I Just had my Transmission rebuilt because I had lost 3rd and 4th gear. The guy said it was fried and rebuilt it to be smoother and stronger. I waited 2 weeks to have it done as his side job and just got it back in the car a few nights ago. Problem was when it originally blew I lost third and fourth gear and the car would no longer idle on it's own. After it was fixed, I picked it up and drove it 25 miles from his shop to his house and when I got there it died in the driveway. I had to lug it back home with all the gears functioning but keeping the idle up at stop lights so it wouldn't stall. Yesterday I had a computer hooked up to it and I had to clear the MAF and MAP sensor codes. That took care of the idle issue and I thought I was back to 100%. Today I took it for a 5 mile drive and the same thing happened. I lost 3rd and fourth gear and the car won't idle without my foot on the gas. The new transmission was only driven under 50 miles. The fluid smells horrible and I can't clear the new codes it threw because the computer says I have a ground/fuse issue. I should also note that my accessory fuse keeps blowing at odd times when I go to start the vehicle. Can an electrical issue effect my transmission this severely ? I obviously can't get any more tranny work till someone can help me figure out where I would have a short that would cause this. Help !!! Thanks.

I know you have probably read the TV cable stuff about the 700r4 and how it can fry trannys really quick. You might want to make sure that your TV cable is adjusted properly, that may have burned her up to begin with, and if not fixed will burn up a freshly rebuilt 700r4 within a few hundred miles

Ok thank you. Would you happen to know why it decides not to idle on it's own after this has happened twice ?

did you replace the torque converter when the trans was, uh-um fixed?
if the torque converter stays locked when warm the tcc might be stuck on causing the engine to lug down and die/this will happen even if the trans is placed in park. not too common though on a 700r4. to check this just disconnect the four prong connector on the side of the transmission. This will eliminate any wiring to the trans as a possible source of your engine dying. do this obviously when the engine and trans is cooled down. 700r4's will shift all four gears regardless if the four prong is connected or not, they just won't have torque converter lock while at freeway cruising speed. Make sense?

Thank you, I will try it out this afternoon. I did have the torque converter replaced. I just can't believe that the converter could be bad. Would it help if I had a ground strap from the transmission to the frame ? I also hooked up another diagnostic computer from the parts store today and I received a reading "this vehicle is not responding" that's the second computer I have hooked it up to that has said the same thing in regards to my unknown electrical issue. As far as the rebuild...The guy that did it works at a tranmission shop so I know he does good work. He doesn't have a lift at his house so another mechanic had to pull it and put it back in last week.

Well I tried pulling the 4 pin connector off the tranny and it didn't work. It still only shifts from 1st to 2nd and still won't idle.

IDEAS ?

the rebuild probably wasn't done correctly. The 700r4 will shift all four gears regardless of anything else your car is doing-dying and all. Working for a transmission shop doesn't guarantee much. I've known many employee's that can rebuild but can't seem to get a 700r4 correct. not trying to bash, just trying to let you know how difficult getting a correctly rebuilt 700r4 is. sometimes getting a good used one (not one on some guys garage floor)or a dyno'd one from a reputable source saves time and grief.

The plug on the case of a 700R4 has nothing to do with shifting. This is for the converter lockup. 700R4s shift 100% mechanically just like a TH350, etc. The main difference is the TV cable, which as stated needs to be adjusted properly (per Chevy instructions I have found is the best way; the procedure is in any Haynes or Chilton manual). The TV cable is not a "downshift" cable like on a TH350. The TV cable also governs upshifts and part throttle shifts. It is absolutely vital that the TV is adjusted properly or it will kill a trans.

Your idling problem sounds like an IAC. Your IAC can be stuck and not set a code. The passages leadign to the IAC in the throttle body are also notorious for getting gunked up and causing a condition like this. I would pull the IAC and throttle body. Clean all the passages in the throttle body and install a new IAC.

I rebuilt my own 700R4 because I couldn't find a local shop that I trusted. They all said the same thing "Just swap it for a TH350, the 700R4s just aren't that good." Finally I spoke with Dana at Pro-Built and he said the exact opposite, so I thought "I finally found someone who knows his @$$ from a hole in the ground". Boy was I right. I used his kit and the finished product exceeded my expectations. I could call him if I had a problem and he spent probably two or three hours over the course of several nights walking me through stuff I had questions about. I would not hesitate to build another 700R4.

It isn't hard to pull a trans apart, replace all the normal wear items and throw it back together again. Just because you can do that successfully doesn't make you some kind of trans rebuilding God. For years I thought that it was some kind of black art, but having done a 700R4 and a Ford E4OD (much more complicated than a 700R4 by the way) I can tell you two things. One, there is not a trace of alien technology in an automatic trans. Two, if you can rebuild a motor you can rebuild a trans. It's just not that hard.

Now, let me see if I can solve your trasn problem. Does the trans ever have 3rd and/or 4th gear? Will it simply not upshift into 3rd at all, or is it just under full throttle? With these answers I will be able to narrow it down for you.

The transmission will not shift into 3rd or 4th gear at all. It shifts from first to second just fine, but no 3rd or 4th. Just like when it first went down on me. the fluid also smells worse then it did before.

maybe your tranny filter is clogged, there could be break-in metal in the valve body. if the fluid smells, then i would replace with castrol a/t oil. sorry man. my tranny is bleeding, the radiator is cracked. sucks. (im no expert!!) fluid sounds rite.btw where can i get a shifter linkage retaining clip that connects the cable to the shifter mount on the tranny, not the stud bolt, but the retainer clip.

Are you SURE it is shifting from 1-2?? Could it be shifting from 1-3 and skipping 2nd gear??? I had this exact problem and it ended up being a o-ring was torn on the 2-4 servo preventing second and forth gears from engaging. Just so you know the servo is located on the right side of the trans (that 3" round thing right above the pan).

I WILL HAVE THAT LOOKED AT. THE CAR IS GOING BACK IN TODAY AND THEY WILL TEAR INTO THE TRANNY ONCE AGAIN. I AM ALSO ADDING A GOOD TRANSMISSION COOLER. ---- THANKS FOR THE INPUT.

IT WAS THE IAC ! I INSTALLED A NEW ONE AND IT FIRED RIGHT UP. THANK YOU !

When I bought my TA it had the same issue, ie no 3rd-4th.

After I solved the many other issues with the car, leaking injectors cracked rad the head lights and more I tore open the trans.

It turns out it had been rebuilt not long before I bought it (in miles not actual time) because everything was either brand new or reconditioned.

I could still read the ink stampings on the band and clutches and the drum had been scotch brighted and had no signs of being broken in.

What I discovered was the forward clutched had been charcoal-ized!

The root problem the first time around had to have been the TV cable. It was old junk and wouldnt hold an adjustment. The builder/installer should have caught that right away.

The second failure that likely occoured just a few miles after the rebuild (where as the TV broabably killed it over a lot more miles) was due to the builder replacing the TV failsafe check ball with a smaller standard ball.

With out the fail safe feature and with a slipping TV cable the trans didnt have a chance.

Even with a good cable thats adjusted way to low the failsafe will usualy save the trans.


Dis connect the cable at the carb/throttlebody and see how the 1-2 shift feels. In fail safe the pressure should be just shy of max. The tires will bark even at low throttle angles, if it dosnt the fail safe isnt working.

AFTER IT WAS ALL SAID AND DONE. I FOUND THAT THE TV CABLE HAD GONE BAD. THE CAR IS RUNNING PERFECT AFTER THE IAC REPLACEMENT AND THE NEW TV CABLE. THANKS FOR EVERYONES HELP.