Works pretty nice. The 1-2 and 2-3 shifts are nice and firm. The 3-4 shift is mediocre, even without accumulation, and somewhat delayed. It holds power but the shift isnt as good as the others. Oh well... Only need it for cruising, anyhow.

The problems I had origionally where a trashed front pump, internal leakage, foaming fluid, and all teh friction material was carbonized. It would come off just by scratching it.

I rebuilt it with a transgo heavy duty shift kit from pro-built, TCI rebuilt torque converter (sat. night special), and a low buck alto rebuid kit. The rebuild kit dint have the best parts in the world in it so I dont expect it to last forever, but hopefully Ill get some miles out of it.

Some thoughts for those wishing to rebuild:

Ironically enough, removing and installing the trans was harder then the actual rebuild. Without a lift, its hard to get the trans under the car and then onto a jack with supports attached. The trans itself must weight around 150 lbs and teh torque converter was also heavy and difficult to get on under the car. To compound this the torque converter cant really be turned alot without the TC engaged into the pilot in the crank, so it was difficult to get the converter to key into the rotor in the pump. Had to remove and reposition it several times. The dipstick is also fun to install.

There are alot of parts in a 700-R4. I needed around 30 ft of bench space to get it apart in an orderly fashion. Some of the parts look similar to others and things are real easy to mix up. The area also has to be clean. I spent a good deal of time cleaning the work area and sealing the bench with polyurithane to get a good, clean surface to work on.

If your like me and the only thing that fills your pockets is lint, then youll have to get creative and build some of your tools. The clutch springs need to be compressed and are also easily damaged so I used some 2x4s, threaded rod, and PVC pipe to make the compressors. The lip seals are also a real pain. The seal installer doesnt help much with new seals. I used some paper plates cut into strips to guide the seals in. The trans was also pretty dirty inside. I used lots of naphtha to clean off the case and parts. I also followed RB83L69's suggestion of soaking and sloshing the valvebody around in solvent for several days. Alot of debris where stuck in there so Im glad I did that.

Other then that, its not too bad. The transmission is very complicated, though, and its all too easy to make mistakes. I had to pull the guts back out of it because I put one thrust bearing in backwards. With that in mind, be sure to allow some time for the rebuild. Youll also want a large, clean, comfortable workspace to do the rebuild. I couldnt possibly see how someone would rebuild one on a garage floor or something.

 

Ah, the memories...

 

Congrats on a job well done. You probably did a better job than the average trans builder. My local guy is proud of the fact he can do one in 3 hrs. (bench time). Very few true pro,s in the field.

 

Good job....I thought about it...to many parts. The One thing i havent had the pleasure of doing.

Ive r/rd a few even changed governors and servos. But thats as far as i dared to go. Nothing like the satisfaction of having done it yourself.

 

These trans' are really complicated inside. I only hope that it wont suddenly fail or something from a mistake I made (crosses fingers, knocks on wood, etc.) I can see how people can easily screw them up.

Ill say one thing, the trans-go shiftkits are second to none. Much better then the B&M that my brother had. That thing shifted like crap. This its nice and fast without being harsh. Very pleased with it.

 

From the info I gathered, if you f'd up you will know it soon. The one thing that can bite you a month or 2 later is if you forgot (and I am sure you didn't) the c shaped clip that holds the low roller clutch still. The clutch twists and rips the lugs out of the case. I have been using the b&m kits but heard such good things about the trans go stuff, I am gonna try one on the next build. I wouldn't worry. 2 thumbs up. Not many guys have the nuts to do what you did.

 

Well done. Makes me wonder if I might tackle the job myself..

 

Welcome aboard!

If your stock trans is still working then buy a late model 89+ core and use that, that way you have a working trans to fall back on. Mine was completly toasted so I really had nothing to loose. I sure hope I dont have any more problems with it. Pulling a trans really sucks.

 

Heh yeah I bet it sucks to pull one. I dont know much about automatics, as this is my first one, but I was actually thinking I would just go get one and rebuild that. That way there's less down time, too.

 

Nice job! I haven't had the pleasure of a trans re-build yet but I'm sure it's coming!

 

I'm part way thru mine right now!!

 

looks like a 4l60e there.


aren't the 700's fun to rebuild....

i'm waiting on putting in my own "DIY" rebuilt 700 in. i hate this cold weather.

 

So it is a 4L60-E?

ben73, I take it this will be the trans that youll use with your PCM?

 

In texas? I guess at night it can get pretty cold with no cloud cover. It was around 15 deg F the other night when I was working in the garage. Thats getting kinda cold. Cant imagine what its like in the northern parts of Canada this time of year.

 

exactly. cold, here in texas...wtf. it's was around 20*. we even had some snow flurries. what's snow?

 

Damn... Whats up with that? Its texas. How far inland are you? The farther from the ocean, the colder itll get at night.

 

i'm the star on the map. supposed to warm up in the next few days though. whew....



merry x-mas.

 

mystikkal, about your 700, is that the first one youve done so far? I know I was pretty nervous when I tried it for the first time. The car was on stands and the fluid looked good on the stick even though I only added one and a half gallons + whatever I could fit in the converter. When I stuck it in gear, it started making this *** awful noise. I looked at the dipstick and it looked empty. Needless to say, I added about one quart too many in a panic that I'll have to drain out.

The funny thing is, it wasnt the trans. The wheels started turning when I put it in gear and the pinion bearing in the rear I swapped in was making all the noise when it started turning. It was so loud that I thought it was coming from the trans. Really had me going... Of course Ill have to rebuild the rear at some point

 

well on my 700, it's not the first one. it's the 3rd 700 and the 6th trans i have done. the first i ever did one i was like, that's alot of crap. well the first 700 i did had lost all gears, even reverse. the transmission fluid looked like very dirty engine oil or really really really old diff fluid. i wondered if i ever would get it back together let alone it actually work. well i got it back together and it was working ok then the damn front seal blew out. that really sucked.
i had to drop it down again and replaced the seal and installed a seal retainer and on it went again. well it worked ok being my first rebuild. it had all gears and shifted softly into each gear. it was a completely stock rebuild. i guess it worked out .


atleast your trans is doing fine and not the source the noise.
damn rear ends. the previous owner must have run the rear low on fluid. check the yoke to pinion nut. see if you can tighten it down some. my friends rear was also making noise. the pinion nut was loose and causing all the commotion in the back end.

 

Yup. I will be ordering a kit from pro-built early in january.

 

You've inspired me. Actually I'll jump into a 200-4R sometime soon here.

 

hey the 200-4R was my first trans i rebuild. those trannies are not too hard to rebuild. have at it jmd. good luck.

 

Mystikkal_69, where in SA are u livin'?

I just retired from the Navy and work at the North Broadway Postal Annex. Currently living in Universal City.

Working on my T/A a little at a time.

Jim.