Hey I got an 89 Firebird Formula with only 73k org. miles on it... I want to put a shift-kit in it, but im not looking for tread ripping chrips, just firmer shifts, I see your site has 2 set ups for the 700r which would be best for me.. Just looking to improve the life of the tranny, even though it shifts like new...

 

Tell you what, I'll tape a quarter to the box my trans-go garbage came in, send it to you free of charge, then at least you'll have something. 3 people, same trans-go kit, installed by three different shops having the same shift problem- gotta get in and out of the gas to help the thing shift when going through gears manually. Worst $138 I ever spent!!!

 

Sounds like you'll got issues with the valve body warpage, or seperator plate not being flat, not the kit.

Have you tried a B&M

Ron

 

This is why trans go recommends their kits be installed by qualified transmission builders. There is a lot to them. If someone's not familiar with it the results may not be as expected. Sounds like a calibration problem like in the tv system, the throttle geometry. Of course though, you're going to say you had it all set right. Very few shops will spend the time to get each transmission they build calibrated perfectly to each application.

 

I agree with 'Jay 727'...
To bad me and Jay have to use up bandwidth defending Trans-Go.
I've never seen Trans-Go get slammed so quick ..but that's what I would drop in. I installed it myself, and I'm not a qualified tech, and mine works great. I was probably more retentive than someone getting paided by the hour. That, and I've done a dozen TH-350 hehe.


Ron

 

Wow, I've heard many gr8 things about the Trans-Go kit.... Im still going to get Trans-go because I have experience for b&m, and it just killed my C4 trans, and those trannys are pretty hard to F@*k up if you know anything about them...

 

"Tell you what, I'll tape a quarter to the box my trans-go garbage came in, send it to you free of charge, then at least you'll have something. 3 people, same trans-go kit, installed by three different shops having the same shift problem- gotta get in and out of the gas to help the thing shift when going through gears manually. Worst $138 I ever spent!!!"

I will take you up on that offer and I will promise you that it goes in and works perfect the first time.

The next time I talk to the guys from TransGo I will ask them how come they always send me the "good" kits, you know, the ones that work right and others get the "bad" ones? Maybe I should go play the lottery!

 

As far as TV adjustment, as I've said before in previous posts about Transgo kits, that was the first thing I suspected also. I took the car to 2 different transmission shops and finally to the GM dealer itself-all said the TV cable was properly set. Yes, after installation and goofy shifts, I experimented with loosening and tightening the cable with mixed results both ways. Then I set it back to where it "should be" then took it around and had the shops double check myself then each other hence the visits to other shops. My transmission shifted firm in factory form, I just wanted it to be that much quicker and realiable justifing Transgo kit cause I read alot of good things about them. After all the problems, and talking with some people, that had the same problem I was having-EXACT same problem, knowing that the kits were installed by different reputable shops, I ,no we, came to the conclusion that the Transgo kit is a fluke. I was trying to be different with my set-up, drag racing with an overdrive tranny as opposed to the 350 or 400. I never made it past first round (unless the other guy red lit) cause sometimes it would go into gear and most times it would'nt, all the while jumping up and down on the gas. I saw 7000 rpm more than once hoping the thing would go into gear but to no avail. So, if you were in my shoes would'nt you question Transgo and other members claim and reputation when you experience problems and find out others had the same quirk? I know you guys regard them highly, and if you had good luck with them, great, I wish I would have to, but as with anything else the ones that had no problems will say it's the only way to go, but as for me I'll bash them every chance I get and let the ones who have'nt been robbed yet know there's a flip side to the coin.

 

Then what would be a good kit to get? B&M i know first hand sux, I guess alot of people are having problems with transgo. Only thing I see left is TCI.... LoL... Come on guys help me out. first time GM guy here... I know the best for Fords. I need your help to know the best for GM. But from reading alot of past post Trans-Go may have it "bugs" but there alot still alot of people who back it.. I will call Pro-built on monday and talk with them on the phone. I am most likely going to get them for the reason of good customer support, and alot of 3rd gen members like them, i know alot also dislike them. but I gotta start somewhere. Thanks to all you guys

 

Dana,at pro-built is gonna tell you to go with a Trans go because they are the best. I have never had a problem with any Transgo product and the only problems I have ever seen or heard about came back to be becasue they were not installed properly.

 

Damn, I'm gonna suck it up and eat crow, just for Formula305FI sake. Today I decided to try that horse remedy **** in a bottle (which I never use-Call me stuborn along with all the other things I'll be called after this) Read numerous posts with regards to problems I was having and all came up with sticky valve body. I bought a bottle of Sea-Foam this afternoon as a last ditch effort. I really wasn't up to droppinmg the pan AGAIN!!! After about 20 minutes driving around shifting through all the gears back and forth, I stopped, prayed, and mashed it for the moment of truth. Shifted into 3rd at 5K shift was right now and hard-got lucky
Stopped did it again shifted into 3rd at 5500 right now and firm
Repeated in 500 rpm increments till 7000K and it worked like a new tranny. We'll see what happens tomorrow and then on race day this Sat. If it continues to shift on demand, I will be sincerely apologetic even though what's done is done. This is my first overdrive tranny in a race car, and it will still be my LAST, but as far as the kit is concerned it might not be that bad afterall. Like I said as of TODAY after the **** in a can treatment it seems to finally be functioning properly, as I think it should of initally when tranny was reinstalled back into car.

 

I never have and still don't believe in "rebuild in a can". These have additives that swell seals to make them "seal" again. I have even heard of people putting brake fluid in for the same effect. I have seen seals that come off pistons way oversized and this can only be from one thing. I also wonder what this stuff does to the friction material and bonding agents. I find it hard to believe that the TV Valve in the TransGo setup would stick so I don't believe that this stuff freed that valve up. I am more inclined to think that there was/is an internal leak that was/is causing your problem. If it works now, great. I just hope it keeps working

One other thing for the record. I have had problems with TransGo Kits! Usually this is when they are in either development stage or when a new problem is "engineered" into it by the factory which may interfere with the SK's calibration from the previous setup or just creates a new problem that they kit wasn't (yet) designed for. This is why there are so many revisions on the SK's (you will see suffixes indicating engineering level). That being said there are some setups and usually this is with the Reprogramming Kit that are not after the "refinements" associated with the SK and are more to the point. This kit is one of them. If no other problem is present or a mistake made, it just flat works everytime! I will say this though, even experienced Tranny Techs have trouble with the instructions so my heart goes out to the average Joe trying to use this stuff, especially if they get their hands on a Shift Kit as opposed to the Reprogramming Kit which tends to have more detail. The SK is not intended for the home mechanic or even a wrench who doesn't normally do Trannies. It assumes you have a lot of experience and know what you are doing.