These pictures will apply to the 440T4/4T60, 4T60E, and 4T65E fwd transmissions used from the mid 80s until now. There are valve body and electrical differences between the models and some of the parts in the pics I am included are only for the 4T65E transmissions, as all of these pictures are for the 4T65E but all above mentioned models are identical. A gear ratio swap in any of the above transmissions can be made either by changing the differential ratio an most applications, OR by changing the drive/driven chain sprockets which are located behind the channel plate which is under the valve body on the side. This article only applies to a sprocket change as far as gear ratio swaps go because that is the most common method in late model 3800 powered cars with the 4T65E transmission. All of these pictures were taken during a transmission rebuild so these are all the assembly end of the proceedures in detail with a few extra tidbits to watch out for. These pictures are also of a standard 4T65E dual chain arrangement but still applies to the single chain setups of the older transmissions and the older sets that are modified to fit in the newer models.

Pic#1 Transmission ready for gears to be installed. There is a fluid scoop circled below that needs to match the sprocket ratio you are using. Black is for 37 drive 33 driven, Natural for 35/35 and Blue for 33/37. The black scoop can be used for all combinations by grinding down a lip that sticks up.

Pic#2 This is a pic of the input shaft with the drive sprocket attached. Inspect the teflon seals to make sure they are not damaged, or if replacing the shaft make sure they are on it!

Pic#3 The Drive and Driven sprockets and chain installed

Pic#4 This is a point in which you MUST check for chain stretch, dont skip checking this!!! There should be 1/8" or more clearance here. New or good chains will have roughly 1/4" or more clearance.

Pic#5 This is an area to check for chain stretch that is NOT mentioned in rebuild and tech manuals. A badly worn chain will start wearing into the case. In extreme cases the chain can wear through the case into the hole and the case should be replaced. This is most often found on the 37 drive / 33 driven combinations that come in the supercharged cars.

Pic#6 Once the sprockets and chain have been installed you will need to install the Input speed sensor reluctor wheel. Below are the located pins circled, make sure they DO NOT wiggle! They are pressed in and should not be loose. If they are loose they will cause a rattling noise at idle in park or neutral and can eventually break off leaving you with no input speed signal and an SES light with a trans code for it

Pic#7 Now you are ready to install the 4th clutch hub. If your 4T65E is older than mid 02 model year it will not have heat treated splines which are blue in color and WILL eventually strip out if they havent already. If the splines arent blue throw out the shaft and replace it with a new heat treated version. Below are pics of a stripped out one which causes no 4th gear and a brand new aftermarket piece

Pic#8 Now you are ready to install the alignment pins, circled below, and new gaskets. Make 100% the gasket surfaces are completely free of old gasket material!

Pic#9 Now you can install the 4th clutch apply plate and 2 alternating frictions and steels. Older 440T4 transmissions only have 1 friction and steel plate here but can be converted to 2. If you are reusing the old ones make sure they are in good shape. Most pre 03 4T65Es would get lots of hot/leopard spots on the steels from lack of lube. The newer frictions are designed with more grooves in them to allow better lubrication to prevent this

Pic#10 Now you are ready to clean and inspect the channel plate which bolts over the chain and sprocket setup. In the picture below I have circled where the AFL valve is. MAKE SURE it is free!!! There is stiff spring on this valve but if the valve sticks in its bore it means starting in 2nd gear!

Pic#11 This picture shows checking the pressed in sleeve where the input shaft goes. Carefully check the inside bore of this sleeve for grooves and make sure it is smooth top to bottom, if not you should replace it. The sleeve is not available seperately though I have changed them but this requires a press and lots of caution as it only goes in one way or you ruin the whole plate! If there are grooves here from the sealing rings on the input shaft digging in it can cause all sorts of TCC and lack of lube problems in the trans, DONT overlook this area!

Pic#12 Below is a underside pic of the channel plate ready to be installed. Circled are the thrust washers and 4th clutch accumulator housing, make sure they are all there!

