'87 Burb Kickdown cable at the TBI

[JPOutfitters]

My kickdown cable at the TBI has broken the little plastic connector where it pops on. I have zip-tied it onto the TBI so that it's working, however, I know this is not going to work for long! Is there a repair kit out there for replacing just the plastic tip or am I stuck with getting a new cable? I know that when I just changed this engine this past week it would have been easier with the engine out but these things always seem to happen after you've got it put back together!

I don't want to mess up my 4L60E!!

 

[blazinzuk]

Fix it post haste, that is not a kickdown cable it is a TV cable and one out of adjustment will burn up a 700/4l60 very quickly

You need a whole new cable they are not that expensive

 

[JPOutfitters]

What does "TV" stand for? Throttle Valve?

 

[Snowy Rivers]

Yessss indeed, replace that cable right quick.

Remove the cable from the TBI, then remove the small bolt down on the tranny that holds that end of the cable housing. Slide the housing out of the tranny and then unhook the cable end from the little link wire inside.

Reinstall the new cable in reverse of the old one.

Plug the new cable back into the engine anchor bracket, hook the end to the TBI arm so its snaps in.

Now to adjust the cable, Press the little button portion of the anchor end and slide the adjustment all the way toward the firewall, once this is done, press the throttle pedal firmly to the floor (engine off) and this will set the adjustment.

Failure to do this will result in a fried tranny.

This cable controls the throttle pressure in the tranny, which is a major hydraulic pressure and must be correct.



Snowy

 

[4X4HIGH]

Fix it post haste, that is not a kickdown cable it is a TV cable and one out of adjustment will burn up a 700/4l60 very quickly

You need a whole new cable they are not that expensive

You should have caught his other mistake, he also does not have a 4L60E.

 

[blazinzuk]

You should have caught his other mistake, he also does not have a 4L60E.

Don't want to scare the newbs too much there Scott

 

[JPOutfitters]

just going by what I was told.......700R4 it is then!

 

[JPOutfitters]

and I purchased a B&M cable today! It will be here by Friday....

 

[Greg Ducato]

There is actually a repair end for the cable you have if you decide you would rather do that than replace the entire cable assembly.It slips onto the end of the cable with no removal required other than at the throttle lever. Let me know by PM and I can send you one if you need it. The B&M cable they used to sell is a universal affair joined at the center with a compression union, it would not be my first choice as a replacement cable.

 

[Snowy Rivers]

I noticed the "4L60E" no biggy, if its got a cable its a 4L60 or for us old hands 700R4.

My opinion of this tranny is fairly low, especially in stock trim.

Seen more of these suckers broken, burnt and otherwise failed than I care to think about.

It was not until the aftermarket came out with all the fancy fixes did this tranny get to a point where it is fairly reliable.

If you scatter out the innards of a 700R4/4L60 and then compare them size wise to even a TH 350 it becomes painfully obvious that the design was flawed from the gitgo.

With the addition of mega $$$$$ worth of aftermarket goodies these trannies can do a pretty good job of handling a fair amount of power, but a stocker is never far from becoming a pile of broken pieces.

The early models in the trucks (early 80's to about 86) had a 27 spline input shaft which was notoriously weak and when it snapped it took nearly the entire tranny with it.

The later boxes, namely the "K" case models (Have a large K on the Bellhousing on the RH side are the best ones to build on.

Last time I looked, the amount of factory service bulletins on these boxes would fill a bookshelf about 8 feet long.

The concept of these trannies is great, but the design fell far short of even a C grade as far as function and reliability.

The throttle pressure circuit is the lifes blood of these boxes. Even when set correctly, failure is not far off unless a shift kit has been installed and then only one that specifically adresses the TV issues.

I have used several kits and to date, the only kit I will use is the transgo 2-3 kit.

There may be others that work well but this one has given exemplary service and reliability.

The 700R4/4l60 is what I call a "Busy Box" as it is always doing something.
This fact coupled with the internal design flaws was the major reason for the failures.

The shift kit fixes the lube issues that result in the panetary failures, the internal oil pressure crossleaks, the band and clutch failures and a few other issues.

The addition of a 13 vane front pump helps supply more oil and elminate noise.
The Sunshell upgrade fixes the breakage in the splined hub area.
Better front and rear sprags/roller locks fixes those failures.
More clutches in the 3-4 clutch is a real plus for holding any real power.
A reinforced input drum stops the splines from tearing out.
Modified valves increase apply pressure to the various clutches and the 2-4 band.

