Jason E

I'm driving my car home from work, its stone cold as I pull out of the parking lot. The very FIRST shift, I can tell something's up. The revs sat around 3,000 a little too long, then the shift to second was a little rough. Down the road, the shift into third feels the same way. Then, it wouldn't shift into O/D, even after the car was fully warmed up and the torque converter was locking. A few miles more down the road, I slow down, it goes into 2nd, and won't go back into 3rd!! Finally coming away from a light, it makes a rough 1-2 shift, and I pulled into a parking lot and said the hell with this. I wait 2 hrs for my dad to show up, he hops in and drives away, and everything is FINE all the way home (15 miles).

I checked the fluid...its full, not burnt, and was changed about 25k ago. Is this a computer problem?? I was scared sh itless...I thought my tranny was dropping out!

Any ideas??

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Jason E

'89 Camaro RS
-Medium Grey Metallic
-2.8, A4, T-tops, 94k miles
-Hypertech chip, Accel wires/coil/K&Ns
-Alpine 60x4 and Bostons

'97 Z28
-30th Anniversary package (white with orange stripes)
-LT1, M6, t-tops, 45k miles
-Eclipse CD and 10" Aluminum sub in JL Audio Stealth box, Boston RM speakers, Xtant 403a amp

Speed Kills...Wanna live forever? Drive a Ford.
Long Live #3...

fiream

Check your tranny mount it maybe on it's way out.


And check your trans filter it maybe cloged.

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Chevy 2.8L 60° V6
Mods:
?K&N Filter Lid
?87 Formula Hood
?Bosch Platinum +4
?Hi-Flo CatCo CAT
?Flowmaster 80 Series Muffler
?83 Trans Am 15x7 Turbo Fin Wheels
?B.F.Goodrich Radial T/A 225/60-15
?Chevy 2.8L Heddman Headers (Going on soon)

Aol instant messenger: FIREAM

http://www.geocities.com/fiream/RobsCarArtPa.html?994187591828

87 Firebird

Definitely not computer related. The only part of the transmission controlled by the PCM is the torque convertor clutch solenoid. Check your throttle valve cable? Really doubt that'd be it. I'd bet that some fluid was not flowing correctly. What Firearm said. Clogged filter or line. Maybe pump is on it's way out. Lack of fluid pressure = poor, or no shifts.

Black 86 'bird

My car won't shift from 2-3 when floored unless I let off a bit. Any help there? Besides, this is good pulicity for my site since everyone was told to read it http://www.geocities.com/pita_j2000/...?1002261961590

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2.8 mpfi
My only mod: Flowmaster 40 series
http://www.geocities.com/pita_j2000/MyFirebird.html?1002261961590
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Kyle F

Youknow my 86 Trans am started to act like that and it was't much after that the Tranny did go out. They said it was a problem in the torque converter. I to changewd the fluid and replaced the filter hoping it was cloged, but to no avail it blew up anyway.
I hope this is not true for you, but I would take it very easy on it until you get it to a tranny shop to have them look at it.
Its too important of a problem not to get a good shop to look at it.

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89 Trans Am Turbo 3.8L All stock 43,000 miles #1053 of 1555

Past Thirdgen:
86 Trans Am w/ built 355TPI with SLP goodies and too much other stuff to List. One sweet *** car, wish I would have had a good enough Job to pay insurance on three cars so I could keep it, but for a 89 Turbo Trans Am w/ Low miles, I think I made the right choice!

87 Firebird

Maybe something with a governor?

Project: 85 2.8 bird

tcc: torque convertor clutch
check servo for it.
check filter in case of clogging.

I had probs with a 93 bonnie a little while back, coolant & trans fluid don't mix, ate the clutch paks, clogged the filter, & rusted the tcc servo.

TomP

The fix for the no WOT 2-3 upshift is a rebuild... my original trans had that problem; the two trannies after the original could do a WOT 2-3 fine.

Jason, you might want to start saving some $$ for a rebuild; that doesn't sound too good. Do you get "overrun braking"? That's where you have the stick in 2nd, and, when you let up on the gas, the trans slows the engine down. Right before my original trans blew, I had no more engine braking; if I let off the gas, the engine would go right back to idle.


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l)

Jason E

Here's an update:

I have driven it twice since then, for about 10 miles total. Car acted FINE. Light throttle, half throttle, upshifts ranging from 2000 to 4000 RPM...all fine. It shifts every bit as smooth as it always has.

If this is a bad tranny I am gonna be MAD as hell. This car has been pampered...I can't believe a tranny with fluid changes every 30k and easy driving would go like this....

How much would it cost for a quality replacement???

jason86/2.8

Sounds like its doing about the same thing mine did right before the tranny went in mine. Don't be fooled by it acting right again either. My dad had to come 100 miles to check mine out when mine went and as soon as he got in the car it acted just fine as well.

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Red 1986 SC, 2.8L, rebuilt 700R4, 3.42, t-tops, 167K miles and counting, K&N air filters w/ removed air baffles, hopefully more to come!
RIP #3

Jason E

Tom,

I checked this morning...yes, I do have engine braking in second gear. Everything seems to be perfectly fine...yet a few of you here apparently thought the exact same thing before theirs blew. Wonderful

Ignoring labor, how much would a new or rebuilt tranny cost? How many hours of labor is it roughly? My uncle owns a shop and can do it for only $30 an hour...but how much is a new tranny should it come to that?? I'm going by there in a couple hours. Wish me luck

Its been one thing after another for the last 3 months...August was the radiator, September was the water pump, now the tranny?? Just thankful I have the Z28 to rely on...

