ok heres the deal... bought a 1990 Trans Am GTA. when i bought it i knew that the automatic tranny was "blown". was told it was ****, that it didnt move. ok no problem. i got it running after a new fuel pump and a complete tune up. just playin around i threw it into gear and low and llo and behold..... it moved!!!!! two minutes later it was on the calibration machine and found out that it goes and it goes quick. problem is it wont shift out of 2nd. wht im wondering is either what to do about this tranny or should i get another. i really want a manual but i have never seen one in the third gens....ever. has this ever been done? and what would it take to do the swap in mine? or as a last case senerio n ew on know how to go about fixing the broke automatic?

 

If you're going to throw money at a manual transmission swap, you may as well go for the 6 speed. The t5 wasn't available for the l98 because it's pretty weak.

At any rate, this sort of thing has been done before, and you'll probably find much better information on it at www.thirdgen.org

 

An improperly adjusted TV cable will cause that concern.

 

check fluid and TV cable adjustments. Fluid should not smell burnt and it should be red typically.

 

Could this be a governor problem?

 

This sounds to me like a governor problem. Probably broke the plastic gear. This happened onceto me. Pull the round pressed in small glued cover on the side of the tranny near the back. You have to pry it out gently and check the governor insides. You do not have to pull the tranny out, just take out the tranny crossmember and mount and lower the back of the tranny till it hangs low. make sure you do not mistaken the governor cover with the servo cover. The servo cover is held by a large snap ring. if its the governor gear then you can get one at any local tranny shop and install it.
Hope that helps.

 

If you deside to go manual, I second the T56 idea over the T5. Then you can put 4:10 gears in the rear, without sacrificing mileage.

 

You don't want 4.10s on a TPI car. You'll be in and out of your power band before you know it. I consider 3.42s ideal for TPI, and wouldn't suggest anything higher than 3.73.

While the T56 certainly is the best option, if you don't want to spend that much money, a WC T5 will live just fine behind an L98 if you don't beat the snot out of it. I've had my T5 in my IROC for a few years now, and so far the car has run a best of 13.9. The T5 is doing just fine.

 

If you do consider the T56, you'll need one designed for the LT1. The LS1 T56 requires expensive modifications to fit a standard SBC.