I needed to vent today, so I appreciate your patience and ears.....

When I first got the 'vette, it had 163K on it and my kids said the only thing that could go wrong after all the repairs to her would be the tranny. 10,000 miles and 2 1/2 years later, she quit upshifting on the way home from work last Thursday.

I had reverse and 1st, neutral and park but nothing else. I  had her towed to the best transmission shop in town yesterday. The owner inspected the governor and found it in perfect shape; that was yesterday and they're closed Saturday and Sunday. Come Monday, they're going to check the TV valve and clean the valve body.

That's all that can be done, short of yanking it out and totally rebuilding the tranny. I'm just missing her this weekend....almost 100 degrees and no top off cruising this weekend....

:( :(


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Remember, there's no place like ~ ;)

Hang in there , Let's hope you don't have to rip it out  ......And not being able to drive your  C4 has to be  heart breaking . I  had a thought about having my  Trans fluid/filter changed earlier today & because of your  post I will have it done  soon ...... Good Luck & Happy Motoring

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My Corvette Pic

if it had to go down, couldnt it have happened in the nasty weather time of year? it really does rot in nice weather not being able to cruise in it. hope it is an easy fix.

btw... it has been said that cars with high mileage should be careful about just changing the tranny fluid all at once if it has been done. i have been told that changing it like that can actually make it worse as tranny fluid actually cleans things too well and might cause slipping. they say you should drain some of the fluid and replace it gradually.

just another thought ... the man to ask is joel (adams apple). he is the man to go to for trannies. never steered me wrong.


|UPDATED|4/28/2013 4:57:43 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|


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the dynamic duo

c3vr life member #97

My first thought would be governor, too.
Question: Does it simply stay in 1st gear, or does it "neutralize" about the time it should hit 2nd?
Staying in 1st points to either a governor issue(which has been checked), a damaged TV cable, OR a stuck throttle valve in the valve body.
A damaged cable can usually be seen, and most of the time, the damage is from the strands of the actual cable breaking, and balling up, which binds the cable, keeping it from moving. Look at the cable where it attaches to the throttle body, and see if it is frayed/damaged.
The valve hanging up in the valve body can most of the time be freed by pulling hard/releasing quickly the cable where it connects to the throttle body. If the valve is really stuck, the only solution is to pull the valve out and free it. It can be doem without removign the valve bosy, but it's much easier to have the valve body off, then you can have a small spring inserted that is specifically made(tv valve helper spring) to help keep the valve from sticking.
Then again...if it has been shifting fine until now, and all of the sudden the valve decided to stick, it could mean there is just too much trash in the fluid from other problems, and that is what it hanging the valve. If this is the case, changing the fluid, and freeing the valve may get ya down the road for a while, but it indicates the trans has some kind of damage, and really should be repaired before it gets any worse, and costs even more.

Hopefully, it is a bad cable....that's not too much of a chore to change, and don't cost all that much, either!




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Joel Adams  
My Link

    
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"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

Well Joel, ii just doesn't upshift to 2nd. The TV cable was the last thing I checked, before I went to the shop.I pulled the cable to WOT and there was tension, so I'm guessing it's still attached. My money bet for tomorrow is that it's either the TV valve or the 1 - 2 valve. seeing that its on the lift, it would be easy to drop the valve body and clean it all up and all would be right in the world again....That's the outcome I'm hoping for.




|UPDATED|4/28/2013 9:05:24 PM (AZT)|/UPDATED|


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Remember, there's no place like ~ ;)

Good luck! Hope it's a simple fix.
Even with a stuck "1-2" valve, it should skip 2nd, and shift into 3rd around 28 mph or so. My bet is the TV valve is stuck tv valve....if it is, be sure to ask them to install a helper spring, if they haven't already mentioned it.










|UPDATED|4/29/2013 10:09:29 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|


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Joel Adams  
My Link

    
(click for Texas-sized view!)             NCRS

"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

Just curious how this turned out.

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Me too! I'm trying to keep up with the troubleshooting of our 700R's because later this Fall I'll do a filter change a would like to know all I can and what to look for. I'm still considering pulling the motor and tranny and spend the winter going over both.

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Well, the bad news is that when they cracked the pan a big piece of the 2nd gear band was in the pan.....

I told them to take their time on rebuilding it as I wouldn't be back to pick it up until the 15th. The better half would murder me if I emptied the bank account to get the 'vette back sooner   I'll post back how it all turns out.

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Remember, there's no place like ~ ;)

So the band is fried....that would kill 2nd and 4th, but you should still have 3rd. That's why I asked if it just stayed in 1st or not....if you wind it up, it would shift on into 3rd.
Hope they do ya a good job!


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Joel Adams  
My Link

    
(click for Texas-sized view!)             NCRS

"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

Thanks for the update.  Sorry she needs more work than hoped for, but glad the problem was found and you'll be getting her back in a week or two.  

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Well, here's the latest as of today....

Damaged 2-4 Band


(large images modified to links-aapple)







|UPDATED|5/14/2013 9:16:05 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|


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Remember, there's no place like ~ ;)

That trans has had water in it. The friction material becoming unglued from the metal band, the rust on the band, and the condition of the valve body gaskets on the valve body confirm that. I hop they are going to completely disassemble it, and put all new rubber seals/frictions in. A new torque converter is also recommended.....
Water will eat away the adhesives used to bond friction materials to the steel clutch plates, and band. Since there is also a bonded clutch inside the torque converter, it needs to be replaced, also.

The case is broken....but it looks like a fresh break to me. Hard to confirm from the pic, tho.
Why do they say it is not a "Corvette" case?


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Joel Adams  
My Link

    
(click for Texas-sized view!)             NCRS

"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

It could have had water in it at one time....anything's possible. as for the case break, It was a pretty dirty looking break, so I didn't think it was something the shop did.

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Remember, there's no place like ~ ;)

Glad you should be getting the car back tomorrow.  

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Well, $1900.00 later, it was a pleasant experience.....

I had all the upgrades (shift kit, TV helper spring, etc) done to an '82 case. A new torque converter, new sun reaction shell ( I was worried about the shell that came out of the old trans ) along with the usual overhaul items.

This rebuilt trans is so amazing now; the shifts are almost non existent driving around town but they're right there when you "put the hammer down". All in all, a good outcome.





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Remember, there's no place like ~ ;)

  
Good price, too! Glad they were able to fix it up for ya!


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Joel Adams  
My Link

    
(click for Texas-sized view!)             NCRS

"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"

That's great to hear.  Not a bad price at all, and to have everything running so smoothly is terrific.  Here's to plenty of enjoyment!

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