Cracked 4L60E housing tail shaft

[bigblacktruck]

Has anyone had problem with the tailpiece on the 4L60E transmission cracking? Had tx replaced @ 143K mis & within 10k miles started leaking tx fluid (1 qt every 150 miles on highway). Took back to shop, they contacted remanufacturer (Certified Transmissions of Oklahoma) & claimed problem was from vibration & that GM had a TechBulletin out on problem. Of course, claimed not under 3 year, 100k warranty.... another $950 later, had another tranny put in, along with new tranny mount (Sub'n already had a new Goodwrench 5.7 engine, new mounts, complete front end rebuild) & new driveshaft u-joints. Less than 1500 miles, rear tailpiece has cracked in same spot (on top) again. WTF? The original tranny lasted 140k without cracking the housing & here within a few thousand miles have gone through 2. Have not been running off road, towing or even exceeding 70mph on interstate (and have NOT let the wife drive the vehicle- her photo is in Wikipedia under road rage (hope she doesn't hack this site!). Don't see how this could be an alignment problem, all joints are tight & when up on rack, the driveshaft looks well balanced @ 50+ mph. Could it be Certified Transmissions supplied the wrong 4L60E transmission (twice?). Transmission shop is awaiting the distributor in Maryland to come to shop to see what is going on since this appears to be a problem with the remanufacture. Noted somewhere that there needs to be care on installing the rear seal as it can not be hammered into the housing. Anyone have any ideas? It's a 97 GMC K1500 w/5.7 engine

[Pikey]

is it 4x4? You might want to find a drive shaft builder in your area and ask them how mush they want to check the balance on your drive shaft.

[bigblacktruck]

It is 4x4- although that went out due to the amount of trans fluid that was thrown around underneath (after a good brake cleaner washdown, the 4x4 started working again- the tx fluid also ruined one of the brand new ox sensors too) Rebuild driveshaft is my next option- waiting to see what happens with the rebuilder first. When it was up on the lift, I checked for wobble in driveshafts & rear end- it doesn't have any vibration when on road either. After the amount of money I've dropped into this truck in past year (well over 15K), I'm starting to think I should have looked for a newer model instead. Bright side is my Subn has a full custom interior with seats that are as comfortable as a living room & full entertainment package for the 6 yr old twins. Have had the truck for 12 years now & if I won lotto I'd have it completely ground up restored instead of getting a new burban.

[bigblacktruck]

Update= truck has been sent to the area distributor for Certified Transmissions on a flatbed. Rented a Chrysler Town & Country van for 10 days- worked okay going up to West Virginia in the snow, but was definitely NOT my Suburban. Chose to revert to the farm truck (86 F150 p/u) for running around even though each trip on road is an adventure with this vehicle!

[Pikey]

Keep us updated on what happens.