ive tranny has acted up for quite awhile, and i think it might go in the distant future(174,000miles and counting). just wondering how hard would it be to put the 5spd in my car...i have the 700r4 now, how much would i need besides interior parts and new computer chip??

 

You'll need a 5 spd clutch pedal set, the standard transmission flywheel, the clutch, slave cylinder, slave cylinder reservoir, and floorboard cut. You'll need the pedal return spring too don't forget. Hope that gives you some insight.


How's your 700 "acting up"?

 

ive got a 700r4 lieing around ill let it go for $200 in good running condition..

 

Thats alot of work and money. You should check into a Darrell Young racing Trans 700r4- They are bulletproof. You'll thank me later, I promise you. The car will be so much fun to drive with a built trans.

 

well.....ive asked quite a few people and some say the torque converter, and some just dont know what there talkin bout..and i figured it might be cheaper to get another tranny the 5spd which goes better with the 6, but anyway the problem is when u step on it it will not change gears, but only when u step on it. normal driving it acts just fine as it should. ive heard it might be the torque converter slippin but not sure. and the fluids are good!

 

Have you tried adjusting the Detent cable on the trans? It's really easy to do.

https://www.thirdgen.org/newdesign/tech/detent.shtml

Try that and see if it helps. What color is the fluid? Red means it's ok. Red with brownish tint to it = time for a fluid/filter change.
That's the way I always did mine, and it hasn't failed me yet. Now I'm going to knock on wood.



edit: did you try manually downshifting to see if it works properly?

 

ive glanced at that article, and seemed to have the hands, but not the brains.......i had tried to push what i thought to be the metal tang labeled as b, but never got anything to move. i dont know if i was pushing the wrong part or what..., but the prob is non existant when regularly driving, only when u wot it will mal function, i always thought that if it was the cable it would do it all the time, am i wrong there??

 

Not necessarily... If that cable is out of adjustment, the trans may function fine on normal driving, and not at WOT. I know mine did. Mine would act up after WOT, but fine on regular driving. The "tang" the article talks about is a catch of sorts. It holds the plastic tubing down on the cable. Push the tang in, and then while it's in, push the plastic tubing back until it's all the way flush with the mounting. Then take your hand and open the TB to WOT. You should hear a sound like a toy rattling or something. That's it... you're all done. Try that and see. Adjusting the cable is easy. Although when I went to do it, I didn't get it at first either, it took me a few minutes.

 

If your having trouble adjusting some things on your tranny, maybe a 5-speed shop is a little too much for you. If you have to get a shop to do all the work it is not worth it. Just a thought, I am not calling down your mechanical capiblities. Maybe its just a misunderstanding of the article, but if you know your not mechanically inclined then the 5 speed swap could be a disaster on your wallet.

 

guessing??.......how far should the tang push in, noticeably or just a little bit??

 

It doesn't push in very far, just a little bit. Push and hold it in, then push the cable back flush, then let go of all of it, take your hand and open the TB all the way. That's it.

 

i got it.......i was had tryed to push the shiney part before, but i got it with some channel locks(as a lever) and realized the whole thing moved...i finished adjusting it, but still havent been to some open road to test it yet!!

 

Hopefully that will help the problem. If not, your throttle valve may be sticking or going bad.

 

ok.....it seemed to help it tremendously, but its still doing it very slightly, mainly in first gear, but other than that it did wonders!! thx

 

Good to hear it cleared up the problem. When was the last time you had the trans fluid/filter changed?

 

Hey fellas, I just had my tranny flushed...1989 Firebird with a 2.8. This is an auto. I've had one problem, when I shift it into gear it takes a second or two for the transmission to actualy shift, and I also noticed that sometimes when flooring the gas or just realy blazing from a dead stand, the transmission shifts hard from 1st to 2nd and theres a knock....the car has 105k on it now, any ideas what the hell is wrong?

Thanks!

Dan

 

Delays when shifting manually is normal. These trannies werent meant to race. They shift when they feel like it, not when you do.

A knock..check your tranny mounts. Is there a knock or dull thump if you slam the gas pedal also? Other possibilities for a knock that I can think of are maybe maladjusted TV cable...but the pressure would have to be pretty damn high to make a knock when UPshifting.

 

I agree... start by checking your TV cable and your rear transmission mount. Mine was broken. Every time I slammed the gas the trans kicked up and hit the floorboard. A new mount solved that one quick.

 

Thx man, i'll check that ASAP, I feel like the mount might be the problem!

 

Wouldnt surprise me one bit.

 

It might seem ok but it wont last. My trans was rebuilt in 99 and they didnt hook the dentel cable back up, I didnt know it was unhooked though, It ran fine but just a cople months ago I had to get it rebuilt again b/c they screwed it up last time. It was just all of a suddent the trans woudn't catch the gears way to alte and rev high. So I would be safe and adjust it anyways.

 

Definately keep it in adjustment, especially since it's not a detent cable. It controls fluid pressure inside the trans.

Without it, your trans won't get enough fluid when it needs to.

Same thing happens with a TV cable that's out of adjustment.

 

Btw, before you start the T-5 swap, keep in mind they're never a cheap project.. I picked up my T-5 for 150 bucks with bellhousing (woo!) .. and ended up shelling out another 500 for new clutch, flywheel, hydraulics, bolts and a bunch of other nickel and dime parts.. and the sad part? I have to drop the tranny in a few months when I can afford a rebuild kit.. synchros are on their way out.

 

LOL! Just like my "bargain" on my 3.73/posi/disc axle... $150 from the junkyard; it took an additional $600+ to get it under the car... then the flippin' locker blows out.

 

Ouuuuuuuuch! What was the bulk of the $600 to get the axle underneath there if you don't mind my asking?

 

The bulk of that cost was re-doing the rear discs. It was a ton of little stuff... for example, from my price list:

$3 engine cleaner
$20 POR-15 super starter kit
$13 rebuild kit, right rear caliper
$1 bleeder screw, right rear caliper
$57 new (rebuilt) drivers side caliper
$23 new (rebuilt) master cylinder, J65
$25 rear left parking brake cable
$20 rear right parking brake cable
$8 posi additive
$10 home depot hardware for homemade bearing puller
$8 sears 1/4 drive universal socket for pinion shaft lock bolt
$19 center brake hose
$16 passenger side brake hose
$3 brake line bender
$4 rear axleshaft seals
$30 rear axleshaft bearings
$13 rear caliper mounting bolts (6.50 ea)
$6 mounting bushing kit (both calipers in one kit)
$2 rear wheel stud
$47 GM recall kit
$16 brake cleaner (4 cans Prestone)

etc etc; I've left a bunch out. I'm also leaving out the time; over a week messing with the installation; most of which was constantly bleeding the brakes. I'm not sure how much brake fluid I went through, but it was a LOT. Wound up buying the Phoenix Injector - http://www.brakebleeder.com , V12 "with red case and smart pak" for $125, and it make life so much easier. I should've bought that before I started the job.

And the fun starts all over again when I replace all that brake stuff AGAIN, since the axle's been sitting outside under a tarp for 3 years. Except this time, instead of starting with a $150 axle purchase, it's either ($300 new axle shafts + $100 SLP posi) or ($400 new posi) to start with.