Okay, let's see if I can keep this short :)

My 1990 Sub V1500 5.7L 700R4 doesn't want to shift from 1st to 2nd until over 20 mph, and when it finally does it slams into gear. It shifts into 3rd at 45 mph, and OD no longer engages. I took it to AAMCO, who changed the fluid and filter, and sent me on my merry way. Within a week the problem returned with a vengence.

Most problems I can fix myself, but I never worked on a tranny before. As far as I know the 700R4 does not use a modulator, so I skipped the vaccum system. I've narrowed it down to the TV cable, TV body, or governor. As a student nurse, emergency first responder, and Red Cross volunteer, time and money are seriously limited. I need to identify the most likely problem fast, and deal with it even faster. Any suggestions?

Deborah

check the tv cable, thats where alot of problems are with these things. mine does the same, but not as bad.. only shifts hard going into 3rd. play with that tv cable, make sure it is all lined up. heres a good link with info: http://www.transmissioncenter.net/700r4.htm

good luck!

Sounds like a sticking throttle valve in the valve body. Metal coming from somewhere will cause this. Aamco say anything about finding metal particles in the pan or on the pan magnet? May even be a sticking governor-that you can pull and check for the valve in it having free movement. Get some jackstands under yer rear axle and tires off the ground so you won't have a flood of ATF come out the governor opening when you remove it. You may/should choose to pull yer tranny pan and see if any metal in it.

check the tv cable, thats where alot of problems are with these things. mine does the same, but not as bad.. only shifts hard going into 3rd. play with that tv cable, make sure it is all lined up. heres a good link with info: http://www.transmissioncenter.net/700r4.htm

good luck!

Excellent link! I learned a little about about the 700R4 from it. Yes, there was some metal on the magnet. Even though my alarms went off on seeing it, I was told by AAMCO this was normal for a tranny with 158k on it.

I played with the TV cable at the throttle body, basicly working it back and forth quickly, and while it still shifts at significantly higher RPM's than it should, it does at least shift. 1-2 is at 15 mph, and it did not shift from 2-3 by 25 mph (I live in a school zone, so faster was not possible yet). Hopefully, I can get this thing working well enough to get me to work and back for the few weeks it will take to save the cash to replace or rebuild the tranny.

Sounds like a sticking throttle valve in the valve body. Metal coming from somewhere will cause this. Aamco say anything about finding metal particles in the pan or on the pan magnet? May even be a sticking governor-that you can pull and check for the valve in it having free movement. Get some jackstands under yer rear axle and tires off the ground so you won't have a flood of ATF come out the governor opening when you remove it. You may/should choose to pull yer tranny pan and see if any metal in it.

The governor is the next item to get checked, if for no other reason than the tranny is high mileage (158k). I want to make sure it isn't a ceap plastic one, and after what I've read this seems like as likely an issue as the rest. I did have to panic stop from 35 mph when an RV blew through a stop sign, and after that the shifting became as bad as described above.

I figure while I'm under the rig, I might as well drop the pan and see if I have any more metal on the magnet. AAMCO said what they found a couple of weeks ago was normal, but fear runs deep when you're taught early on that any metal in a tranny is a bad thing, and I want to see if any more is in there.

every 700r4 I've had apart (3! lol) shifted HARD out of 1st at a higher than normal speed.
The springs were always broke in half (or more) in the 1-2 accumulator.

i replaced my governor in the tranny hoping it would solve the problem, but no luck. it was probably good to replace it due to the truck having about 170K, but its like $60 bucks or so, might help out

i bet the t.v. valve is sticking due to metal contamination.

replace that tranny aint worth messing with its shot, its metal in beetween clutch bands causing shift points to change fj has it right

i could use the old trans as a core if you're not going to need it. get you some $ for it too. :confused:

man ive killed 5 of em in my camaro. thats how they always act right before they go, but it colud be the tv cable. how does it shift , if u do it manually? if its the same just drive until it wont move; then rebuild it.. i spent $2250 on a full race jobie for mine. ( rated 750 h.p.)