PERFORMABUILT TRANSMISSIONS

1-What size are the TORX screws that holds my bellhousing to my transmission, and what is the best way to remove them?

The bit is called a T50 plus and is available from sonnax and snapon. However, you can use a modified T50. Purchase a quality T50 bit and grind about 1/32 inch off the end. Do not use the bits with a hole in the end. The grind amount is approx. as it varies from one brand to another, but the goal is to grind until the bit fits tight in the screw head. The bits get progressively larger as they get near the top, so grinding more off effectively makes the bit larger. Then bear in mind that the screws are held in with red loctite, so they are held in fairly tight. Use small propane torch (the ones that cost around 5 dollars at the hardware store) and heat the thread end (not the bolt head) to around 275 to 300 degrees. Then (generally) the screws will come right out. Make sure you have the bit lined up straight in the screw, and keep it that way. Do not use an impact wrench - if it jumps out it will strip the bolt. Then you would have a much larger problem.

Check that the Vehicle Speed Sensor (for 4L60E/65E) or speedometer cable (for 700R) is connected. On 4L60E/65E units this may cause a no shift situation or erratic shifts. Note: The 700R4 does not have the correct speedometer gears installed, so you must take the gears and driven assembly from your old unit and install them on the new 700R4.

3- My new transmission is installed, and it doesn’t shift. It also feels like it is slipping or in a higher gear than what I expected.

Check that the wiring harness is fully plugged into the transmission, Check all fuses, and see if the engine SES light is on (you can also scan for codes), If the SES light is on, or codes are present, this is generally considered an electronics issue. If it’s a 700R4, did you hook up the TV cable?

4-I have a 3000 or higher stall converter and I just installed my new 4L60E. When I drive normally everything feels great, but at full throttle I bounce off the rev limiter.

Many 4L60E cars with a stall at or over 3000 rpm may require the tuning parameters for speed and rpm be reconfigured to compensate for the higher stall. (This is sometimes refered to as stall wall)

5-I just installed my new transmission (or converter) and it does not move. What could be wrong?

The most common reason for this is that the converter was not fully seated in the pump, which should have shown itself when there was difficulty turning the converter, Provided you have enough fluid in it. Remove one line from the transmission cooler, Start the vehicle and fluid should come spraying out, If this does not happen, you may have broken the pump and will need to remove the transmission and repair. Hopefully, you have not destroyed converter.

Get a case and add till full you may have a couple left over but its better to have that than not enough when all the stores are closed.

7- I have my new PerformaBuilt trans but I had my PCM tuned with my old one. what do I need to do?

We strongly suggest that you have all transmission tuning tables returned to stock. Then you may make ajustments for shift time and converter lockup as needed , But please leave the presure tables alone.

The most common cause of this issue is misfire it may not show as a code but in some cars will cause the SES light to blink irrratically, Also note the engine temp must be above 135 f for the PCM to allow lockup. If you have and SES light on as always scan for codes first then contact us for help.

Nothing unless you have the 4L60E PCM programed to make a WOT 4th shift it is disallowed in the factory tune. The 700R4 alternatley cannot do a WOT shift into fourth unless it has a modiied TV plunger sleeve .

10-My 700R4 or 4L60E will shift from first to second even when I have it in manual low is something wrong?

No both trans, but for different reasons are comanded to upshift at very high rpm or speed from first gear, Each require a special shift kit to avoid this, This kit is only available in our level 3 units.

Check for codes and the wiring of your VSS (vehicle speed censor) this measure ment is required for shifts to properly occur.

12-Whats the break in time for my new trans and or converter and is there any proceedure.

If possible have rear wheels raised when your ready to start car for first time. Put 6 quarts of fluild in the trans then start with the shifter in neutral. (beware wheels may spin) Now add till full total will vary but ussually between 9.5 and 12 us quarts depending on converter size. Then run car through the gears several times with wheels raised. Again be carefull. Stop wheels with brakes. Put car in park. Turn car off and check for leaks. Lower car and start engine again check that fuild is well in to cross hatch. Drive car around normally for a day around 50 to 100 miles lots of starting and stopping. Let the car set over night and next morning start car and run till warm. Then check fuild it should be topped off till at top of hot line or crosshatch and little 1/2 inch or so over is fine and yes 1/2 inch bellow full can hurt your trans. Thats it your broke in enjoy. Note never assume a car is in park or neutral simply because the shifter says so , Be prepared for anything!

