Last night after about 30 min city driving, with no warning my tranny begins to act up, as i stepped on the gas my tranny suddenly decides it doesnt wanna shift right. I pull into the nearest parking lot and run thru every gear. Reverse was not working at all. Other gears would still engage but not correctly. 1st would take off normally but would not shift into second until i let off the gas and re-apply the gas. Tried WOT, 1st gear took off normally but then would just over rev itself n not move. Checked tranny fluid, it needded some fluid but not too much. Smelled very slightly on the burnt side, redish color was still there. I noticed it had been leaking from the rear of the trans to the drive-shaft area. Is there any chance at saving my tranny without a rebuild? Last rebuild was done bout 5 years ago, only about 15k-20k miles on rebuild. Should drop the pan and check for metal shavings if none are present refilll fluid? or is my tranny just gone?

 

I have the same problem with my 91 bird (700r4) it over revs and has trouble shifting, reverse sometimes doesnt work at all. I was told my pressure plates are bad, but with regular fluid refils and not abusing it my tranny does fine... I know this isnt much help but its all i know up to this point

 

Someone PLEASE.......im hurtin here..

 

Well its burnt out. You can do things to make it last a little while longer, like changing the fluid and adding some grip additive, you could also loosen up the TV cable, might make it shift better.

But your looking at 50 bucks for a fluid change, and you can pick up a good used trans for around 150 bucks.

It might seem good when its cold, but as it warms up, it'll get worse and **** you off. Stay out of the gas. Your fluids gonna turn brown soon and smell like dog ****.

 

whatever you do, dont adjust your tv cable too much, this is not a tv cable problem and by doing this, you will cut your tranny's life by half if not more.

The steel plates in the 3-4 clutch have problems constantly, go with aftermarket clutch pack

If you want a tranny that will kick you to your seat and you have money to spend on one time and time again, then yes, adjust your tv cable, buy a corvette servo, get a shift kit, a high stall converter, but my 700r4 has lasted me 234078.5 miles to date with nothing but basic fluid changes and cleaning.

I think you, along with everyone else, should read what this guy has to say
http://www.technicalevolution.com/niceshft.htm

Its up to you, do you want your car to be reliable or have "fun" with harsh shifts? if what you want is to race around town and have a bunch of fun, just switch to a t5 or a t56 that way YOU control your shift points and YOU control the harshness of the shift. If you still want the automatic but contol your shift points, find a way to get an "auto stick" where you can shift when you want to by slapping the gear shifter to the left or right.

Furthermore you are driving an '86, in '89 GM introduced a new 2-4 band with a lube window, buy a new 2-4 band. Also check your 1-2 accumulator piston and spring, along with your 3-4.

I guess my answer to your question is, no your tranny is not done, not by a long shot if you keep the fluid right and just clean all parts periodically but if you keep pushing it to the limits then yes, it is done.

 

Interesting, I always thought firmer shifts were better for a trans. But these transmissions don't usually break,(under stock power) they start slipping.

There's nothing you can do to fix the problem without tearing into it and replacing the clutches. You can baby the thing until it doesnt move the car anymore, but the transmission is in the retirement stage.

Youre right about the cable, you don't want to go too much. But I think if you loosen it up a bit, it will shift a little earlier, creating less heat, which will delay the slipping. Once it starts slipping its going to make a lot of heat, and the tranny's life will be reduced exponentially.

 

firm shifts are good, hard shifts are bad. There is a difference and most people prefer hard shifts because it throws you to your seat. These trans very rarely break, that much is true, but the clutch's are poorly designed for a lot of power, and although he is only pushing low 200 horse with maybe 300 lbs of torque, that is more than enough to create too much heat.

Like I said before, if you want to drive this car like a race car you will need a professionally rebuilt tranny or rebuild yours with a high stall converter, servo, shift kit, clutch pack, bands, ect ect. but this gets expensive. I think you would be happier with a t5, and behind your 305 it will last a long time.

 

Time for a new transmission, it won't recover. Nothing but a rebuild can fix it.

I purchased my rebuild/TransGo shiftkit for $270 or so. But the site I purchased it from is no longer running.

Your other bet is to find a trusted local shop (perferable incase there are issues with the transmission and it requires service under warranty), or buying a Probuilt Automatics transmission from Dana. Probuilt has a very good rep on these boards, Dana stands behind them.