TRNW-2: 6l80 questio about sonnax pr valve

Sat Jan 4 05:00:00 PST 2025

Randy,

> ... The emergency blow-off becomes your primary regulator.

And the hub weld on the 35R-1234 Housing! LOL.

Thanks for the correction.  I knew Transgo's design was definitely drilled for the balance feed as we used to use many years ago, but I just assumed the stock valve was a similar design much like GM did the 4L60,E units with balance oil traveling via a drilled passage.

Makes sense given the rest stop stem is so very long, but obviously I didn't look at the schematic close enough in the past.

For those following along or still interested in the discussion, the stock 6L setup:

[cid:d3db42e2-c0c0-4044-9943-073dd1d34ff3]

700r4 and 4L60E PR design (shown) and you can see balance oil fed and orificed via the drilled passage in the PR valve itself.  I remember in ancient history weren't there early 2004Rs with no balance drilled in the PR valve (no hole) and if you mixed up the pump cover and valves design wise, you ended up with an unbalanced PR and high line?

[cid:717adab4-7d30-4398-9187-94f3e971fb03]

---

Dan Hogan

Buster's Transmission Service

https://busterstransmission.com

704.847.5321

________________________________
From: Randolph Wilson <Randolph.Wilson at transgo.com>
Sent: Friday, January 3, 2025 10:05 PM
To: Dan Hogan <danhogan at busterstransmission.com>; Technical Discussion Forum <trnw2 at trnw.net>; Wayne <wagarrick at yahoo.com>
Subject: RE: TRNW-2: 6l80 questio about sonnax pr valve

The stock GM uses a very short land on the balance end and feed the balance oil in just in front of it through that cup plug. There is no feed hole in the valve. All aftermarket valves have a much longer land that rides in the unworn area deeper in the bore and provides greater stability. This longer land blocks the original cup plug feed. Our Transgo valve then feeds the balance oil through a drilling in the valve itself. You do not have to do any modifications to the pump. The Sonnax valve is solid and requires you to drill a long hole at an angle with a tiny drill bit to provide the balance feed.

To answer the original question, as said by others, without drilling (ball or no ball) you will have no balance oil and thereby no pressure regulation.  The emergency blow-off becomes your primary regulator.

[cid:image001.png at 01DB5E11.DBAE9BB0]<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.transgo.com_&d=DwMGaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=smOzNWPZu5-MBJg-0tkHhHoVW9xEBKdKWsMxBeFAJDZVJI6X79ZhQVJ_erT6I9aF&m=fy0YD9mcHYjm9_Js_8TuM7u2Qijqlud3lWAd_8w3NrFWJMHNRM3U2xhBWTqeAVbu&s=xqXnoWMLEgo0JAFj3B5dtvQLLGF6V7Cvn1DCF-Qkw4s&e=>

Randy Wilson

Technical Support Specialist

2621 Merced Avenue El Monte, CA 91733 USA
Office: 626.443-7451

Calibration | Innovation |Performance

[cid:image002.png at 01DB5E11.DBAE9BB0]<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.facebook.com_TransGo-2D600961476956220&d=DwMGaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=smOzNWPZu5-MBJg-0tkHhHoVW9xEBKdKWsMxBeFAJDZVJI6X79ZhQVJ_erT6I9aF&m=fy0YD9mcHYjm9_Js_8TuM7u2Qijqlud3lWAd_8w3NrFWJMHNRM3U2xhBWTqeAVbu&s=dcm-TnEz7hJ4d1HVl7pFtjx_ekb3mNNy8cBCsF1pIi0&e=> [1475592640337_I] <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.instagram.com_transgoshiftkit&d=DwMGaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=smOzNWPZu5-MBJg-0tkHhHoVW9xEBKdKWsMxBeFAJDZVJI6X79ZhQVJ_erT6I9aF&m=fy0YD9mcHYjm9_Js_8TuM7u2Qijqlud3lWAd_8w3NrFWJMHNRM3U2xhBWTqeAVbu&s=Z0T7Qx8_TKblv6ZVdM0Rj6OqO5oObGFrwID0hAZFtiU&e=>  [1475592655171_t] <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__twitter.com_transgoshiftkit&d=DwMGaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=smOzNWPZu5-MBJg-0tkHhHoVW9xEBKdKWsMxBeFAJDZVJI6X79ZhQVJ_erT6I9aF&m=fy0YD9mcHYjm9_Js_8TuM7u2Qijqlud3lWAd_8w3NrFWJMHNRM3U2xhBWTqeAVbu&s=O_fX5IsLbD2wmJuEkIP4h6AHeeJSNSp2-4JARHRERfE&e=>  [1475592664972_Y] <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.youtube.com_channel_UCg6v9MzFmq7g3fy7-2Dr9PGIg&d=DwMGaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=smOzNWPZu5-MBJg-0tkHhHoVW9xEBKdKWsMxBeFAJDZVJI6X79ZhQVJ_erT6I9aF&m=fy0YD9mcHYjm9_Js_8TuM7u2Qijqlud3lWAd_8w3NrFWJMHNRM3U2xhBWTqeAVbu&s=Bx5TgpwHenEpxX4WitDsXNgqrIUhA5aA8cUa3eqaF8Y&e=>  [1475592672363_L] <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.linkedin.com_company_transgo1_&d=DwMGaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=smOzNWPZu5-MBJg-0tkHhHoVW9xEBKdKWsMxBeFAJDZVJI6X79ZhQVJ_erT6I9aF&m=fy0YD9mcHYjm9_Js_8TuM7u2Qijqlud3lWAd_8w3NrFWJMHNRM3U2xhBWTqeAVbu&s=X8jON5hd3djcwlJVf7FkpIc-J26B4mpWVvJWyAiJtJw&e=>

From: trnw2-bounces at trnw.net <trnw2-bounces at trnw.net> On Behalf Of Dan Hogan via trnw2
Sent: Friday, January 3, 2025 5:21 PM
To: Wayne <wagarrick at yahoo.com>
Cc: Technical Discussion Forum <trnw2 at trnw.net>
Subject: Re: TRNW-2: 6l80 questio about sonnax pr valve

If you don’t drill but still the install the ball, you get no PR balance oil and high line pressure and reduced converter feed.

