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BadDog

BadDog

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My son came home today with the '88 saying it didn't want to shift right. Worked fine up till the drive home this afternoon.

His description:

Put in "Drive" and does nothing, might as well be Neutral. Manual shift to low and it goes. Sometimes shifts to second, sometimes not.

Checked fluid, red but light caramel discoloration and at correct level (not low).

Has runs large cooler and deep pan since before I got it.

I don't know the 700R4 very well, but sounds to me like a pressure issue. On older stuff I would guess maybe modulator, but 700R4 uses a TV cable. I'll be checking the TV cable when it cools down "just to see", but this doesn't seem like anything I would think the TV cable would be involved in. Maybe governor, but don't think so. Any other ideas?

Current Plan:

Visual inspection of TV cable and checking adjustment. If that's ok, drop pan and check filter or for trash in the pan. If nothing obvious, check governor. New filter and change fluid and hope for the best.

Suggestions?

Proper adjustment of TV cable? I know I could find this by searching, but got to get back to work for now…
 
Ok, to correctly adjust the TV cable, take all of the adjustment out of the cable at the TB, the mash the pedal down to WFO, make sure you do this at the TB, or you may ot set the TV cable right. As you open the throttle you will hear the cable ratchet, this ok, and its what you want it to do so that it is properly adjusted.
 
Thanks, I decided to do a quick search but gave up. Looks like search is still returning lots of unrelated hits. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I'm hoping the cable just stretched or slipped, but not betting on it…
 
[ QUOTE ]
Put in "Drive" and does nothing, might as well be Neutral. Manual shift to low and it goes. Sometimes shifts to second, sometimes not.

[/ QUOTE ]

sounds like a valve body problem. /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif
 
how, if it moves when in manual low? /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif

i can't think of anyother reason than the valve body may have a crack or something /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif thats weird
 
Ok, finally got a chance to check it myself. He's dead on with the description. B&M Ratchet (god I hate it) put in "D" might as well be neutral. You can kinda feel/hear something going from N to D, but it's not in pulling. Thinking it might be governor, or needing more fluid, I reved 'er up a bit, nothing at all. Ratchet back one gear after another, no change till I hit "1" when it cluncked into gear as usual and drove as if nothing wrong… till I ratchet up to second and it acts like neutral. Reverse works just like first, nothing wrong.

So, what I have is "R" and "1", but nothing in 2, 3, and OD.

So, how are the clutch packs arrayed on this thing? Me thinks I have lost C2 apply (assuming I'm right about the way this thing works). Just went from 100% "working fine" (according to the boy) to 0% after driving to school this morning. Drove it in and parked it, then when he cranked it this evening nothing. If it were acting up, getting progressively worse, or something… but just gone? Do they normally just go like that? Any likely culprits other than the already suspected "something plugged" or cracked valve body, or whatever. The fact that it worked, and then didn't after parked and cooled off makes me thing something settled in a passage or something stuck open. Any tranny gurus feel like giving me a clue?
 
Had the same thing happen to one of mine.... something had to break in it because it cracked the case and broke a chunk off... sorry I don't have any help as to fixing it. All of the symptoms were the same for me though: Drive didn't work, reverse and first worked fine, and I could manually shift it into second once I got going every now and then.
 
you can check the governer, but usually it only 1st still works in OD, D 2 and 1 just no upshift.

there are usually some symtoms, like takes longer than normal to enguage, slipping, stuff like that. usually doesn't just up and go out.

im preaty sure somthing broke, valve in the valve body, the valve body itself, case. you gonna have to pull the pan and check it out.

there is 1 clutch pack and the band for second. but it still should move in any of the forward gear selection.

one thing you can do, just about every 700r4 automaticly shifts from first to second even when in manual low at about 45 mph, i would do it in 4lo so i don't have to go so far to check it.
 
Yeah, the pan is dropping tomorrow, no time today and I gotta pick up the filter and gasket kit. And I already tried the high rpm forced shift with no luck, it stayed in low. I'll know more tomorrow evening when the pan comes down.

Thanks for the info guys.
 
With 4.56 gears and 35" ATs plus loosing the low... Nah...
 
Mine did something similar. It wouldn't shift out of low at all. What happened was the band inside has a little socket on it and a push rod of sorts engages that socket to tighten the band for shifts. The back side of the socket had snapped out so instead of engaging and tightening the band it would just slip past. Sorry to say its a full tear down to fix this problem. Hope that's not what it is.
 
Well, she's done...

Anyone recognize these pieces?

rip700r4.jpg
 
was that the original trans? how many miles?

i wouldnt even bother trying to rebuild that unit. get a freshly rebuilt one from bowtie or Pheonix. bowtie has got great customer service and prices, plus no core charge.
 
Wow /forums/images/graemlins/yikes.gif, those pieces look important!!

Looks like the boy done good /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif.

I know, my day is coming.

<sigh> [/Unquote]
Click to expand...
 
That slotted piece on the right looks like the end of some sort of "band" where the slot would slide over some sort of tab. The rest is indeterminate, but that piece has a familiar look to it for some reason. Been many MANY years since I went in an auto at all, much less a 700r4.

Botor is a mild TBI 350 with cam and Dart heads along with a few other goodies. Nothing major, but it pulls well...

No idea if it was the original trans, but it was "built" before I got it. Shift kit at a minimum, not sure what else.
 
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