I bought a 1987 Trans Am with the 305 T.P.I. motor and automatic trans. I knew it needed a transmission when I bought it but didn't know that someone had already changed out the original trans and put the wrong one in. I know its wrong because it has the v.s.s. in the tail of the trans which didn't start until 1990. I need to know which trans came original in my car so I can get an exact replacement. I've read that they came with a 200C or 700R4. I haven't seen any evidence that leads me to believe it was ever a manual trans car. How can I tell if it came with a 200C or 700R4? Please help and many thanks. And is there a way to know if it came with or without manual valve body? That's a question I was asked by a parts service rep. I know there is a factory shift light in the dash that seems to light up at really odd times kind of whenever it wants.

 

700R4......no manual VB, and I have no idea about the shift light. As far as i know It wouldn't and shouldnt have one.

 

The shift light is lit in manual trans cars by the same driver and wiring that operates the TCC solenoid in auto cars. The bulb is not supposed to be in there for an auto trans. Just take the bulb out of the dash. Somebody prolly just put it in there, thinking "oh it's missing, must need one", without realizing why t wasn't there in the first place.

http://www.bulkpart.com/Merchant2/me...General-Motors

Print this page, get up under your car, and match your pan to the pics.

No transmission EVER came from the factory with a manual valve body.

No 87 car came with a 200C.

Want "came in" and what "IS in" can possibly be 2 different things however.

The VSS thing interchanges with the cable thing on all these transmissions when necessary.

http://www.transmissioncenter.net/sp...n_______va.htm

Don't worry about "exact replacement", it's not really possible. Just get the one you have now to work right.

 

Started in 90 in Camaros. Around 86 or so in Birds, IIRC.

JamesC

 

Thanks for the replies. I really want to get this car on the road soon. I maybe should have covered a few more things that may be important to me getting the final answers I need. I think its the wrong trans because my 87 T/A isn't wired with a yellow and purple 2 wire pig tail for the v.s.s. that's in the tail of the trans so it isn't currently even hooked up because it can't be. My chiltons manual wiring diagram is what told me these cars weren't wired with that pigtail until 1990. Also my speedometer doesn't work. My dilemma now is I have a perfectly good 700R4 trans in a 91 Z28 camaro that I bought as a parts car for my other 91 RS. So can I put the 700R4 from the Z28 which is also a 305 T.P.I. automatic car into the T/A and get it to work right without being able to hook up the v.s.s.? Will the torque converter lock up still work correctly since I do have the plug to hook that up and will I be able to get the speedometer working the way it should from the factory without technical difficulties requiring reworking/rewiring certain components? The speedo problem currently could simply be problems from the previous owner not doing things correctly when they pulled the trans. (I'm pretty sure they didn't know what they were doing which is how I ended up buying the car pretty cheap) I haven't had the trans out yet but have been under the car and can visually tell they weren't good mechanics. I really need this info. I, like a lot of other people, can't afford to waste time or money as I'm a single father who desperately wants to make this car into what it deserves to be which is a well preserved and taken care of third gen, quality vehicle. If I can use the 700R4 I already have in the Z28 without being able to hook up the v.s.s. then I need to do so because I already have it so it saves me money and time. Please help! By the way I absolutely love this site. I've spent hours reading message board questions and answers.

 

Help! I need to get started on this car. I really don't want to get frustrated and sell it. Unless it was a good offer. Lol I guess a car with less of a problem would help me but I haven't given up on this one.

 

Will this swap work? Anybody know?

 

Hey Ferg, you can absolutely use the 91 Z/28 700r4 in your Bird. I think the only snag is your Bird uses a different VSS. The 89-older VSS's used a 2 pulse per revolution sensor, and the 90-newer use a 4 pulse per revolution if I remember right. Maybe troll around on Ebay or on the classifieds here and see if you find anyone selling a 86-89 style 700r4 VSS. There are alternate ways to get your converter lockup working without a VSS. There's several different aftermarket kits on Ebay that will enable lockup function without a VSS or even an ECM. However, your speedo won't work until you get the proper VSS in there. You can contact PATC corp and see if they offer any kind of VSS that will work. The only stock sensors they have listed are for the 90-93 application, but they also have all sorts of adapters, so they might be able to set you up. Here's a link to their speedo page: http://www.transmissioncenter.net/sp...n_______va.htm

 

Thank you pat hall. I'm dying to get this car done but couldn't afford to waste my time if the swap wouldn't work. Now I know what I will be doing this weekend. I appreciate your reply.

 

No problem, glad to help. Yeah, the trans will work, but if you want your factory lockup function to work correctly, cruise control, etc., you'll need to get the proper VSS in there. Another option that would cost a bit more, but would probably work, would be to ask PATC if they sell any kind of VSS converter that would convert your existing VSS's signal from 4 pulses to 2 pulses. The 4 pulse VSS's seem pretty easy to come by, so if you had a converter, you could run the 4 pulse and have it converted to the proper readout for your car. I would think that surely somebody on the boards would have one of the 89-older VSS's kicking around that they could sell you though. Finding the gears that go on the end of them is getting hard to accomplish too though, so a converter still might be the best route to take. If you look on PATC's speedo page, they hardly have any of the electronic speedo gears available anymore. I think all they had left was the 44 and 37 tooth gears last time I looked.

 

Well hopefully I can get all this squared away and figured out pretty quick. Ill be starting this weekend so ill see how things go. I'm not going to drive around with no speedometer but I'm not going to not drive it either. Lol Thanks again for your time and the advice.

 

Hey Ferg, I must've missed it the last time I was on PATC's site, but I just noticed on their 700r4 parts page, they sell used speedo sensors, both old and new style for a measly 5 bucks! Says they have lots of them in stock too. It's item#70 on there. Check it out! http://www.transmissioncenter.org/70...tm#Speedometer Scroll down past item# SW40, which has a picture of 3 tailshaft housings, and you'll see where it says they have used senders available. Further up on the page they list the same item# 70, but it's for new sensors, and they're $43.00, but if you scroll down to where I said above, you'll see item# 70 again and it's for the 5 dollar used ones.

 

Thanks again pat hall. With your helpful replies and my patience with confusing tasks I'm confident I will soon be driving this car. I really appreciate your help. I will keep this post updated with my progress. My free time is limited but ill be under the car every chance I get. Thanks again!