Sonnax re-routes balance oil directly through the stator support casting by drilling to the pr balance spool cavity.

Their PR is solid with no oil passage inside the stem like the stock design.

The stock GM PR valve and other aftermarket valves feed balance oil via the existing orifice cup plug through the PR valve stem into balance cavity. Very GM like (700-4L60E style).

If you drilled and left out the ball, I guess you may get too much balance oil as now balance oil can feed via the cup plug orifice AND the cross drilled passage. I suppose how much  depends on whether the balance spool could get pass the cup plug passage.

I suspect it would still be an unbalanced condition and pressure regulation would be borked. I think Dan Tucker posted what happens when you don’t do either awhile back as they encountered it.

—-

Dan Hogan

Buster’s Transmission Service

Matthews, NC 28105

704-847-5321

https://busterstransmissionservice.com<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__busterstransmissionservice.com&d=DwMGaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=smOzNWPZu5-MBJg-0tkHhHoVW9xEBKdKWsMxBeFAJDZVJI6X79ZhQVJ_erT6I9aF&m=fy0YD9mcHYjm9_Js_8TuM7u2Qijqlud3lWAd_8w3NrFWJMHNRM3U2xhBWTqeAVbu&s=Z5Bjs5KsVsqQZN5BIYyRlCMOKi6MzimvxD4pn0wVyGs&e=>

On Jan 3, 2025, at 7:52 PM, Wayne <wagarrick at yahoo.com<mailto:wagarrick at yahoo.com>> wrote:

 Dan, wouldn’t that be the case if he DID install the ball, but not drill the hole, or is this imperative with Sonnax pr valve?

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 3, 2025, at 7:33 PM, Dan Hogan via trnw2 <trnw2 at trnw.net<mailto:trnw2 at trnw.net>> wrote:

 You will have no balance oil available which means the PR valve will be located in the high pressure position in the bore.

Converter charge will be reduced significantly so you may have poor or no engagements along with overheating and high line pressure (harsh shifts).   Bad news all around.

Great article by Sonnax’s Greg Nader on how this all works. Worth the read to understand the role of balance oil and regulating.

<Series-bw__1_.png>

Anatomy of a Transmission: Oil Flow in the Pump-PR-Converter-Cooler Lube Circuits<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.sonnax.com_tech-5Fresources_131-2Danatomy-2Dof-2Da-2Dtransmission-2Doil-2Dflow-2Din-2Dthe-2Dpump-2Dpr-2Dconverter-2Dcooler-2Dlube-2Dcircuits&d=DwMFaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=smOzNWPZu5-MBJg-0tkHhHoVW9xEBKdKWsMxBeFAJDZVJI6X79ZhQVJ_erT6I9aF&m=dvvDCt70VzBIQ4976TcvsZMYy_d-7q2fwcBu6Az1U0NZ72us__KFtXJmjY-rrUR9&s=vpd1yMgx5ZLlNhdK_tHBueD1rxFieUyvWOFgEaetD30&e=>

sonnax.com<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.sonnax.com_tech-5Fresources_131-2Danatomy-2Dof-2Da-2Dtransmission-2Doil-2Dflow-2Din-2Dthe-2Dpump-2Dpr-2Dconverter-2Dcooler-2Dlube-2Dcircuits&d=DwMFaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=smOzNWPZu5-MBJg-0tkHhHoVW9xEBKdKWsMxBeFAJDZVJI6X79ZhQVJ_erT6I9aF&m=dvvDCt70VzBIQ4976TcvsZMYy_d-7q2fwcBu6Az1U0NZ72us__KFtXJmjY-rrUR9&s=vpd1yMgx5ZLlNhdK_tHBueD1rxFieUyvWOFgEaetD30&e=>

—-

Dan Hogan

Buster’s Transmission Service

Matthews, NC 28105

704-847-5321

https://busterstransmissionservice.com<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__busterstransmissionservice.com&d=DwMGaQ&c=euGZstcaTDllvimEN8b7jXrwqOf-v5A_CdpgnVfiiMM&r=smOzNWPZu5-MBJg-0tkHhHoVW9xEBKdKWsMxBeFAJDZVJI6X79ZhQVJ_erT6I9aF&m=fy0YD9mcHYjm9_Js_8TuM7u2Qijqlud3lWAd_8w3NrFWJMHNRM3U2xhBWTqeAVbu&s=Z5Bjs5KsVsqQZN5BIYyRlCMOKi6MzimvxD4pn0wVyGs&e=>

On Jan 3, 2025, at 6:47 PM, Ryan D via trnw2 <trnw2 at trnw.net<mailto:trnw2 at trnw.net>> wrote:

I have a 6l80 here and the builder who built it before left out the little ball and didn't drill the hole for the sonnax pr valve. I remember reading that happened on here.

I was wondering what symptoms that would cause.

Thanks

--
Ryan
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