727 slipping??

[RSchwarzli]

While towing a 10,000 lb trailer on the weekend with the 90, I went up a extreamly steep hill and by the time I got 3/4 of the way up, I had lost all speed and the trans was just slipping as I sat in the middle of the road moving nowhere!:{#@$%! After backing down the hill and causing a small traffic jam I tried again in 4 lo and made if up this time but... .



My question is, can anything be done to eliminate this issue in the future? Is this a sign that the bands need to be adjusted or the trans needs work, or is this just the nature of the 727's?



Any thoughts? Thanks!



Robert

 

[cerberusiam]

Was the engine revving up or bogging down? What gear were you in trying to pull the hill?

 

[RSchwarzli]

No engine bogging. Come to think of it, it was still reving at 2200 rpm even once I stopped moving! As for gear, I was in "D".

 

[Grizzly]

Try Lo and make sure your transmission fluid is at the full mark.

 

[cerberusiam]

No engine bogging. Come to think of it, it was still reving at 2200 rpm even once I stopped moving! As for gear, I was in "D".

Did it ever downshift to 1st? Me thinks your converter is toast. No way at that wait it should have done that. Time for a trans overhaul.

 

[TBurow]

sounds more like you overheated the fluid causing it to boil and not make enough pressure to hold it in gear. 727s are non lockup so long heavy pulls at highway speed makes alot of heat, change the fluid and filter and add an extra trans cooler. assuming it worked fine when it cooled off?

 

[fox]

Is it still working ok now?

I bet you fried the rear clutch, which should show as a reverse won't work. It would be locked up.

It is possible the overheat issue or the incline caused the fluid to get into the rotating assembly and froth up, but this still will cause a failed clutch.

Do all gears still work correctly??

 

[dpuckett]

I towed 10K all the time with a stock 518, which, if I recall, is a 727 with an overdrive tacked on the rear. Never had any issues in 40K of towing. Mom finally got it rebuilt after driving it 100K- guy used stock parts and it is still a slug, but I wont get any farther into that here.



I'd say either your convertor is toast, or you have issues previously mentioned, and werent getting fluid to the convertor to get you moving.



Daniel

 

[RSchwarzli]

Thanks for the replys! As for the trans temp, it was sitting at about 160* the entire drive until the hill. Once I finally stopped moving the temp was about 240*.



As for the gears, all on the trans works like it did before the trip. No slipping. Reg temps. Reverse is OK. I even towed the empty trailer home from the drop off locatioon and there was no issues (trailer empty is 2200 lbs).



If it helps, the hill is located on the way out of a small town. As you are leaving the town you go up this hill and at the top there is a instant 90* turn. As this is the case you cannot build up too much speed for the turn at the top. The speed I was doing when I really noticed alot of speed dropping was about 30-35 mph.



Mabee my issue was not enough speed, but I have towed heavier up this hill with many different vehicles doing the same speed and I have never experienced anything like that. Mabee this is just the way these old 727's are?



Hope this helps,



Robert

 

[TBurow]

still sounds like overheating trans fluid. it has happened to me a couple of times then i added an extra cooler.

 

[fox]

Converter slipage over heated the fluid. Change it out, it is now bad. Add a cooler and/or a tighter converter.