No one is perfect however I do stand by my work 100%...Please don't correlate my tenure here (or any other forum or the age of my YT channel) with my time on transmissions, esp the 700R4/4L60E. I taught myself how to build them over 10 years ago because I got ripped off by a transmission shop when I was a teenager (20 years ago) and was forced to sell a car (86 Caddy Fleetwood Brougham) that I loved because I was a broke college kid 1,850 miles from home who couldn't afford to pay twice for the a job that should have been done right the first time. Told myself that would never happen again...
So fast forward about 9 years after the fact and the 700R4 in my R10 Long Bed started to slip. By that time, I had already rebuilt several SBCs, BBCs, Ford 460s along with few Mopar 440s as well as done everything from brakes to rear ends on cars/trucks. So the next logical step was the transmission. Went to the junkyard, purchased a 700R4 core after researching what years would work best, etc. and spent the next two weeks tearing it down bit by bit, taking copious notes and pictures then reassembling it exactly how it was, with new clutches, seals, gaskets, filter, etc. I also watched every video available and purchased two different rebuild manuals so had my bases covered. Swapped it in, set up and adjusted the TV cable and drove it, and sure enough it worked!
Discovered I really liked it so I rebuilt the original 700 within a couple more weeks and then a couple colleagues' 4L60Es and the rest is history.
I know that platform very well and yes, it's true you can mess things up bad if you don't know what you're doing w/the transmission but that applies to most any of them (except for the 200-4R as those can be very, very tricky regardless of diligence level and take sometimes 2x longer to physically rebuild). The TV cable is really the biggest risk point in the whole process for shops or DYI installers, as you mention...If it's not set up correctly (geometry) and not adjusted correctly (tension) then the transmission won't last more than a few miles. I provide a full set of instructions and guidance to customers for all TV-based transmissions I build so I know they have the information they need to get started (and am available for questions whenever need be).
The set up process, in brief, is this: start by hooking up the cable w/full tension while gas pedal is pressed to the floor such that the cable is tight. Then hook up a trans pressure gauge and validate your initial adjustment via pressure testing. Make micro adjustments as needed. Pair that process with Sonnax TV sleeve / plunger and TV valve in the valve body (which
@Royal Sierra 454 will be getting, among other upgrades) and you'll set up that transmission for success.
Pressures at idle should be 65-80 PSI or so in P, N, D,D3 | 95-120 in Reverse | 160-180 in manual 2nd and Low
Pressures at stall should be 140-175 or so in D,D3 and roughly the same in Manual 2 or Low as they are at Idle (you get full TV pressure at idle in Man2 and Man Low)
If the 5/16" TV exhaust check ball is reinstalled and stall pressures are present at idle, that indicates the TV cable has not been adjusted with the correct tension and the TV exhaust check ball has seated, maxing TV line pressure. GM introduced that 5/16" check ball in the mid-80s to address failures due to TV cable snapping or becoming unhooked, etc.
X2 (or X100) on Monster.
