So long story short, my transmission in my 88 firebird formula blew out last summer. I traded my beloved Jeep for a rebuilt tranny. Got it in, hooked everything up. It drove O-K to start with, a little squirrely. After driving it around the block a few times (so less than a few miles at most) I noticed that the TV cable had snapped up where it attaches to the throttle. I don't know how long its been that way, so I'm worried. I clamped the cable back on with some tiny vice-grips and took it for a quick test drive just to be sure that was my problem. well, I stopped at an intersection about 100 yards from my garage. I could not get the car to move from the stop. Shifted it to all gears and nothing made it move. I pushed the car back into my garage and let it sit overnight. I started it up to show my friend what was going on with it this morning and it shifted. I pulled out, got to the stop sign once again, and it crapped out on me again. It feels like it has no power, and it really feels like it won't shift past 3rd the rpms just sky rocket. I really, really need to hear someone say that its not toast. Please help I am no good with auto transmissions.

 

It is probably just your TV cable. Get a new one asap and don't drive it. It needs to be adjusted perfectly or it will mess with your shifting and burn the clutch pads out. Also, check the part your shifter hooks up to... mine was loose and wouldn't let me go into park... They will slide and won't shift. I don't know what it is called, but it is on the drivers side and if I remember correctly, the tab is tan.

 

OK - so I got the TV cable fixed. I took it out again and it didn't even make it to the stop sign. I'm so confused. it works O-K when it first starts (after letting it sit) then runs for about a full minute before the tranny just says nope and it stops turning the driveshaft. Doesn't work in reverse, doesn't work in any of the gears. Park works.... wohoo.... I really didn't even give it any gas this time. I don't understand. Its getting worse I think. Either the tranny is shot because of something I did or it was junk to begin with.... I don't know.

 

Running it with the broken TV cable burned the 3-4 clutches, now your transmission is contaminated with clutch material, clogging the filter and starving the pump, hince the loss of all movement. the reason it works after it sets is the meterial settles to the bottem of the pan and allows the filter to flow fluid again until it all gets sucked back to the filter.

Time for a rebuild

 

My trans is for sale and would be an awesome option for you. I'm doing the T56 swap, and EVERYTHING come with the trans.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/engi...verything.html

 

One of the reasons I dislike the 700R4 trans. That TV cable is so critical.
Any miss adjustment even for a short time will cost you a grand easy.
Over drive isn’t worth the headache it can cause.


TC wil need flushed or replaced just in case, so will all the lines n cooler.

I drove around likea dope for over a yr with the kickdown miss adjusted on my built TH350 and the only thing that happened is passing gear didn't kick in when I needed.

Should be some safety device on the 700 that disables the engine if the TV isn't right. Might be annoying but can save ya $1-2,000 in parts n labor.

 

Well that really kinda sucks.... I traded a car for this transmission, it was brand new. I haven't even driven it maybe 5 miles just around the block trying to get it to work... If it really is toast, then it will be at least 6 months until I can afford anything for it.

I do have a few questions for anyone that knows anything about auto transmissions. First, I'm not new to fixing cars - I've been in the garage since I was a young boy, but I've never opened up an automatic transmission -been afraid to. How hard would it be for me to rebuild this thing myself if I bought a kit and took my time doing it? Are there special tools I need?

Second, are there any other automatic transmissions that will work as well/better than the 700r4 with minimal modification to the drivetrain system? Turbo 350? How difficult is it to convert to manual and whats the relative cost? (I'm not afraid to cut holes in my car)

 

I've done exactly what you did(had TV cable out of adjustment and burned up the trans after maybe 50 miles though. I had it adjusted well enough to work under normal conditions, but burned holy hell out of 3-4 gears on first WOT run. Then limped home in 2nd on dirt roads for about 20 miles.

Anyway. If you are ambitious and it sounds like you have the time and nothing to loose. You surely didn't drive as much as I did after burning mine up. But, if you pick up a basic rebuild kit that has the clutches and steels in it. I think I got mine for maybe $50. Kits are insane cheap for the 700R4. Get a GM transmission service book. I have the Haynes one and I've rebuilt my 700R4 twice now and am doing a 4T65E-HD.

You'll find that pretty much all transmissions come apart in about 4 basic sections. In my case I pulled each section out and looked it over. Barely any of the clutch material had made it into any other parts except staying in the 3-4 clutch area and there was tons stuck to pan magnet. If you leave the other sections together you might be able to just replace the clutches and throw it back together. Replace filter. Be sure to blow out cooler lines anyway just in case.
After installing trans:
*Fill it up with new fluid
*ADJUST TV CABLE!!!!
*Start it up and stay in place, shift through all gears
*Check fluid level.
*Lift rear up off the floor or take it for a short drive so you make it through 1-2-3-4.
*Drop pan and change filter again as well as replacing fluid.
*Put your new filter in and make sure to keep another filter change in mind in the near future. Maybe within the next oil change or two.

Also, where are you located? If it's anywhere near me let me know.

 

I traded a 71 Chevelle roller for the last 700R4 I had built. It was supposed to be built with the best stuff, blah blah blah. Well less than a year later, it broke the reaction carrier shaft which fragged most of the hard parts in the transmission. I told the guy who built it what happened, he replied "I thought that piece looked suspect, but I'll build another for $950"
Anyway I bought an ATSG book, a Haynes book, and a KD tools clutch spring compressor. I read the book 2 or 3 times, and tore into a 700 I had with burned 3-4 clutches, but good hard parts. The first build, I cut a few seals...used a feeler gauge to install them which cut them. The second time it worked out great. I've since built a 2004r, and 3 other 700's. I will never pay someone to fix my trans again. If you can build a motor, or anything where measurements and cleanliness are essential, you can build an auto trans.
just my