Since your truck moves in L range it is unlikely you have a defective Torque Converter. How does it perform in Reverse and Winter Mode? Welcome to the forum.

 

Thanks!

In Reverse it works very good, i forgot to mention that indeed.

In Winter Mode.... I believe i have checked and that it was the same situation as in D. However i'll check that in half an hour or so as i have to get to work. I'm not overly happy but this is my DD, don't really have a choice :?

Update: The car performs much better now! I started in Winter Mode and that went surprisingly well. Also after 1k or so the whirring noise subsided and eventually dissapeared. I can Drive around now in D, only when taking off from standstill i'd have to say it's struggling.... don't know if that's normal?

So, i'm going to order the transmission gasket kit and do a full flush. Or if it's easier flsuh it with the transmission lines but i don't know how that works. I mean, does it sucuk up the new ATF if you put the hose in a dram or is the pump in the circuit rather pushing the fluid around?

 

When you select Winter Mode the transmission is reconfigured so that the initial movement is from 3rd gear rather than 1st gear. If your initial movement in D range 1st gear is not as quick as 3rd gear (Winter Mode) your transmission is not working properly. It is possible you may actually be in 4th gear. Does L (manual 1st) perform any better than D range 1st gear?

If you flush the transmission using a flush machine and solvent you may actually kill it. The best bet is to drain the sump, add new fluid, drive around for a while and then repeat the process a couple of times followed by a new filter and fresh fluid. The transmission holds about 12 US quarts of fluid, when you drain it you get about 3.5 quarts out which is the reason you need to drain and refill several times to remove most of the old fluid.

 

That's exactly what's happening. L is how a 1st gear should feel like, but in D it just drags along until it shifts into 2nd gear, then it suddenly picks up and acceleration is better.

Anyway, there is still some rpm flares when shifting manually, i think indeed i need to keep on draining and refilling. Your note about a direct flush killing the transmission is a bit strange, what's the theory behind it?

There must be a way to make refilling easier....

 

There are two shift solenoids (Shift A and B) that typically control gear selection, the solenoids are switched On and Off by the PCM (transmission "computer") as determined by engine RPM, vehicle speed, throttle position etc. When the vehicle is started in P or N, Shift A is de-energized and Shift B is energized, this is the configuration for D(1st) and L(1st), however, IF Shift B does not energize for some reason then both solenoids are de-energized which is the 4th gear configuration. The hydraulic configuration for D(1st) and L(1st) is not the same inside the transmission, so in L(1st) the fact that Shift B is de-energized does not cause a problem because of a component called the Overrun Clutch Lockout valve. This valve is only opened when 4th gear is selected but can be "locked" shut by a separate hydraulic source applied by the Manual valve. The Manual valve is attached to the shift lever. Accordingly, when L(1st) is selected the Manual valve sends fluid to the Sun Drum Brake Band servo to apply the band and the same fluid to the Overrun Clutch Lockout valve to "Lock" it shut so that 4th clutch apply fluid from the solenoids can't get through to apply the 4th clutch. The Manual valve also sends fluid through the de-energized Shift A solenoid to apply the 3rd clutch which provides for compression braking. The 3rd clutch is not applied in D(1st)

Since Reverse, L(1st), Winter(3rd) and 4th appear to work it appears that the Shift B solenoid is not working. So what appears to be happening is in D, your starting off in 4th gear until you get to the 1-2 shift point at which point Shift A solenoid energizes, but since Shift B is de-energized your going from 4th to 3rd instead of 4th to 2nd because 2nd cannot be selected if Shift B is not energized and the band is not applied.

The theory behind flushing is most of these 4L30e transmissions were neglected and have a lot of accumulated crud in them and when you flush them it causes the crud to be dislodged all at once which clogs up critical hydraulic ports and filter screens. It has been reported enough times to warrant caution. I personally don't know if this is a real issue or not, but I don't flush mine. It is also recommended to use Dexron III as opposed to the Dexron VI synthetic blend which replaced it. Some members use Dexron VI and claim it is great and others say it causes harsh shifting, I use Dexron III.

 

Wow! This is great info! I actually bought an elm327 obdII but hasn't arrived yet to check if anything doesn't behave properly (ah also it'd be a nice check to see what this cheap thing can actually do). Is there a quick way to check if a solenoid is properly working like resistance value or visually?

About the flushing, since this one has been rebuilt recently this shouldn't pose a problem for me, however I'm having difficulties finding the gasket kit locally.tomorrow I'll just try and top it up once again and see again what changes
Thanks again for the help, it's very much appreciated!

 

The main case electrical connector on your transmission should be a 4 pin. The Shift B control is on Pin A and the +12 VDC solenoid common supply is on Pin C. The solenoid resistance is approximately 17.5 to 18.5 ohms. The PCM grounds Pin A to energize the solenoid.

 

I f'eel i am obliged to give an update as the situation has changed since the last post.

I had to wait a few weeks for the solenoids to arrive and sadly the planning i had to install the solenoids was thorwn overboard as i did not get the free time i was hoping for. But, as i said much has happened and actually i have lost all but L and R. Seeing that this would indeed become an overhaul or rebuild situation i checked for all options;
* rebuild costs as much as i paid for the car and leaves me still with a "finniky" gearbox
* overhaul might be cheaper but still same gearbox
* different gearbox.... This intrigued me, i am not interested in a manual, so i was looking around on this forum and other places on the net for inspiration. The threads of Vovkus and Tad were insightful but kept things very specific, i still might seek contact with them about electrical issues for making the auto work. Now, on 4X4wire i found a thread which really opens things up. In short it states that the AW4 from Jeep also fits (it's an AW30-80LE)! Most of the hassle will be flexplate and torque converter to match things up and finally if the overall length will still fit.

So that's what's been happening, in the mean time i bought myself another car, so the pressure's off and i can plan this patiently and carefully. If anyone would like to chime in on this topic, feel free! I never have enough info ;-)

 

-i thought the 30/80 was common out side the US. i did'ent know the 4L30b was used out side the US.

 

Holden was/is property of GM or something like that, so it isn't too far fetched to believe they use the same gearbox.

By the way, does anybody have the dimensions on hand of a 4L30E from bellhousing to the end of the output yoke (so including the transfer box)?