Dexron VI for 2002 Silverado 4L60E? problems?

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I Have always serviced my truck with Dexron III, it has 200,000 miles on it and doing OK. Is it recommended to use Dexron VI in these older transmissions? What advantages does it have? What if any problems have been seen with Dexron VI?
 
I've heard mixed opinions on this. IIRC the Dex 6 is less viscous than III... if that is the case I would be nervous using it in a 200,000 mile unit. If you have 200,000 miles on a 4L60E then do EXACTLY what you have been doing to get up to that point and don't change ANYTHING about your service routine!

My 4L60E (2003 Silverado) bit the dust at about 175,000 miles but my friend's (1999 Silverado) is still going strong at close to 225,000. I suspect his was better taken care of - I tend to be hard on brakes and transmissions.
 
Originally Posted By: danthaman1980
I've heard mixed opinions on this. IIRC the Dex 6 is less viscous than III... if that is the case I would be nervous using it in a 200,000 mile unit. If you have 200,000 miles on a 4L60E then do EXACTLY what you have been doing to get up to that point and don't change ANYTHING about your service routine!

My 4L60E (2003 Silverado) bit the dust at about 175,000 miles but my friend's (1999 Silverado) is still going strong at close to 225,000. I suspect his was better taken care of - I tend to be hard on brakes and transmissions.


OK. DEXRON-VI is lower viscosity when new than typical DEXRON_III was but the shear stability is much greater so instead of shearing to about 4.1 cSt at 100C in about 80,000 miles DEXRON-VI has been proven to be able to remain above 5.0cSt after 200,000 miles. Also the MEASURED (not calculated) film thickness is about 20% improvement over what DEXRON-III fluids could offer
 
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I've been looking after my daughter's 2008 Avalanche for several years now. It has the 4L60E tranny too. It came with DEX VI OEM fluid and is recommended in the owner's manual. It runs hot, so I had it flushed along with pan drop and filter change at 36K miles. I replaced the fluid with LE 1136 (rebadged DEX VI). It ran hot too. So at 77K miles I took a sample and had it tested http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...rue#Post2741883 by Polaris. I wasn't thrilled about the bearing wear metals, so I had it flushed again at 78.5K miles with pan drop and filter change. This time I replaced the fluid with Valvoline DEX VI (synthetic), although I considered trying a DEX III. We'll see what happens this summer in Texas.

The water temp seems to stabilize at 210F for normal operating.

Has anyone seen a temp vs life expectancy graph for DEX VI like there is for DEX III? I haven't been able to find one yet.
 
The viscosity of Dex VI is MUCH more stable, see Whitewolf's post above.

It's a vastly improved formula and lasts much longer, but it won't fix an old tired trans with issues.
 
I've been using Dex VI with very good results in my wagon with the 4L60E. Started using it around 120k miles or before and now I have 169k miles on it. It does a lot of towing (5600lb travel trailer) in the summer as well. I wouldn't fear using Dex VI at all in any 4L60E.
 
I agree, Dex VI is superior. GM claims backwards compatibility. I'll bet they've tested it more than any of us have. FWIW, Valvoline is the only full synthetic that's readily available (AZ, OR, AAP), for not much more than the others.
 
Originally Posted By: INDYMAC
I've been looking after my daughter's 2008 Avalanche for several years now. It has the 4L60E tranny too. It came with DEX VI OEM fluid and is recommended in the owner's manual. It runs hot, so I had it flushed along with pan drop and filter change at 36K miles. I replaced the fluid with LE 1136 (rebadged DEX VI). It ran hot too. So at 77K miles I took a sample and had it tested http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...rue#Post2741883 by Polaris. I wasn't thrilled about the bearing wear metals, so I had it flushed again at 78.5K miles with pan drop and filter change. This time I replaced the fluid with Valvoline DEX VI (synthetic), although I considered trying a DEX III. We'll see what happens this summer in Texas.

The water temp seems to stabilize at 210F for normal operating.

Has anyone seen a temp vs life expectancy graph for DEX VI like there is for DEX III? I haven't been able to find one yet.


Does this vehicle have an auxiliary trans fluid cooler??
 
Raw Dexron VI has a 6.0 cSt viscosity and raw Dexron III has a viscosity of 7.5 cSt.

Dexron VI, while starting out at 6.0 cSt, has better viscosity retention (low shear) over the life of the fluid, while Dexron III may shear down to 4.5 cSt during the same period. A Dexron VI fluid like Redline D6 may start out at 6.3 and never shear to less than 5.9 cSt.

In addition, the Dexron VI additive package has a more stable friction modification component which means the clutch and pressure plate packs and band material will see a more consistent dynamic friction characteristic for a longer period of time.
 
Originally Posted By: tightwad
Originally Posted By: Whitewolf
And the Valvoline licence number is?

J-60151


It's a reblend using Group III stocks. I suppose it depends how far you want to go in interpreting the term synthetic.
 
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My 2004 loved the dex 6. Shifted better immediately. That was 2 flushes ago. Just had it done again with dex 6. Last time ever for me anyway.
 
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