91BigRedz28

I was slowing down at a redlight today, not beating on my car at all (cops in town are jerks) the tranny kinda downshifted funny just before i stopped. when i went to move again, there was no overdrive or drive...it was like i was in neutral...so i drove home in 2nd...fluid levels checked out fine.

tranny's old, its got like 130,000 miles on it...lots of hard miles, the guy that had it before me beat the crap out of this car. i've already swapped the motor for a 93 caprice HO 305. It seems to me that the tranny in it is done....so now my questions:

1- how much will a boneyard transmission cost me
2- is the one i have rebuildable (for less money)
3- reccommended shops in the Worcester MA area

funny thing is, I was coming home from checking out a pickup truck...guess this is my car's way of telling me "you're not getting rid of me just yet"

Pneumatic_Tire

Is there metal shavings in the fluid? Is the fluid a darkish red/brown color, and burnt in smell? Hows it taste? (Just kidding about that one.)

91BigRedz28

The fluid seems burnt out, yea...kinda almost watery, its not thick like when you pour it in, it drips off the stick real fast...i didn't notice any metal...but i didn't drop the pan.

Pneumatic_Tire

Drop the pan. When's the last time you changed the filter and fluid? General rule of thumb on a tranny is, if the fluid is burnt in color, and smells burnt, it's time for an overhaul. If you see porcipine(sp?) looking shavings in the pan and on the magnet, it's junk. Fine liquid like metal in the pan is normal however.

aklim

A JY one could leave you stranded and comes with probably little or no warranty. I would look into either rebuilding the one you have or get a JY one and sell the car ASAP. That or take it to a local Tech college and see if they will rebuild it for you in one of their classes for just parts.

antoine

sounds like you fryed the 3-4 clutch pack you can rebuild it your self like i did for mine or look at www.pro-built.net he makes one of the best transmissions out there.

91BigRedz28

thanks for the advice antoine...i'm not sure i've got the cash to handle that though...unless you dont' need those parts at the bottom of the list....700-R4 by Pro-Built

Has anyone done this? Is this a 30-rack weekend project?

aklim

I wouldn't go for a 3-4 pack. Why bother? Sooner or later you have to tear it down again. Do it right the first time and change all the clutch packs and whatever wearable parts. When I broke my 3-4 pack, I refreshed the whole tranny and had it disassembled and rebuilt with fresh wearable parts.

91BigRedz28

yea if i'm pulling this thing apart i'm gonna do the whole deal...i'm just wondering how do-able this project is for me to do in my driveway...like special tools that autozone might not have...you know, the "gotcha"s that all automotive repair work hangs up on.

aklim

Do you have access to a mechanic who will help you on the side?

91BigRedz28

a real mechanic? if i absolutely NEED him, then yea i can probably get this guy called "chicken" to help me...he's the founder of Chicken Racing in Worcester...he's an F-Bod maniac...but i was hoping i could tackle it myself...i dont want to pay that guy for his time

TheGreatJ

If you're thinking about tearing into your tranny yourself, get at LEAST 2 books on it and read them first. Automatic trannies are real picky about how everything is put together, and if you have one little check ball in the wrong hole, or one clutch pack in backwards, you'll have to tear the whole rig back out of the car and pull it apart again. I don't recommend trying it without help from someone who's been there before unless you're REALLY in a bind and have to get it done for little/no money.

aklim

If you want to pay him on the side to do it while you watch that would be good so you could do another later on but if you have never seen the insides of a 700R4 and you are trying to rebuild it by yourself and hoping to learn as you go, I can tell you that chances are that you would be wasting your money. You might get lucky and it all comes together but you could be like 2 people I know that did that with a A4LD and ended up screwing it worse than it was.

Read the books and be very careful or get someone to show you how.

Pneumatic_Tire

Amen to the reading up on automatic transmissions first. If you don't have the slightest idea on what's going on in there, then your in for a big surprise. Be sure to have a set of snap ring plyers on hand too, cause they are the worst in my opinion. I have the worst luck with snap rings, lol. Also, be sure to get a book on this tranny. A SPECIFIC book for JUST this tranny. Maybe rent one at the library if they have it. (Doubtful ) Anyway, just be careful in what you are doing, and keep everything in order on a nice big table. I never rebuilt a 700r4 myself, but helped a buddy of mine on the side a little. I have only rebuilt a few Chrysler Torqueflite tranny's. GM seems to have a different valve body style from what I saw.