4L80E Lost Overdrive/281,000 miles

[uglytruk]

I was driving my '93 K2500 6.5 TD Pick Up back from a 2700 mile road trip to Iowa from New York, and whilst towing my Corvair back from Indiana, I noticed she was revving higher than usual. I stopped and checked the tranny oil, as It was leaking a bit, and added a quart, just in case. It's then that I notice a MUCH harder 1-2 shift.

I lowered my cruising speed, and went to the local tranny shop the next day. He found a TPS code, but with the hi miles, and me running it 6 quarts low 2 years ago when I bought her, he was ready to do an $1800 rebuild. He said the harder shift was a default mode to compensate for an overheat situation, prolly the slipping 4th clutch or lock up TC

The lo oil situastion was when I picked it up from the shipping terminal 150 miles from home 2 years ago, and lost overdrive, coincidentally whislt towing the same Corvair. The OD returned with the infusion of oil! The tranny had had a leak the PO didn't tell me about. I removed the pan that winter, and it sat (unused) for almost 2 years until my trip 3 weeks ago

The whole trip to Iowa and back, the tranny shifted very nicely all the way to 4th, and I didn't beat her. I got 15-16.5 mpg at 70-75 w/o A/C.

A TPS is over $100, and I searched the forums for this prob, but came back with too many other hits, sorry...

 

[toomany]

If the trans really has 281,000 on it...then consider it well used and ready for a rebuild.

 

[cuervo]

If the trans really has 281,000 on it...then consider it well used and ready for a rebuild.

I agree. But if you pull it your self there are some cheaper options. I want to say I paid $1200 shipped to my door.

 

[Fordum]

Transmission is fine, just lose the Covair

Just curious, where did you get the Covair?

My Aunt Audrey from Birmingham owned one from new for many many years.
She did almost no maintenance, headliner fell in, things would quit working and then start up again.
Darn car would always get her where she wanted to go.

One day it started skipping a little, so she took it to her local service station.
Don't know what station it was, but she was the classic little old lady, and they always treated her like she was their grandmother.

My father had been going through there on business, and made a point of stopping in and having a word with the owner of the station.
Mainly along the lines of You cheat her, I take you back home and feed you to the gators.

He said that he did not have to say a word. When he mentioned her name everybody came over to shake his hand and say how much they loved her.

Found out later from her that when the battery was dead one snowy Sunday morning, one of the guys came from his house to the shop to her house with a new battery.
Swapped it out, took the old one back to the shop, put it on charge and put it back in the next day and fixed her battery cables all no charge.

When she got the skip checked out, it turned out to have the original plugs in it.
No telling how many thousands of miles.

Eventually she sold it to a collector/restorer. He restored it, and brought her pictures of it when he got it finished.

I have always wondered who he was, and where that car is now.
Every time I see one, I walk over and ask.
I'm sure I could go online to one of the clubs and post a question and find out, but its not that important. I just think of her when I see one, and ask.





J.

 

[uglytruk]

I love my Corvairs, I have 5, 3 convertible 4 speeds and a deposit on another one, my 2nd pickup... Yup, a pickup!

Work is calling, more later!!!

 

[kgblazerfive]

The overdrive is the one part that goes out I would drive it until the rest goes, had mine rebuilt when the overdrive went out was not cheap

 

[uglytruk]

Here's the damage. $1200 inc lots of new parts. We'll see how it works When it's installed...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NSEIfSziMQ