[prowler19762001]

found out today my tranny is toast. cant afford a rebuild atm so off to salvage yard to find a replacement while i save the cash for a rebuild i have read alot of confusing stuff on the net about what tranny i can and cant use.

i have a 94 TA, however the engine is out of a 95 or newer lt1? (vented opti), the tranny is also not original....i have no idea what year or what it is out of but from what i read it is at least out of an LT1 car?

long and short i am not sure if the pcm is stock or not, the guy i bought it from said he bought it as a roller, then paid someone to put motor and tranny in it. and he is a mechanical moron, pretty much all he knew was it was an lt1 and it went down teh road when you pushed the gas. (until 2 days ago of course)

long and short what year 4l60e can i put in this car, with either no or minimal modifications, and out of what vehicles if i understand correctly the trannies on these things are fbody specific? if someone could give a breakdown of the years, and what if any mods i would need to make them work. that would be awsome, dont have alot of cash on hand right now, and cannot afford to buy a tranny that either wont bolt up or wont work correctly for some reason. but need to get this puppy onthe road its my DD, thanks

 

[cocobolo95]

You need to find another 94 4l60E. Either out of another f-body, (best bet), or another v-8 car like B-body (2nd choice)

The reason, 93 f-body used non computer controlled 700r4, which is the same basic transmission, but won't work without mods being done.

Next, your 94 uses a non pwm control system, while 95 and newer use a pwm (pulse with modulation) system.

So you are pretty much stuck with a 94 4l60E. Here's a handy salvage yard search engine. Use it to search your state. Car-Part.com--Used Auto Parts Market Also craigslist might help you find a 94 4l60E in your general area. I usually go out 250 miles as that's how far I'm willing to drive to pick parts up.

However, if the last owner installed a 95 or newer pcm and trans, you can go with 95 if that's what he installed, or a 96-97 if that's what he installed. To tell what year your 4l60E is, go to sticky threads of this section and open the dating the 700r4 thread. It will show you how to date the trans by the serial number found right above the trans oil pan.

 

[cahall]

You'll have to start by finding out what year your PCM is. A '94 was a non PWM trans. Only a '94 transmission will work with a '94 PCM. '95 is the same. Only a '95 transmission will work with a '95 PCM. GM changed the 3-2 downshift strategy in '96 which changed the solenoid, the valve body, seperator plate, and wiring. If you mixmatch a '95 with a '96-'97 you'll have a 3-neutral-2 downshift issue. '96 and '97 are interchaneable.
If yhe previous owner had installed a '95 trans with a '94 computer it's most likely what burnt the trans up. Your '94 wiring harness doesn't even have a wire going to the trans for the PWM solenoid. This means you CAN'T install a '95 transmission without swapping the harness and computer to a '95.
As far as the actual trans goes, A 4L60E out of the SAME YEAR truck or Impala/Caprice will work, but you'll have to swap the tailhousing on either one. It's no big deal...Just 4 15MM bolts.

Frank

 

[d_harts]

I own a 97 trans am ws6 it has 125k miles only 2k on rebuild tranny(original one) an it shifts extreamly hard when i stomp on it. Im taking it back in but what would be the best tranny to put in my car that can handle around 425+ HP

 

[prowler19762001]

You'll have to start by finding out what year your PCM is. A '94 was a non PWM trans. Only a '94 transmission will work with a '94 PCM. '95 is the same. Only a '95 transmission will work with a '95 PCM. GM changed the 3-2 downshift strategy in '96 which changed the solenoid, the valve body, seperator plate, and wiring. If you mixmatch a '95 with a '96-'97 you'll have a 3-neutral-2 downshift issue. '96 and '97 are interchaneable.
If yhe previous owner had installed a '95 trans with a '94 computer it's most likely what burnt the trans up. Your '94 wiring harness doesn't even have a wire going to the trans for the PWM solenoid. This means you CAN'T install a '95 transmission without swapping the harness and computer to a '95.
As far as the actual trans goes, A 4L60E out of the SAME YEAR truck or Impala/Caprice will work, but you'll have to swap the tailhousing on either one. It's no big deal...Just 4 15MM bolts.

