T700 won't give fourth until 100+kph :(

[savage1987]

Factory auto in a 304 VN won't give me fourth gear properly.. as of this week. It was fine before.

• Fluid level seems ok, if anything a little on the high side
  
• There's a large transmission cooler in the system, inline after factory in-tank one
  
• The auto has only just recently been serviced (a week or so ago)
  
• TCC lockup never works in this auto

Not sure if those things have anything to do with it but that's all the relevant info I can think of.


could this be kickdown related?? all the other gears shift at the right time and I haven't reset the cable all that recently (did it a few weeks ago, worked fine for a while then fourth has gone all retarded on me later on down the track)
anyone got any ideas please let me know.

Cheers
sam

[zskinner]

hey mate, even a bit overfilled tranny oil in these transmissions can cause problems, better to be a touch under the full mark then over it. how over is it? if its only a little bit just undo your speed sensor on the side of the back of the transmission to drain a little bit out

[zskinner]

p.s. if that doesnt work and you run out of ideas and are thinking about getting a new transmission, first go to super cheap auto and grab some stuff called lucas transmisison fix. alot of people dont like additives, but about a year or so ago i had similar problems with my auto and it wouldnt lockup the torque converter, but after a few days of adding this stuff it was running a hell of alot better. the main reason people dont like using these so called "snake oils" is most of the time its either make or break. some people will have good results and some people wont. alot of people say that is just a band-aid rather than fixing the problem, but after a year mine is still going strong...... of course its your gamble to make....

[db_notso]

+1 sticking valve in the valve body (rebuild)
OR
+1 new tourque converter itself (they do flog out but normally theyshow other driveing issues aswell like hunting for a gear at about 115km/hr

[savage1987]

cheers guys, I have a T5 conversion in mind anyway for this car so this is one of those fix-if-it's-simple things...

update: took her to 130kph tonight and finally engaged fourth.. from then on fourth was engaging in its proper time - about 65kph. Not sure if that sheds any light on the issue?

[Shearer]

As for Torque Converter not locking up, is the Memcal suited for an auto?

[savage1987]

yep and it's greenfoam massaged for my preference to lock up at 65kph..

doesn't.


didn't work on the factory auto memcal either, where it should have locked up at 90ish.



not a big issue (looking at T5 conversion) but i'll fix it if it's simple.

[D3V14NT]

Maybe a problem with the lockup solenoid or associated wiring?

If you take the pan off its at the front of the trans at the oil pump. 2004R 700R4 700 4L60E 4L65E NEW LOCK-UP SOLENOID KIT - eBay (item 260118926628 end time Dec-26-10 13:57:53 PST)

[Shearer]

If you're keen, here's the diagnostic for TCC from a factory VN manual.

[db_notso]

if it came good for a bit after engaging my bet would be either debri stuck in one of the valve assembely
or a stick main solenoid
either way rebuild the valve assembly or replace

[NEDWOB]

it will be a valve, ive had the same prob. and convertor would be playing up. its usualy the 2

[D3V14NT]

Time for a stage 2/3 shift kit and chuck in a new solenoid haha

[savage1987]

nope. not ever rebuilding another auto.

ever.

T5 instead, no question

[zskinner]

any chance do you have an oil leak coming from around the back of your transmission? if so you may need to change your speed sensor o-ring which will keep a bit of extra pressure in your tranny and may help with the torque convertor lockup. retails for something like 20 bucks from holden......

[D3V14NT]

Bad experience with an auto rebuild? I've got a rebuild kit coming from the states and my trans is already in pieces. Doesn't seem like it's too hard of a job, I've already fitted everything from my stage 2 shift kit without much hassles.

As zskinner mentioned check out your trans for any oil leaks, seals and o-rings are usually pretty cheap n easy to replace. If there's no leaks, everything is connected properly and the fluid levels are back down to to the right level then I'd be getting your T5 as there is not much else you can do without opening it up.

