4L80E Transmission Problems  

The 4L80E Transmission is a fully computer controlled transmission that comes bolted to the higher horsepower and torque trucks.  It is the overdrive successor to the 3L80(better known as the TH400 for most of it’s life).  It is significantly larger than the 4L60E and if you compare the cases side by side it makes the smaller transmission look tiny.  All of this extra room allows for added durability while retaining four forward gears and reverse.  The 4L80E usually came behind the higher horsepower 2500 HD Silverado and Sierra twins.

Limp Mode

If the 4L80E is only working in second gear and reverse, then it has gone into limp mode.  It does this to protect itself from further damage when it believes that there is a potentially fatal error.  It is really meant to get you to a safe place and have it looked at.  Although second gear will absolutely scream down the highway, it’ll get you around town without much of an issue.  Limp mode happens Silverado’s all the time.  It is one of the most common 4L60E problems as well.

Here are some common issues that can force the transmission into limp mode.   Solenoids are the most common cause, whether it is the TCC solenoid or a shift solenoid.  Although it’s not very common for the wiring harness to be exposed, you should still visually inspect the harness for obvious damage and shorts.  Here is a good 5 minute video on how to go about this.  Honestly, wiring is a lot easier than many people think, and it is often what keeps the older guys from putting a more modern powerplant in their car.

You’ll also shouldn’t rule out an issue with the ECM, but that is definitely not where you should start.  If you need to clear the trouble code, you can usually just shut the engine off and start it back up.  You should have four four gears until the transmission senses that the issue has returned.  If it detects a problem with the input shaft sensor, vehicle speed sensor, output shaft sensor, or one of the many shift solenoids it’s immediately going to bounce right back into limp mode.

Common 4L80E Problems

Torque Converter Not Locking Up:  The torque converter on most modern automatic transmissions is made to lock up in order to allow for a physical connection between the engine and the rest of the drivetrain.  This is achieved by placing a clutch in the torque converter that locks out the hydraulic torque multiplication benefits.  This improves fuel economy and reduces emissions.  This can be caused by a bad vehicle speed sensor, throttle position sensor, or cruise control wiring.

More on this:  http://www.pro-touring.com/threads/37040-4l80E-lock-up-trouble

Ignoring Proper Maintenance:  You’ll want to make sure that you are changing your fluids at the proper intervals.  Nothing is more important to the life of the vehicle.  You change the oil all the time, right?  But, the same fluid soldiers on mile after mile.  That is how the transmission was designed to work, but when it is time to perform the maintenance make sure you do something about it.  That’ll help your 4L80E from having problems prematurely.

No 3rd or 4th gear–  This can be caused by many things.  Here’s a whole writeup on it.  4L80E Problems: No 3rd or 4th gear