And the 83 will be back on the road!!!!

I sent it in 2 weeks ago to get the trans looked at. The torque converter solenoid was bad which was causing the car to drive at a higher RPM and suck gas like a ****. It's all finished so hopefully now I'll pass more gas stations rather than pull into them.

 

It took them two weeks to find a bad solenoid??
Glad that's the only problem though. Without that torque converter engaging, you suck down extra gas, not to mention the transmission heats up quite a bit more..and heat is the worst enemy of a tranny.

 

Well -- the guy who owns the shop just had his daughter get married. From one who got married less than two years ago, he probably didn't have time to breathe for the two weeks prior to the wedding.

Either way -- it was under warranty so it didn't cost me a dime. Now my wife's car can get a well-deserved break

 

is there a way to check if the TC is locking or not?

 

Tek, certain cars like my Mustang have a TC lock so smooth that there's no way to tell it's actually happening...BUT luckily enough, F-bodies have a much rougher lock. Your converter should lock around 40 mph. It'll feel sort of like an extra gear. Try it some time. Put it in Drive, and drive up to, say, 45 mph. You'll feel the first, second, and third shift, but it won't shift into Overdrive since you're in D obviously..but at some point once you pass over 40, you'll feel it engage as long as you're not on the pedal. If you can't tell if it's engaged or not, while keeping your foot on the gas the same amount, toe in on the brake a little bit..just enough to set the light off, not enough to really slow you down...the rpms should go up if the converter was locked before. There's a switch with the brakes so when you hit the brakes the converter automatically unlocks.

 

That's very accurate.
Mine catches at 35, (3rd) & 45 mph (4th) lock-up.
IF ya speedo needle wiggles, pull it & LUBE IT WITH WHITE GREASE!
I just did mine with axle grease, it worked, but it wiggles again.
It's acceptable for the moment, as I still have TC lock up at proper speeds.
You're tranny will be most grateful as will your pocket from gas (consumption) relief.

 

i'll try that nixon, thanks for the tips.

 

Glad to hear that 200C's still alive, MD! I bet the woman's happy! They ever fix that damn trans pan leak?

 

Ohhh yeah they fixed that in January. I took my extra check and splurged for a rebuild. however, they didn't rebuild the old one -- they simply put a whole new unit up there and set my old oil soaked trans in the dumpster (can't say I'm sorry to see it go)

Drove it this past weekend -- used 1/4 tank for about a 35 mile trip. Much better than before.

 

When the tranny is operating properly, gas milage certainly increases.
Engine runs better, too.

 

1/4 tank for 35 miles...am I reading this right? That's ungodly! That's what, 6 or 7 mpg?

 

I was only going by the gauge. I recorded my start mileage this morning. I'll have a final mpg figure later this week.

 

Well our gauges ARE notoriously inaccurate, so..... ALL OF THEM!!