That bag contains seals for different applications. You may, or may not, need some of them. Just use what you need to install your particular transmission and do not worry about the rest.

14 – There’s an aerosol can with a tube on it that came with my transmission. What do I do with it?

That is a can of cooler flush. Its purpose is to allow you to clean out your transmission cooler (separate or radiator-based cooler) and remove particles that could contaminate the new transmission. Screw the hose to one of the lines going to the cooler at the transmission location and place a container at the other hose to catch the liquid exiting the cooler. Push the button on the can and hold till empty. Allow the fluid to drain completely before reconnecting the lines.

Contact us before you do anything. We will help you solve your problem as quickly as possible. In many cases problems are actually minor, or installation issues that can be easily resolved. Please do not post that your transmission or converter has a problem in a public forum until we have actually determined what is wrong. Always contact us first; we work very diligently with all our customers to insure that all issues are resolved in a timely manner. Please note that no warranty work can be done to the unit without our express consent. If you take the unit apart yourself to see what is wrong, or have it done by a 3rd party, you have voided your warranty.

Truly accurate testing of a converter stall is nearly impossible once you install it in your car. You can get some idea using a transbrake. Barring that, the next best thing would be to put the car in limp mode, 3rd gear, and nail it suddenly. Then watch the tach. The rpm it flashes to is close to your stall speed. Brake stalling is meaningless and gives no useful information.

18 - My car has second gear start capability and/or a performance shift button. Will these still work with your transmission?

Yes these are functions of the PCM not the transmission. They will continue to function as they did before, although a bit enhanced in the performance mode.

19-My car cannot select first gear or has no first gear position. Why, and what can I do?

Some models have a plastic stop formed in the gate. Simply remove the console, cut off the plastic piece, and you will be able to select 1st gear manually.

20-I just installed my converter and I’m getting code 7xx. What’s wrong and what should I do?

These codes are sometime set when a high stall (usually higher than 3000) is installed, but not always and not always immediately. They can be corrected through tuning when the PCM does not understand the RPM/SPEED offset with the new converter. From my understanding this involves removing the test for the code,not simply clearing the code.

These items are interchagable from unit to unit but are also are easily damaged during transport both to us from the core dealers and to you as a customer. In order not to need a core return we remove those items when present. This is the primay reason we can sell without needing your core.

22-I just received my transmission and it was damaged in shipment. What do I do?

Call us and we will handle it from there. Taking care of your needs is our first priority. We will deal with the shipping company. If you notice damage to the unit (not the box it is shipped in) while the driver is there refuse shipment.

The answer in short is yes. It may not happen today or tomorrow, but the additional stress created in the torque multiplication and the higher torque achieved in a less linear manner does put immense additional stress on the transmission. This addition stress will significantly shorten the life of the stock transmission, as its capabilities will be exceeded.

The answer to this question is yes and we furnish every unit with one. While not having a cooler is not going to cause your transmission to die tomorrow, heat will kill it in the long run by hardening seals and gaskets. Having a stall converter will only compound this problem. Installing a cooler is just a good idea.

25-Is it ok to use synthetic fluid in my transmission?

Yes absolutely, you can use any fluid that meets or exceeds the requirement for your car, generally dextron mercron or better. However, I will say that in my mind I can’t see the cost factor. The OEM fluid can last over 100000 miles in many cars and trucks while never being changed and still working well. So the plain stuff is good too. It’s your money, so use what you want and feel comfortable with. We have no preference.

26-I just changed my rear end ratio. Now my transmission doesn’t shift right. It shifts too early or too late. What is wrong, and what should I do?

When making a gear change it is necessary to reprogram the PCM for the new gear ratio. This must be done with some form of tuning software.

You may of course send a cashiers check or money order to us however due to issues with forgeries with both of these it will take two weeks to process your order. Alternatly you can get a prepaid debit card. These are carried at most check cashing stores. One I am familiar with is www.netspend.com Most if you deposit more than 500 dollars will give the card for free. They work like a regular visa or mastercard and can be used over and over for purchases and you get them instantly at the stores no credit check or bank account required.

