Bad night

[85_SWB]

My truck was out of commision all winter due to a really bad oil burning and carb problems. A couple weeks ago i sent the heads in and got a cpl new valves, new seats, new seals, and had them shaved. That was $400 out of my pocket. (Keep in mind I am in high school and have a part-time job but dont get many hours so that equals not to much spending money after gas.) I got a carb from a neighbor for free that works so I slapped that on. Well last night i was driving home and noticed my tranny was slipping. It was pouring rain out so I tried to gimp it home. Well it didnt make it home. After further inspection today in the light i discovered that i blew a hole in my tranny cooler line right next to the radiator and shot out tranny fluid until the truck wouldnt move. Now my engine compartment is covered in tranny fluid and I dont know if the tranny fried.

What do you guys think? Is my tranny fried?

Oh yeah- 85 305 2wd with 700r4

[Walts_restoration]

Might be, lets hope not. My camaros tranny is going out, and all i have for it is a 4 speed borgwarner. I mean, if i put that 4 speed i need to put a built smallblock and a posi rear under her, not like i cant just go find another th350.

anyways, back to my oppinion. Im no transmission specialist, but it might have just lost fluid and locked up, it might still be saveable. I saw powerwash the fluid off, replace the line, fill up the tranny, and she what she does. Good luck

[xtreme80]

Pull the tranny pan and see what you can find. See if anything looks broken, or if you see alot of metal in the pan. Next thing would be to replace the line, fill it with fluid again, run it for a little bit, then drain it. Kinda like a flush.

Good luck, I had a th350 go out once... not fun.

[85_SWB]

well it finally stopped raining and i got to go out and work on it. I fixed the line and put fluid in and it drives. I didnt quite have enough so its at the fill line but it seems to drive ok. I just took it for a short test drive and didnt really test it.
This makes me very happy. I did not want to have to park it agian.

[Srubydo1986]

Na it cant be you didnt try to keep going after it stoped. fix the hole in the line pore fluid in it i bet it will move.


Iv been told chevy trannys are one of the most forgiving and iv seen how forgiving they can be. Just ask me how i know.



(didnt see that he got it working but atleast my guess was right)

[abebummy26]

My dad had a th350 go out on a '79 chevy in december of '78 (yes this is right special ordered it at the end of the production year so he had to wait and had to wait an extra month for it to be delivered b/c they did not have the new aerodynamic mirrors made yet for '79) and it lost all forward gears so he ended up driving 3 blocks in reverse across US highway 63 to the local chevy dealer gm installed and paid for a new tranny in a 1 month old truck. lol what a sight that must have been.

[benoit454]

Glad she worked. I had a junkyard unknown miles, year, make model, th350 in my monte carlo, and it started slipping one day, and kept getting worse, I thought she was done. I checked and had no fluid on the dipstick, put in some new fluid and she was fine. I tore it apart this winter and installed a b&m shift kit, and 2000 rpms stall. I'm really punishing the thing and she does good lol. When I stall it up I can smell fluid or clutches one, so I don't stall it up much lol, just tach it way up and manually shift it.

[killthewabbit]

Originally Posted by Srubydo1986

Iv been told chevy trannys are one of the most forgiving and iv seen how forgiving they can be. Just ask me how i know.

I would like to hear how you know

[85_SWB]

after driving it more everything seems alright except now my truck smells like burnt tranny fluid from the spray on the motor

[Walts_restoration]

my camaros tranny doesnt like me. I drive that 305/th350 like a drag car, and that 2.56 rear doesnt help any.

Id prefer a bw super t10 to a th350 anyday.

[knightlife]

yea...I had a chitty night too...blew a tire today going to the training squadron, then got pulled over after I had that fixed, then got slapped by some chic I didnt even know at McDonalds (yea I was lost on that one too....) so dont fret breh! everything gets better as the day goes by.

[Hoods69BadBowTie]

Damn, that suxs. Glad to hear its still driveable. I had the same thing happen and I kept going until there was no more go and yea it was not good.

[bigblock79]

glad it worked

[pimperout]

i had a tranny fluid hose pop off to, the worst part was the fluid every where cuz it blew straight into my fan. The tranny was slippin like crazy and i just rolled down a hill to my house, fixed the problem filled er up and shes still goin strong. great trannys

[xtreme80]

I wish my problems were as easy as just blowing a line. Nope, when my stuff blows, it REALLY goes. Instead of blowing a line on the cooler, I blew up a tranny. Instead of a simple engine problem, I had to throw a rod. Instead of a bad fuel filter, I had a clogged sending unit. It just hasn't gotten any easier for me... lol.

[SanitysBane]

I don't think anyone on here as had as much problems with transmission as I have had. Built 454 and 700R4, and me having a lead food, need I say more?

[Srubydo1986]

Originally Posted by killthewabbit

I would like to hear how you know

I but a new th350 in a 1970 chevelle I bored fliuf in it then what to sleep the next moring i fixed what little needed to be dont to the enginre to make it fire. I fired the car up and let listed ever thing sounded ok. I put it in gear and i had no go thought it must be the 2500 stall in it. i had the engine pegged then of the gas then back on thinking just need to get it pumping after o 20 mins of having the engine running and not getting far . i turned it off and deside ill check fluid. well it was low, tranny leaked but also had lost fluid to the new torque converter. (live and learn)

After fluid was put in she moved so i have to say a very forgiving transmission. Also i didnt just blow up an new 600 dolor transmission.

I know not smart but i was 18 at the time and had no help and had little knowleadge abdout that part of the job.

[killthewabbit]

I had a couple goofy slipping problems with my TH350s.

In my 69 Chevelle it slipped, but I dropped the pan and put in a new filter and some fluid and it was fine. That was about eight years ago, but the Chevelle's in pretty rough shape and hasn't been driven much at all since then.

On my 78 stepside about five years ago, I tried the same thing but it didn't work this time. I ended up getting a $400 TH350 from Auto Zone that's still going to this day, despite being my daily driver.

Win some, lose some, I guess.