my 700r4 trouble

[fatguyzinc]

Pulled the trans and decided to go Tremec TKO-6 should be alot more fun to drive.

that certainly isn't a low-cost and/or simple fix...
but it sure will fix it!

ps my brother did a keisler (now defunct I think)
tko600 5spd and despite aligning the bellhousing within
their specs (twice....) it would never upshift cleanly from 2-3
under full power and over 6500rpm...

from what ive read this isn't uncommon. just something you
may want to investigate further, my brother spent over $3500
after shipping, shifter, etc and in the end we ended up pulling
for a Muncie m21, which is still working flawlessly 3yrs later...…….

maybe its just us, but id hate to see anyone else go thru the
same expense and double/triple work.

[69 Custom "S"]

well I removed pan and filter was in place and found nothing at bottom of pan. Pulled the trans and decided to go Tremec TKO-6 should be alot more fun to drive.

[Andy4639]

71 C 10 had 250,000 miles on it with a 700-R4 and it was done right. That trans was installed May of 1986 and never been touched with a stock 305 TPI motor.
When I pulled the combo in late 2013 for the 6.0 4L80E combo it was still running but the motor was burning oil. I had both the radiator cooler and a external cooler on it as I do the 4L80E and it seldom see over 200* and GM states anything over 200* is the killer of any transmission. Mine run around 180* all the time. Keep it as cool as possible and you should never have problems. You have to start with a quality built transmission though.

[SuperBuickGuy]

id never diagnose worn clutches as a cooler issue.....
low line pressure, shaft deflection due to worn bushings,
glazing due to ground issues, etc....

but I also know guys who run msd boxes in everything
and I wont touch em, had nothing but bad luck with them
myself. guess "your mileage may vary" ?

teenage driver with hp was the primary culprit.

[fatguyzinc]

turbo 350s is how I learned how to rebuild transmissions.... hate those things. 33s, V8, S10 Blazer, change clutches every 10k miles... and yes, it had a cooler that was larger then the radiator.... because I had someone like you who was certain that it was a cooler issue....

id never diagnose worn clutches as a cooler issue.....
low line pressure, shaft deflection due to worn bushings,
glazing due to ground issues, etc....

but I also know guys who run msd boxes in everything
and I wont touch em, had nothing but bad luck with them
myself. guess "your mileage may vary" ?

[Deaf Bob]

if the filter fell out, it probably would not have first or reverse, eh?

My experiences in the arena is reverse is last to go.. First and reverse together.
Yes. There are plastic parts that land in the pan as a puddle from heat..
No filter. Nothing moves! Yes. Have found filters on the bottom of the pan.

[anotheridiot]

Might suck enough in to get going but then the air mixed in, the line psi goes sorry, no beano.
happens when you don't fully seat the filter, known issue
so ya.

yeah, and all the damage gets done is such a small time frame of running dry.

[Eric]

if the filter fell out, it probably would not have first or reverse, eh?

Might suck enough in to get going but then the air mixed in, the line psi goes sorry, no beano.
happens when you don't fully seat the filter, known issue
so ya.

[cstmwgn]

I thought the Rebestos Blues were more sexy than the Alto Reds these days

[SuperBuickGuy]

with a proper build, I wouldn't worry at even 800hp
with a th350-- in a lightweight car. a big heavy 4000lb+
ride id stay around 500hp, again with a PROPERLY built
th350.

billet drums, shaved pistons to fit more clutches, red alto
clutches and kolene steels, a 32 element xhd sprag, etc...
all for less than the cost of a stock rebuild on a 700R4.
and its smaller, lighter, takes 30hp less to turn, AND has
better ratios than a th400 to boot.

yup. id run it no problem. just make sure you got enough cooler,
and don't run more stall than your highway cruise rpm.

I have several past and/or present rides with 468"/th350
combos ( and yet again properly built...) that have done years
with no problem, and although I "normally" drive like a little
old lady, when I do hang it out its pretty brutal.

ive also seen a truly nasty 62 vette break a Jericho and a
liberty bell, than survive for the last 6 yrs on a well built th400--
in my book only a ultrabell pglide might take more. a th400 is
pretty much the cure all for both high hp AND heavy weight/shock load.

turbo 350s is how I learned how to rebuild transmissions.... hate those things. 33s, V8, S10 Blazer, change clutches every 10k miles... and yes, it had a cooler that was larger then the radiator.... because I had someone like you who was certain that it was a cooler issue....

[fatguyzinc]

time for a rebuild - 3rd and 4th use the same clutch pack and they're usually the first to fail. The 700R4 and 4L60e are good transmissions for what they are - high hp? you're asking for trouble but in normal use and following recommended servicing they last 200k. Of course, as GM seems to beta test on their customers - the first of anything is likely to be problematic - the 700r4 is no exception, the early ones 82-85 aren't worth rebuilding, 86-up can be made into a reasonable transmission but they're still hp limited. With all that said, there are also 4L65e and 4L70e which are heavier duty versions of the 4L60e.... and those seem to do okay even in the 400-600 hp range... which I challenge anyone to put through a turbo 350....

with a proper build, I wouldn't worry at even 800hp
with a th350-- in a lightweight car. a big heavy 4000lb+
ride id stay around 500hp, again with a PROPERLY built
th350.

billet drums, shaved pistons to fit more clutches, red alto
clutches and kolene steels, a 32 element xhd sprag, etc...
all for less than the cost of a stock rebuild on a 700R4.
and its smaller, lighter, takes 30hp less to turn, AND has
better ratios than a th400 to boot.

yup. id run it no problem. just make sure you got enough cooler,
and don't run more stall than your highway cruise rpm.

I have several past and/or present rides with 468"/th350
combos ( and yet again properly built...) that have done years
with no problem, and although I "normally" drive like a little
old lady, when I do hang it out its pretty brutal.

ive also seen a truly nasty 62 vette break a Jericho and a
liberty bell, than survive for the last 6 yrs on a well built th400--
in my book only a ultrabell pglide might take more. a th400 is
pretty much the cure all for both high hp AND heavy weight/shock load.

[SuperBuickGuy]

time for a rebuild - 3rd and 4th use the same clutch pack and they're usually the first to fail. The 700R4 and 4L60e are good transmissions for what they are - high hp? you're asking for trouble but in normal use and following recommended servicing they last 200k. Of course, as GM seems to beta test on their customers - the first of anything is likely to be problematic - the 700r4 is no exception, the early ones 82-85 aren't worth rebuilding, 86-up can be made into a reasonable transmission but they're still hp limited. With all that said, there are also 4L65e and 4L70e which are heavier duty versions of the 4L60e.... and those seem to do okay even in the 400-600 hp range... which I challenge anyone to put through a turbo 350....

[squirrel]

if the filter fell out, it probably would not have first or reverse, eh?

[Eric]

Pull the pan, the 7004r filter is known to fall out of the location it should be fully seated into.
IIRC only thing holding it in place is an o-ring.
They are also top feed, so low fluid and the filter feeding the transmission from the top. can cause issues.

[squirrel]

Somehow I've avoided ever having a 700R4 in any of our cars. We have had some of the newer, electronic controlled versions, and they have mostly worked ok--although the trans in the 99 Silverado did some weird things after it got a lot of miles on it. We quit towing with it, and it was still going when I sold the truck a couple years ago with about 275k miles on it.

I don't know what the answer is...there is no easy solution to the transmission problem.