tranny woes

-
SpeedracerX

SpeedracerX

Still on this side of the dirt member
Joined
Nov 19, 2008
Messages
3,404
Reaction score
179
Location
Irwin, Pa
Hey gang... So while im housebound on a cold and snowy day I figured I would ask a couple tranny questions.. My Dart (click the link in my signiture for that build) has a stock 360, 727 with a cheetah forward pattern full manual shift valve body, 8.75 with 355 sure grip... Right before I mothballed the car for winter, I went to back it in the garage, and there was no reverse.. nothing... like being in neutral.. the guys had to help me push her back in the garage.. it would go in low just fine.. reverse, nothing.. We figured I broke the reverse band.. no big deal.. theres close to 90,000 miles on this 727 (came out of a motor home) so I wasnt all that devestated.. plus I have another 727 I plan to have freshened up.


A week later the guys called wanting to go to one last little car show.. it was a sunny but brisk day, one last time to get the cars out kind of thing.. We just figured we'd push the car back in when we got back... Heres where it gets weird.. I pulled the car out of the garage, and for giggles I put her in reverse, and much to my surprise, I had reverse again (before anyone asks, yes I did check the fluid the day I had no reverse. ) .. went into low, back to reverse, and it was still there.. Now I know cars dont fix themselves.. so I drove a half block to my good buddies garage, went to back in alongside the garage, and you guessed it.. no reverse, I revved the engine a little and without warning POW! she went into reverse.. so hard it stalled the car... fired it back up, had reverse still...

Plot thickens here... we decide to go to the show even though the buggy is clearly acting possesed... lol.. not long down the road, I notice the next problem... once I shift into high gear, if I take my foot off the gas, its like throwing out the boat anchor...It takes itself out of high gear and back into 2nd... get back on the gas, it goes back into high gear... gets worse the warmer the car gets... at one point on the way home, it lost high gear altogether.. but then 3 blocks from the garage, suddenly has it again..

So... Even though I have another tranny to freshen up, boredom and curiousity have the best of me... I am looking for the tranny guys here to give me some ideas what has gone wrong.. I am not expert by any stretch of the imagination.. but these symptoms seem to point to a pressure problem of some kind.. Could it be the pump? (which would be my guess) or possibly the valve body? once spring hits and I can get back on the car Im gonna pull that tranny.. in the meantime im fishing for suggestions...

Thanks gang
 
It sounds like a shifter adjustment to me. If you are in between 2nd and 3rd it will act just like that slowing the car down. I bet your car is not all the way in Reverse. I would move the shift adjustment no more than 1/8 of an inch…. Probably less would do it…. If that is what the problem is.

If that is not it. Your front clutch pack is toast.
 
Mad Dart said:
It sounds like a shifter adjustment to me. If you are in between 2nd and 3rd it will act just like that slowing the car down. I bet your car is not all the way in Reverse. I would move the shift adjustment no more than 1/8 of an inch…. Probably less would do it…. If that is what the problem is.

If that is not it. Your front clutch pack is toast.
Click to expand...

But would shift adjustment be intermittent? I figured if the shifter was out of adjustment, that it would either be out, or in.. no sometimes.. ya know?

It is worth noting at this point that a week prior, I had my mechanic install a quarter stick.. He did say it was touchy getting the adjusment right.. I took the car to the track the day it was installed (drove the car there and back home) beat the snot out of her at the track, and drove it several times the rest of that week without any issues...
 
Well then I would certainly look there first. Something may have loosened just a bit.

I had a similar problem when I installed a floor shifter, it took three tries to get it spot on. Remember it does not take much movement at all to throw it off.
 
Bad Sport said:
Well then I would certainly look there first. Something may have loosened just a bit.

I had a similar problem when I installed a floor shifter, it took three tries to get it spot on. Remember it does not take much movement at all to throw it off.
Click to expand...


I will certianly look into that possibility
 
I gotta agree with everyone that responded so far. When my tranny lost reverse it acted like I had a high stall convertor at first. It took lots of pedal before it would start to move. Then after a few times backing up I had nothing at all. If you have nothing and then it's working fine again it sounds like the "touchy adjustment" is out of adjustment. If you're definitely swapping trannys and the new trans has the same problem, then linkage adjustment is your issue.
 
PA Dodger said:
I gotta agree with everyone that responded so far. When my tranny lost reverse it acted like I had a high stall convertor at first. It took lots of pedal before it would start to move. Then after a few times backing up I had nothing at all. If you have nothing and then it's working fine again it sounds like the "touchy adjustment" is out of adjustment. If you're definitely swapping trannys and the new trans has the same problem, then linkage adjustment is your issue.
Click to expand...


