I have a 1989 Firebird Formula with a TBI 305 (150 hp, 121,000 miles), and yesterday I was taking a left hand turn and I smashed the gas peadal to the floor, and to my surprise the tires squealled for the first time ever. When the car shifted from 1st to 2nd there was a really loud bang from under the car. To make a long story short, the car does not shift from 1st to 2nd until 3500 rpm treating it like a baby. The transmission will not go beyond 3rd gear running at 2100 rpm at 55 mph, and there is no longer any revearse. I friend of mine said it could be the torque converter, but that should have nothing to do with revearse. So this is my question, is it the transmission? How hard are they to change or should a professional do it. How high in the air does the car have to be to get it out, and how in the world do you get the tranny cooler lines off. I looked at it yesterday and I had it as high as it would go on jack stands and I'm not sure if the tranny would come out from under the car. Any one who has and thoughts or experience your comments are very welcomed.

 

Sounds the trans to me. Definitely not the converter. You might need taller jack stands to get it up high enough. I have some 6 ton ones I use for pulling trannies. It's not an easy job and it's very heavy. You might want to leave this to a professional if you're not comfortable with doing it.

 

it is possible that you may have cracked your flexplate, but it sounds like your trans is toast either way. For removing transmissions on my 3rd gen I use regular car ramps the high impact plastic, or steel ones. they give you just enough clearance to remove/install the trans (dont forget to block the rear wheels though) shouldnt take you too long if you have little experience in transmissions it should take you about a day and a half.(I can now do it in about 2 hours lol) for lifting the tranny you should use a hydraulic jack one with a transmission adaptor is easiest but not required. Anyhow if ya need any help let me know. FWIW now is the best time to convert to a manual trans

 

As long as you have enough room to move the trans under the car once on the ground you can get it out. All you have to do is slide the tailshaft out from under the car first then tilt the tailshaft at an angle and the bellhousing should clear enough to remove it from under the car.

 

Thanks for the advice, where can I get a transmission jack, or an adapter that will fit into a floor jack. I've been to all parts stores and nobody sells them. They all told me good luck. You said you have done these before. How did you get the cooling lines off and at what time do you do it during the removal. The cheapest I've found so far is $874 at auto zone for a rebuilt one. A junk yard want's $600 which I think is crazy for a non rebuilt one. Any places you know of on the net. Thank you!

 

The message above was for TEX95Z. I really am not good at the internet thing. This is really my first time in what kind of looks like a chat room. Anyways any can answer the above questions.

 

I'm sure if you pull the tranny yourself somebody local could rebuild it for $600.00 If you go into are vender area I believe cpt does a rebuild for $700.00

 

drive front onto ramps then jack up back put on stands(on very flat ground)
1)disconnect kickdown cable from throttle linkage
2)remove driveshaft
3)remove cross member(have jack to hold up tranny)
4)remove three bolts from tailshaft mount
5)remove speedo cable,lockup plug and 10mm bolt for kickdown cable
6)let down tranny alittle and use 1/2in wrench for tranny lines
7)remove converter cover and three 15mm bolts
8)you will need 36"extension w/14mm swivel socket and remove the six bell housing bolts
that should be everything just take your time have a drink and you should be fine

 

Might want to remove the distributor cap, especially if it's the large cap style. Also, be careful with the engine as it will tilt back without the trans in place. If you have room, you can put a small jack with wood blocks on it to push up on the oil pan.
Also might want to use fitting wrenches on the tranny lines.
Also might want to drain it first, or be prepared to catch fluid out of the tailshaft once the driveshaft is out and tranny is tilted.
Also, mark the driveshaft and rear pinion so that you put it back together the same way it was.
Doing this alone is kind of a pain. If you have any strong or at least mechanically inclined friends that are willing to get a little dirty for a few beers, give'm a call. Especially when installing a new one. It takes some effort to get it back in there and on the dowels, and bellhousing bolts started.
Good Luck!
ps- we don't use a trans adapter on our jack, just some wood. It's more of a pain though. Had to change the trans 3 times in 2 years on the 79 malibu with a 350tpi/700r4. Kept getting hosed buying used trannies online, and I've been out of the country 98% of the time, so the car isn't used much.

 

the best jack for a tranny is an atv jack used it many times also good for rear ends

can get a craftsman for 80 bucks

 

Ok, I started on the tranny today, and everything was going good until it came to the 3 bolts for the torque converter. I could only access 1 of them. Do I need to bump the motor around to get this to spin in the right area so I can get to the rest of them. Or is this a huge mistake at this point. The tranny is still fully connected to the motor at this point.

 

I use vise grips on the flexplate and then turn it by hand, if your very careful you will not have to replace the flexplate, unless it already needs it... ps are you switching to a stick?

 

use a ratchet and a 5/8 socket on the bolt at the center of the crank pulley on the front of the motor, turn it clockwise(it may get hard to turn a few times, since the spark plugs are still in it)

 

Ok, I'm really getting upset. I've been waiting for my new rebuilt trans for over 2 weeks now, and auto zone just told me today that they cannot get 1 for a 305 tbi. I said screw it and went to the local dealer and they told me they don't have one in the United States or Canada. I refuse to use one from a junk yard with no warranty. I have a friend who has a friend who has a friend ext. that will rebuild mine for $550 cash with a 1 year warranty but no papers to show it was rebuilt. He says he is 100% sure it's a broken sunshell. Should I go for it, or should I keep looking. Do any of you know of any websites to go to that have a good reputation. Trust me when I say I'm not good with the internet. I tried to search myself and nothing came up. Please Help. I got the tranny out with all of your help, now please help me get one back in. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Itdoesnt matter what engine you get it for, hell get it for a 92 z28 with a 350 TPI its the same. You really should just convert it to a manual less worry about breakage, and from the point your at right now its not too much extra work. otherwise why dont you just take the bad tranny to a trans shop for a rebuild?