85f-bird

i had my 700R4 rebuilt for 900 bux, that included a mild shift kit and a corvette servo, it really firmed up the shifts. Oh, and when my tranny blew, i lost fourth gear on the highway, third gear prior to reaching the exit ram, so i was doing about fifty in second, not good, but thank *** for a high reving v6, although i wasn't pushing to many RPM's i don't believe. Just make sure it's done right, and has a good warranty with it.

jason86/2.8

I had mine rebuilt for $650 a little over a year ago. No upgrades or anything just stock. It's got over 40k miles on the rebuild now and for the most part it is fine. I have noticed a couple little problems in mine the last couple days. Firstly the TC seems to have something wrong w/ it I think. From a start it seems to want to rev a little more than it should before it takes off and will sometimes make a light clunking noise. Also the last 2 times I manual shifted it wanted to hang in 2nd gear for a second or too after I shift to 3rd. Yesterday I shifted out of 2nd at around 75mph so it scared me to death. I let off and it went to 3rd. Today I shifted out at around 55 so it didn't scare me as much. Just another minor concern I guess. I've only got 32,780 miles to get to 200k so I hope it holds out on me.

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Red 1986 SC, 2.8L, rebuilt 700R4, 3.42, t-tops, 167K miles and counting, K&N air filters w/ removed air baffles, hopefully more to come!
RIP #3

Jason E

Well, I brought it over to my uncle, expalined to him what happened, and he said he is pretty positive its the TV cable...said I coulda lost 4th there because it got hung up, and no matter how fast I was going it may not have been fast enough to make it go into 4th. He said if it was fraying at the end and hung up, that could have caused all the other weirdness.

I drove it for another 40 miles today, around town and on the highway, and no problems at all. Its still the smoothest 700R4 I've ever seen. Guess I'll keep my fingers crossed that its the cable. I won't know until Friday at the earliest...I have him fixing a RH manifold leak, some play in the steering and changing my thermostat too (appears to be sticking).

I'll let everyone know what it ends up being. In the meantime, any other thoughts??

TomP

I've also heard that a gunked-up governor will prevent the car from upshifting to fourth... guys say they clean it, but they never say how (or with what). Hopefully it is just the TV cable... that '89 700r4 of yours is quite a bit more "self-destruct-proof" than my '86!

Lee Myles burned me for $1200 to change my first trans. When the second went, I dropped it out myself, and my girlfriend's father's friend of a friend rebuilt it for me for $400. (That's including a rebuilt torque convertor- when a trans goes, it fills the torque convertor with metal filings- they'll ruin a new trans, so you need to change the TC. Also, flush the trans cooler lines.)

The receipt for the trans rebuild showed the kit being about $80, the front pump about $60 (mine was trashed), and the TC was $90. The rest was labor- the guy was returning a favor. So- guess what I'll do when this trans blows? Yep- rebuild it myself.


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l)

Jason E

Tom,

My thoughts are along the lines of yours...I know you've gone through 3 (??) trannys, but I also know that the '89s are significantly stronger than what you had. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed...I called a tranny specialist at a dealer in Springfield, and he said that more than likely with the symptoms I'm having, either the TV cable is frayed or is getting hung up somewhere along the line. All of this is based on guessing games right now anyways...we'll see what he says. Not to brag, but just so you guys don't think my uncle is a putz, he recently sold his Super Chevy Show "Best in Class" '70 LS6 Chevelle M22 4 speed, black with white stripes for $42,000. When he started, it was a solid but rusted barn wreck...he knows his stuff.

And I'm counting on him to save my baby BTW, what is nice is that I can get a GM tranny (either new or rebuilt) for dealer cost, and have him put it in for like $25-30 an hour. If it does need a new tranny, it won't kill me, but I will be very dissapointed with my car...

Black 86 'bird

Well, that makes 2 people that say a rebuild... guess i better start planning that.. thanks.

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2.8 mpfi
My only mod: Flowmaster 40 series
http://www.geocities.com/pita_j2000/MyFirebird.html?1002261961590
PICS ARE UP!!

Jason E

Update:

I stopped by my uncle's today...he had fixed everything else and was starting on the tranny. He checked the cable and said it was fine...didn't appear to be getting caught anywhere.

He DID say though that he pulled the dipstick, and while the fluid looked fine, it felt gritty and smelled funny...not burnt, just funny. He was just putting it up on the lift as I was leaving...I don't know what he found when he pulled the pan off...

Doesn't sound too good, eh??

TomP

Ouch! He might already know about this, but- when he drops the pan, tell him to cut open the filter. The flat trans filter's a folded piece of filter medium; if you unfold it, you'll see metal filings in there. A few is normal... but you should've seen the one I had when my first trans died! It was filled!

Keep us posted... I know you took care of the fluid & filter all the time; it's strange why the trans is acting up. Hey; the trans cooler inside the radiator isn't leaking, is it? If coolant got inside your trans lines, the stuff can cause damage.. not sure what damage, though...


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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l)