It will happen to you, it has happened to everyone else.

I did the swap a while back (into an auto 89 RS) and never really got to drive it. The tranny was fine prior to the swap but after I was done with everything I went to drive it and it didnt shift correctly. It seems as if it shifted late.

Anyone know what could cause this? Should I just pull the tranny and rebuild it or is it something else?

 

Only thing I could think of would be the torque converter would flash higher (more torque applied), but... that shouldn't affect your shift point?

 

Sure the TV cable and assembly is all connected properly and set correct? Sounds like low fluid pressure.

 

I agree w/Nixon; if you reset the TV cable properly and the trans still acts up, it's probably near-death. How's the fluid? When's the last time you dropped the pan? Did you cut open the trans filter to check for metal?

 

this reminds me of my old Mazda Protoge. I drove that thing to hell and back quite a few times. I was going to work one day, and we had to park on the top level of the parking structure at the mall. Going up the hill, my revs went way up, but the car started sliding back down...not good. I put on the brakes, put the car in park, then right into first and up the hill it went. I had problems with it all night after that. The next day I dropped the pan and the little magnet had so many little shavings on it. I changed the fluid and filter, put the pan back on, and drove it for another 6 months until I sold it for the Camaro. The only thing that you could tell was off was when it shifted into 3rd, the revs went up and then the gears grabbed. Didn't say anything when I sold it. I see it every once in a while, still runs. Sad to see that a car that gave me such good service overall isn't mine anymore. That's why I've decided that with all the work I've put into my current ride, I will never sell it. My kids will end up riding back and forth to high school in it...with me driving of course.

 

All I can offer is that
Trannys go bad if it was weak or marginal prior to the swap.
IF you did not disturb the cables on the TB (as I warned) during the swap, something else unrelated to the situation happened.
It's your call to rebuild your tranny.
My tranny after swap lasted about 3-5 months & I lost 3-4.
For my Blazer swap, I rebuilt tranny prior/same time as swap.

 

i had the same problem, but not related to a 3.4L swap. Roughly 3 months after having my new 2.8L put into the car, the transmission was kind enough to lose 3rd and 4th gears. I guess if i think about it, if the transmission is going downhill w/ the same rate as the motor infront of it, then you can expect the transmission to go out once a new stronger motor is placed in the cradle. especially if the old motor has for some reason destroyed itself (like this is what happens....we destroy them). Good luck w/ ur tranny siutaiton, if you rebuild it, it will be pretty cheap, if someone else does it, it's not that expensive. don't forget, better boost valve, transgo kit, and vette servo on a tranny rebuild...you won't regret it, and it'd be awesome with the 3.4L's torque.

 

I WISH MY 1985 FIREBIRD LOOKED THAT GREAT!

 

thanks ked...technically it's still a 1 owner car...dad purchased it as he saw it roll into the dealership on the bed of the 18 wheeler. It's in need of a paintjob, but that should be taken care of this summer, along w/ some other goodies.

 

I left the TB intack when swapping. Once I found out about the problem, adjusting the TV cable was the first thing I did. I also changed the fluid and filter and every thing looked fine in there.
How would I check the pressure?

 

Don't know if you can...

What you're describing seems like slippage to me. Either from the torque convertor, or the tranny itself is in need of a rebuild. You might try draining the fluid, and refill it with Type F (Ford) fluid. It has a higher friction coefficient...

 

Well what's your definition of late shifting? Maybe it was prematurely shifting before from a maladjusted cable?

 

I left the TB intack when swapping. Once I found out about the problem, adjusting the TV cable was the first thing I did. I also changed the fluid and filter and every thing looked fine in there.

How would I check the pressure?

The question is how do I find a fair priced decent tranny mechanic.

Start shopping, as tranny may or will eventualy or sooner, give up.

 

Hey Dow...you think that Lucas Slip Fix stuff could possibly make the problems any worse? I used some on the Camaro before I sold it...only used half the bottle instead of all, but it firmed up a little bit on the shifting.. The stuff is wicked thick.

 

id just like to make a comment on the first post on this thread. I did the 2.8-3.4 swap well over 2 years ago and put a lot of miles on my car since, and MY TRANSMISSION SHIFTS PERFECTLY! all you have to do is adjust the cable so you have the correct amount of pressure in the transmission and you 'll be fine.
so, contrary to popular belief, it hasnt happened to everyone and may not happen to you if you do the swap!

 

I always build the brakes first,

Then the suspension next to handle future aditional power,

Then I build the drivetrain including a fully built trans,etc..

And lastly, when the car can now handle the extra power- I then do engine modifications.

I have owned and built five cars in my life and always, always put a built race trans in first before I upgrade the motor.



Let this be a lesson in reliability- a built drive train will not only be more dependable, it will also transfer more power to the pavement without any engine mods done- it is always the best way to first spend your money.

 

Which is why the next mods on my list are suspension (shocks, springs, and whatever else I find I need for dragging), and I juuuust miiiight get a tranny rebuild as my graduation present. We'll see how that goes... General rule..no matter what, stock transmissions with the kind of mileage typically found in a car a decade ago are sh*t.