Trans. questions?

[flightmedic]

I had my trans. rebuilt last year by what I thought was a reputable shop. Now with less than 7000 miles it is shifting hard and behaving badly. I still have a warranty for the trans. and I am sure it will be in again before it's up. But, my questions is I found another local shop for another trans. I am having done and got to talking with the owner. He said that the 518 came with either a loc-up or non-loc converter, even for 93? I have been under the impression that there was not a loc-up offered. Also when I asked him about converting to a 47re he said that it would be a hassle if I went with anything later than a '95, as the 47 was a hydraulic loc-up till then, not necessitating a trigger for the loc-up feature. Any thoughts out there on this? I really feel that converting is the way to go when the time comes. He seems to think that he can build my 518 to a higher level than a 47, even without the loc-up converter.

 

[1stgen4evr]

93 lock up

If that is the case, I want to know about it. From what I have been able to discover, the 518 does not (never did) have lockup and must have some mods to accomodate that feature. In first gear, the transmission feels like a lockup at certain times but I am sure it isn't. If you get definitive info on this, please post it. It would sure be nice to have OD and the lockup as an internal governed feature with no need for switches and PCM involvment. I have a 92 (late) that appears to be the same as the 93s which is parked due to the PCM and poor transmission performance. I have some parts to convert to manual but not enought to complete the job. If I could get a lockup and internal control feature, I would stay with the 518. Mine has otherwise been very good.



The shops I have had conversations with are reluctant to give out hard info and make statements like "I heard that so and so can be done". The guys at Suncoast were the most forth comming of any one I have talk with and all they really said was that they could make it work like I wanted it to.



James

 

[dan brooks]

The A518 was non-lock up through '93, although I've read that a few of the last 1st Gen trucks got the later lock up trans.



Converting to a lock up trans will require a new engine adapter and starter (deeper bellhousing for the converter), crossmember mods, driveshaft mods (shorter rear, longer front), and some way to control the lock up function. There are apparently a couple aftermarket controllers to accomplish this but I never contacted the manufacturers for more info - it was more of a project than I was willing to tackle at the time.



The A518 can be built up to handle lots of power, and installing an aftermarket converter will be a big improvment over stock, but it will never be as efficient or allow the use of an exhaust brake like a lock up will.



Somewhere down the road I still may swap in the later trans, but I'll have to get a heck of a lot more motivated than I've been in a long time.