95SevilleSLS Posted August 4, 2008 Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 I've come to realize that the 4T80E seems to have a common problem with the lock-up in the torque converter with it usually being just the solenoid. Did the 4T60-E in the Caddy's have the same sort of problem or was it pretty rare for them to have that issue? Why I ask is because there was a Caddy I was looking at purchasing and he mentioned that the lock-up torque converter code was the only thing that the car has wrong with it. Which I was very suprised he mentioned it because it's not something you can find out on a test drive, especially if they clear the codes. -Dusty- - 02 Seville STS, white diamond - 93 Sixty Special, Tan with vinyl top - 79 Coupe DeVille, Tan with Tan top - 06 GMC Sierra Z71, Black - 92 Silverado C1500, black and grey - 83 Chevy K10 Silverado, Black and Grey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadillac Jim Posted August 4, 2008 Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 It's not a common problem. It happens mostly in high-mileage transmissions that have never been serviced, and is basically a stuck solenoid. The transmission has three, all operated by computer. The other two are shift solenoids and operate all the time and rarely stick. The TCC solenoid isn't used as much in cars that don't go on the highway because the computer won't try to actuate it unless the car is going faster than 42 mph at light throttle. This is true of any transmission with a TCC. Running without it will cost you about 1 mpg highway mileage. It's expensive to fix because the transmission has to partially come apart. Changing the fluid and cleaning all the filters and pan while the TCC solenoid is being changed amounts to servicing the transmission. Depending on condition and mileage, if you fix it you should consider changing the other two solenoids and look at the seals. If the mileage is really high (over 150,000 miles) you might think about the bands and clutches, which gets you to a full rebuild. Others here with hands-on experience with the TCC will likely chime in. -- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data -- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Hall Posted August 4, 2008 Report Share Posted August 4, 2008 It seems to be just as common of a problem on the 4T60 / 4T60E as the 4T80E. When the VCC solenoid on my Eldorado went out, I lost about 5 mpg. I would be able to get 30 mpg but afterwards, it would only do about 25 mpg. The car now has 240k miles and I plan to rebuild the transmission as soon as I have some time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95SevilleSLS Posted August 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 It seems to be just as common of a problem on the 4T60 / 4T60E as the 4T80E. When the VCC solenoid on my Eldorado went out, I lost about 5 mpg. I would be able to get 30 mpg but afterwards, it would only do about 25 mpg. The car now has 240k miles and I plan to rebuild the transmission as soon as I have some time. Yeah, I noticed a huge drop in my mileage with the solenoid acting up on my 02. For instance the one time my fiancé was driving and we were getting 22 MPG at 62 MPH and then she cleared the PCM codes after the light came on for it and we consistently got 28 MPG. The guy that has the 4.9L with the solenoid out, he get's 20 or so on the highway. My future father-in-law gets about 27-28 religiously with his 4.9L on the highway and he obviously does not have the solenoid issue. They are both the same year too. I definitely believe you lose a lot more than 1-2 MPG when the torque converter is not locked up. Even if I would gain 6 MPG after it was fixed, it would save me $400 if I drove 10,000 miles in a year. The only way that would be cost effective is if I did it myself. The tranny shop wanted $1800 to fix it. He said that they just replace a bunch of stuff when somebody gets that code. I didn't really like the sound of that because I specifically asked how much it would be to replace the solenoid, not the enitre tranny! Somebody is out for money... Is there any possible way to free the solenoid without taking anything apart or is that just dreaming? -Dusty- - 02 Seville STS, white diamond - 93 Sixty Special, Tan with vinyl top - 79 Coupe DeVille, Tan with Tan top - 06 GMC Sierra Z71, Black - 92 Silverado C1500, black and grey - 83 Chevy K10 Silverado, Black and Grey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Hall Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 The reason the tranny shop quotes $1800 is they probably also put in a rebuild kit as well. It's hardly worth it to pull the whole tranny out just to replace the solenoid unless the transmission has very low miles on it. I think it is possible to replace the solenoid without entirely pulling it out of the car. The solenoid is located on the side pan and you have to lower the cradle to gain access to this side pan. When I do mine, I'm going to remove the transmission and put in a rebuild kit. It's not worth it for me to just replace the solenoid when the transmission has 60k miles since rebuild. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navion Posted August 5, 2008 Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 Well, the short answer would be no. BUT, if you could get the pin-out for the tranny wiring harness, you could check to see if the solenoid had continuity. If it does, that means that the coil is still intact. Then, with a lot of luck and a power supply of, say 15, to 18 volts, you may manually try to activate the solenoid several times in rapid succession. This may free the stuck pintle valve in the solenoid OR it may burn out the coil! This would be something that I may be caught trying just before I committed to pulling the tranny down to change the solenoid anyway. A person would have to see how the solenoid is constructed to see if it would be more advantageous to have the engine running when trying to free the solenoid or not. Remember, this is just ME thinking about how I would react if this problem happened to me. I have not tried this and do not know anyone who has. I don't know if it is even practical. I just have an aversion to spending lots of bucks to replace a $15.00 solenoid. Take Care, Britt Britt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95SevilleSLS Posted August 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2008 The reason the tranny shop quotes $1800 is they probably also put in a rebuild kit as well. It's hardly worth it to pull the whole tranny out just to replace the solenoid unless the transmission has very low miles on it. I think it is possible to replace the solenoid without entirely pulling it out of the car. The solenoid is located on the side pan and you have to lower the cradle to gain access to this side pan. When I do mine, I'm going to remove the transmission and put in a rebuild kit. It's not worth it for me to just replace the solenoid when the transmission has 60k miles since rebuild. I think I may be tackling that job this fall on the 02. I'd really like to get it fixed. Is this what I need? ACDELCO Part # 24227792 VALVE,TCC PWM SOL w/4-SPD AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION(MH1) It's only $36 from rockauto.com. How much work is it to drop the cradle? Can two mechanically inclined (one a former GM mechanic) people do it in one day or a weekend? -Dusty- - 02 Seville STS, white diamond - 93 Sixty Special, Tan with vinyl top - 79 Coupe DeVille, Tan with Tan top - 06 GMC Sierra Z71, Black - 92 Silverado C1500, black and grey - 83 Chevy K10 Silverado, Black and Grey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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