700r4 transmission repair helped needed NW Austin TX Reference needed

[WIDESIDE72]

I had my 72 stepside up and running great. I am running a 700r4 that I swapped in. It had rebuilt a while back and I parted out the truck it was in. I drove the truck a hundred miles or so and all was good, shifting right, overdrive and everything. I took it to a cruise in at the local Wendy's and when I went to leave, it would shift out of 1st gear. I pulled over and checked the fluid level, which was several (3?) qts low. I did not have a trail of fluid behind me and there was no fluid in the radiator/ cooler, so I was at a loss as to where the leak was. I refilled it and it still would not shift out of 1st. Transmissions are my weakness. The rod that the throttle valve cable actuates is not stuck. I had someone tell me on the phone that you have to pull the valvebody off to check it, so I did. . I have dropped the valve body and have not been able to figure out anything about the throttle valve. I installed another valvebody and now the trans stats off in 2nd, unless I select 1st manually. It will still not go into overdrive.

I have not been able to find a shop who will promise me that the truck will not sit out unsecured overnight. They all want me to drop it off and they will look at it when they can. I am off this Friday and asked if I could bring it then. He said if I dropped it off Friday, he would look at it Mon/ Tues. If I wait til Tues, it will be Thurs. etc. (???) My dad has $20k or so into this truck and I am not comfortable with that. the other shop I talked to is in New Braunfels, north of Austin, a good three hour drive from me.

Does anyone have anyone they can recommend?

[Mike C]

There's a guy named Rick that works at the Burnet Rd. Aamco who builds TH700R4 that will hold up. Call and ask for him, he does some stuff on the side but is the only person I know of locally I would trust currently.

[truckdude239]

pm clinebarger he is in forth worth tx best trans guy in tx i don t know how far away he is

[70chevytruck]

Called aamco today....$1000 to reseal a th350.....1700 to rebuild.

Mine leaks like a sieve.

[70's luvr]

Originally Posted by 70chevytruck

Called aamco today....$1000 to reseal a th350.....1700 to rebuild.

Mine leaks like a sieve.

With those prices I'd check Craigslist for locals who advertise their business.

[Clyde65]

Have you gotten this resolved yet?

My Opinion would be to call Pheonix Transmissions in Weatherford TX, they will build what you need, send it to you and you can install per their instructions in your own time.

have you spoke to Clienbarger yet?

[WIDESIDE72]

Originally Posted by Clyde65

Have you gotten this resolved yet?

My Opinion would be to call Pheonix Transmissions in Weatherford TX, they will build what you need, send it to you and you can install per their instructions in your own time.

have you spoke to Clienbarger yet?

I sent a pm with no response. Not resolved yet. I dont have $1000-$1500. To throw at it at this time.

[70chevytruck]

Try Raymonds transmissions...he just opened a south shop and I spoke with him today. Very reasonable pricing.

$250 to pull my trans and reseal.

[mechanicalman]

I think you have a stuck governor. Remove the governor cover using a flat beveled scraper being careful not to distort it much. The governor simply pulls out, inspect it to see if the valve inside it moves by hanging it upside down then work the weights in and out to see if the valve moves freely. If not, just replace the governor assembly. Clean the cover and case surfaces carefully with brakleen then use silicone to seal the cover. Do not pound on the center of the cover to put it back on, that will damage the governor just use wide flat punch to carefully pound around the lip. Give the silicone time to cure, "right stuff" is the best but use the squeeze tube not the cheezwhiz can (they don't have good shelf life).

If it fixes it, then you are good to go if no other new problems. If it then shifts, but has other problems it didn't have before when it used to shift, carefully put the old valve body back in.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/700R4-TRANSM...2cc14a&vxp=mtr

this video shows how the gov works
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhW4ctqcnzI

[WIDESIDE72]

I had previously checked the governor and it wasnt stuck. this weekend I thought maybe i had the tv cable too tight causing too much pressure causing it to start in second so i loosened it up some now its back to not shifting out of first. The last time i dropped the pan i installed a cast aluminum pan because the old stock sheetmetal one was warped and leaking. Now its leaking all the time. I have had it and want a shop to take over but i cant see having the truck set outside overnight for a week til they get around to looking at it.

[mechanicalman]

Well, OK, as long as the valve (plunger) in the center of it is moving with the weights and the gear is not stripped.

[WIDESIDE72]

Took the truck to Rick at aamco Friday and he said the pump was out and had pushed the front seal out. That was my leak. He said my TV setup looked fine. He will be pulling the trans tomorrow am to see how bad it is, but knowing my luck Im looking at around $2k (!). Hopefully not but im prepared for the worst. Nobody ever said this was a cheap hobby, did they? Maybe my next truck will be a 3ott like the 71 gmc was...or maybe an nv4500 like the 93 Gmc. I have a 55 big window with a 3ott and overdrive out of a 58 or 59

[mechanicalman]

Originally Posted by WIDESIDE72

Took the truck to Rick at aamco Friday and he said the pump was out and had pushed the front seal out. That was my leak. He said my TV setup looked fine. He will be pulling the trans tomorrow am to see how bad it is, but knowing my luck Im looking at around $2k (!). Hopefully not but im prepared for the worst. Nobody ever said this was a cheap hobby, did they? Maybe my next truck will be a 3ott like the 71 gmc was...or maybe an nv4500 like the 93 Gmc. I have a 55 big window with a 3ott and overdrive out of a 58 or 59

So, he knows the pump is out because.....
He pressure tested the transmission?
OR
He removed the bolts that hold the torque converter to the flexplate and found excessive wobble between the torque converter and the pump body?

Just curious. Do not feel obligated to respond unless you too are curious. You took it to a place that fixes transmissions so they should take care of you.

[WIDESIDE72]

Manager at aamco promised truck would be locked inside overnight. I drove by Fri night and it was. They also have a locked gate leading to service bays.

[WIDESIDE72]

On a related note, since I have roadside assistance coverage, I called the 800# around 8am friday and they said the tow company (bullet towing haha) would text me with an eta. A few minutes later they did, 9:15am. 9:15 comes and goes, so I call bullet at 9:30. I get the run around and they say he's on the way and will call shortly. 10am still nothing so I call them back and she is still making excuses and says"oh, by the way, you insurance only covers $75 so there will be $25 out of pocket due at pickup." I reply "wow,great service...almost an hour late, still not here AND you still hit me up for more $$$!" I hang up, call roadside assistance and find out I can call my own preferred tow company. I call a local guy (Lakeside towing) and tell him the story. He says he can be at my house in 15 minutes, but there is an additional $25 charge (same as last guy but he tells me up front) I say if you're here by then , no problem. 10 minutes (!) later, his guy is in my driveway! I follow him to aamco and call and cancel bullet. Around 11:30am, ( over two hours late!) The guy from bullet calls and says he's at my house.


So is it just me and "eta" means +2 hrs.?