LT1 trans question.
 

Hello guys, just bought a 96 camaro today and i allready got questions. The car is a pos and the biggest problem is that 1st and 2nd gear basically dont work. I figured ill start from there. So.... Should i just look for a new trans or have this one rebuilt? Anyone had to rebuild one? How much am i looking at? I dont have a garage at the moment but i will soon, should i wait and pull the trans out myself? Is it a big pain in the ***? Keep in mind my last car was a civic, i did a motor swap ect so i am mechanicaly inclined but am i up for a challange or should i just have a shop do it? Thanks in advance for any input.

Wecome to the wonderful world of 4th Generation Camaros. There are a few guys here who can answer just about any question when it comes to these cars. Have you tried searching the forums to see if there is already a posting that would address your problems?

We need some more information to really help you out. Do you know anything about the maintenance history of the car? How many miles on it? What transmission do you have? Auto or manual? What do you mean "basically don't work"? Have you crawled under it to make sure that all of the connectors are properly installed and tight? Have you scanned for any codes?

Assuming you are talking about an automatic trans, then you have a 4L60E. These are generally pretty good trans for the stock application, but if someone beat on the car, there is no telling what could be wrong inside it.

That said, unless you really know what you are doing, rebuilding an auto tranny in your garage can be done, but it is not what I would do for my first project on a car.

You should be able to locate another 4L60E at a wrecking yard for just a couple of bucks, but you need to make sure that the controls connector matches what your car has. I believe that there are two styles of connectors.

As far as having a shop rebuild it, you need to ask around your locale and see if anyone will recommend a good shop. Then, talk with the shop manager or lead tech about what your car is doing and what should be done to address the issues. Keep in mind that shops only make money on repairs / rebuilds, so they may very well nudge you in that direction.

what trany is in the car auto, 5 sp, 6 sp?

I can't answer about the manny tranny in these

Is it a pain to drop the auto?- no, not really. I've only done it with headers and an ORY so I don't know if stockers need the exahsut removed. With my setup you don't. You will need extensions and swivels

as for the cost, a bench stock rebuild could be done for around $700 but that's no hard parts. If you budget $1200- $1600 you will get a solid, street/strip rebuild and rebuilt TC which should handle about 400 ft pounds of torque. If you want more, then you're going to pay more.

You will also need 12 quarts of tranny fluid

But, since it's out, you will also replace the rear main seal so be sure to have an impact wrench to remove the flexplate. 2 new u joints will also be replaced seeing that the shaft is out. A new tranny mount is also a good idea and since you are there, fuel filter.

Now I'll really get into it and say that since the flexplate is off, and the tranny out, get an engine hoist. Remove the hood and you may as well as address the front seals and the timing kit/gasket and oil pan gasket.

You're going to be doing those things some time in the near future so do it while much of the prep work is done. Of course new plugs and wires.

Welcome to the forums!!

I am going to assume that you have an M6 since you said 1st and 2nd gears. If you are mechanically inclined, I would hit up a local pick-a-part, and pull a tranny from a wrecked F-body or a C4 if they have them. Tranny should not cost more then 200 bucks. Swapping trannies is not that difficult. You need jack stands, a full set of SAE and metric regular and deep sockets, a 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 inch ratchets, a breaker bar and a long extension. And a floor jack. Should take about 30 minutes to get out (that's how long it took me and a buddy. While we were drinking...). That way, you can have at least a working car.

On to the rebuild. Are you gonna do it yourself, or pay for a shop to do it? A shop is gonna charge like $1600-$2200 for a rebuild. Or, if you are mechanically inclined and feeling brave:

Here are your parts
T56 6 Speed Transmission Parts & Rebuild Kits

And here are your instructions:
Step-by-step T-56 rebuild with pics! - LS2 Forums

Good luck and kill Rustanks!!!


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With an automatic trans, what is "1st" and "2nd" called?

^ Touche. Bluegixxer, what type of tranny do you have? And quick hijack, Camaro 69, can you answer this question:

https://camaroforums.com/forum/loung...7861/page6313/

My last post. thanks.

Good luck and kill Rustanks!!!


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Sorry guys, I couldn't log in until i realized i actually put @yahoo.com behind my name. WOW. dumbass moment on my part. The trans is a 6 speed manual. I couldn't afford a good running 6 speed so i got one with basically no 1st and 2nd gear. I have been looking at some junkyards but they don't have anything. I think im going to have to bite the bullet and pay for a shop to rebuild it. I honestly never opened up a trans in my life. I hope i can find a shop to do it under 1k. Thank you for all your guys responses xO1661 i hope your are a little off about the 16-22 seeing as i paid 2000$ for the actual car. :)

Also, anyway a mod can delete that whole @yahoo thing of my user name! :)

Well, that is the price for a performance rebuild here in CA. It is gonna cost you that much to get it rebuilt. Like I said, your best bet is to pull one from the junkyard. Replacing the M6 really isn't difficult.

Good luck and kill Rustanks!!


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