Hello All! Newb intro to 60deg

[Trannyman95]

Hello all, I thought I would check this forum out as there doesnt seem to be much for the 60degree V6 crowd. I am a pretty active member on Clubgp.com under the same screen name and as the title suggests I am a transmission specialist but also specialize in the 3800 market for performance. I own a 95 grand prix SE with the 3100, my second one and have toyed with the idea of modding this engine because I know there are a lot of people using it who chose not to swap in a different engine because they have pride in the 3100 and chose not to spend big money doing a swap but rather to upgrade the existing platform. I run a small shop and often this is the case so I can relate with my customers since again I own one too and would love to make more power with it. Sometimes using what you already have is the way you want to go and I am all for that, its good to be different. I will try to be supportive to all that have transmission problems or questions on this forum if anyone needs help.

[sharkey]

welcome to the site. may want to rethink your name tho, lol. i am a re/re tech at a transmission shop.

[DEI37]

You ought to see this guys RWD Cutlass!

I know there isn't a lot of L67 love on here, but it's still cool.

[blackbombshell95]

Welcome

[gpse3400]

The 3800 is too expensive to swap in??? Yeah that is so NOT the reason why the members of this site like the 60 degree. Wow I really resent that remark....Christ, make us seem like we don't have a pot to even piss in....What the hell?

[Trannyman95]

Damn man chill out! You are looking at that entirely wrong. A 3800 swap in general cost around $3K and up, with stock parts at that IF you take your car to someone else to do all the work. My point was why spend that money for a 3800 if there were decent upgrades without having to shell out big dollars like that and leaving the existing engine in place. I came to this site to learn of what is out there for the 60deg engine, not to insult it. Good god have a beer and settle down

[gpse3400]

Your statement made you come off as insulting..... Something like that might get my attention.

[Trannyman95]

Sorry to insult you, That was by no means my intention. I reworded it JUST for you because you obviously have a weak spot and for piece of mind it costs a LOT more to mod a 3100 to make decent power than it does to mod a boosted 3800 which is where my interest in the engine comes in. I DO own one of these if you didnt notice, so I would be trash talking myself if you felt I was trying to take a jab at anyone.

[gpse3400]

....Its not a weak spot.... Once again, It's just the way you stated it. I did not tell you to change what you typed either. All the same, I see what you are trying to do. Apology accepted, Bienvenue.

[tijuana_no]

welcome,good to have you here.

[Azrael]

Welcome. As you've just noticed there's a slight bit of sibling rivalry between the 60 and 90 degree V6 worlds. Don't let it get to you.

[blackbombshell95]

What ideas have you got planned Trannyman? damn gpse3400 wtf?

[RednBlack]

I want to ask the new guy a question. I also sport a 3800. Not my engine of choice, but, that's what came in the car.

What causes my 4t60-e to shudder in OD, (4th)? I let off and gas again, and it's fine. I have that Traction Control thing.

BTW, welcome. (Excuse the furniture)

[Trannyman95]

Yeah I noticed 3800 is a bad word on this forum.... Ohh well I am not biased and again came here to learn info on the 60deg setups and give transmission support. Not sure what I want to try out but as we mentioned on the club I would really like to work on an OBD2 swap for the 94-95 prixs and then have the ability to tune with a newer pcm. I already have support for 97-99 grand prix with HPTuner so that is no problem. Your idea of a turbo is one that I have been thinking about for months, and the pcm conversion will have to come first so that is what I plan to focus on for now and then get into the engine. I would like to find a good turbo and put it on a stock engine and then start swapping engine parts to see what gains can be had with it. I know there is a lot of 3100s as other 60deg engines running around out there, I just favor the w-body platform as I have been familiar with it for the last 8 years as thats what most local guys have in fwd trim but I am always willing to add to the list.

[Trannyman95]

RednBlack, your trans could have a few issues and I will tell you the common ones. For starters make sure the fluid level is AT LEAST full with the engine warmed up and running. If that is ok then you probably have a common problem and it is torque converter clutch shudder. These transmissions have a very bad valve body wear problem and GM has redesigned the tcc valve 3 times in an effort to fix it and it still fails. Transgo makes a valve body kit for the 4L60E transmission that addresses this and I have never seen one of their fixes fail. Another possibility is that 4th gear clutches themselves are worn to the point that the dont bite too well and there are pressure leaks inside the trans causing low overall line pressure and 4th gear has the most light throttle load on it because it is an overdriven gear and the slippage could stem back to that. The way to 100% verify TCC slippage is with a scan tool. If you have one I can help you out with what to look at, and I am talking an actual scan tool not just a code reader of scanner that only shows engine stuff, it must show transmission data as well. If you dont have availability of a scan tool then I suggest going to a trans shop for a quick road test and scan of the car, most shops are free. Hope that helps you out.