4T60E Sprag Clutch 1996-2002, new and ready to install. Fits the 4T60E. Ships fast from the USA.
When a 1996 to 2002 GM front-drive car with a 4T60E or 4T65E flares on takeoff, feels like it drops into neutral in third, or leaves bright metal in the pan, the dual sprag in the input housing is high on the list. This listing is a new dual sprag, reference A84658C, also numbered 84658C and cross-referenced to industry number 84724C and GM OE 24204036. It covers both one-way elements in the late-model dual-sprag design: the third clutch sprag and the low (input) clutch sprag. It is aimed at the rebuilder who has the input housing apart and wants fresh sprag elements before closing it up.
Each sprag is a cage of angled wedges riding between two races. Drive one race in the working direction and the wedges jam and transmit torque; reverse it and they tip over and let the race spin free. The 1996 and later units stacked the input and third sprags together in one dual assembly. The input sprag carries input clutch torque in first and then overruns when the second clutch applies, so the 1-2 shift needs no release timing. The third sprag does the same job for third and simply freewheels once the fourth clutch takes over on the 3-4 shift.
That freewheel is why a worn sprag is so confusing on the road: the clutch pack behind it can be perfectly healthy and fully applied, yet no torque reaches the gear set because the wedges have rolled over. GM kept this serviceable, take-apart sprag design until some 2003 4T65E units switched to a pawl-type clutch, according to Transmission Digest.
Start with the basics: check fluid level hot, look at its color and smell, and pull codes. A sticking pressure control solenoid can make clutches slip and look like a mechanical failure, so run through our EPC solenoid diagnosis guide first. If first-gear engagement is the complaint, the delayed engagement guide lists the other causes to rule out. Transmission Digest notes that third clutch trouble shows up only in third, while second clutch slip spreads across several gears, which helps separate a sprag from a clutch pack. On the bench, hold the outer race and turn the inner member: each sprag must lock solidly one way and spin smoothly the other.
This dual sprag is listed for the 4T60E and 4T65E from 1996 through 2002. That span covers the last years of the 4T60E and the dual-sprag years of the 4T65E in Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Oldsmobile and Pontiac front-drive cars such as the Impala, Monte Carlo, Grand Prix, LeSabre and Century. Earlier 4T60E units used a different sprag arrangement, and 2003 and later 4T65E transaxles may have the pawl-clutch design with a 30-spline input race instead of 32 splines. Before you order, compare your old sprags, count the input race splines, or match the 24204036 or 84724C number. If you are still unsure, send us your year and VIN. Other parts for this family are in the 4T60E and 4T65E collection, and the 2003-up 4T65E one-way clutch set covers the later design.
| Fits | 4T60E 1996-2002 |
| Part type | Sprag Clutch |
| Condition | New |
| Brand | OEM |
| Reference | A84658C |
| Ships | From the USA |
| Warranty | 1-year |
Doing this repair right usually means replacing these at the same time. Same transmission, ships together.
It is the dual sprag: the third clutch sprag and the low (input) clutch sprag used together in the 1996-2002 input housing. Reference A84658C, industry 84724C, OE 24204036.
Possibly not. Some 2003 and all later 4T65E units use a pawl-type one-way clutch with a 30-spline input race. This part is for the earlier dual-sprag design with a 32-spline input race. Count the splines or send us your year and VIN.
Yes, it is listed for both within the 1996-2002 range. Match your old parts or the 24204036 number before installing.
Only if they are smooth. Pitting, scoring or flat spots on a race will chew up new sprag wedges quickly.
Dexron VI. GM designed the Dexron VI service fill to back-service earlier Dexron III applications like these transaxles.
