I have a very interesting problem that needs to be solved. I have in my possession a 1986 IROC-Z with a stock 305. One year and two months ago I laid down $2500 to have my 700r4 rebuilt and I didn't purchase the extra year warranty because I figured for $2500 this tranny better last. Well, to my normal horrible luck it went out two days ago. Here is where the mystery comes in. Yes, I've had it to the track once and ran two runs. That's the worst it has been beat on. I have played with her a few times, of course, it's a sports car. But it has 190 horse power so the tranny should be able to easily hold that power. Two days ago I drove my roommate to his class. I stopped at a stop sign then took off. The RPMs got no higher then 2.5k. Then I heard a bang and I lost power to the rear wheels. I didn't beat on her that day at all. I got it towed to the auto shop and they said the transmission is the issue but they didn't tear into it to see what's wrong. I am going to Pharmacy School next year and cannot afford anther 2 grand into this car.

Issue:
-Accelerated from a stop sign heard a bang and then no power to the rear tires.
-Wasn't beating on it.
-All gears are gone.
-No slipping or anything before the total loss.
-A bearing that has egg shaped ***** on it did break this spring and the warranty covered that, but now the warranty is over.

What happened to my tranny? And why are these cars impossible to keep in working order for more then 2 weeks? Ha

 

That's actually a "sprag"... it transmits power when the parts are turning one way with respect to each other, but not the other.

That's actually probably what failed again.

There's approximately ZERO point in coming on here and complaining about "poor" and "budget" and "cheeeeeeep" and all that. All it is, is annoying. We all know that we all want to spend as little as possible and get as much as possible; we GET that ALREADY without being beat over the head with it in every single post.

That said, transmission work costs what it costs. There's reasons why. But in the end, either you want it to work, or you don't. If you do, but aren't willing or able to pay for somebody else to fix it for you, figure out how to do it yourself; then all you have to buy, is the parts, the tools, the supplies, the documentation, and the space to do it in. And of course, assume the risk that you'll have to revisit it in case it breaks again.

Same reasons as any other 25-yr-old cars... (and some AHELLUVALOT newer) Some "mechanics" do poorer work than others (especially the ones that offer the "low bid"), some parts are lesser quality than others, some cars have more troubled histories than others (you haven't owned it since new, right? I thought not... do you know what its former lives with its POs were like?), some are just luckier than others.

If you want a car that's as trouble-free as a new one and has a new-car warranty so you don't have to worry about $$$ repairs, buy a new car. The car you have now is literally AN ANTIQUE in most states. It's beyond ridiculous to hallucinate that it's going to serve as your daily driver without any failures. You gotta be realistic about it. If cost is your issue, then in the long run, it costs about the same to drive a new car as an old one; you might spend less BUYING the old one, but you'll spend FAR MORE in things like .... transmissions ... and probably gas, while the new one will cost FAR MORE to "purchase". In the end, it's usually pretty close to a wash. Main difference is, your old one will have more down-time while you're spending repair money on it.

 

First, thanks for literally answering everything. It was helpful. Sorry, for the complaining on spending money. If it is the sprag again why would it act differently? When it went this past spring the only thing that tipped me off something was wrong was when I accelerated at half throttle and the car went to shift from 2-3 it disengaged itself until I let go of the gas. This time every gear just went out all at once with no signs of issues before. And to clarify I'm not looking for sympathy, I probably could have left half that other message out. I mainly want to figure out what's wrong so I can get it fixed. I'd love to keep driving it and not store it for five years. Don't get me wrong, these are awesome cars.

 

There are 2 sprags; one is low-reverse (called "clutch assembly" here), one is "forward".

 

So my interpretation of what you are saying is that both sprags simultaneously busted for all my gears to not work?

 

No; more likely, the one died last time, now the other is toes-up this time.