GM 4L60-E transmission

The 4L60E (and similar 4L65E) is a series of automatic transmissions from General Motors. Designed for longitudinal engine configurations, the series includes 4 forward gears and 1 reverse gear. It is an evolution of the Turbo-Hydramatic 700R4, originally produced in 1982.

The 4L60E and 4L65E are built at Toledo Transmission in Toledo, Ohio and have also been built at Romulus Transmission in Romulus, Michigan and Ramos Arizpe, Mexico.

The two transmissions are differentiated quickly by the 6 or 7 bolt bell housings. 4L60 uses a 6.5" depth bell with 6 bolts and 4L65/70 uses a 7" depth bell and 7 bolts. They also have different input shafts and torque converters. 4L60s uses a 298mm input shaft. 4L65/4L70 uses a 300mm input shaft and converter designed for LS applications only. Only corvettes and HD vehicles came equipped with 5 pins.

Gear ratios:

4L60-E

The TH700R4 was renamed "4L60" (RPO MD8) following the new General Motors naming convention, when the electronic version, 4L60E (RPO M30), was phased in. This happened in 1993 for trucks, vans, and SUVs, and 1994 for rear wheel drive passenger cars. In 1996, a bolt-on bell housing was phased in (along with a six-bolt tailhousing) for S-10 Trucks and S-10 Blazers and beginning in 1998 for all other applications. Beginning in 1998 a new 300mm torque converter with improved higher-capacity internals, 300mm style input shaft, and 300mm style pump was also introduced on models coupled to a Gen III Small Block. The 4L60E is rated to handle up to 360 ft·lbf (488 N·m) of torque. It weighs 133 pounds without transmission fluid.^[1]

The 4L60E family of transmissions use 2 shift solenoids, initially called Shift Solenoid A & Shift Solenoid B, later changed to comply with OBD II (On Board Diagnostics revision 2) regulations to 1-2 Shift Solenoid & 2-3 Shift solenoid. By activating and deactivating the solenoids in a predetermined pattern by the PCM, 4 distinct gear ratios can be achieved. The shift solenoid pattern, also sometimes referred to as solenoid firing order, is as follows;

Shift Solenoid Pattern

Applications

4L65E

An updated 4L60E, the 4L65E (RPO M32), was phased in the 2001 model year when coupled behind the 6.0 Vortec. Five-pinion front and rear planetaries, along with an additional 3/4 clutch allowing 7 clutches in the input housing and induction hardened input shaft assembly, were improved to withstand up to 380 ft·lbs (515 N·m) of torque.

Applications:

• 2005 C6 Corvette
• Cadillac Escalade
• Cadillac Escalade EXT
• Chevrolet Silverado SS
• GMC Sierra Denali
• GMC Yukon Denali
• Hummer H2
• Holden Crewman 2004 Only
• Holden One Tonner 2004 Only
• Pontiac GTO 2005–2006 (M32, 3.46:1 final drive)

See also

• List of GM transmissions

References