Transmission Range question

Petey

Original poster
Member
Aug 27, 2012
105
Today I crossed narrow mountain pass and instead of riding the brakes I put the transmission in first to let that hold me back when descending. I didn't think it was holding me back as much as it should have. At the end of the road I kept it in first and stopped at the stop sign and when I took off it seemed sluggish (like it was in second) and thought it clunked or changed gears. When I was in a parking lot I tested it again and it again it was in second and it clunked like it was switching gears or not fully in a gear.


All other range positions work fine. When in D or 3 it starts in First and has all the right gears.

Could the Cable be out of a adjustment? It always has been hard to get it into 1, like the click is all the way at the end of the shifter's travel.
 

Wooluf1952

Member
Nov 20, 2011
2,663
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
That does sound like it's not being shifted into 1st. Do you have any problem getting into Park? I would get under the truck and check for looseness where the cable is connected to the shift lever. The connector is made of plastic and may be breaking up.
 

dkvasnicka

Member
Jul 24, 2015
366
Czech republic, Europe
At what speeds were you descending? I know automatics can provide limited engine braking when shifted into lower gears but when I do it I never shift it as low as 1. I've lived under the impression that the gear ratio is so high that any prolonged engine braking like that puts too much strain on the components, clutches and stuff...

I once did that in my Saab 9-5 V6 (and that was going down a hill maybe 30 km/h), it didn't sound pretty at all and I then smelt burn material, as if destroying a manual trans clutch... the car then worked well for the rest of my ownership and I never had issues with the trans but since then I'm not willing to use 1st for anything else besides starting from a dead stop.
 
Sep 20, 2015
501
Western Mass.
You really shouldn't do that. We have torque converters and brakes that do that. This platform and the 4L60E for that matter wasn't designed to do that. Just stay cautiously on the brakes.

On the subject of getting the truck into 1st lockout. Mine does something similar, it's always been a little extra pull to get it down into 1. But I never need to so it hasn't bothered me.
 

AtlWrk

Member
Dec 6, 2011
674
Wasn't designed to do that?

From the owners manual (emphasis added):
FIRST (1): This position gives you even more power but lower fuel economy than SECOND (2). You can use it on very steep hills, or in deep snow or mud. If the selector lever is put in FIRST (1) while the vehicle is moving forward, the transmission will not shift into first gear until the vehicle is going slowly enough.

Not trying to be argumentative but it was literally designed to do exactly that. Of course you also want to use your brakes but the 4L60E includes an overrun clutch to lockout the forward sprag to provide engine braking in lower gears--in extreme conditions, all the way down to manual first.

For the OP: the last part of the excerpt may be why it didn't seem like you were being held back enough. Manually shifting to first will only put you in first if you're going slowly enough--the transmission may have actually still been in second, even though you had first selected. That, or like your testing has shown, you're not actually getting the transmission into first at all.
 

Petey

Original poster
Member
Aug 27, 2012
105
Thanks! yeah coasting down the hill i had to hit the brakes to keep it at 20-25. I was confused because

A) that is way too fast for first
B) the tack was between 1500-2K

This morning I tried it again from a dead stop and the same thing happened (it was in second and would slip in and out) But if I slam the shifter down into first it would start and stay in first.

I will climb under it and check the linkage but the all the other positions are correct.
 

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