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I am currently rebuilding an 85 model 700r4. Upon case assembly I measured total endplay at the input shaft and found about 80 thousandths. I know the maximum spec is 035, my question is that is my tolerance too large to fix with shims? I have verified correct stack-up and believe all components to be compatible. The trans originally had a Sonnax sunshell with the torrington bearing and shortened low roller clutch race. This is my first time into a 700r4/4l60 so I did not recognize this. The low-roller was destroyed so I purchased a stock one; upon assembly I realized the stack up was too tall to install the output shaft. Since I already had the stock roller clutch I purchased a factory sunshell with the plastic thrust washer. It is only a driver with a bone stock 305 anyways. I have ordered a shim kit but the 80 thousandths of endplay worries me so I just want to be sure before shimming it. Thanks
Is this .080" with all the new parts installed? What number is on the shim under the bearing on the input drum?
When doing this check on the clearance. Leave out the reverse input drum and the 3-4 clutch pack. This makes it much easier to get an actual reading on the clearance.
Look at the area under the numbered shim and see if there is excess wear. This happens rarely but with excess wear here, you would need another input drum.
Last edited by Pro Built Automatics; May 29, 2025 at 05:32 PM.
Is this .080" with all the new parts installed? What number is on the shim under the bearing on the input drum?
When doing this check on the clearance. Leave out the reverse input drum and the 3-4 clutch pack. This makes it much easier to get an actual reading on the clearance.
Look at the area under the numbered shim and see if there is excess wear. This happens rarely but with excess wear here, you would need another input drum.
The .080 was with the new parts installed. I have not yet replaced any hard parts or bearings other than the low roller and sunshell, as the trans was rebuilt about a year ago by someone else. I went ahead and reassembled the case again with the old low roller clutch and Sonnax shell to get a reading as I did not measure endplay before tear down. It measured .060”. I did take these measurements with the reverse drum and 3-4 clutches removed. The selective washer was number 89 and I did notice scoring on said washer. I will remove again in the morning and further inspect the input drum. Thank you for the input
I’m unsure if this is a #68 or #89; as you can tell it has significant scoring. The input drum itself does not appear to me to be significantly damaged. The bearing does still roll very smoothly.
