700r4 locked up in gear.

[Matt69olds]

Once you have the truck back in your possession, try and move the manual valve in the valve body. It should slide easily and smoothly. If it does, you need to decide if you want to wait until the shop can look at it, or attempt reassembly yourself.

if you decide you want to tackle it yourself, call this shop.
https://www.tealautomotiveinc.com/

ask for Cheryl. Tell her you want the most basic shift kit for your trans. Tell her you need valve body gaskets if the kit doesn’t come with them, a filter and pan gasket, ask for a bunch of the check balls (in case the shop dropped a couple) a few extra valve body bolts (for the same reason) and maybe both accumulate pistons. The aluminum pistons do tend to wear around the pin bore, better to have them in case you need them. Look over the spacer plate closely, if you see where the check balls have worn the plate, order a replacement. Somewhere on the plate is a code stamped into it, you will need that code to order the right plate.


By ordering a shift kit, you will have detailed instructions on where the check balls need to go. Get a jar of cheap vasoline to hold the check balls in place. If its warm in your shop, put the vasoline in the fridge for a few hours. You will need a pair of small snap ring pliers for the pressure regulator valve, ask Cheryl for a couple extra snap rings. They sometimes fly out of the bore or pliers never to be seen again. There are probably 20 that landed on various shelfs in my garage.

Read the instructions, work slowly and clean. Hope that helps.

 

[Dutch Rutter]

Update on this for everyone. Got the truck back the 29th. I went ahead and had the shop just install their recommended rebuilt from a place called TRC transmissions up in Kent WA.

Biggest factor of having them do it, is the 3 year unlimited mile warranty for parts and labor. So I should be pretty well covered in case **** implodes again. The new trans is operating GREAT! I never knew how many of the strange vibrations I was feeling were due to the trans, the annoying clunk I felt sometimes with low speed shifts from 2-3 is also gone. Just this morning I accidently got the truck to 90MPH on the Highway which before would get some unnerving wiggle/vibration. With this new trans nothing, its silky smooth. I added the new temp sensor to the pan and I haven't seen the temps climb past 1/4 gauge, (also haven't had many hot days lately) But I think this one will have better temp control then the previous unit. Plus having the sensor in the pan without a doubt will give me better temp readings.

The trans company did open my 2 year old rebuild transmission up when they got it. According to the shop the company asked them "WTF happened to this thing?" I really wish I could have had someone pull it apart, just to see how poorly of a job the previous rebuild shop (in house rebuild by Trademark transmission, which is now out of business) did.

I will keep driving it daily and we'll see how well this new trans holds up. So far the work done seems to be a much higher quality then the other shop. But only time will tell I guess.

Big thanks to @Matt69olds for his help through this crap. If you ever venture to Oregon let me know. I'll be happy to buy you a beer.

 

[Matt69olds]

Oregon is one of my want-to-see states, I’ll keep your offer in mind!

So what exactly did the find that was so screwed up? What did they do to fix the issues? I was wondering if you ever got this issue sorted out. Hopefully that’s the end of the troubles with it.

 

[Dutch Rutter]

Oregon is one of my want-to-see states, I’ll keep your offer in mind!

So what exactly did the find that was so screwed up? What did they do to fix the issues? I was wondering if you ever got this issue sorted out. Hopefully that’s the end of the troubles with it.

Definitely let me know! Depending on time of year could even take out the quads and dirtbikes. See the more beautiful and unseen parts of the state.

They did not go into much detail which makes me question if they actually bothered looking into it too much. However, the manual valve was all bound up internally where they could not physically pull out the plunger? (Lack of knowing the actual name) but I guess there was also some internal damage which would coincide with the abundance of clutch material that I was seeing in the fluid that I drained out of it. I also believe there is a fork? At the end of the whole trans guts that keeps that 2-3 shift clunk from happening. I'm guessing that fork was either missing or messed up in some way, hence the clunk it had.

All in all they swapped the trans for a rebuilt unit which they put in and adjusted, kinda the "can't fix a trans, replace it all" stand point but from the sounds of it the one I had was just going to continue to be problematic. Be it truth or BS, who knows. I'm pretty happy with the end results so far.

 

[Vbb199]

It really sucks since I have a 1951 Studebaker Automatic that needs a rebuild, and they want to charge me like $5600 to do so (Despite the fact that it is one of the simplest automatics ever made, and rebuild kits are still available).

Rebuild it yourself, if you're comfortable doing so of course.

Thats ridiculous for a transmission! A well built 4 speed auto that'll hold 600hp is cheaper lol

 

[jjester6000]

Rebuild it yourself, if you're comfortable doing so of course.

Thats ridiculous for a transmission! A well built 4 speed auto that'll hold 600hp is cheaper lol

Actually, I fixed it without rebuilding it after dropping the pan and tightening the bands and changing the fluid. It now actually had direct drive and doesn't seem to slip in the slightest.

 

[idahovette]

@Dutch Rutter , where did you install the fitting for your trans temp gage? And what temp gage do you have?