The Hydraulic lockup Kit stops the constant in-out of the lockup clutch at low speed and get is set to lock in 4th only and then only about 45 MPH

The converter in these trannies is small and the clutch was never designed to handle a large torque load. This is a "Cruise mileage" tool only.
Using the lockup clutch in second gear and especially for pulling a load is a quick trip to disaster.

Ther are some rebuilt converters with far better clutches that can handle more abuse, BUUUUUUUUUT the converter is still small.

These are not an Allison like you find behind the DMAX.

Just some thoughts

Snowy

 

[Greg Ducato]

Snowy, I must respectfully disagree with your opinion of the 700R4. It may have been fairly weak in it's earliest incarnations but was continuously updated by GM all through it's life cycle, with the zenith of reliability represented by the very good 1987-1993 models. These have a much better lube and valve body system, improved sprags, better planetaries, etc and routinely last well over 100K miles with minimum fuss. By comparison to the TH-350, the planetaries have a pinion at each gear that is twice as large as the 350 or even the 400, and the gears themselves are larger as well. Both the input and low reverse sprags are larger than the 350 and have greater holding power. The second gear band is larger and wider than even a C-6 or TF-727, both old school transmissions with a fine durability reputation. Yes, the input drum is aluminum but the alloy is very strong and while I have observed some broken input drums it is not a common malady and I have never seen a set of these splines fail outright. There are a great many aftermarket upgrades for this trans and they are not much more $$ than the stock replacement items, much like a double row timing gear set or high volume oil pump is not much more than the standard items on a small block Chevy. When one is considering a build to a higher power and durability level, any upgraded components should be on the list of planned inclusion in the build be it engine or transmission. Just my two cents, thread hijack over

 

[JPOutfitters]

There is actually a repair end for the cable you have if you decide you would rather do that than replace the entire cable assembly.It slips onto the end of the cable with no removal required other than at the throttle lever. Let me know by PM and I can send you one if you need it. The B&M cable they used to sell is a universal affair joined at the center with a compression union, it would not be my first choice as a replacement cable.

Yes Greg, there isn't anything wrong with my cable....just the plastic end that broke so it won't stay on, I have made zip-ties to hold it onto the TBI and it's the same length as before. I'm not a "Newb" to offroad or automotive by any means, just to the forum. My temporary fix will probably work for a long time and is in NO danger of hurting something. But I do want it fixed.

Please send me info on the fix that you have.

Paul

 

[Snowy Rivers]

Greg, I agree, GM did update the 700 all along the way, and the later versions (87-93) were the best ones.

Still the 700R has very tiny clutches compared to the TH400 and the 4L80 and even the TH350, the TF727 are larger in this respect.

The one area that is of most concern is the aluminum valve body on these boxes. The fluid must be kept very clean to avoid failures due to stuck valves and scored bores.

Been around the 700R since its introduction back in the early 80's and have been inside a Buttload of them.

I will use them, but have never been impressed with the design.

The band used in the 700 controls second gear and fourth gear and yes it is large.

The reason is the tremendous holding power needed to hang onto overdrive.

If the larger 2-4 servo that was used in the Corvette is used, along with the shift kit and a few other mods the band lives well. ( Kevlar band is a real help)

Sorry to be critical, I have over the years, swept far too many of these trannies off the bench into the trash because there was not enough oleft that was usuable.

Built right, with all the best aftermarket updates and improvements, they will get a thumbs up as a good box for a People mover.

If ya want to take the rig out and thrash it in the boonies, then my choice is the TH400 hands down.

These trannies in stock form were used in 35 foot motor homes and other large equipment with little troubles.

No tranny is perfect, especially when we get ahold of it and head to the brush for some fun.


Best

Snowy

 

[JPOutfitters]

NEW B&M Detent/TV cable came today!!

 

[JPOutfitters]

There is actually a repair end for the cable you have if you decide you would rather do that than replace the entire cable assembly.It slips onto the end of the cable with no removal required other than at the throttle lever. Let me know by PM and I can send you one if you need it. The B&M cable they used to sell is a universal affair joined at the center with a compression union, it would not be my first choice as a replacement cable.

Greg was "the man" here and came up big with this replacement part! Thanks for going out of your way and helping me out on this......I'm going to keep my B&M cable new in the packaging and take it with me on offroad runs incase I get into trouble someday or meet someone else with an issue! It took me literally less than 10 seconds to fix it.....