Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Lost all gears in Auto Trans

[Mr. Hemi]

Had trans upgraded by a reputable, experienced shop, about 7 weeks and 1700 miles ago. Extra clutches, trans go kit,etc.

On Christmas eve at 7AM the Mrs and I went to got to the grocery store, when A mile from home I noticed the trans had lost OD, and lock up, another mile 3rd was gone.

We turned around to go home and ended up parked with no gears at a local bar of ill repute, dancing bar that is, closed at 7AM though.

If I let the truck cool I could get it to move a bit and then nothing.

Now it has been roll-backed at the trans shop waiting analysis/repair. This has been the first breakdown ever for me.

Any clues?

 

[DMC]

Mr. Hemi:



Did you check your transmission oil level? That is the first thing that comes to mind. Or you could have a blockage in your valve body or a few other things going on.



Keep us informed of your progress.



Thanks



Don

 

[Mr. Hemi]

Checked the fluid as I have had this on past installs, low fluid no go. The fluid was actually high on the stick, leading me toward a pump failure, where the trans will work with cold fluid, but as the fluid warms up it blows by.

I was wondering if any one out there has had a similar failure, or if there may be something else, such as a blocked filter.

Thanks,

Dave

 

[Fred Swanson]

Yes, it could be a clogged filter. Smell the oil on the dipstick, too.

 

[Joe G.]

I hate to say this, but my first attempt to modify my trans was to put a trans-go kit in it. One of the parts was bad. It was a little too thick which caused a snap ring to jump out of a groove. . The result of that was symptoms just like yours. The trans was thrashed. A local "reputable, experienced shop" tried to rip me off to fix it. 3000 bucks worth so I had it towed home. I learned to overhaul it myself with a heavy duty overhaul kit from TSTproducts. That was over 150K miles ago. Added a torque convertor and valve body from DTT later.

 

[Mr. Hemi]

Joe,

You say you had the same symptoms? Just out of curiosity where was the snap ring that was the culprit. I know the trans shop had trouble getting the shift points right, took the guy an extra two days.

As of now they have yet to even look at it, makes me start to doubt the warranty they gave and their ability, integrity, etc.

This was the first and probably the last time I ever did not work on my own vehicle due to too much other stuff to do, should have just done the rebuild myself would have been fixed at least twice by now.

 

[Joe G.]

The snap ring is one in the front servo. This is the thing that engages or disengages the front band. When this snap ring comes out the rod that is pushed by the servo flops to the side. The front band then goes slack and the band anchor anchor drops into the pan. What I think then happens is that you have a situation where the front clutches are slack and the band can't grab. Lots of friction and heat. The clutches in mine were burnt up and the plates blue and warped.



One of the parts in the trans-go kit is a spacer the goes in the front servo. It's purpose is to speed up the action of the servo. If it is a little bit too thick then the snap ring does not seat in the grove properly in spite of appearing that it is seated.



The supposed to be reliable shop gave me one estimate about $1600 for what he would charge me to fix it. After he got the truck on his hoist and the trans out the estimate jumped to $3000. Naturally none of this was in writing (shame on me!) so I could not get the state auto fraud outfit after him. I did make him put it back down and call a tow truck. We had some loud words about that. It did end up costing me $500 which I have to charge to experiece. These transmissions are not that hard to overhaul. Just go by the service manual and take your time.



If you do it yourself, e-mail me for a couple of gotchas where the service manual is not quite right and some tips.