Alright, here we go. My buddy has a 90-something chevy 2500. It's when they started first using the 4l80e. It's got a TBI 350 and there's really nothing huge done to it. Basically it's a cleaned up stock motor, no power adders. The trans took a **** on him and he had it rebuilt at a local shop.

2 days after the shop rebuilt it and we brought it home to install it, he brings it BACK to the shop owner, at the shop owners request, so he could do a final once over on the rebuild they did and install we did. My friend brings it in and the shop owner says it's all good. My friend takes this as a good sign and takes off to go to work that night.

A little while later the transmission does this-



Now, like I said this is basically a stock TBI 350 truck, doesn't go offroad and isn't a rock climber... nor has it seen a drag strip. It's just a driver. From the time it was rebuilt to the time it blew apart it had a grand total of 78 miles on it. The shop who did the rebuild had JUST LOOKED at it and said he was good to go. He checked the transmission and the install, and gave the whole thing his blessing basically. My buddy leaves the shop and heads to work and the f'n thing grenades on him.

Anyone seen one blow apart like this before? I've never seen that personally and the shop owner is trying to blame it on him, saying he installed it wrong.

I can promise it wasn't install error. I've done more than a few trannies myself, my buddy is ASE certified in almost everything and went to UTI, plus his day job is at reputable auto shop in town... the truck owner knows what he's doing too. I know this is not install error, does anyone have any freakin ideas what could have caused this? I'm almost positive the shop owner is trying to put one over on him. Any help?

 

damn, not sure what caused that. Did the trans lock up when this happened? Are the dowel pins in the back of the block?

 

He said it didn't lock up, but instantly felt like it ran out of fluid (understandably I think lol). I saw where it blew up, it was behind the school he works at on a flat section of parking lot. Also he said the pins are there lol.

 

Holy ****!! Very interested in what caused it!

 

For it to break like that, I'd have to think that something let loose internally and took the case out...one mis-placed snap ring is all it takes I would think. My guess would be it's builder error...got any JB weld?

 

Hahaha... I was hoping JB Weld would do it, but it's gonna take a couple packages at least i think. Everyone I've talked to seems to think it's internal error, we're hoping that someone would have seen something like this before. I've seen the internals do all sorts of crazy stuff, but I've never seen this. Especially in a basically stock truck.

 

thats one big a$$ crack..

 

one came to the shop here that a kid was revin it up with his foot on the brake and the trans mount let loose on it. it did the same thing as that but the crack went around the bell housing too... is that a possibility?

 

damn how fast was it going when it let loose?

 

holy crap...if that happened to me I would be livid! but also crying most likely lol