Work for a company with a fleet of white work trucks. Have ended up with a 2018 Silverado single cab/long bed 5.3L from work for nearly free. The trans (6spd, as this is the "WT" trim) acts like it's got a big high stall converter (it doesn't ): throttle from a stop sometimes results in you moving, sometimes it results in revving up to some unreasonable RPM and then slamming forward like you got rear ended.
So, got me thinking. Could I swap in a manual? Truck has basically no options, so why couldn't engine run some version of stand alone and the trans do it's thing via my left foot and right hand?
If that's dumb...could someone offer insight on what's broken on the auto? We've had like 10 of those Chevy's eat transmissions in some way or another. This is second I've bought. First just shudders, but does okay enough that I gave to my dad to use as his trash truck/lumber getter.
It might be possible with the 800 series clutch pedal and cutting the brake down. Probably have to segment swap the ECU with HPTuners.
As far as the 6l80, it's hard to say until torn down. There are some common failures but hard to say until all of the magical smoke is let out fully...
Just to ask , could you put an older Turbo 400 in it ?
I have no idea if it bolts up to that motor .
californiamilleghia said:
Just to ask , could you put an older Turbo 400 in it ?
I have no idea if it bolts up to that motor .
Don't know the answer to that, but I'm an ardent supporter of the third pedal, so if it's getting a trans swap, I'd really really like it to include a clutch pedal.
The ECU will freak out and IIRC that includes the body control electronics.
In my 2016 Chevrolet Silverado owners manual it showed a manual transmission along with how to use it. But no USA Silverado's had a manual transmission in 2016. So some country got one so where are those parts?
I too suffered with that crappy trans.
Here's the 2018 Silverado Owners Manual with the manual transmission- where are these?
In reply to Datsun240ZGuy :
South America probably
buzzboy said:
The ECU will freak out and IIRC that includes the body control electronics.
It has an ECM not a PCM, meaning it would just set codes related to lack of communication with the TCM.
The BCM likely would give zero E36 M3s. The largest issue I think, without seeing a wiring diagram in front of me, is that the ECM wouldn't get speed inputs, so the idle control strategy would go wonky and the evaporative emissions system wouldn't run, amongst other things.
Racingsnake said:
In reply to Datsun240ZGuy :
South America probably
Correct. In a prior search on the subject, it seems Central and South America got them.
Pete. (l33t FS) said:
buzzboy said:
The ECU will freak out and IIRC that includes the body control electronics.
It has an ECM not a PCM, meaning it would just set codes related to lack of communication with the TCM.
The BCM likely would give zero E36 M3s. The largest issue I think, without seeing a wiring diagram in front of me, is that the ECM wouldn't get speed inputs, so the idle control strategy would go wonky and the evaporative emissions system wouldn't run, amongst other things.
But this same motor happily runs in all sorts of other makes/models. I assume it gets fed speed info from alternate source in those instances, yes?
I think this is one of those instances where I'm just skilled enough to think I can, but no where near skilled enough to understand the reasons that's wrong.
It shouldn't be hard. It's a well documented swap on other LS platforms.
The 6L80E has it's own PCM. Older GMs had one main box that told the engine and transmission what to do. The 6L80s have their own box and the ECM just sends sensor information.
The way to do it is to replace the transmission with a manual and then reflash the ECM to ignore the transmission. You just basically find the flash package from a manual LS. If you don't do the reflash, it will lose its mind and likely go into limp mode.
The issue I think is the 5.3 had AFM but only with automatics, so any manual trans friendly OS to swap in would not operate the AFM and wait I suddenly don't see why this is an issue
The nice thing about GM is if the ECM had a direct input from a speed sensor in any application, that probably exists in all applications, so it would just be a matter of adding a wire to the computer and flashing the appropriate OS, assuming that it isn't already an option in that OS like it is for converting a vehicle to electric fans. Add wires, click radio button in HPT menus, done.
