last night i was driving on the highway in OD and i let off the gas for a second then started to accelerate and the car would not gain any speed, the rpm's just surged up and down as if i had it in neutral, so i put it in 3rd and the same thing happened...I noticed a cloud of crap spraying out of the back of my car...I pulled over off the highway and me and my buddy saw transmission fluid pouring out of my car (looked like it was coming right out of the tranny) and the car would not move in any gear (only a little bit in 1st and reverse) there was no clunking noises or grinding noises, so i dont think i "broke" anything inside...my guess is i blew a basket somewhere, or a line broke, or came off...the tranny was also smoking because of the lose of fluid, did i blow my tranny? or is it something like a gasket i can pull and fix myself? i have a 350 backed with a 700r4...please help

 

quick update: started the car today and moved it a little....transmission fluid is pissing out of where the tranny connects to the engine...did i blow the seal/gasket in the front? its leaking from inside the bellhousing which is what i think its called

 

Maybe it's the pump seal?

 

Sounds like the front seal blew out.
Unfortunatly, you'll have to remove the tranny to fix it. Personally, I would pull the tranny, take the pump out, install a new bushing preferably Teflon coated, inspect the Torque Converter for cracks or damage, then install a new seal and seal retainer.

P.S. while the pump is out, I would at a minimum look at the 3-4 clutches. When fluid level gets low, the 3-4 clutches are the first to go. Since you puked the fluid driving down the road, I'm sure they are shot or at least show signs of overheating.

 

I'll 2nd the above opinion(s). Be very sure to check the torque converter .... alot of times the front seal goes and the torque converter ends up being bad too.

 

so then the tranny is still salvagable? like i didnt totally blow it? how much will the seal/converter and everything cost me?

 

The tranny is still salvagable, but what its going to cost depends on the extent of the damage. You simply won't know untill you take it down and have a look.

 

When I had the 700R4 in my camaro, I had the same problem once. The guy at the transmission shop said he had seen a lot of problems with the 700R4 pushing out the front seal. He told me he hears about it mostly when you accelerate real hard with it and let off suddenly. Builds up some pressure and pushes out the front seal. I am no tranny expert by no means so he could have been just blowing smoke, but it sounded good at the time.

 

believe it or not thats what i was doing, i accelerated fast, then had to let off quick because someone cut me off and i switched lanes fast, and went to accelerate again and bam, no go... what gets me is why then? i had my friend and 2 gorgeous girls in the car, and they had to call for rides...how embarassing!

 

When they rebuilt my tranny they supposedly put a couple of screws or something like that in the seal to keep it in. Worked fine up until I pulled it.

 

If you enlarge the drainback hole to .250 (both sides of pump), and use a teflon bushing, you will not have to stake anything in the pump. Follow the other above recommendations along with this.

 

u guys have really good advice but theres only one thing wrong...i know alot about cars, but have never touched a tranny...i just about know how to take it out of the car, thats it! if you guys can find me some pictures...that would be great! but i know the problem is in the front of the tranny where the input shaft is

 

You should be able to pull the tranny, pull out the converter, and see the seal if that is the problem. It is right up front. Pop it out, stick a new one in(probably about $7 or $8 bucks) and throw it all back in.

 

ok i had my friend over the other day, and we got under the car...i bought the seal...$4.99, we jacked the car up and put it on stands and came to the conclusion that we couldnt drop it with the car just up on jackstands....not enough clearance, i mean theres enough to get it out, but it'll be to hard to get back in...we did remove the flywheel cover from the tranny, and thats where the fluid is trickling down from...its pouring out of the drain hole in the black plastic cover...pump seal? right? and thats located toward the front of the tranny behind the converter, correct? please get back to me...i dont care if i have to drop the damn tranny by myself...!

 

That is where mine was leaking from. And it was the seal that was out in mine. Don't want to guarantee that is your problem but sounds like the same situation I had.

 

one problem...i dont have the clearance with jackstands to drop my tranny, and the transmission place wants 500 bucks to replace the seal and pump/torque converter...and a rebuild costs 1100 bucks

 

I think a taller set of jackstands is a lot cheaper than $500. Do you have any drive on ramps?

 

As much as I don't like to, if I have to pull one in my driveway, I have a pair of very tall, 6 Ton jackstands for the front, and smaller jackstands for the rear. I also have a 3-ton jack to jack it up high enough, and to support the transmission.

 

no drive on ramps, and no taller jackstands, i only have a 2 ton jack and 2 ton jackstands and its real hard to get to work and make money when your daily driver craps out...keep in mind im 18 and fresh out of high school, and im probably gonna get laid off if i can't keep up with my schedule

 

is there anyway i can purchase a rebuild kit, and actually rebuild my tranny myself? chances are its probably in need of one...where can i pick one up and exactly how hard (scale of 1-10) is it, i can get a manual and im real good with directions...would probably save me a ton of cash too

 

For someone who described there situation as you did yourself, on a scale of 1-10, I would give it a 12. For a person who is having trouble replacing a simple item such as a Torque Converter seal, I would think taking it apart and "rebuilding" would be out of the question. Not to mention, you will probably quadruple the time the car will be out of service, maybe even more if something doesn't go well.
If your really in a bind like you explained that you were, then I would find some way to safely get the car up to the height you need, remove the tranny, pull the converter out, make sure the converter isn't cracked or anything where the seal rides, install a new seal and a NEW Seal Retainer and put it back together.

 

alright, well this week i will definitely try to get the tranny out and check the torque converter for cracks, ect. the seal is right between the converter and teh tranny correct? isn't it called the "pump seal", sorry about the questions i just want to make sure i buy the right part

 

Yeah, its the Pump Seal. The Torque converter is what drives the pump, so there is a seal between the pump body and the converter. What worries me, is that it is possible that the seal just blew out. But then its also possible that it had help, perhaps from a worn bushing. The Converter rides on a bushing directly behind the seal. Unfortunatly, you cannot replace the bushing with the pump in the car. Without taking the tranny apart, all you can do is try to keep the seal from blowing out again. You could try and take Red Loctite and put it around the outside of the seal, and I'm not kidding about the seal retainer. That was GM's "fix" for seals walking out of the pump. I always replace with a NEW one. Be carefull removing the old seal. I had to do a rebuild shortly after somebody replaced there own seal because a little chunk of seal got torn off and wedged into one of the orifices in the stator shaft.

 

thanks for all the help, im lookin to get this all over and done with by the end of this week

 

oh i forgot to ask where can i get the seal retainer from?

 

last update...i removed the drain/inspection conver once again to make sure i can see where the leak is exactly coming from...the seal still looks intact, but the fluid looks like its spilling out of the torque converter towards the seal...i started the car for a second and shut it off and checked it again and the torque converter is smoking? maybe its the torque converter that blew?! i meant to say the torque converter looks like its leaking not the seal

 

well this upcoming monday is the day i drop my tranny, i have a friend helping me again...this one knows a lot more about these types of things so...we'll see what happens...