[savage1987]

Bad experience with an auto rebuild? I've got a rebuild kit coming from the states and my trans is already in pieces. Doesn't seem like it's too hard of a job, I've already fitted everything from my stage 2 shift kit without much hassles.

As zskinner mentioned check out your trans for any oil leaks, seals and o-rings are usually pretty cheap n easy to replace. If there's no leaks, everything is connected properly and the fluid levels are back down to to the right level then I'd be getting your T5 as there is not much else you can do without opening it up.

no bad experiences.. just expensive and i hate autos anyway

[Guzzoline addict]

Bad experience with an auto rebuild? I've got a rebuild kit coming from the states and my trans is already in pieces. Doesn't seem like it's too hard of a job, I've already fitted everything from my stage 2 shift kit without much hassles.

As zskinner mentioned check out your trans for any oil leaks, seals and o-rings are usually pretty cheap n easy to replace. If there's no leaks, everything is connected properly and the fluid levels are back down to to the right level then I'd be getting your T5 as there is not much else you can do without opening it up.

I,ve rebuilt my auto ,it was bloody hard.The main problem i had was lack of proper tools. Also when i bought my rebuild kit and shift kit i got told to rebuild the auto and then put the shift kit in after, problem was the shift kit had all new spings for the clutch spring assemblys.

[D3V14NT]

no bad experiences.. just expensive and i hate autos anyway

Fair enough I guess, I'd rather a manual too to be honest. But for the price I'm spending on the trans it's either a case of rebuild this auto so that I know it'll be solid or go and grab a manual from somewhere to do a conversion and hope its still good. Managed to pick up the rebuild kit, stage 2 shift kit + a heap of other goodies for under $500 so can't complain. If I was paying aussie prices for it all I would've done the manual conversion haha.

I,ve rebuilt my auto ,it was bloody hard.The main problem i had was lack of proper tools. Also when i bought my rebuild kit and shift kit i got told to rebuild the auto and then put the shift kit in after, problem was the shift kit had all new spings for the clutch spring assemblys.

That'd suck, fortunately I haven't made that mistake. So far I've pulled it all apart and put in everything from the shift kit, just waiting on the rebuild kit to arrive so that I can put the stuff from that in an re-assemble it. The only thing that has me a bit worried is how I'm going to compress the input spring retainer enough to fit the snap ring back on. The new springs from the shift kit are rock solid haha. Might have to make something up to do it or see if I can hunt down a g clamp big enough to get down into it

[savage1987]

I've been wondering just out of curiousity for a while now.. how hard is it to rebuild an automatic? I've done most of the rest of a VN but never the auto.. is it just a case of a few specialist tools and careful methodical work? Or is there more to it?

[D3V14NT]

It's a pretty easy job, particularly if you're mechanically minded. There are a few speciality tools for the job that make it a lot easier to put certain parts back together but if you're creative there are other ways and tools that do the job.

It's mostly a case of dismantly it carefully, making sure you note the order of the parts in which it was dismantled. Clean the parts you are keeping and then re-assemble it using the original parts you are keeping + the parts from the rebuild kit. For all the complexity of an auto trans, pulling one down and rebuilding it is pretty straightforward if you pay attention to what your doing.

There isn't actually much to a rebuild, new seals, bushings, clutches, steels and a band. If you want a more solid and reliable box you can get updated parts to put in there while you're doing the rebuild (steel pistons, 'beast' sun shell, updated planetary gear, 13 vane oil pump kit, shift kits, corvette servo, blah blah). If you have a look at that ebay shop I linked to earlier and go through the 700R4 category you should get a fair idea of what makes up a rebuild kit and what parts can be updated along with it. If you get a transgo shift kit the installation video on transgo's website is invaluable for your first time installing one and also shows you how to make sure the band is sitting correctly . There are also a couple of good youtube videos on how to pull down the trans.

When the rest of my parts turn up to finish the box off I can take a few photos of the rebuild process for you to have a look at if you'd like.

[savage1987]

Thanks! I will attempt this one day just for the learning experience.