Frank

So just the housing would have to be swapped if I got another 94 out of something else? There is no difference in the shaft just the housing correct?. Want to make sure all my sucks are INS row before I go shopping . I will check the number on the side of the Trans.... Also is there a way to tell what year over is in it just in case what you said above and it is mismatched?. That way I can be sure to match it properly

 

[cahall]

Yes, just the housing needs to be changed, as long as it's the correct year. The PCM should have a serial number that you can check to see what year it is.

Frank

 

[prowler19762001]

Yes, just the housing needs to be changed, as long as it's the correct year. The PCM should have a serial number that you can check to see what year it is.

Frank

Ok i will pull those numbers and look them up soon as I get a chance . Thanks a bunch have cleared slot up and helped a lot.

 

[prowler19762001]

ok gott eh car back at the house, and going to pull the numbers, i know where the number is on tranny, but dont see the number on the pcm course with the angle its in there does not really surprise, where is this number located and will have have to pull the pcm out to get it? ( i assume the number i want is on the pcm case?) or is it in a spot i could use a mirror or something to see it? once i got teh number off the pcm who or where do i go to reference it cant seem to find anything on the net or this site, i found a forum that has them listed but only for 99 and newer so does me no good

thanks

 

[cahall]

You will have to pull the PCM out. The number will be on the PCM itself. Call the dealer to check the number.

Frank

 

[prowler19762001]

ok not saying anyone on here is wrong, however i was just trying to double check the idea of getting a tranny out of a b body or something and talked to my transmission shop they say dont use one less it out of a firebird or camaro with lt1. of the same year i told them about the tail housing, they looked at me like i was stupid, of course i look at them like their stupid everytime i go in there. just want to be absolutely sure i have all teh info before i buy one out of b body, not alotof cash in the wallet so cant really afford to buy one and it not work.

like i said no offense to anyone, so please dont take it that way. from what i see we got alot of guys here that know what they are talking about, and i have never been to impressed with the local tranny shop, just want to make sure everything is in order before i buy.

either way i am headed out now to pullt he pcm out and get numbers off it, once i confirm what year it is i will be calling around for a tranny.

thanks for all the help and patience

 

[cahall]

Dude, I buy cores all the time for my shop. I can assure you there's no difference. We put B-body transmissions in F-bodies. We put truck transmissions in B-bodies. We put F-body transmissions in trucks. Now, just for kicks, as the trans shop WHY they don't advise using a B-body transmission in an F-bpdy. The only slight difference you may have is the 2nd servo. Your F-bpdy servo is a "Corvette" servo. A B-body will most likely have a 553 servo, unless it's an SS. A truck trans will also have a 553 servo. The servo isn't that big of a deal, but it's easy enough to swap if you want to. I'm guessing your local transmission shop is just trying to sell you a transmission.

Frank

 

[prowler19762001]

I'm guessing your local transmission shop is just trying to sell you a transmission.

Frank

i am figuring the same here. they a big on REBUILD REBUILD REBUILD.

i have not pulled the pcm yet as some stuff has come up in house that has prevented me from going out, but in the mean time i have called a few yards and found a 4l60e out of a 94 vette for a decent price. so once i confirm the PCM i will probably give them a ring back if it is correct year.

and like i said Frank no offense, not bashing your knowledge or anything. i have seen alot of your posts and advice through these forums, while searching for solutions to this. and i think its great we got someone knowledgeable about such things around, willing to freely give their time and advice to help us back yard mechanics out. :cheers:

 

[prowler19762001]

ok pulled the pcm/ecu out and called about the numbers chevy dealer says their number is 88961150 for it the number on the pcm is 16188051. when i google that i get ecu/pcm but they say for 94/95 as well as the chevy dealer says that number they gave me is for 94/95, but the reman sites even say that it has to be programmed for a 94 or 95 even though it is the same part number..... mopre confusion i will post a pic i took of the tag on the pcm do any of those other numbers denote what year it is flashed for? if not how do i find out..... this is driving me crazy..... or am i way off and got the wrong part in my hand...would not be the first time i done that