So I decided to take on the task of rebuilding the tranny in my 92 firebird. Installed a master rebuild kit and a new rebuilt torque converter. also installed a Transgo sk700 shift kit while i was in there. Car has a new TV cable.

Took the car out yesterday for her maiden voyage and the car shifts perfect if you leave the shifter in drive and accellerate with light throttle.

However when i pull the car into low gear, punch it, and shift manually at 4500 its a little lazy going into second gear, and when i shift into third the engine freerevs until i let out of the throttle, then it shifts.

The tranny doesnt slip at all once its in gear. Im only having trouble with it when it shifts. any experts out ther have some advice? This thing should be chirping the tires

 

make sure that tv cable is adjusted correctly, i've been told it can ruin a transmission if not properly adjusted (also doesnt shift right).

also double check you used the correct valve body gaskets. some kits include 2 different ones: one for the earlier style 700-r4 and one for the newer style.

 

As far as I know the tv cable is self adjusting. Push it all the way in, push your foot to the floor and it ratchets out. Am I doing something wrong? Also checked valve body baskets to make sure the holes lined up with the ones in the separator plate before installing so that shouldn't be the issue. Any more ideas?

 

could be a number of things really, transmissions are picky. were all clutch packs clearanced and installed correctly? all springs installed from the shift kit into the valve body in the right order? i made the mistake of over tightening my valve body bolts and stripped some out... check the 2-4 servo for propper spacing.

if you could get a pressure gauge on the tranny and get some readings, you may be able to diagnose the problem more accurately

 

The TV cable must be tight at WOT. How many miles on the intial seating in? Which TransGo Shift kit did you install? Did you add the larger boost valves? Did you add the Corvette servo?

 

Chevelle, all clutchpacks are installed and clearanced. I double checked everything when installing the springs in the valve body so it should be right. The shift kit came with some shims for the 2-4 servo. Instructions said to install the servo so you could turn the output shaft by hand. Is there a better way to check the spacing?

My next plan of action is to put a gauge on it but I've got to figure out where to buy one. Should I be driving when checking the pressure or can I put the car up on jackstands?

Pro built, the trans has about 15 or 20 miles on it. Shift kit is a transgo no yoyo sk-700g as stated in my first post. I've got the updated boost valve and the servo is stock with different springs included in the shift kit.

I should also tell you guys that this is the same issue I was having before rebuilding the trans in the first place. I installed a b&m transpak which shifted great first to second and slipped second to third. I thought the increased line pressure was overpowering the clutches so I rebuilt it. I guess I was wrong. I'm thinking I've got a valve body or servo problem.

 

With 15 - 20 miles on the unit I would be driving it easy as you are still getting the air out of the clutch packs, servos, accumulators, shift valves, etc. With the pan off, for the 2-4 band clearance, you should be able to wiggle the band back and forth no less than 1/8". The stock servo is most likely the problem here, especially if it is the "554" servo. Adding the Corvette servo "always" helps the 2-3 shift. What hole sizes did you drill for the 1-2 shift? 2-3 shift? What is the 3-4 clutch clearance? How many 3-4 clutches did you use? What brand are the clutches in the 3-4 clutch pack?

 

My car does have the 554 servo. It is on my list of things to change. I was just reading in my shift kit instructions and it says the 554 piston can cause 2_3 cutloose. I suppose that could be my issue. This shift kit had me drill about five different holes and I'm not sure which one does what. Sorry. Clutches are raybestos and has the stock number of them .

 

Do not drive it "hard" anymore till you get the Corvette servo in it. Otherwise, you will finish off the 3-4 clutch pack.

 

Ok ill buy one and put it in this week. I'll let you know how it works out .

 

Ok so I just went on a test drive after installing my Corvette servo. At wot shifting at 4500 The 1-2 shift is perfect now. The strange thing is that from second to third it shifts great about 50% of the time and still slips the other 50%.

Accelerating with light throttle in d or od the transmission shifts great. Accelerating at half throttle in d or od is terrible it is the epitome of the term slushbox. It also will not downshift with wot if you leave it in od. You have to manually pull it down.

The servo kit came with some accumulator pistons and a boost valve. I don't see why either of these things would cause my issue but ill probably install them tomorrow anyway.

I'm not sure if it has to do with anything but I should also note that my governor still has factory springs installed since one of the transgo ones decided to go flying to who knows where when I was installing everything.