Hey everybody,

I am proud to say that I just finished my 700R4 swap myself (I'm only 17 and I wasn't sure if I could do it). Well I put a good 700R4 tranny into my 86 TA, bolted everything up and filled the fluid and started up the car. Well I go to start the car for a test drive and pop it into Reverse...

When I put it into reverse I am not going anywhere! (My driveway is on a slight incline to get out) I press the gas and finally the car starts moving very slowly with the engine screaming. I get worried and I put it into Drive and the shift is perfect and the car goes like it should. So this problem is only in reverse. Does anybody have ANY idea at all what this could be? Tranny? Rear-End? Shifter Cable?

I am stumped and I really need the car please HELP!!!

-Max

 

I forgot to mention I couldn't even get out of my driveway. The car didn't have enough power it seemed to get up and out of my driveway! WTF?

 

Well, a few thoughts. You said it shifts fine in drive right? no slipping? Check under the car and see if your shifter cable is adjusted properly. You may be in neutral, causing the tranny to scream.(seems simple, but look for these first) If this checks out, have someone check under the car and see if the driveshaft turns. If it does, you may have worn out rear gears.(far stretch, but again, eliminate ALL possibilities.) Check your fluid level again. If all these check out, go back to where you bought the tranny and start screaming BTW, congrats on your first tranny swap! I had to do one in My RS when I was 15(didnt even have my license) took me three days and two one hour drives to the junk yard. Hope these help
Mike

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"Experience life, Don't use it" Julie (petrick) Fink

 

Ok, with a help of a friend I pushed the car into the street where I could further test Drive. I put it in Drive and the same thing happens as in reverse (Didn't have enough room to tell if it was good before) It has slightly more power id drive but when I press on the gas and brings the RPM up the rear starts vibrating really bad. This seems to me like a problem with the driveshaft. Am I right?

BTW I can't return the tranny I got it off my parts car (with a siezed engine) and it was rebuilt 15K ago so I think its good.

If anybody has suggestions let me know, I'm desperate!!!

 

Also how do I check the shifter cable. I'm thinking put it in Drive, see where the metal tab on the tranny is, then put in in Reverse and see if the metal tab was moved by the cable. Right?

 

Put it in Park, loosen the adjuster and make sure that the tranny is in Park, now tighten it. you should be OK. Next make sure that you have enough oil in it. If that is OK, did you have the tranny bolted to the engine and THEN bolt the converter up (which should have turned freely before that)?

 

Thanks for the help, as for bolting up the engine, on the first attempt I first attached the TC (then had to take the whole tranny out) This time I first attached the tranny first and then the TC. In my other post you (transfixleo) told me that I could have damged some tranny pump doing what I ddi the first time. Is what I'm describing symptoms of a bad pump?

 

Ok after revving the engine, it seems that the tranny is vibrating badly not the rear. This makes me think I installed somehting wrong. What could it be? Anybody?

 

well, sounds like either the TC wasnt fully engaged, or the bellhousing bolts are loose. You may also have damaged the pump, but lets avoid that possibility for now. are all of your TC bolts tightened fully? Do you maybe have TOO MUCH fluid in it?

 

I am pretty sure the TC bolts are tightned (will dbl check tomorrow) but the bellhousing bolts aren't even all there. I got all 3 on the PS but could only get to the 2 bottom ones on the DS (need to pick up a longer extension tomorrow) I also diodn't have too much space to torque one or 2 bolts so the bellhousing might be a little loose. Could it really cause such a severe problem?

What I am worried is that either the TC or the tranny is toast. Can anybody put my mind at ease and tell me that my problem is from my poor assembly?

Thanks for all the help,
-Max

 

Maybe I read this over too quick, but it sounds like you're low on fluid. Make sure it is up at least to the "Add" mark with the engine running and the tranny in park when cool (before being driven). If that's all it is, recheck after you've gotten it warmed up to bring it up to the full mark.

