Not sure how much I've posted about my $600 Suburban, but the short version is it took a lot of parts, time, money, and stuff to get it back on the road. Been joyfully driving this thing for a whole two days (about 400 miles) before the 4L60E betrayed me... I was stuck in traffic and noticed that the 1-2 shift was a little hard. Well by the time I got there I was going the 1-2 shift went from a little annoying to REALLY hard, and the service engine soon light came on. Like, the whole truck would jolt. A little research online turned up this: "If at some point the transmission begins to slip, P1870 sets and line pressure is elevated in an attempt to stop any further slippage and prevent further damage. This would explain why DTC 1870 is often accompanied by a complaint of a hard 1-2 upshift."
Now, it seems that most likely I just need to change the valve body, which would run me about $180, then with new fluid and filter and stuff maybe $250: https://www.ebay.com/itm/4L60E-4L65...SS-OEM-CHEVY-GMC-1996-2002-P1870/122937609899
Thing is, I don't have a garage or lift, so I probably can't do it myself, and I assume it's gonna run me about 2 hours of labor at a shop, which is like another $250. So we're $500 into the original 213K+ mile 4L60E with questionable maintenance history. And, of course, no guarantees this fixes the problem. Then, I've thrown away $500 just to need a whole new transmission anyway.
Having a new remanufactured stock replacement transmission installed would run me about $2500 I'm guessing. I'm going to keep this truck for a long time so I'm thinking of just parking it and saving up for that, but part of me wants to try to fix the old transmission first. Either way, it's getting fixed. I have a different vehicle to drive so it's not like I'm without wheels.
I would really like some input on which option I should take.
Now, it seems that most likely I just need to change the valve body, which would run me about $180, then with new fluid and filter and stuff maybe $250: https://www.ebay.com/itm/4L60E-4L65...SS-OEM-CHEVY-GMC-1996-2002-P1870/122937609899
Thing is, I don't have a garage or lift, so I probably can't do it myself, and I assume it's gonna run me about 2 hours of labor at a shop, which is like another $250. So we're $500 into the original 213K+ mile 4L60E with questionable maintenance history. And, of course, no guarantees this fixes the problem. Then, I've thrown away $500 just to need a whole new transmission anyway.
Having a new remanufactured stock replacement transmission installed would run me about $2500 I'm guessing. I'm going to keep this truck for a long time so I'm thinking of just parking it and saving up for that, but part of me wants to try to fix the old transmission first. Either way, it's getting fixed. I have a different vehicle to drive so it's not like I'm without wheels.
I would really like some input on which option I should take.