The issue will be handled exactly according to the warranty agreement on the WARRANTY Page. Please click on the purple word or on the warranty links at bottom and top of our page before calling.

This depends on what type of failure you have, Obviously if the pan is full of metal or if the pump failed the answer would be yes, Or if the converter has many miles on it, However if the failure is limited to for instance a sudden break(sun shell, stripped planet, broken planet ,failed 3-4 clutch or other syptomes such as no reverse or wont upshift etc.)and the pan is clean or has only small amount of grey clutch material in it then it may be likley you can reuse the converter. This would generally be determined by the trans builder. But generally as a rule as far as contamination goes the only thing that can put contaminants in the converter is the pump or converter its self. All fluild being sent back to the planets and drums must travel back through the filter in order to reach the converter and unless the filter becomes damaged in some way the particulate matter that goes into the pan during a failure cannot reach the converter. Exceptions to this rule would be if you had been having known converter issues,Such as lockup shudder,noises whining or grinding and after tear down no obvious source for the noise can be found for metal present in the pan with no decernable source within the transmission. The same rule would apply to clutch material for instance pan has large amounts of grey dust in bottom but there are no burned or worn away clutches within the trans since everything in the trans pan had to originate from either the transmission or the converter , So if you cant find a source for it in one you must assume its from the other.

30-My transmission dosent act right imediatly after and install. what should I do.

Of course first you should recheck all you plugs and conectors and fluid levels , However also you should make sure the trans is fully warm at least 140 degrees (running it with wheels raised will acomplish this in about 15 to 30 minutes depending on cooler routing)since during transmission assembly a petrolium gel is used to hold valve body parts in place, Particularly in colder climates this gel may restrict valve movement or move with difficulty through an orifice causing unusual trans function. Once a temp of 140 degree F has been reached this jel will desolve and become part of the fluid and no longer have any affect. If after this there is still some issue contact the builder for further instructions or PerformaBuilts tech service.

31-My converter by anyone will not lockup or it was locking and is not now whats wrong.

The converter clutch operation from the transmissions perspective is quite simple, The lockup solenoid is energized and in the case of the 95 up 4L60E the PWM solenoid is turned on this strokes a valve in the pump and the lockup clutch is engaged. The clutch itself inside the converer is simple two seals and a clutch the solenoids engage and the fluild is directed to the converter clutch piston via the tcc valve in pump applying the clutch. Now from a converter perspective there are only two reasons this might not happen. One would be the seals are damaged or bad however this is unlikley if the clutch has been applying and has suddenly stopped or applies intermitantly. The other possibilty is the lining has come off the converter clutch, However if this has occurred you will hear a grinding/rubbung sound from the converter and there will be metal in the pan. From a tranmission perspective there are several possibilites. The oring on the input shaft could have gone bad or been damaged. The tcc valve is stuck. The lockup solenoid or PWM solenoid is bad or the screen in the PWM solenoid is clogged. The converter regulator valve next to the PWM solenoid is stuck or the valve bore is badly worn. From the PCM/TUNING perspective there are numorous possibiltes and I have found these are the most common. Engine missfire- This may not set a code but in some cars will make the ses light flash erratically in either case raising the engine missfire tables or correcting the source of the missfire will ussually sove the issue-No engine thermostate or bad coolant temperature sensor. The PCM will not allow lockup until the engine reachs a temp of aproximatley 135 degrees. There are other possibile tuning issues possible also but from reading watching and experiencing I will have to say a NO LOCKUP situation should handled as a tuning or electronics issue before looking at the mechanical.

While locking the clutch a couple times for a dyno run is not likley to cause any real damage. This is not suggested. The clutch area of even the large 12 inch stock converters is not adequate to support this action. You have to bear in mind when you lock the converter clutch at WOT you are asking a very small surface area friction comparitivly to do the same job as a manual transmission clutch which has 10 times the surface area and several 100 more PSI applying. And even manual clutches fail so you can imagine what damage you can do to a small diameter lockup clutch. The only company I am aware of that makes a converter suitable for this purpose on a regular basis is PRECISION INDUSTRIES with there multi clutch units. All other converters will likley have a converter clutch failure when this is done prematurley. This is the reason GM does not allow this to occur in the the stock programing. It will damage the converter and may result in transmission failure or contamination.

