Full overhaul kit for a 1997-up GM 4L80E or 4L85E with friction plates, band, bushings, gasket and seal set and screen for a complete rebuild.
A 1997-or-later 4L80E that slips under load, leaks from several places and leaves bronze and friction material in the pan has usually worn its bushings and clutches together. This kit is built for that teardown on Silverado and Sierra 2500/3500 pickups, Suburban 2500s, Express and Savana vans and other heavy-duty GM applications. In one box you get friction plates, the band, a bushing set, the full gasket and seal set and the pickup screen, nine items in all, for the 4L80E and 4L85E from 1997 on.
In 1997 GM moved the 4L80E cooler return from the pump to the center support, so cooled fluid now feeds the middle of the geartrain instead of entering at the front. Transmission Digest reports that many internal hard parts were redesigned around that change, including the sun gear shaft, which got a shorter bushing journal. That is why this kit is year-specific: the bushings and seals that control lube flow are not the same as the 1991-1996 parts. Worn bushings let lube and apply oil bleed off, which starves the clutches and the planetaries and shows up as the pressure loss and heat these units are known for. Replacing them alongside the frictions and band is what makes this a full overhaul rather than a patch.
A worn pump, a stuck EPC solenoid and a bad speed sensor can all look like worn clutches from the driver's seat. Check codes and line pressure first. Our 4L80E common problems guide lays out the failure points in order, and the Express van 4L80E guide covers the heat and towing issues on vans. If a no-reverse is part of the complaint, split hydraulic from mechanical with a pressure test before condemning the clutches.
This kit fits 1997-up GM 4L80E and 4L85E transmissions. A 1991-1996 unit needs the earlier parts, such as our 1991-1995 4L80E overhaul kit. Trucks sometimes carry a replacement transmission that is older or newer than the vehicle, so go by the transmission's own ID tag or send us the year and VIN and we will confirm. All 4L80E parts are on the 4L80E collection page.
Have the converter inspected or rebuilt any time the unit is out. Debris from a failed unit stays in the converter and the cooler and will contaminate a fresh build if it is not cleaned out.
| Fits | GM 4L80E and 4L85E, 1997-up |
| Includes | Friction plates, band, bushing kit, gasket and seal set, screen (9 items) |
| Shipping weight | about 6 lb |
| Condition | New |
Doing this repair right usually means replacing these at the same time. Same transmission, ships together.
No. It is built for 1997-up units. GM changed several seals and valve body gaskets in 1997 along with the move to center-support lubrication, so 1991-1996 transmissions need the earlier kit.
No. It includes friction plates, the band, bushings, the gasket and seal set and the screen. Steels, pistons and other hard parts are reused or bought separately based on what your teardown shows.
Yes, the listing covers both the 4L80E and the 4L85E from 1997 on.
On a high-mileage unit it is cheap insurance. The shift, EPC and TCC solenoids are all accessible once the valve body is off, and a weak EPC solenoid can burn a fresh set of clutches.
Dexron VI. Fill to the cold level, run the truck to operating temperature and recheck.
