4L60E Major Problems
 

1994 Blazer K1500

Transmission started making popping and catching sounds last night so I pulled over and checked the fluid, was bone dry. Had it towed home. Went out this morning to put some tranny fluid in it as I didn't have any with me at the time. Drove half a mile to Advance to buy more fluid and a pan gasket (that's what was causing it to lose fluid). Filled the transmission back up and started up the hill back to my house. Not even 50 feet later is starts popping and grinding worse than it did the night before. I managed to make it home and parked it. I've never heard of a transmission making popping noises before. It sounds like a bicycle shifting gears, only much louder. I don't know what to do. Has anyone encountered this before? Please help.

Haven't encountered that & hope I never do.
By the sounds of it & running it dry & the hills involved I'd say grab a knife & fork - it's done!
That does not sound good at all. Seals got heated, dry, gaskets inside cracked... who knows. Did you change the gasket, filter & fill it up or just added fluid & drove it to change the gasket & filter at home?
Like to know what was in the filter & pan when it came off.

I filled it at Advance and drove it home to do the change. Haven't touched anything yet, I'm afraid to look inside now >_<

Hind sight n all that, you said it's only 1/2 mile to Advance & personally when the trans line to my aux cooler popped off I walked about the same to get fluid because I didn't want to do more damage.
Call a trans shop & ask what they think?

I've tried a few places around town, the only shops open on weekends near me are ones like Goodyear, Firestone, Monroe, etc. I'm on craigslist looking for a used trans but people want upwards of 300 for them and I don't have that right this second. I called a u-pull close to me and they said they have no 4L60E's

EDIT:
Problem solved, sort of..
It's going to a tranny shop to be rebuilt. All I need is a rental car or a ride to school until its fixed.

Hello you have a 1996 4L60E trans, that year is a one year only model.
Valve body and passages in trans are different. But on the bright side
all the internal parts are exchangeable with other years. Sounds like you tore up
some torrington bearings.
This company sells heavy duty trans and parts 700R4 & 4L60E Automatic transmissions specialists - ProBuilt

Who would have thought torringtons would go out before the 3/4 clutches?
You had me confused for a second Steve, when you put 1996 and said it was a one year only I rent to the top and double checked. I think you meant 1994... which would be correct.

Same, exact same, happened to me. Long drive home. Ran out of oil via pan gasket (catalytic converter plugged slowly over time so I didn't notice that problem at first.long story short overheated tranny lines dryed out pan gasket. Oh also figured out the heat from the Cc also killed my starter) . Tightened gasket , filled with oil,drove 300 + km home( at nite of coarse ) some of the lowdest pops I've ever herd. Lots of slipping, hammer shifting. Had 2 other tranny's that had diffrent problems and out of all 3 and a few parts fixed it. Bottom line total rebuild.

Well the transmission shop told me it wasn't the transmission. So that's sort of a relief. However, it needs the entire left side of the front axle rebuilt, the transfer case resealed and the right front wheel bearing. I'm just having them do it all so it gets done quickly and I can get it back on the road.

Well,look at it this way...You fixed these issues,and it possibly saved your butt on finding the low trans fluid issue.

score.