its rebuild time. He told me to change the fluid and filter every 30k miles. I honestly think i want to drive in 3 after reading this whole thread and having to slap 2500 on the credit card. idk what to do. but its shifts way smoother now.
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2021
Posts: 265
From: New Mexico
This is a humorous discussion with lots of comments from folks who have probably never driven a manual transmission. Who in their right mind would drive a stick and constantly row between the gears while driving in city traffic?! You would stay in a lower gear at a slightly higher rpm’s than optimum until you have some open road ahead of you, then shift to a higher gear once you can maintain a fixed speed.
The automatic transmission can’t look at the traffic and decide to stay in a lower gear, so it shifts, then shifts again when you slow down, then again and again and again as you speed up and slow down in traffic. This is totally different than the 1-2 shift which happens once at lower speeds when accelerating and doesn’t happen again until you come to a stop. The 3-4 up down hunting in traffic is, without a doubt, going to cause wear and tear. You wouldn’t drive that way in stick so it makes sense to not drive that way with an automatic either.
Hummerz is right on this, if your transmission hunts back and forth between 3 and 4 in traffic then staying in the lower gear saves you all that wear and tear, and will provide a better, more natural driving experience as well.
The automatic transmission can’t look at the traffic and decide to stay in a lower gear, so it shifts, then shifts again when you slow down, then again and again and again as you speed up and slow down in traffic. This is totally different than the 1-2 shift which happens once at lower speeds when accelerating and doesn’t happen again until you come to a stop. The 3-4 up down hunting in traffic is, without a doubt, going to cause wear and tear. You wouldn’t drive that way in stick so it makes sense to not drive that way with an automatic either.
Hummerz is right on this, if your transmission hunts back and forth between 3 and 4 in traffic then staying in the lower gear saves you all that wear and tear, and will provide a better, more natural driving experience as well.
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 795
From: SoCal
This is a humorous discussion with lots of comments from folks who have probably never driven a manual transmission. Who in their right mind would drive a stick and constantly row between the gears while driving in city traffic?! You would stay in a lower gear at a slightly higher rpm’s than optimum until you have some open road ahead of you, then shift to a higher gear once you can maintain a fixed speed.
The automatic transmission can’t look at the traffic and decide to stay in a lower gear, so it shifts, then shifts again when you slow down, then again and again and again as you speed up and slow down in traffic. This is totally different than the 1-2 shift which happens once at lower speeds when accelerating and doesn’t happen again until you come to a stop. The 3-4 up down hunting in traffic is, without a doubt, going to cause wear and tear. You wouldn’t drive that way in stick so it makes sense to not drive that way with an automatic either.
Hummerz is right on this, if your transmission hunts back and forth between 3 and 4 in traffic then staying in the lower gear saves you all that wear and tear, and will provide a better, more natural driving experience as well.
The automatic transmission can’t look at the traffic and decide to stay in a lower gear, so it shifts, then shifts again when you slow down, then again and again and again as you speed up and slow down in traffic. This is totally different than the 1-2 shift which happens once at lower speeds when accelerating and doesn’t happen again until you come to a stop. The 3-4 up down hunting in traffic is, without a doubt, going to cause wear and tear. You wouldn’t drive that way in stick so it makes sense to not drive that way with an automatic either.
Hummerz is right on this, if your transmission hunts back and forth between 3 and 4 in traffic then staying in the lower gear saves you all that wear and tear, and will provide a better, more natural driving experience as well.
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 8,999
From: C-Town
''shift the transmission to THIRD (3) or, if
necessary, a lower gear if the transmission shifts too
often under heavy loads and/or hilly conditions.
..choose THIRD (3) instead of DRIVE (D) when driving
on hilly, winding roads, when towing a trailer, so there
is less shifting between gears and when going down
a steep hill."
You're right, this has been a humorous discussion. As for never driving a manual trans? Get a life; I was probably clutching before you were born, and have never in my life NOT owned a manual. I've had several vehicles that have lasted 400,000 miles, but that's not the norm, nor is it the norm for a 4L60e trans to last 300,000 miles. I keep hearing you guys claim that "plenty" of them do, but that claim set's my BS meter off. Some may, but it's not the norm. And I guarantee that you cannot prove that those that have did so because of the owner's use of 3 instead of D. But again, I will obviously never convince you that you are accomplishing very little by manually forcing it to never shift above 3rd when in town, and you will not convince me that I am damaging my trans by using it the way it was designed to be used. So I'm bowing out of this conversation. Thanks for all of the quotes, links, videos, opinions, etc. May we all take what we deem valuable from it all and have a beer!
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 8,999
From: C-Town
Choose THIRD (3) when driving:
on hilly roads
winding roads
towing a trailer
under heavy loads
down a steep hill
under 55mph
