i have a 1997 chevy k1500 4x4 with a 3 in lift kit and 33s. 290000 miles on  it this was the third transmission that was in it...

well, this morning as i put it in reverse it didnt want to move, so i gave it a little gas and it jerked violently backwards... well i went to drive it later that day and i could hear crap rattling in the transmission (something wasn't right...) so i make an effort to be easy on her and try to make it home.... when the transmission starting whizzing and randomly catching only for brief seconds...and getting worse fast, i decided to give it up and have my buddy tow it home. 

it whizzes and winds up in reverse.. catching only a little bit. and in drive it will catch but when u give it power it starts whizzing and winding up again. it sounds horrid.

i have absolutely no experience with working on transmissions...so i could use some info like how much would it cost to rebuild? and how much for a brand new one? and is there another transmission that would fit under there that is more reliable? I'm convinced that these transmissions are crappy!

so... what should i do before i start turning wrenches? advice please? any input would be greatly appreciated!

so how do i check and see if its the transfer case or transmission? when i heard the grinding i heard it coming from under the dash area. this truck has been through some abuse.... like pulling alot of heavy trucks out of the mud and beach sand around here, quite often. so i guess its just a matter of time before something breaks when you do stuff like that huh?

i'm about 99 percent sure it isnt the rear end. its something under the cab.

well, now im positive its not the rear-end. i put the truck in reverse and its grinding and whizzing but the driveshaft isnt moving. Dang... that wouldof ben a good excuse to regear!

i did ALOT of searching and i found this. ------http://www.gmtruckclub.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2509

apparently there is a snap ring in the transfer case that connects the rear driveshaft that fails (breaks) alot, causing a bad grinding noise. but if i had the truck in 4wd.... shouldn't i still be moving? tried putting it in 4 wheel hi and low and in reverse (since my reverse has no power to wheels at all, just spins and makes horrible noise) and i had the same effect. ahh. i guess it wouldnt hurt to check it and replace it anyway huh?
 

it seems like its dropping down into 4wd as usual

transmission fluid looks like it has metalflake in it.... like a nice metallic paintjob.

 

well i took off the transfer case and then tried to put in in gear and it does the same exact thing... so i assume its torque converter or transmission. im in the process of trying to get the transmission out. (having a 3 in body lift on the truck makes it way easier to reach some of these bolts)

and the snap ring was good... i was hoping that was it.  but its not.

there was alot of metal shavings in the transmission pan.... i guess i gotta get that transmisison out in order to see what went wrong.

these metalshavings weren't clutch material.... unfortunately. =(

ok well im going to rebuild this thing myself, with the help from a transmission repair manual, and im considering buying a 4l60e repair video. ahh. Do you guys recommend any brand of torque converters or transmission rebuild kits? and also im not sure what "stall" torque converter to go with, i want to go with a little bit higher stall torque converter but im not sure of the consequences.

i think it is very highly recommended that after a rebuild you change torque converter.

Danny, actually the 4L60e was the replacement for the TH700R4 and the 4L60e was computer controlled. To be completely truthful, there were some TH700R4's that were computer controlled too, but most were vacuum controlled.

Dudeinmood - we did an article on these transmissions (and others), which you can see here: http://www.4x4review.com/Features/Tech/Top10Transmissions/tabid/135/Default.aspx 

For what it's worth, I would not rebuild your transmission yourself, unless you really know what you are doing. You can purchase upgraded 700R4's which use upgraded pumps, slinger rings and servos, which make this transmission the finest slush box - period.

Danny did bring up a good point though - if you're too undergeared, you could be cooking your transmission. What size tires are you running, and what gears do you have in your axles?

Rick

 I wouldn't do anything but a stock torque converter. Running a high rpm stall converter will require you to raise your rpms for the pump in the converter to send the appropriate amount fluid into the transmission, which sucks for off-roading. Running a low rpm stall converter will mean that you will always be fighting the transmission, as it won't effectively disengaged when you come to a stop, which sucks for all driving.

I run a full reverse manual valve body TH350 behind a 430 HP / 467 lb./ft torque engine, and the stock torque converter is absolutely perfect. I tried messing around with a few different ones and hated all of them except for the stock one.

As far as replacing your torque converter goes - you don't have to. Any good trans shop can inspect and test your torque converter, as well as flush it. They're cheap though, so if you want to swap it out, you certainly can.

Good luck!

Rick

the first 3 times that this tranny blew i had stock size tires on it. but i do agree with you on having to small of a gear ratio for my big tires.

well ive already taken it out and most of it apart. it doesnt really seem that hard, so far. i have a book that shows me how to rebuild a 700r4 but not a electronic one (4l60e), but still it has some good info. im down to where i need to take out the sunshell .. i have alot of time to work on it, because i have another truck i can drive, so i decided to give it a try. i mean... i've done almost everything else on this truck!

as far as changing the gear ratio, i would love to but i dont know how to. and im sure its pricey to get a shop to do it. Would it be a good idea to pull an axle out of say an older 3/4 ton truck with 4.10 or even 4.56 and put in my truck? would i be able to get away with having 3.73 in the front and 4.10 in the back in four wheel drive? (i think i have 3.73 gears) The rearend is still stock, its never been touched.

i dont trust any shops around here. especially when i went to take my transmission out and i found 2 old lugnuts holding on my crossmember, bolts with different sized heads in random different places that shouldnt be there,and some parts were actually missing bolts(i have no complaints with the assembly of the transmission, but the installation of the transmission didn't meet my standards)! And it was serviced by the Chevy dealership! (they put in a brand new 4l60e)! It Seems if i want anything done right, i must do it myself.

im basicly going to take apart the transmission and see how hard it would be to put it back together, if i have my doubts, im going to put the old stuff back in it and go buy another one.and so far so good
 

well i found some broken parts. im going to replace the broken parts, any clutch packs that look bad ill replace, and then pretty much just reassemble with the old stuff. im going to put as little money as i need to put into this transmission, because if it breaks again or doesnt work im buying a brand new one. 

heres some pictures of whats broken.

that looks like a pretty nasty break there...
 

planetary's are chipping up...
 

the sun shell gear is a little chipped up to, and the other arrow  is the cracked up part you seen above


well, this is where my truck sits until i have time to order all these parts and put the transmission back in it. i couldnt find any other parts that needed replacing other than a pack of clutches that i noticed looked a little worn down.
 

now for the rear gear ratio's..... i dont know how to change the differential gears, and im kinda scared too. would it be a good idea to maybe pull a axle out of a 3/4 ton truck with 4.10s and swap it out for my axle? would i be in the clear in 4wd with different gear ratios for front and back? i dont want to break another tranny, so maybe some 4.10's would keep some stress off the tranny's.