1-Shifts and shift points. Though we do install a shift kit to improve shifts and reduce slip, this has no affect on when the transmission shifts. In the 700R4 this is a function of governor pressure versus TV pressure. It is somewhat adjustable with the TV cable setting. On the 4L60e, however, it is strictly a PCM programming function. Though you may be able to hold gears down by using the shifter, you cannot cause the up shift to occur before the PCM commands it. In the 4L60e the upshifts are completely at the mercy of the PCM. The 4L60e can only what it’s told, it has no mind of its own.
The 4L60e is dependent on many things to determine shift timing. They are listed below in descending order:

A-Vehicle speed and engine rpm. I list these together because there is an interdependency between them

B-Throttle position. Determines shift firmness and greatly affects kickdown and part throttle upshifts.

C-Mass air flow or speed density. Though this does not greatly affect shift timing normally, it does affect shift firmness and can cause erratic shift if faulty or incorrect. Also note that in some cases with large cams and issue with the MAF may cause quick shifts from 1-2-3-4 at WOT and require ajustment of the MAF tables in the tune. Basically a MAF sensor is a peice of resistive wire. A current is passed through it as air travels across this wire it is cooled when a conductor is cooled resistance decreases and current can increase and when warmer resistance is increased and current is decreased. This current is what the PCM reads to determine how much air is entering the engine. This is then compared to set parameters in the PCM program as a determining factor for everything from fuel to air ratio to estimated engine torque output. This in turn affects trans line presure and in estreme cases can have and affect on shift timing (CAMS,INTAKE,HEADS) can affect to this level. Other things that can affect it is a dirty air filter, Over oiled air filter in the case of the latter the oil can actually coat the resistive wire and insulate it causing the air passing over the wire to be unable to cool the wire lowering its resistance and increasing current. When this happens several things can be misinterpreted by the PCM Because the wire is warmer and the current lower the PCM may lower line presure or,make the car run lean since basically the PCM thinks the car is taking in less air than it actually is making the PCM assume less torque or power outout from the engine and to some level may even cause this to be true by leaning out the mixture signifcantly. Now in the case of the head and cam package etc you can get a reverse affect your taking in more air than the PCM determines based on the current pasing through the MAF since the PCM is programed that a given current equals a certain amount of air based on the original engine specs and the RPM the engine is turning along with throttle opening, When you change the ability of the engine to take in air the programs used to compare these varables become inacurate and can again adversly affect engine and transmission operation. Its very important to make sure when doing engine mods that the person doing the tuning alterations or if doing them your self you understand all of these things well. Since not only can this hurt the performance of your car. It can also in exstreme cases cause damage to your trans and even your engine. Tuning is not as simple as trans and engine they are heavily intertwined.

2-Converter lockup. Lockup is controlled by the PCM. Full throttle lockup is not possible or preferred with factory tuning, but can be accomplished with PCM tuning. However, it may smoke the converter clutch prematurely.

3-Manual shifting of transmission. Contrary to popular thought, doing this occasionally will not hurt your unit. In fact, there are some instances where it can be beneficial. For example, when roll racing, bringing on the low clutch by manually putting the transmission into first helps support the low and input sprags. Another example would be burn outs, as again it will help to support the sprags by turning on the low clutch and the overrun clutch. Placing the transmission in D3 rather than the OD position is always a good idea when using nitrous or turbo/supercharger applications. Although we use the strongest sprag available, the BorgWarner dual cage input sprag it is still the weakest link in the transmission. Also, the overrun clutch being on to help support it is a good idea. Note however that on our level three unit (which is capable of downshifting to manual first at any speed) there is a risk of overevving the engine and causing damage to the engine.

4-Transmission temperature. Transmission temperature is something you hear discussed quite often. However it is not as critical as some would have you believe. Short of boiling the fluid there are seldom short term issues. You can tell if the fluid is boiling because it would generally spray out the vent tube on top of the transmission. High transmission temperatures will cause damage over a long period of time through the hardening of seals and breakdown of fluid into varnish. It will not kill your transmission overnight but over a long period it can. As long as you keep the transmission temperature under 230 degrees (normally lower is better of course) and under 250 intermittently you should be fine. After several stalls in a row, the temperature will rise for a short period of time. Note: The temperature reading on your gauge will vary according to the location of the sending unit. The closer to the transmission, the higher the reading will be. But it’s still true that a cooler is excellent insurance. When you install your cooler, go ahead and take the stock radiator-based cooler out of the loop. With a stock thermostat, the radiator temperatures are in the 210 degree range. So you would be limiting the effectiveness of the external cooler.

