I have been looking for information can’t really find it. Hoping someone can answer a question for me. I have a 2003 envoy xl 5.3L. I also have a 2002 envoy xl with the 4.2L. The trans on my 03 lost 3rd and 4th gear. I was curious can I put the trans from the 4.2 on the 5.3.
4L60E trans swap
- Thread starter JoeJoe2
- Start date
- Jul 22, 2015
- 2,724
You have to swap the bellhousings, as they differ between the two engines. Other than that... it's essentially the same trans between the '02 and '03. The '05s got their own control module split off from the PCM.
To be safe, check the stall speed between the two. Or you can swap the converters, which are right up front.
If you swap the converters, there are *three* seating actions you need to perform; if not, you'll notice there's not quite enough room between the converter & flexplate when you bolt them together, and if you proceed anyway, the converter will destroy the pump on first startup.
Of course, if you're having a shop do the work, they will (hopefully) know this.
Since you have the spare, I'd give some thought to rebuilding it, and swapping again when done, especially if you're going to hang onto the '03 for awhile yet. The 4L60E is a pretty good unit, but they do have a couple of weaknesses; one being the 3rd clutch, which you've apparently found out with yours. Service life seems to run about 160-200,000 mi., on a stock unit, given what we see around here. There are outliers on both sides of those figures, of course.
If you're going to just swap and be done, it would be good to change out filter & fluid, unless you know the history of the donor, and that it had fluid / filter done within the last 30-40K miles.
If the '02 doesn't have a drain plug, but the '03 does, swap the pans when you do the filter.
That's about all I can think of. Disco your battery, so that the PCM gets reinitalized.
To be safe, check the stall speed between the two. Or you can swap the converters, which are right up front.
If you swap the converters, there are *three* seating actions you need to perform; if not, you'll notice there's not quite enough room between the converter & flexplate when you bolt them together, and if you proceed anyway, the converter will destroy the pump on first startup.
Of course, if you're having a shop do the work, they will (hopefully) know this.
Since you have the spare, I'd give some thought to rebuilding it, and swapping again when done, especially if you're going to hang onto the '03 for awhile yet. The 4L60E is a pretty good unit, but they do have a couple of weaknesses; one being the 3rd clutch, which you've apparently found out with yours. Service life seems to run about 160-200,000 mi., on a stock unit, given what we see around here. There are outliers on both sides of those figures, of course.
If you're going to just swap and be done, it would be good to change out filter & fluid, unless you know the history of the donor, and that it had fluid / filter done within the last 30-40K miles.
If the '02 doesn't have a drain plug, but the '03 does, swap the pans when you do the filter.
That's about all I can think of. Disco your battery, so that the PCM gets reinitalized.
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