tranny problems

[AKbigsub]

The sort of it is that I heard a whining from under the burb when I started it to warm it up (temp was -5 deg F). After warming the engine I dropped it into gear and nothing happened (neither in D nor R). I checked the t-case and it was in 2wd. When I gassed it a little, it felt like it wanted to move. Checked the fluid and it was very dark. I left it where it sat. Two days later I pulled it backwards (I started it so I had P/S) so that I could winch it into the driveway. Just for kicks, I dropped it into gear and it engaged as it normally did and I drove it into the driveway. I am .

This is in a '90 v2500 burb with 5.7L and TH400 and 241C. Any ideas?

And will a 700R4 bolt in its place?

 

[scooter122983]

give it a good tranny flush

 

[diesel4me]

X2

I'd drop the pan,change the filter,and hope it was a combo of old sludged up ATF and a plugged filter causing it not to go into gear..usually the front pump in the tranny starves for oil under cold conditions anyhow,if the filter was clogged it would possibly make it cavitate,and not pump enough ATF to the clutches to engauge them properly..the pump might whine like a siren if its not getting enough ATF flow..also,vacuum modulators can get water vapor in them and freeze too...

My 69 GTO had similar troubles with it's TH400, after I got it stuck in snow, and had to rock it from reverse to drive for 30 minutes to free it from the snowbank..next day when I fired it up (about 25 degrees F*) it whined like a power steering pump that was low on fluid,and it went into drive very slowy,and slipped a bit as I drove off..got quieter as the motor warmed up..

I had a friend put it up on his lift,and drop the tranny pan--it was full of what looked like coffee grounds! (clutches probably!)..I feared the worst,but after a flush and a new filter,it worked just fine,and shifted harder than it ever did--still got a squeak out of second gear!..it never gave me a lick of trouble as long as I owned it after that (3+years!)...

 

[AKbigsub]

Thanks for the input guys! I'll try the fluid flush and filter change first and see what happens.