5-PWM (Pulse Width Modulation). What is it and how does it affect my car? PWM is the controlled slip of your converter, which basically allows the converter clutch to partially lock at lower speeds to improve fuel economy. However, this generates heat and puts wear on the converter clutch. While this is not a big problem with an OEM sized converter, it is a problem with the smaller 8-9-10 inch converters because they do not have enough clutch surface area, and they can’t absorb the extra heat generated. Nor do they have the friction area for the slip to be properly controlled by the PCM. PWM should be eliminated in any high performance application (and really any application). This function is the source of the code 1870. This function is eliminated on all our transmissions.

6-RPM AND ITS EFFECT ON TRANS LIFE, RPM as with any part of the drive train does take its toll however a properly built trans should be able to tach through 7000 with no issue. This is not true about a stock or stock rebuilt transmission. There are issues which may occur when the trans is not properly prepared. Low HI RPM presure and undesired 3-4 clutch apply when the car is not in 3rd gear burning the clutch. MAX rpm for a stock 4L60E/65 should be no more than 6000 rpm.

7-Vacume modulation in the 4l60e and 4l80e: Using vacume modulation in these trans was created by TRANSGO while we do not incorporate this into all our units and beleave the PCS is ultimatly the better system. There are certain instances where this mod may be benificial. Instances of this would be when setting up the trans with a full manual valve body with no electronics for aplications with no ECM. Anoher use though debatable would be in the case of chronic presure control issues . Though this would be curing the syptom and not the cause as a last resort when all other avenues have failed it can and will solve the issue. You must however bear in mind that the issue causing the PCM to comand thewrong line presure may also be afecting your performance in other areas and everything possible should be done to find the cause. We do however prefer to stay with the PCS system since it can better meter line to many variables and make the vehicle much more adaptive to various situations.

8-Presure control do and donts the truth: Ultimatly max line presure is controlled mechanically by the presure regulator in the pump and can never exceed its max setting. However you can have effect on presure through several avenues within the 0 to max range this valve allows. This can be done in several ways. One way would be tuning. To do this you can raise the or lower the line in a percentage format within that range. Typically the setting stock on the tuning tables its 90 percent Which means the presure is set to 90 percent of the max presure the PCM will allow.This would be reached at max throttle when the current to the PCS is at 0. So for instance if max PSI was 100 (its higher than that) the the max presure that could be atained at WOT would be 90 pounds. But if you increase the presure by lets say 5 percent in the tuning to 95 percent then the presure accross the board would be increased by 5 percent but still would never exceed the max setting for the PR valve at WOT. Another way to increase line would be shiming the PR valve or installing a stiffer PR valve spring. This is never suggested GM had a reason for setting the max line where it is it is the max presure the trans can operate at without fear of damage. In fact in the case of limp mode it sets max line to allow the car to operate at a high enough line to allow you to drive it home or to a dealer or trans shop without fear of damaging the trans. Another way is to turn the set screw in the end of the PCS 1/4 turn clock wise this too will increase the line to by aprox 5 percent across the board but again will not allow you to exceed the Max line allowed by the presure regulator. This mod or a small tuning change is a good way to improved clutch apply and can help with converter clutch chatter slip in some cases. However it should never be turned more than 1/4 turn and should never be used in conjunction with the tuning increase not because of the risk of the line going over max PR allowed but because combined they will make the part throttle shifts way to agressive and place to much stress on hard parts when its not needed at part and low throttle conditions. All our units do have the PCS set screw turned 1/4 turn and we like the tuning presure tables left stock. But in no case no matter what the ajustment contrary to what you may have been told will these changes allow the MAX presure to exceed the max presure allowed by the PR valve. And in fact the 5 percent is well with in the tolerance levels allowed by GM and there limits for various applications. Now there may be situations that will cause the line to exceed max. Stuck PR valve, pump or valve body cross leak. Miss assembled PR valve assembly. These are mechanical issues and should be determined with a presure guage.

The Performabuilt Transmissions FAQ page and techincal information questions and answers.