Ok so I just got a 1987 Camaro that's in pretty great shape and needs some minor work. My buddy just towed it to my house today so I haven't been able to check everything out.
But the guy who had it before rebuilt the engine and upgraded and put in OEM stuff in the engine so that's all good and runs great.
But he had a transmission issue and said he lost all gears but reverse and first and the transmission oil was brown and smelled burnt. It's a 700R4.
It was last run in 2007 as the last inspection sticker is from then, then sat till 2009-2011. That's when he got it and started fixing it, he said it worked great till this year about 4 months ago and he drove it around a lot by his house on a private road then when he went and drove it to get the car registered (don't ask me why he drove an unregistered car to get it registered on public roads) the transmission failed and he only had first and reverse.
I ran the car today and let the battery charge back up (was completely dead, but all good now) and after the engine ran for about 15 minutes and it warmed up I started to shift the gears. I could shift into all gears fine, it toke it a second to shift but shifted fine. I needed to move it in my yard a bit to get it ready for a transmission drop and the reverse was fine. I know that would be fine if the 3-4 clutches were toast (which I was for sure what was wrong) and I went into first and it didn't seem to have any power after letting off the brake. Wouldn't move at all. So I shifted back to reverse and backed up a little then went into first, had some more power back. After doing this again twice more the first gear seemed to work fine. I got it in the spot where I need it and I shifted through all the gears and left off the brake and it was just kinda like nothing even though it was in gear. I put it in neutral and pulled the E-brake and let it sit and run for an hour about, maybe a little less (I let it run so the engine could get a small work out and to make sure it would still run without me doing anything). I came back out and shifted through all the gears letting off the brake after shifting and it went into gear fine and it moved by its own power at idle in D, 2nd, and 1st. This confused me to how it was acting before. Oh and I forgot to mention, one time shifting into first and giving it some throttle when it wouldn't move, I moved a little but nothing major and decided to back off and shift to reverse before I ruined the first gear and when I hit the brake and the engine was slowing down in RPM, it stalled but worked fine after that. Only stalled that once.
So with my limited time tonight to really dig in and check, and I won't be able too till Tuesday unfortunately, I pulled the dipstick and wiped it on a brand new napkin. The Transmission oil is a light brown, with some black coloring in it. Like #2 pencil black. The fluid does not smelt burnt, just smells old. There was no metal shavings or metallic particles. I know it won't matter or probably show up using the dipstick. I won't know if there's shavings or any metallic particles in the pan till Tuesday.
I know I need to check the TV cable but I assume it's correct at the moment as idle RPM is perfectly normal and the car later moved on it's own power at idle just like it should.
I know I need to check all the vacuum lines too to ensure all is good.
But my question is, could I just need a new Torque Converter or is the transmission fine. I know I won't know if the 3-4 clutches are gone till I pull the pan and check for material or I drive it and see if it will shift into 3-4 but I can't drive it on the road atm due to I need my title to come in the mail and I need plates and insurance on it.
I also plan to install a tranny cooler too, but after I replace the transmission or fix the issue with this one and there's brand new fluid in whole transmission. Would this be a good idea? I live in PA and the summer here is typically between 70-90 on average in the summer and the winters are 10-30 degrees F. This year is more a freak year with all the snow and negative temps. I don't really plan to drive this car in winter unless I have too, it's a spring/summer/fall car really and going to be more my weekend warrior. I just want that insurance or piece of mind after I get the transmission fixed that the cooler will help prolong whatever transmission is in it but won't run the fluid too cold.
But the guy who had it before rebuilt the engine and upgraded and put in OEM stuff in the engine so that's all good and runs great.
But he had a transmission issue and said he lost all gears but reverse and first and the transmission oil was brown and smelled burnt. It's a 700R4.
It was last run in 2007 as the last inspection sticker is from then, then sat till 2009-2011. That's when he got it and started fixing it, he said it worked great till this year about 4 months ago and he drove it around a lot by his house on a private road then when he went and drove it to get the car registered (don't ask me why he drove an unregistered car to get it registered on public roads) the transmission failed and he only had first and reverse.
I ran the car today and let the battery charge back up (was completely dead, but all good now) and after the engine ran for about 15 minutes and it warmed up I started to shift the gears. I could shift into all gears fine, it toke it a second to shift but shifted fine. I needed to move it in my yard a bit to get it ready for a transmission drop and the reverse was fine. I know that would be fine if the 3-4 clutches were toast (which I was for sure what was wrong) and I went into first and it didn't seem to have any power after letting off the brake. Wouldn't move at all. So I shifted back to reverse and backed up a little then went into first, had some more power back. After doing this again twice more the first gear seemed to work fine. I got it in the spot where I need it and I shifted through all the gears and left off the brake and it was just kinda like nothing even though it was in gear. I put it in neutral and pulled the E-brake and let it sit and run for an hour about, maybe a little less (I let it run so the engine could get a small work out and to make sure it would still run without me doing anything). I came back out and shifted through all the gears letting off the brake after shifting and it went into gear fine and it moved by its own power at idle in D, 2nd, and 1st. This confused me to how it was acting before. Oh and I forgot to mention, one time shifting into first and giving it some throttle when it wouldn't move, I moved a little but nothing major and decided to back off and shift to reverse before I ruined the first gear and when I hit the brake and the engine was slowing down in RPM, it stalled but worked fine after that. Only stalled that once.
So with my limited time tonight to really dig in and check, and I won't be able too till Tuesday unfortunately, I pulled the dipstick and wiped it on a brand new napkin. The Transmission oil is a light brown, with some black coloring in it. Like #2 pencil black. The fluid does not smelt burnt, just smells old. There was no metal shavings or metallic particles. I know it won't matter or probably show up using the dipstick. I won't know if there's shavings or any metallic particles in the pan till Tuesday.
I know I need to check the TV cable but I assume it's correct at the moment as idle RPM is perfectly normal and the car later moved on it's own power at idle just like it should.
I know I need to check all the vacuum lines too to ensure all is good.
But my question is, could I just need a new Torque Converter or is the transmission fine. I know I won't know if the 3-4 clutches are gone till I pull the pan and check for material or I drive it and see if it will shift into 3-4 but I can't drive it on the road atm due to I need my title to come in the mail and I need plates and insurance on it.
I also plan to install a tranny cooler too, but after I replace the transmission or fix the issue with this one and there's brand new fluid in whole transmission. Would this be a good idea? I live in PA and the summer here is typically between 70-90 on average in the summer and the winters are 10-30 degrees F. This year is more a freak year with all the snow and negative temps. I don't really plan to drive this car in winter unless I have too, it's a spring/summer/fall car really and going to be more my weekend warrior. I just want that insurance or piece of mind after I get the transmission fixed that the cooler will help prolong whatever transmission is in it but won't run the fluid too cold.
Dont assume the TV cable is correct by the idle RPM. It doesnt work like that. And it will move on its own without the TV cable hooked up (it just wont last long).
700r4 doesnt have any vacuum lines.
You will need a new torque converter, but that aint your problem. The transmission is toast. Time for a rebuild. Dont keep trying to drive it. All that will do is circulate more junk and could cause more problems.
And yes, an extra transmission cooler is a good idea.
700r4 doesnt have any vacuum lines.
You will need a new torque converter, but that aint your problem. The transmission is toast. Time for a rebuild. Dont keep trying to drive it. All that will do is circulate more junk and could cause more problems.
And yes, an extra transmission cooler is a good idea.