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82 Berlinetta, orig V-6 car, now w/86 LG4/TH700R4. 2.93 limited slip. Cat-back from '91 GTA, ZZ3 intake, Accel HEI SuperCoil. AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Daily driver, work-in-progress (LG4 w/'87 LB9 block, ZZ3 cam, ported World 305 heads, Hooker headers & y-pipe, 3" Catco cat & 3" cat-back, Spohn SFCs).
57 Bel Air, my 1st car. '66 396, 9.7 CR forged TRWs, Weiand Action+, Edelbrock 1901 Q-Jet (Holley 3310 on the way), GK 270 cam, Magnum rockers, Jacobs Omnipack, 1-3/4" Hedders & 3" Warlocks, TH400 w/TCI Sat Night Special conv & Trans-Scat shift kit, MegaShifter, 3.08 8.2" 10-bolt w/Powertrax, AMSOIL syn lubes bumper-to-bumper. Idles smooth @ 600 RPM in D. Best 15.02/95.06 @ 5800' Bandimere (corrected 13.93/102.4 @ sea level).

 

i was told by a neighbor of mine that used to run a junkyard that when you put the converter on you have to do it in steps, like push on and turn then it clicks and you repeat that a couple times. he said if you dont do it like that the converter doesnt fully engage to the pump.

maybe some of the more experianced tranny guys on here can explain better or correct me. this is just what one old man said.



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former 305 crossfire fuel injection
350 cubes
hooker headers
750 vac secondary
700r4 with shift kit
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"no man with a good car needs to be justified."

 

Yes that is what I am thinking. At this point you need to get a pressure gauge on it to see what is really happening. I suspect that pressure will be lower than factory specs. Again, make sure that the tranny is full.

 

Ok say I lower the tranny now (shouldn't take more then 1 hour after all these times doing it) then can somebody please explain to me how to correctly install the Torque Converter (ie spin,click,spin...) and then I'll pop the tranny back in.

I am pretty sure the fluid's good. I added 4.5 quarts (although some leaked out casue I forgot to tighten the cooling lines to the tranny. The manual say 4.7 but I would think with the approx. 4.0 I have left it should be enough...

Please I need a quick response, this car HAS to get me to work tomorrow or I'm screwed!!!

BTW I don't have a Torque wrench at the moment, would tightening the converter and tranny bolts to my full strength be ebough?

-Max

 

Ok the tranny is lying under my car. Somebody PLEASE tell already me how to put on the TC correctly since that is the likely culprit of my problem.

I also had problems and the dipstick tube didn't fit all the way into the tranny on 1st try so I couldn't measure fluid level as somebody advised.

Anyways I'll be sure to put it in there nicely before I jack up the tranny again.

Please Help, I don't have much time!!!

 

If you couldn't measure the fluid level, how do you know you have enough? Or too much?

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350 with stealth intake, holley carb, 470 lift cam. 700r4 with .5 boost valve, vette servo, tci lock-up kit, B&M megashifter. Richmond 3.73 gears, powertrax locker, timkin bearings, synthetic lube. Custom 3 inch single into 2 2.5 pipes. 1 1/2 drop springs, 1 5/16 solid front sway bar, 1 inch rear bar, custom subframe connectors, custom LCA relocation brackets. Kobel ground FX, currant red metallic paint. Lots of other stuff...
82camaro

 

Look down the input shaft and into the pump housing. You will see two 1/4" square tangs located opposite of each other. Kinda like the 12 and the 6 of a clock. You will notice on the torque converter hub there are also two notches oppositly opposed. The two notches need to line up with the two oil pump tangs.

Now, double check the end of the torque converter hub. If there is freshly scraped metal on the end, it is in your pump housing and tranny.

Post your results

 

Ok I hooked up the dipstick and measured the fluid, and it barely registers on the very tip. More must have escaped from the cooling lines leak then I thought. Anyways could a fluid shortage really cause a problem as severe as I described?

 

yes, a fluid shortage will cause slipping.

And yes, you could have done permanent damage by putting the TC in wrong.

Fill it full of fluid and check again, it might live.

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ASE Mechanic/Machinist/Smog Tech

1999 NBM Trans Am
1986 Chevy 3/4 ton pick up
1981 corvette
1995 Kawi ZX6R
and 2 POS commuters...

R.I.P. #3
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