700R4 Problems - which direction should I go ?

[fisher1648]

Sorry if this type of topic has been covered to death but I searched and didnt find the specific info so...

1987 K-5, TBI 305, 33X12.50, 4:10 gears - nuthin fancy just mild family 4-wheeling

My transmission has developed a problem while pulling a small trailer (3 dirtbikes and such). It does not up-shift while pulling a load and without the load it has a slight slip during shifts. At idle, the transistion from Park-to-Drive results in a sharp "clunk". It is all stock and has not been removed or adjusted and I service it regularly - it has 108k miles and has never been re-built. The fluid is fairly fresh (10k miles) and the level was correct when checked as recommended.

I'd like to inspect the governor gear...how do I locate and remove it ? Can I get to it with the tranny installed in the vehicle ?

Quite frankly I do not trust the transmission shops in my small town. I've been reviewing the info on www.tvmadeez.com and was wondering if it needs rebuilt or maybe it would be better to just buy a Level 1 tranny ($866)from them and installing it myself ?

Is this a common 700R4 problem that I can fix myself or is it full rebuild/replace time ?

Thanks in advance for your patience, Eric

 

[big83chevy4x4]

do you have an external cooler? you need one with the 700r4 towing anything. how does the fluid look? it should be a bright red color. does it smell burnt?

it sounds like its just at the end of its days. the clunk could be a ujoint or something in the rear end, though it could be int he tranny. just check the ujoints and rear end before hand.

i get $700 to go threw a 700r4 with major upgrades and updates, shiftkit, new converter, etc. im not sure what they put in their 700r4s

 

[fisher1648]

I inspected the governor gear...looks fine. Some very slight wear but no broken teeth or anything.

I've got a good trans cooler as well - been working great for over 10 years....

Fluid - No burnt smell, fluid looks normal.

Is 108k miles without any problems rare - am I on borrowed time anyway ?

 

[original balzer]

unfourtunately i have nothing positive to add here i just wanted to say that both me and my little bro have gone though 7 total th700r4's everything from high dollar rebuilds to boneyard replacements i am happy to say i converted both blazers to sm465's mine last year and his about a week ago although it sounds daunting task it realy isnt that hard to do


(side note) i realy need to buy a digital camera to replace the one lost in 3ft of mud last year and also get my subscription to CK5 paid

 

[4xcrazy]

Is 108k miles without any problems rare - am I on borrowed time anyway ?

I got 215k out of mine, then all it did was just quit shifting from 2nd to 3rd...

 

[Jonny-K5]

i'd say its on its way out. probly the pump is going bad. whatever it is, your going to need a new/rebuilt trans eventually.

for the clunk, mine started doing that as well. put new u-joints in.. no change, rebuilt rear axle... no change... new transmission.. no change. i'm guessing my problem is in the transfer case. i'd look at the u joints first tho.

check out www.700r4.com they have excellent tech advise and perfromance rebuilt transmissions.

one thing you need to remember about towing besides having a cooler is you need to keep it out of overdrive. a temp gauge is also very important. you should also make sure you torque converter is locking up in 4th gear. the rpms should jump a couple hundred rpms when you tap the brakes while accelerating.

i good modification for towing is to hook up a manual switch to the converter so you can manually lock it up in 2nd or 3rd. it'll keep the temps down dramatically .