Delayed shifts 1 thru 4
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Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 17
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From: Fresno California
Car: 1992 Firebird
Engine: 305 tbi
Transmission: 700r4
Delayed shifts 1 thru 4
What I'm asking for is some expert opinions or diagnosis on what is wrong 'cause I've been reading thru the forum looking for someone with a similar problem and have come to the conclusion that a lot of you guys know enough about these transmissions to qualify as experts. I mean just look at ASE doc's last post in this forum - wow! way over my head. I've already got the car going to a transmission repair shop tomorrow but this is a first for me. I NEVER let anyone else work on my car. So taking it to someone else is just feels all wrong and I would feel better if I had some idea of what is actually wrong before I turn my baby over to some stranger. It would also help in case they try to charge too much. Trust issues? Yes definitely. I trust the forum much more than the local shops.
I've got a standard nothing special (except to me) 1989 Firebird with a 305 tbi and a 700r4. It has almost 270,000 miles on it but has run so good with absolutely no real major problems since I bought it (in 2012) with apprx 135,000 miles on it that I've often thought I somehow lucked into buying a car with a brand new rebuilt motor and transmission.
So... No real big problems until now. Delayed shifts all the way through. It has to get over 3000 rpm before it will shift from first to second and second to third. Third to fourth is also delayed and by than I'm over the speed limit on the freeway so I have to kick it up to seventy five once or twice and let off til eventually I feel it drop into fourth.
Before I bought this car I owned an 87 firebird with V6 also with a 700r4 that was starting to slip so I know what that feels like and there was none of that with the 89.
This started a couple of weeks ago after a drive up a steep twisty road that heated the car up (half the gauge is hot in my opinion) and required lots of shifting. Got to where i was going turned the car off let it cool off for a while and when I left it was doing the delayed shift thing. Fortunately most of the trip home was on the freeway. I went somewhere later that night, just a couple blocks and it was still doing it but when I left there it just quit. All better like nothing had ever been wrong. So, a couple of days ago I went up the steep and twisty road again and guess what? Yeah when I left it was doing it again only this time it hasn't fixed itself.
So, any thoughts?
I've got a standard nothing special (except to me) 1989 Firebird with a 305 tbi and a 700r4. It has almost 270,000 miles on it but has run so good with absolutely no real major problems since I bought it (in 2012) with apprx 135,000 miles on it that I've often thought I somehow lucked into buying a car with a brand new rebuilt motor and transmission.
So... No real big problems until now. Delayed shifts all the way through. It has to get over 3000 rpm before it will shift from first to second and second to third. Third to fourth is also delayed and by than I'm over the speed limit on the freeway so I have to kick it up to seventy five once or twice and let off til eventually I feel it drop into fourth.
Before I bought this car I owned an 87 firebird with V6 also with a 700r4 that was starting to slip so I know what that feels like and there was none of that with the 89.
This started a couple of weeks ago after a drive up a steep twisty road that heated the car up (half the gauge is hot in my opinion) and required lots of shifting. Got to where i was going turned the car off let it cool off for a while and when I left it was doing the delayed shift thing. Fortunately most of the trip home was on the freeway. I went somewhere later that night, just a couple blocks and it was still doing it but when I left there it just quit. All better like nothing had ever been wrong. So, a couple of days ago I went up the steep and twisty road again and guess what? Yeah when I left it was doing it again only this time it hasn't fixed itself.
So, any thoughts?