(Pedant mode: ECM controls an engine, TCM controls a transmission, PCM controls both. I try to be careful with my language because trans swapping is different depending on what you have. IIRC they stopped using PCMs when they went away from 4 speeds because the 6+ speed transmissions required more computing power)
As far as the slipping 6L80... it's toast unless it's something stupid like low fluid or a clogged filter. What you're describing sounds like wasted clutches, a bad pump, or fried valve body. Driving it will increase the damage exponentially. It's not like a water pump where you keep driving it until you're afraid the pulley will fall off. I ran transmission reman shops for many years and I saw it all the time. Some poor schmuck with a Nissan came in for a bad solenoid and refused repairs. He was back a couple weeks later with a tow truck and there was nothing we could salvage from that 5re55ROr555555 or whatever that transmission was called. It disintegrated so badly that couldn't even use the case. Sorry for the apocalyptic news, but seriously, it could be a $120 fix right now, or a $6000 fix 20 miles from now.
Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:
As far as the slipping 6L80... it's toast unless it's something stupid like low fluid or a clogged filter. What you're describing sounds like wasted clutches, a bad pump, or fried valve body. Driving it will increase the damage exponentially. It's not like a water pump where you keep driving it until you're afraid the pulley will fall off. I ran transmission reman shops for many years and I saw it all the time. Some poor schmuck with a Nissan came in for a bad solenoid and refused repairs. He was back a couple weeks later with a tow truck and there was nothing we could salvage from that 5re55ROr555555 or whatever that transmission was called. It disintegrated so badly that couldn't even use the case. Sorry for the apocalyptic news, but seriously, it could be a $120 fix right now, or a $6000 fix 20 miles from now.
It's a $500 3rd truck, 8th overall vehicle (though maybe not 8th in the pecking order). It would get a $120 fix (and I have a pan that I welded a drain plug in, filter, and gasket...just waiting on the lift to open up from other stupidity I'm working on, so that's the last $120 it will get).
I don't know where I was going with that other than, I'm riding it until it bucks me. Though I acknowledge what you're saying as fact. In it's current usage, it sees 5-6 miles a week. One burnout every third week.
For the trans, just going for the simple things. Have you checked the fluid level? Low fluid will make automatics do screwy things when the pump sucks air and output pressure drops.
Pete. (l33t FS) said:
The issue I think is the 5.3 had AFM but only with automatics, so any manual trans friendly OS to swap in would not operate the AFM and wait I suddenly don't see why this is an issue
Actually they all got DoD/AFM in 15-ish? Including 6.0/6.2's....
In reply to Spearfishin :
1. So the parts are somewhere in the GM database?
2. It states the owners manual is USA and Canada - they use this OM for South America? Just seems odd to me for all our Spanish and Portuguese speaking GRMers.
Datsun240ZGuy said:
In reply to Spearfishin :
1. So the parts are somewhere in the GM database?
2. It states the owners manual is USA and Canada - they use this OM for South America? Just seems odd to me for all our Spanish and Portuguese speaking GRMers.
Big grain of salt with my assertion. I found that info on "the internet"!
Searching the intertoobs I've found that you could get a Mexican market K2XX with a 5speed. Can't find a single photo even searching in spanish.
Opti
UltraDork
3/3/24 6:58 a.m.
We did a t56 swap on an 800 and it was super easy, I've never done a 900 though.
Id guess the torque converter failure
In reply to Opti :
Please outline "super easy". Asking for a friend...
Is that the trans GM developed with Ford? I don't think so, but that translates has a plastic sealing block between the valve body and the pump, and they break.
Edit: Crossover bridge. It a Ford and BMW thing. If yours is a 6L80E, it's the same ZF based gearbox, and this bridge is a super common failure.
I don't remember any plastic sealing block when I rebuilt my 6L90e, so most likely it doesn't have that issue. Plenty of other issues though. It seems that once a 6L80/90 starts having issues, they almost always need to be gone through, don't seem to like band-aids like the earlier transmission could.
In reply to Streetwiseguy :
Ford/GM powertrain collab is the current 10 speeds. Both are surprising in their failures considering it's a joint venture.