I'm def gonna start there.. I still don't understand how shifter adjustment can be it if it acts like its in neutral until I have the rpms up and then it bangs it's way into reverse. But it's where I will start
 
SpeedracerX said:
I'm def gonna start there.. I still don't understand how shifter adjustment can be it if it acts like its in neutral until I have the rpms up and then it bangs it's way into reverse. But it's where I will start
Click to expand...

Revving the motor may bring the VB lever all the way into gear "Vibration". Remember there are stops in the VB lever itself that also need to be hit/engaged for it to actually be in the correct corresponding gear. The shifter gate is only part of the equation!
 
Mad Dart said:
Revving the motor may bring the VB lever all the way into gear "Vibration". Remember there are stops in the VB lever itself that also need to be hit/engaged for it to actually be in the correct corresponding gear. The shifter gate is only part of the equation!
Click to expand...

Hadn't thought of that... I'm def pretty dumb when it comes to how tranny's work.. Answer me this., if the shift adjustment is out enough to affect reverse and high gear, wouldn't it be out as well for 1st and 2nd? I have no issue with those... Again I'm just trying to get a better understanding of how things work
 
SpeedracerX said:
Hadn't thought of that... I'm def pretty dumb when it comes to how tranny's work.. Answer me this., if the shift adjustment is out enough to affect reverse and high gear, wouldn't it be out as well for 1st and 2nd? I have no issue with those... Again I'm just trying to get a better understanding of how things work
Click to expand...

It seems that the adjustments affect both ends of the spectrum first which would be to the Reverse side and then 3rd which is the other end of the shift throw with a Reverse Pattern Valve Body.

This is just my experience. I would venture to say it is it. Like I was saying earlier worst case it would be the front clutch pack smoked. Front clutch pack problem usually shows in 3rd and Reverse.
 
Mad Dart said:
It seems that the adjustments affect both ends of the spectrum first which would be to the Reverse side and then 3rd which is the other end of the shift throw with a Reverse Pattern Valve Body.

This is just my experience. I would venture to say it is it. Like I was saying earlier worst case it would be the front clutch pack smoked. Front clutch pack problem usually shows in 3rd and Reverse.
Click to expand...

It's a forward pattern valve body, but regardless. Shifter adjustment is gonna be my 1st point of examination. Then I'll go from there... I do appreciate the help
 
Broken reverse band servo piston possibly. (works then does'nt because it's cracked)
In any case I'd bet on bits in the pan unless it is acually linkage adjustment.
 
TrailBeast said:
Broken reverse band servo piston possibly. (works then does'nt because it's cracked)
In any case I'd bet on bits in the pan unless it is acually linkage adjustment.
Click to expand...

Once I put her on stands, I will most likely drop the pan real quick, and see what I find.. If I dont i find any bits laying in the pan, I will check the bolts holding the valve body in and be sure they're tight, put the pan back up, put some fresh fluid in it and mess with the linkage adjustments.. If I find bits, im just gonna yank the tranny.. and send the other one out to be freshened up
 
You're doing it back-wards,, if you find mal-adjusted linkage,, you won't need to pull the pan,,, jmo

hope it helps.
 
if its a cable they stretch too a mopar can be off a minute bit and these problems startas long as your there check your filter and see if you have any metal in the fluid ,even a minute movement in the cable or linkage can throw off the kickdown . were youplaying around the carb?? gl
 
winstoninwisc said:
if its a cable they stretch too a mopar can be off a minute bit and these problems startas long as your there check your filter and see if you have any metal in the fluid ,even a minute movement in the cable or linkage can throw off the kickdown . were youplaying around the carb?? gl
Click to expand...

nope.. wasnt playing around with the carb at all.. worked great for a week, and then all this started.. lol
 
If you don't find it to be a shifter problem I'd guess it's a front clutch issue. Either the clutch plates are worn out, the clutch pack seals are leaking, or the reaction shaft seals are leaking. The front clutch is responsible for 3rd gear and reverse. Only way to check those parts is to disassemble it.

Have you pulled the dipstick out and smelled the fluid? If so did it smell burned and/or look brown?
 
fishy68 said:
If you don't find it to be a shifter problem I'd guess it's a front clutch issue. Either the clutch plates are worn out, the clutch pack seals are leaking, or the reaction shaft seals are leaking. The front clutch is responsible for 3rd gear and reverse. Only way to check those parts is to disassemble it.

Have you pulled the dipstick out and smelled the fluid? If so did it smell burned and/or look brown?
Click to expand...


I did smell the fluid.. it did smell kinda burnt to me..
 
fishy68 said:
Sorry to say but that's a sure sign something is toasted
Click to expand...

I kinda figured as much lol... but like I said it smelled a little burnt to me... but the car had just been running when I smelled it, so it may be just what warm tranny fluid smells like LOL ,.. all I know is the kind of luck I have something is toasted LOL
 
Shouldn't smell burned just cause the fluid is warm. Only reason to smell burned is if something smoked. I hear ya on the luck. That's how mine usually goes too
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top