dennis6

Just bought a vehicle with a 2.8 and a 700R4. I haven't picked up yet and am considering driving it. Before I do, I would like to know what I am up against. The seller described the transmission malfunction as..."HOWEVER I FOUND I HAD INVESTED $585 IN A TRANSMISSION REPAIR THAT NEVER WORKED( SHYSTERS CLOSED SHOP AND MOVED ON) SO IT STILL HAS ONLY REVERSE,1ST GEAR, AND 3RD. YOU HAVE TO SPEED UP AND SHIFT AROUND FOR IT TO GO INTO 3RD. YOU CAN DRIVE IT UP AND DOWN THE ROAD AND UP ONTO YOUR TRAILER OR DOLLY"

Anyoune know what this could be? Misadjusted shifter cable? Bad clutches? I would have to drive it 70 miles, 98% expressway (so it would be in 3rd most of the time). I do have AAA, but I don't want a gear going through the floor either.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

THEGENERAL

it could be the tv cable is misadjusted to see if it is you need to press the d shaped button onthe cable right behind the bracket for the throttle linkage and pull the outer sheathing for the tv cable back towards the firewall then get in the car a press the gas pedal all the way to the floor slowly then try it and see what gears it has but just to be safe if you have access to a trailer youd be better off than getting stranded on the highway .......even if the transmission went out on you it shouldnt blow up and throw anything out of the transmission its self unless your doin 4000 rpm holeshots or something

dennis6

I have driven a 2.8 700R4 without a tv cable at all and all gears worked, it just was sluggish. Matter of fact still driving it that way and it slips sometimes, but its a 200 dollar car and I am not too worried about it. Thanks for the info though.

THEGENERAL

that transmission isnt getting enough fluid pressure and for the price of a 20 dollar cable it isnt worth destroying a transmission at all

dennis6

Transmission already was slipping when I got it, original owner drove it for a year that way, and I have put about 4,000 miles on it that way . lol

THEGENERAL

how could have you put about 4000 miles on it if in your first post you asked if it was okay to drive it and by the date the post was posted today 6-06-04 you couldnt have possibly put that many miles on it now which is it ? have you had this car and been driving it this way or did you just buy it and just got it home ? either way your not gonna be driving it long anyway with out a tv cable hooked up at all ....lol seriosly its not gonna last that is what raises the line pressure as you get higher in the rpms and without that your gonna burn it up ....oh well ....

dennis6

different vehicle, thats how. The first post was about a vehicle I have just bought, the second was about my 89RS.

The 89RS has been driven a long long way without a TV cable, I would have replaced if you didn't have to pull the intake to do it. Its a MPFI V6. You also have to remove some of the accesory brackets that bolt to the intake.

I only made mention to it because you said it could be the t/v cable.

THEGENERAL

wow you need to be alittle more specific in your posts so we know what you are talking about youve got 2 different cars now your talking about but like i said before if you keep driving it that way your not gonna have a transmission to worry about ...lol ive delt with 700r4s for about 7 years now

dennis6

I understand what the T/V cable does, and I know its shortening the life of the transmission, however the tranny wasn't exactly good to start with, so if it goes I don't care. I have gotten 4k miles out of it this way and it may go another 4k.

THEGENERAL

yeah you may get lucky but hey if your only worried about it lasting another day or week or maybe month then go for it ..lol..........if you dont mind me asking why dont you replace it thou? are you planning on swapping in a v8 or something?

dennis6

It only needs to last a few more weeks, and then I am selling it for what I bought it for to a neighbor who understands it may only go a mile more. lol

THEGENERAL

thats cool ...

dennis6

Anyone else know?

89JYturbo

Typically when a 700R4 or 4L60 trans looses Rev, 2nd and 4th gears, the reaction sun shell splined hub has seperated from the shell. This is a common problem and has plagued this trans platform even to this day (I replaced several under warranty when I worked at the dealer). The replacement is fairly simple if you don't mind tearing into your trans. Get an upgraded unit from the local trans shop (approx $23.00), and it will last indefenitely. You should be able to drive it this way- the last one of these I replaced was in an '01 silverado with the 4L60E- he drove it nearly two and a half hours like that towing a boat!

