General Motors
Source-verified model
General Motors 4L85E
The automatic transmission 4L85E was firstly presented in 2001 together with powerful engines Duramax V8 (with torque reaching up to 650 Nm). This transmission was installed only on large SUVs, pickups and minibuses. This transmission is very powerful and can be applied cars which take part in off-road racing, drag racing or custom street driving.
Speeds
4
Type
AT
Drive
RWD/4WD
Max torque
650
ATF capacity (L)
13,6
ATF type
Dexron VI
Other and alternative codes of this transmission
MN 8
4L85-E
MN8
MN-8
4l85E
4L85 E
verified naming
OEM designation
source name
Common problems & symptoms
Problems and symptoms reported for this transmission, compiled from repair sources. Not a complete list.
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12 Pin Harness Fluid Leak
Early style 12 pin harnesses allow transmission fluid to leak around the connector, shorting the pinouts.
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Transmission Limp Mode Activation
Shorted pinouts from fluid-contaminated 12 pin harness cause transmission to enter limp mode or limp home mode.
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Harness Connector Pin Shorting
Transmission fluid ingress into early 12 pin connector causes electrical shorts across pinouts, disrupting TCM signals.
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About this transmission
Transmission general data
The automatic transmission 4L85E was firstly presented in 2001 together with powerful engines Duramax V8 (with torque reaching up to 650 Nm). This transmission was installed only on large SUVs, pickups and minibuses. This transmission is very powerful and can be applied cars which take part in off-road racing, drag racing or custom street driving.
These transmissions have issues with early style 12 pin harnesses in which transmission fluid leaks around the harness and shorts the pinouts causing transmission to go into "limp mode" (some manuals say "limp home mode"). This issue can be easily rectified by simply cleaning the plug
Vehicle fitment explorer
Confirmed vehicle applications. Every row is drawn from our source-verified fitment database.
| Make | Model | Year | Drive | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet/GM | EXPRESS | 05-16 | 4 SP RWD | V8 6.6L |
| Chevrolet/GM | SAVANA | 05-16 | 4 SP RWD | V8 6.6L |
| Chevrolet/GM | SUBURBAN 2500 | 96-07 | 4 SP R/4WD | V8 8.1L |
| Chevrolet/GM | YUKON XL | 00-06 | 4 SP R/4WD | V8 6.0L 8.1L |
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Sources & Contribution
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