MDv6man

Since I can't decide what to do I'll post the question to all of you guys.

As you know my daily driver is the 1983 in my sig. Since I've had it tagged, I have been plagued with a tranny leak. Most, if not all, of the outside seals have been replaced. I am beginning to believe that there is an internal problem that is pushing the fluid out by the pan. The trans is the infamous 3-speed 200C.

My one friend at work has a trans from an 89 V6 Firebird with about 170K on it. It worked up to the point when the motor blew and was then pulled this past summer. They are doing the v6 to V8 thing so the V6 parts are at my disposal.

My question is: WHAT SHOULD I DO???

I can have the husband of another aquaintance take a look at it and fix the ol' 200C (he is a trans rebuilder for a Chevy dealership).

Or I could get the 700R4 off my friend and install it or have the trans guy put it in (had a bad experience putting a trans in my Aspen back in '97).

I kind of am torn between leaving it stock but realize the better gas mileage I could get with the 700R4.

HELP!!!!!

camaro89dude

I would get the 700, but rebuild it or have it rebuilt and put in a shift kit.

MDv6man

Okay who else voted? Especially the "other category"

CC_HotRod

I don't know how bad your leak is, but when my tranny was leaking a few years back it turned out to be the rubber gourment that the dipstick tube goes into. The fluid was coming out from around it. Replaced it and no more leaks. Just make sure that you put the tube in straight.

MDv6man

I bought that grommet thinking it was the leak. However, after I covered the trans with foot powder and drove it it was originally seeping past the bolts on the pan and where the pan meets the case. This was with RTV applied to the gasket (i know, I know - :nono: ). Now it looks like the torque converter or front seal went out in addition to seeping at the pan.

I did a little surfing today and found a shift correction kit for the valve body and that the TC was the reason this trans had a bad rap.

pontiacguy1

I know that the 700-R4 is a stronger tranny than the 200C, and it will give you the overdrive. You will have to get a drive shaft from a camaro or firebird with the 700-R4. The TH200 is 28.25 inch overall length, while the 700-R4 is 30 inches overall. There is also a 3/4 inch difference in position of the trans mount. You might have to get the crossmember for the overdrive tranny as well, or you might can move the crossmember you have by redrilling the holes. I would also look at getting the shifter and shift plate from an overdrive car to make it right. All of these parts could be easily and cheaply gleaned from a junkyard donor car.

I think that I would get the 700, get your buddy to freshen it up but leave it stock or near stock, and do the conversion. According to an article that I recently read, the TH200 does not have a lockup converter, but other TH200 derivatives did. I don't know which one you have, but either way a circuit to make the TCC lock up can easily be made.

MDv6man

Well I got the 200C which is the lockup type.

The guy that's doing the v6-v8 swap has the trans and anything else I'll need. The only thing that will be tough to get will be the kickdown (TV) cable (1984 only), and a shifter plate with the PRND321 lettering (1983 OD trans only). After 1984 the TV cable is different because of going to MPFI and the 700 R4 wasn't available in V6 F-bodies in 83. In 84 the shifter lettering changed from PRND321 to PRN(D)D21. To be correct for the period I would need a PRND321 plate.

TomP

I voted for "get the 700 and toss the 200"... I'd say if you can, to try to rebuild the 700 first, since the 200 does work. If you can get the Haynes "GM Transmission Overhaul" book, it gives a picture-by-picture rebuild of the 700r4. I hear the hardest part is just keeping everything in order, so you (and I) shouldn't try rebuilding this on a small workbench. Throws a wrench in my plans.. a lot of guys layed all the parts out on the floor as they were rebuilding the trans. The Haynes book cost me $16, and I bought the ATSG trans manual, too. You have the GM shop manual, right? Well the ATSG manual is basically the transmission section of the GM book. 'Fact I was kinda disappointed because if I had known that, I woudln't have bought the ATSG book. Only good thing about the ATSG book is that in the back, it lists fixes/upgrades to the 700r4 that GM came out with. For instance, my '86 GM manual says nothing about accumulator pistons. The '86 ATSG book mentions the service bulletin about accumulator piston leakage, and gives a part # for upgrading to the newer o-ring style pistons.

One reason you might not rebuild that 700r4 is because it's an '89. A lot of the early bugs in the '83-84, and '86 models were fixed in '87. So that '89 700r4 is more durable than my '86 700r4, and if the fluid's colored good, you might not need to rebuild it. I'm thinking of going to a junkyard this saturday, I really need a door; if I see an '84 2.8 with a 700r4, want me to try to grab the TV cable off of it? The yard I go to usually has a buttload of '82-'84 2.8 cars. Hey... doesn't your 200C use a TV cable, too? Would they be the same cable? Or are they completely different at the transmission end?

If you hunt thru carparts.com or partsamerica.com or expressautoparts.com you can find 700r4 rebuild kits for about $100. Remember you'll need to get a rebuilt torque convertor too, you don't want to rebuild the trans and re-use a torque convertor that could have metal filings stuck in it. A rebuilt torque convertor's about $125, and you give them the old one as a core.

One other check that I think you know about already (but for the benefit of those that don't), you can cut open the filter of the 700r4. I use angle-cutters, but you can use a screwdriver, too. Separate the plastic "top" from the metal "bottom", and remove the filter medium inside. Unfold the filter medium- this is where you'll find the "big metal". When my first 700r4 died, the pan magnet looked great (normal fuzz), but when the Lee Myles guy cut my filter open and showed me, my heart sank. Same thing when the $1200-for-15-months-piece-of-crap Lee Myles trans blew; I cut the filter open, and saw all kinds of fun stuff.

You might be able to buy that '83 shifter plate off someone from thirdgen.org that put a B&M Megashifter into their car.

MDv6man

I'll have to check the fluids condition on the 89's 700. I do know they are pretty darn durable after 87 and this one may have been rebuilt at one time or another.

Space would be an issue for me as well as time on the 700R4 rebuild (or 200C rebuild for that matter). Plus, while I'm willing to take on a challenge, it took me three times to get the motor correct (pull it out, put it in). I can only imagine how many time the trans would need to come out (and how many rebuild kits I'd need to buy before I'd get it right). I'm persistent but might go broke on that one!

The TV Cable issue -- I'm really not sure if the TV cable for the 200C and the 700R4 are the same. i checked autozone and they don't sell TV cables for 84 V6 Camaros. Probably because of the one year only setup). I'll have to check and see if the TV cable for the V-8's are the same (200C vs 700R4). Then I could make an educated guesstimate on the V6.

If you would grab a TV cable for me I'd appreciate it... that way if it is different I'm at least prepared if I do swap this leaky SOB out.

MDv6man

Just checked AutoZone's website -- Turns out that the 83 V-8 camaro with a 200C uses the same cable as an 83 V6 camaro. The 700R4 cable is different but I can probably use the one For the V-8 application. No need for the boneyard TV (cold weather=brittle plastic= mad Tom)

Thanks anyway Tom!