Trans problems

[pat]

I recently put in a new, or supposed to have been rebuilt, tranny in my Jimmy.
It was working fine for about a week. On my way to an interview, driving into about 30 mph wind, I suddenly see a cloud of smoke behind me and nothing else. All my tranny fluid dumped out in 10 seconds. I havent looked at it too close yet, but Im thinking it may be coming out of the base of the dipstick. I remember when I put the tranny in I was having problems getting it to go down all the way. So I just put some silicone on the base and it didnt leak. Is it possible that the dipstick got pushed out some somehow and the fluid all leaked from there? Or did something else really bad happen?

[mhicks]

I don't know what tranny you have but I had that happen on a Monte Carlo and it was the vaccuum diaprahm on the tranny.

[bowtiecb]

or the overflow/venttube on top of the trans

[pat]

Its a 700r4
Ill check those

[James McClure]

Pat, did all the fluid go out in a rush and the pan is empty? The 700 was famous for blowing the converter seal right out of it's bore. GM came up with a retainer that went over the seal to hold it in and it does work quite well. If the rebuilder left it off or didn't get it installed correctly this may be your problem. The filler tube won't empty the trans nor will the vent. A broken cooler line will but it won't happen real quickly. If that front seal blows out the trans will empty in seconds flat. jim

[pat]

I havent checked to see if the pan is empty, but it did blow out a whole lot of fluid in probly less than 10 seconds, enough dumped out where the trans wouldnt move the truck anymore.
Whats it take to fix it? A new converter seal and a retainer?

[pat]

I dont know if it matters, but I couldnt get the old torque converter off the flywheel. It seemed like one of the bolts was welded in place, and of course, as hard as I tried to move it, I just stripped it. So I left the old torque converter on, took off the old tranny that was slipping, and put on the new one.
One more thing if it matters, the old tranny had some wiring on the inside above the oil pan. The rebuilt one has the plug for the wiring harness, but no wires inside.

[James McClure]

Pat: OK, you have got some work in front of you. First, get the old torque converter out of there even if it means replacing the flex plate. Replace the front seal and the retainer, get the parts from GM. The front pump on the 700 is rather delicate, you might have damaged it replacing the trans the way you did so after replacing the seal and reinstalling the trans you might find you have to replace it again. Not an easy or cheap lesson. As far as the wireing goes. If it worked ok till it blew up you don't have to worry about it. The trans without the wireing is pre computer control and doesen't need it. jim

[pat]

Crap.

Thanks for the help James and everybody. At least I have my 67 to drive. Its proving more reliable than my daily driver.