i have a 84 firebird with the 2.8l it has the th700r for a tranny wich died on me shortly after i bought the car, i had a complere rebuild done on it april of 02. I hadnt been able to drive the car much since last summer due to carbarator problems that developed in the fall. I just got it back on the road this spring. I do push the engine a bit and will bring the rpms up to get better pick up. Ive never held it in the red if its ever even enterd the red. the only thing i did latley that may have hurt it was some dounuts and breakstalls yesterday? the tires broke free fine could that have blown the tranny, and if so would it show up a day later on the way back from a 50 mile highway ride. It was fine there and on the way back started having trouble going 65 then trouble going 50 shifting in and out of third then it stayed in what i think was second going 30 and my foot was to the floor and the rpms were 2000 and i pumped the pedal and got no responce it was like the car had stalled but it was still running. I mangaged to finagle the bitch home and keep her from stalling? now what do i do?

 

I would say first, give it a good check. What condition/color is the transmission fluid? It may need changed. Has the transmission had a fluid change since it was rebuilt? How about the filter? A clogged filter will cause problems with the transmission. Is your detent cable set properly? Make sure it is, here's a link for you to set it. https://www.thirdgen.org/newdesign/tech/detent.shtml


make sure all these things are Ok before you decide if the trans is junk. Hope that helps.

 

i had a complere rebuild done on it april of 02.

I would decide to give that tranny shop a call.
IF the car engine runs.....?
When my tranny has died
two different times different cars, yet the Blazer & my Firebird, your same engine-tranny
Once was a great upshift, to FREEWHEELING!
Next was shifty business between 3-4 on the freeway
I could tell/hear it and I have no tach to read the revs.

Why couldn't your tranny die as you described?
Did you cause it?
DOUBT IT
UNLESS YA HAD A "FRIEND" REBUILD FOR YA!

Really bummed for ya!
Don't give up
or just install a great find used running V-8 & same car tranny.
Find a carb'd version & go have fun again.
Your car is the EASIEST to upgrade to V-8 NO ELECTRONICS as in MPFI
Look for used wrecked cars, that were "T" Boned.

 

As stated before i belive my tranny is going and just about gone. I went out to start it up today just to see what would happen, after checking to be sure i had plenty of tranny fluid. As i thought the fluid level was fine but the engine was not. It turned the key and it started right up rpms idled 1000 for 5 secs then stalled, I thought nothing of it then turned the key agian and it repeated this time after time ,if i pumped the gas pedal to try and keep it off an idle it would rev a bit higher like 2000 then bog and stall unless i visously pumped the gas to try and save it from stalling? Im know woundering if my engine is going since ive had this problem befor and it disapeared when i redid my vaccum lines and put a new carb on. So when last nights event happend i belived it was the tranny . now im woundering if it could be the engine not letting the tranny shifft of giving it the rpms needed, or both are on there way out?
Im trying to get hooked up with a 350 and a 5 speed for this but that would take a long time to install and i need transportaion to work soon, and need to diagnouse the probleme even faster? any ideas? I wish i had the time to give my car up for a week and do the swap .

 

I wish i had the time to give my car up for a week and do the swap .
LOL!
The only thing can accomplish in a week is buy another car & get it insured for driving to work.
Anyway.....
Sounds like vacuum.
Must have missed something.
Or something has failed.
Do you need a vacuum hose map guide for your car?

 

how do i check for vaccum other then the hissing noise wich nothing is making. Could it be timing and could it be my carb or intake setup, as i play with the throttle if i keep a steady stream of gas flowing into the car it will stay running other wise she stalls, this is playing with the linkage from under the hood pulling it back and forth to keep it running checking all the stuff around. any ideas?

 

If ya need a fuel pump, I have one.
If go to distrb. base, driver side, engine block, there is a larger hose attachment there.
Make sure you have it in either new hose or a very secure attachment of old hose.
Use this pic as a guide & start tracing.
This is your car set up.