Pic#13 Now you can install the pump shaft. Make sure the scarf cut seal is on the shaft! Inspect the converter end of this shaft for spline wear and replace if excessive wear.

Pic#14 Here is a pic of the channel plate installed on the transmission case. I have circled things that need to be checked. There are 4 1/4" checkballs and one hollow sleeve for alignment. On the right side I circled three bolts, these are larger than the rest and sometimes dont want to come out without cutting them or getting really brutal with a chisel and hammer to walk the bolt out. These three bolts have a larger thread than all of the other channel plate bolts. They get torqued to 18 ft lbs and the others all get 8-10 ft lbs.

Pic#15 Here is a pic of the gaskets and seperator plate installed. Late model year 2002 and newer used molded plates with gaskets on them. I dont like them as they arent reusable unless you want to spend way more time than its worth cleaning off the glued on gasket. You can buy a new plate at the dealer in the $10-$15 range. NEVER reuse one! Once everything has been torqued down and heat cycled the gasket has formed to its surroundings and wont seal properly if used again which can cause all sorts of odd problems. For the early 02 and earlier transmissions the gaskets generally peel off and may require a little work with a gasket scraper.

Pic#16 Below is a picture of a rebuilt valve body ready to go on. If reusing your old one just make sure it is free of contaminents and was in good working order. ALWAYS replace the pressure control solenoid as the 03 and older ones are known to cause lots of pressure rise problems and cause harsh or soft shifts and poor TCC operation. Circled below in red are where two 3/8" checkballs go and the other four 1/4" checkballs are circled in green

Pic#17 Now you can install the valve body and torque it down. All bolts get torqued down to 8-10 ft lbs and the one that is circled gets 18 ft lbs. Start in the center and work your way out doing the large bolt last, THEN go back around and recheck/tighten the small bolts again.

Pic#18 Once the valve body was been torqued down you can install the pump. This MUST be removed during dissassembly because there are two T30 headed bolts just under it, so dont try to pry it off and break anything in the process! Though not in the pic the 4T65E transmissions have a bearing with visable rollers on the inside of the pump rotor. Make sure they appear in good shape and the rollers arent pitted or falling out, also check the to stem that sticks off the top of the sleeve on the valve body to make sure there isnt wear on it. All of these bolts get torqued to 8-10 ft lbs

Pic#19 With everything bolted down properly, torqued, and re-torqued, you can install the wire harness and the large metal/rubber molded side cover gasket. If your old side cover gasket is coming apart it is best to replace it and expect to pay in the $60-$80 range for one at a trans shop or at the dealer.

Pic#20 This picture shows a baffle that must be installed, its your last chance before the cover goes on so check it now!

Pic#21 On the inside of the side cover there is a large square cut o-ring, REPLACE IT! They are inexpensive and not worth risking using over and likely is already leaking.

Pic#22 Now you are ready to bolt down the side cover. Below I have circled the four bottom holes, they all get a T40 head bolt. NEVER NEVER NEVER use an air tool to tighten these bolts!!!!!!! In the area where the four lower bolts go it is very thin casting and because of the way the molded gasket is overtightening these bolts will cause the side cover to crack and then it is garbage. Torque these bolts to 18 ft lbs. There are two alignment holes, one on the far left and one on the right so you can start with those first I prefer running all the bolts down snug then alternating side to side while torquing them down so you dont make the cover teeter down one side and risk cracking when tightening the other side.

Well there you have it! Give yourself a big pat on the back if you tackled this chore yourself. Its not hard to do but is time consuming and I tried to point out all of the concern areas of things to check over. I made this as thorough as I could but I am not perfect and may have forgot something. It is best to buy a tech manual to follow so you dont get in trouble while doing this! Your dissassembly proceedure will be the opposite of this, so please refresh yourself with this complete article before attempting to do this so you know what you are getting into! I have not included any transmission removal or install info as that will likely be in another thread sooner or later and doesnt apply to what I am providing in this thread. Enjoy!

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