This morning I went for a short drive in my car (5 mins, it barely even warmed up...) and the trans was fine. This evening, I got into my car, started it and went. This time, the trans was acting all funny. It felt like my TV cable broke; it was shifting out of gear at unusually high RPMs and it was a real hard shift. Also, it wouldnt immediately upshift if I started a hard acceleration then let off (instead the motor would wind down...like i had a stick) I figured maybe the clip attaching the cable to the throttle bracket on the carb broke due to the cold...but there was also one odd thing that wouldnt fit along w/ that. It would take a while for 1st to wind out, and if i let my foot off the gas while in first, it would feel like a stcik car (wouldnt upshift, the motor would drag and slow me down). If i was in 2nd or 3rd gear and let off the gas, this didnt happen. If i tried to get back on it in 2nd or 3rd the trans would slip until my rpms went up and it would kinda engage with a sudden force. I was at a stoplight, shifted through the gears etc and nothing changed. I parked for a minute and got a cup of coffee. When I got back in the car, it worked fine again...So I dont think it could be the tv cable. Any ideas?

 

Sounds like the infamous stuck Throttle Valve I'm always harping on. The 700R-4 transmissions had lots of problems with the Throttle Valve in the Valvebody getting stuck in the "MAX" position. This will cause the exact symptoms you describe. It will come and go as it pleases. I have found that when it acts up, you can usually pull over and give a few hard tugs on the cable and it will free up, but sometimes not.

Many rebuild kits offer a "booster" spring that will help the valve return to minimum pressure, but only the TransGo has made great leaps and bounds to offer a fix. They include two booster springs, and a new "self cleaning" Throttle Valve almost garunteed not to stick. I have yet to see a 700 w/ a TransGo kit installed have this problem.

 

What about the governor?? I've been reading about that and see some similar symptoms. If the governor was messed up, could the problem still come and go or would it be permanent? I have an old 700R4 at home and I'm gonna pull the governor out of it to see what kind of job it is. If it's not too tough i'll pull out the one on my car and see how it looks.

 

BTW I was planning on changing my fluid tomorrow anyway...is there anything I cvan do about the TV while I have the pan down? or would that require me to drop the valve body?? (im not doing that dont have enough trans experience!!!) Just on a side note, when I shift into reverse and hit the gas, the car shudders for maybe 5-10 feet and then smooths out. this has been happening and getting progressively worse for maybe 4-6 months. could this be related in any way??

 

Governer problems can mess up shift points, however, the Throttle Valve will not only change shift points, but change shift feel as well. The fact that they are late AND hard, leads me to believe its a Throttle Valve issue.

Not much you can do by just doing a trans service. Short of installing a booster spring or such, there is little you can do.