 

i dont know what hose your talking about, is it a fluid or vaccum line, and the pic didnt send. could this be an internal problem

 

ok im getting close, i got the car running enough to take it for one rough ride, its not the tranny, IVe been told by my fellow hotrodder neighbor that he belives it is my carb. I tend to agree but am not 100% knowelgeble to make that dissition. He also mentioned checking the basics like cap rotor plugs and that stuff. If all is fine with the basics and i need to go in and do some stuff. IM thinking of doing the holley 390 on my edelbrock torker II setup that should arive in the mail any day, i would also have to add a new distributor that is vaccum advance, anyone have any helpfull suggestions as to if im heading in the the right direction. thanks agian Jarred

 

The vacuum hose routing map is there
If carb recent it should eb OK.
Ya spending money chasing a problem that is wasy to solve.
All hoses shown are on your ride.
Start at distb base and feel around, especially on driver side.
Those Holley carbs new go for about $600
Vacuum advance distb is from the Blazer engine, up to 1985 model year and it is NON computerized.
I know. I have a 1985 Federal spec Blazer in CA.
Came to me this way. I've had it since 1989.
Believe me, ya gotta know the vehicle if ya have this Blazer in CA smog test country!
I think you have smog hose problem or a loose hose connection.
Way cheaper than the money & time spent for an intake swap.

 

i know my car and what goes were very well , if your talking about the power break hose that goes into the manifold and not the block i know about that , but this hose your talking about i have no idea what it is, i did all my vac lines over about a month ago using a skematic

 

Make sure your catalytic convertor hasn't clogged. That'll choke the engine to no end; you'll floor the gas, and the car will act like you didn't.

When you say shifting in/out of third, are you sure it wasn't the "normal" engage/disengage of the TCC (Torque Convertor Clutch)? At partial throttle, under load (as in, going up a small hill), the ECM gets confused, and wants the TCC engaged. The trans senses the load and doesn't want the TCC engaged. So you get an "in/out of gear" feeling. Next time it happens, lightly press the brake pedal with your left foot, just enough to turn on the rear brake lights, but not enough to slow the car down. Keep your right foot constant on the gas. The TCC disengages when the brake lights come on. SO, if when you press the brake pedal and hold it (remember, just enough to turn the brake lights on), and the trans stops acting up, then it was your TCC- and that's normal.

On an '84, I'd imagine the original cat would be shot by now. Those pellet beds don't last forever... they break into pieces and clog the exhaust pipe. Things like overheating and running rich (gasoline fumes) can destroy the pellet bed. Aftermarket direct-bolt-in high-flow cats are usually cheaper and easier to install then stock replacement cats.

 

I do not believe this hose I refer to is for Power Brake.
That hose of PB is from manifold.
This hose is ON THE BLOCK
IF the engine can't idle etc correctly, the CC can still flow.
WHEN ya making "power" then the CC comes into play.
I know ya been thru the hoses, yet, check again.
After I did hoeses on my 1985 (when it was engine swap time), I had to go back in several months after, due to things slipped off.

 

well its not the cat that was gone a year ago or so and what is the cc hose ? whats its function and where does it come from and were does it go?

 

Cat Convertor...

 

Sounds exactly like what my two camaros were doing. It really sounds like a vacuum leak, at least in my case it was (partly). Just my 2 cents.

 

heres were i stand now, i just changed the distributor cap, and made sure all wires went back to right spots . Started it up it did the same things as befor only this time after it stalled and i refired it it backfired and 3' flame shot out my carb. wtf is this and how did it happen all of a sudden?

 

Wow! I hope you didn't get a "Holley haircut" Sorry I can't offer more help, I'm pretty carb-ignorant (never worked on one so I don't know anything about 'em). All I can guess is that the timing might be way off.

 

ya im hoping its timing it would make sence but if i check it and its not that , i think im just gona get a new car. or somthing im hoping for a 67 camaro thats at my work

 

i changed fuel filter and added fuel system cleaner, guy from work , we build winston cup race cars. cheaked it out and says he dosent think its timing at all, said he seems to think its somthing to do with my carb starving for fuel, my mechanical fuel pump is fine and working well i have plenty of gas and the carb is only a few months old. the car did run low on fuel a few weeks ago i didnt run it dry but i hit E. Can anyone help me with this damn car, Bob from work also seemed to think it would be vac lines befor he cheaked it out and said for the trouble its giving me you should be able to hear a lind hissing like a **** and you cant. please all and any idea are more then welcome. as always i will keep you updated . jarred