 

[HotRodPC]

Did you fix this yet? I have a feeling your parking pawl has lost it's spring and it's laying back in the way to where the rod can't get behind it to lock it into Park. Pull those that metal piece off at the end of the rod and inspect. I think you might find your problem under that.

Also, maybe the angle of the pic, but it appears that rooster tail may be bent probably caused from pulling on the shift linkage real hard.

 

[HotRodPC]

It is, I just looked at your pic again, you can barely see the back edge of the parking pawl is right up against the edge of the case. That manual park rod can not get behind the pawl, and that's what's keeping your linkage from being able to move cuz the park plunger on the end of the rod is hitting the pawl instead of getting behind it.

 

[HotRodPC]

Oh damn, I read a bit more. Seems like a trans shop is trying to take you for a ride. I've put an arrow on what I think is your problem. That is the back of the parking pawl up against the case. That plunger on the rod with the spring behind is supposed to go behind that pawl. When you put it into park, that spring pushes the fat end of the plugnger up against the back of the pawl and engages the teeth on the sun gear on your output shaft which gives you park. That pawl has fallen out of place and fell against the case to where the plunger can't get behind it. Instead the plunger is butting up against the pawl not allowing the rod to move which in turn is connected to the rooster tail that moves your manual valve for gear selection. You just had some bound up linkage probably caused by the spring to the parking pawl falling off or breaking. Should have been an easy fix. May even need the plunger, rod and rooster comb replaced if it got bent with your getting rough with the linkage but I'd say that should have been the most of it. That's my .02.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[Matt69olds]

Actually, I fixed it without rebuilding it after dropping the pan and tightening the bands and changing the fluid. It now actually had direct drive and doesn't seem to slip in the slightest.

What transmission is this? Other than the Powerglide, GM doesn’t have a transmission with an adjustable band.


I’ll revise my statement, band adjust is made by using different length apply pins. The case is measured during initial manufacturing, and the proper pin is selected based on part production tolerance. Usually, you can replace the band and use the original servo pin and be fine. If major parts replacement is needed during a overhaul, you might need to change the apply pin to get everything back within limits.

 

[Bextreme04]

What transmission is this? Other than the Powerglide, GM doesn’t have a transmission with an adjustable band.


I’ll revise my statement, band adjust is made by using different length apply pins. The case is measured during initial manufacturing, and the proper pin is selected based on part production tolerance. Usually, you can replace the band and use the original servo pin and be fine. If major parts replacement is needed during a overhaul, you might need to change the apply pin to get everything back within limits.

You quoted a post that was discussing rebuilding his 51 Studebaker automatic, which is obviously not a GM product.....

 

[Dutch Rutter]

@idahovette I'm using a factory water temp gauge that I've fixed to the lower left gauge spot, this combo works great (very accurate) with this specific VDO sender. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/vdo-323095

@HotRodPC rembering back and not able to physically look it over anymore, I think your dead on with what was keeping it from manually shifting. And most likely I did get taken for a ride by buying the new trans when mine could have been made to work a while longer. However, the amount of clutch material I was finding in the fluid, the odd vibrations, as well as that hard clunk on 2-3 shifts I feel its days were numbered. I would not at all doubt the previous shop that "rebuilt" the trans did a very half ass job (I found loose bolts on the inspection cover and torque arms after getting it back, plus a rear seal leak that I had to take back to them), and they ended up going out of business before I could contact them about any warranty work.

 

[Matt69olds]

You quoted a post that was discussing rebuilding his 51 Studebaker automatic, which is obviously not a GM product.....

Got it. Someone changed channels on me.

 

[HotRodPC]

@idahovette I'm using a factory water temp gauge that I've fixed to the lower left gauge spot, this combo works great (very accurate) with this specific VDO sender. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/vdo-323095

@HotRodPC rembering back and not able to physically look it over anymore, I think your dead on with what was keeping it from manually shifting. And most likely I did get taken for a ride by buying the new trans when mine could have been made to work a while longer. However, the amount of clutch material I was finding in the fluid, the odd vibrations, as well as that hard clunk on 2-3 shifts I feel its days were numbered. I would not at all doubt the previous shop that "rebuilt" the trans did a very half ass job (I found loose bolts on the inspection cover and torque arms after getting it back, plus a rear seal leak that I had to take back to them), and they ended up going out of business before I could contact them about any warranty work.

By all your other descriptions, then there may have been a catastrophic failure that caused the parking pawl spring to break. It may have fallen in the sun gear and got nipped and spit out so hard it broke the spring. No telling really. But yeah it would have been nice to at least corrected the linkage and then know what you had. If you had all that going on, then it was probably time due to a poor rebuild. Dammit man, I really wish I could get set up to do these things myself. I've just got a fear of doing them myself due to their reliablity issues. Someone gets one, wrong TV cable adjustment, or biggo tires with 3.08 gears and eat it up then I'm the bad guy.