THEGENERAL

OUCH!!!!

instantkevin

ok General and 89JYturbo,
I have a related question that you might be able to answer. I have a 90 Camaro 3.1L V6. I plan to swap a custom built performance 350. I belive that I can use the same transmission by upgrading the servo and adding the 2 extra clutches (and a few other parts from www.transmissionhead.com). However, this guy on a different forum is telling me that the bell housing on the v6 tranny is different than the v8 and won't adapt to the 350. Is this true? and if so, is there any way to make it work without swapping my tranny for a v8 tranny?

THEGENERAL

you will have to swap for a v8 transmission there is really no other way around it that i can think of that would work sorry to tell ya but when you swap transmissions you will need to swap your tailshaft to the new tranny so your speedo will work

89JYturbo

Ditto.

FruityOne

Is the VSS on a v6 tranny different from the v8 VSS sensor?

When I was swapping transmissions around on my GTA I had an older transmission that didn't come with a VSS, it had a mechanical. All I had to do was pop the mechanical out and put the VSS out of my blown transmission into the tail shaft. Worked fine.

THEGENERAL

yes that would work also either way will work

farm-kid/88camaro

89JY.....


I've got exactly the same problem as stated...2nd and 4th are gone.

I've had this fixed once...apparently it was a pin of somesort that holds the 2nd and 4th gear clutches that broke. My 2nd gear shift is vary hard and I believe this is what causes it.

Any idea on what Im talking about? And if so, my trans guy says it can be replaced by pulling the valve body...I've had the valve body off before, any pointers on how I could go about tracking down this problem?

Im on a budget...in school, and would like to tackle this one myself instead of payin $300 to fix it.

Any help is appreciated
Jon

89JYturbo

I believe your mechanic is talking about the anchor pin for the 2-4 band. I have never seen them break myself, but I have heard about it happening. You can pull the valve body (VB) down yourself, but you should have a book on your trans handy because several check-***** fall out when you pull it off the main case. Once the VB is down, the pin simply drops out of the case. You will need the new anchor pin, VB spacer plate gaskets, and some vasalien (petroleum jelly or trans assemble lube) to hold those check-***** in place as you put the VB back unto the trans. I recommend letting the trans oil drain overnight, as it is a pain trying to work under the trans with the oil dripping all over you. If you are unsure about doing it yourself, farm it out. If you goof, most shops will charge you even more after you worked on it than if you had brought it to them in the first place. IMO, it is actually easier doing the mechanical repairs in the trans geartrain than it is the VB work. Hope this helps.

89JYturbo

Sorry, I just re-read your post, I see now that you have had the VB down before, so some of that info I gave you probably already knew. As faar as diagnosis, I would first pull the pan and see what signs of damage can be found laying in the trans. Depending on what you see in there, the next step would probably be to pull the VB. That anchor pin is front and center on the case- you will see it once you have the VB off. Pull it out and any damage to it should be obvious. If nothing shows up once your this far, plan on pulling the trans. I can almost gaurantee the reaction sun shell has broken.

dennis6

Thanks for the info!

farm-kid/88camaro

Thanks for all the info 89JY

I had a spare 700R4 sitting around so I pulled it apart and found the anchor pin.

Its exactly the same part that I broke last time this happened so Im hoping its the same thing again.

Any suggestions on good a good trans rebuild manual? I wouldnt mind havin somethin like that hangin around

Thanks, Jon

FruityOne

I'm not sure if its been recomended in this thread, or maybe it was another one.

But go to an auto parts store and pick up the ATSG, Automatic Transmission Service Guide for the the 700r4. Great book.

89JYturbo

I agree. The ATSG manuals are about as good as they get. I prefer the GM manual (because thats what I used at the dealership), but they are pricey. A dealership may let you borrow one of you know them good enough, but don't count on it. I have also read the Haynes manual that covers several GM auto transmissions, and I believe it would be good for a beginer, as the info os layed out very straight-forward.