Pretty new here and new to large scale projects. I am more of a car audio guy but car needed a motor and wanted to redo myself. I am rebuilding a 1989 GTA. I swapped motors now car wont move well at all. Running a 350 from 86 vette and open headers from the moment. AT an idle it runs at 650 - 700 rom put it gear same. hit the gas car doesnt move well very slugish cant get over 20 mph. Put foot to floor barely goes over 700 rpm. in idles fine and responds to giving gas will go over 200 rpm. as far as i can tell everything is hooked up to the trans and it is full of fluid checked after letting the car idle to warm temp. Please help this car has been a huge headache ready to give up. Cant take car to shop i dont have a trailer, and i dont have a scan tool so no idea if there are any codes. Thanks for any help, just led me in direction.

 

Were you able to drive the car before the engine swap? It really sounds like your trans is slipping badly and needs rebuilt.

When you checked the trans fluid, did you put it in each gear before you checked it? Or did you just let the car sit and idle till the temp gauge said it was warm?

 

yes i was able to drive, i did not let it idle in every gear just park put in reverse and drive moved a little then checked. I took it around the block and was only able to do about 10-15 miles per hour. it shifted into second but dont know why. The Trans was great before the swap no hard shifts no slips nothing. I threw a rod in the motor and i was able to move the car to pull the motor out.

 

Did you swap the flywheel when you changed engines? What about the torque converter?

 

no everything but the block heads and valve covers is from the original motor and trans set up

 

If I read that right, that may be your problem, although I'm not sure how you got it back together. The flywheel that would have come stock in your 89 is different that the one that would be used on an 86 Corvette.

Did you remove the torque converter at all? And if you did, did you fill it with fluid before you put it back in?

 

Also, is there a gap between the engine block and the bellhousing? The torque converter must "seat" itself properly. It is possible to put them back together and not have the torque converter pushed into the transmission far enough.

 

yes i had the torque converter off and no i did not fill it before i put back in figured it would all leak out i put the amount according to the chiltons manual for both when i put the fluid back in. everything bolted up and it starts right up. i posted on here before i bought the motor and was told the only difference was the oil pan, pump, and vlave covers

 

no there is not gap it is tight as can be.

 

I'm gonna toss a really dumb question out, just for the heck of it.

You did put all 3 bolts back in to bolt the flywheel to the torque converter, right?

 

yup

 

If you drain a torque converter and the tranny pan, I believe it will take something like 12 quarts. When I put mine back together, I only had to add 4 quarts, to I must not have gotten it all changed.

Have you held your foot on the brake, and applied a slight amount of gas? There is a procedure called running it through the gears. P -N -R - D - R etc etc. You put the system under a load to force fluid to circulate. You should have accomplished the same thing when you drove it.

 

like i said it is weird with out in ger can get at least 2000 rpm. but in gear foot to floor car wont go above 700 800 rpm. Timing is set by ear to idiling rpm according to the chiltons manual, because i am running open headers at the moment. I was going to have towed to exhaust shop have the exhaust done towed home then fine tune timing and try again. Could that be it or am i looking at pulling the motor again to get to the torque converter?

 

Do you have lots of engine power? Can you hit WOT and it races? Does the car tilt left and right from the torque of the engine?

 

I did not do that. yeah most everything came out when i pulled put some in checked added more checked and so on. I will try that and see how it works

 

I'm going to switch gears on you - (sorry for the pun)
What is your fuel pressure?

 

It sounds like it has power and not sure if it tilts left and right i think so? what does WOT mean?

 

havent tested

 

how do i test that?

 

Sorry, had to ask.

Are you getting any weird/strange noises? Grinding/squealing/rubbing noises?

Brakes aren't stuck are they?

 

no i thought the same thing then i checked the bag marked torque converter and all three were gone no extra bolts or anything like that and i also rember torquing them down. no brakes arent stuck roles free down a hill just a bitch to get back up. no noises that i can hear but as i said running open headers so hard to hear anything besides the motor

 

Sorry, forgot about the open headers. I guess that would tend to drown out any other noises.

WOT = Wide Open Throttle, ie gas pedal on the floor

To test the fuel pressure, I believe the is a test port on the fuel rails or on the regulator itself. Not that familiar with TPI myself.

 

yes foot to the floor it races but not in gear in gear doesnt go above 1000 rpm and its a tpi.

 

Thanks for all the help

 

Is that in gear and moving, or in gear and using the brakes to hold the car still?

 

in gear and moving i even shifted to first and still nothing it is a 700r4