i got this trans used, but it has been refreshed before i bought it, ran down the track twice and shipped to me.

this is my fisrt race glide, but it cant be much different than my former aod's and 727's.

the car will not engage any gear other than park. when running, i can rev it to 5000 and nothing. acts as if it is in neutral. i checked the linkage, it moves and seems to lock into the drive positions, but no transfer thru the trans.

i filled it with fluid.... it maybe a quart over actually now. i know the pump is working because there is trans fluid in both coolers. the center shaft is not damaged. the converter spun and engaged the shafts properly.

its a jw trans, 1.80 straight cut gears, heavy duty, roller tail, vasco shaft , everything top notch... came out of a 7.70 car. 10" neal chance bolt together converter (about 4000 stall), trans brake deep pan etc. i put in a hurst quarter stick. wtf??! i dont know

how do i test the thing while in the car??
if the trans brake was somehow activated at all times, could that do it? i really dont think it is b/c it is tied into the two step and i reved past its set point

any other sites you might recommend to search? nothing on this site using the search.
thanks!
Lee

 

If the transbrake were engaged it would load the motor and be building boost.

I'm no trans expert, but maybe something with adjusting bands, something with the valve body, or maybe something in the converter????:shrug:

Rob

 

wanst building any boost - thats for sure.
i dont believe there are any bands in a powerglide. the bands are for overdrive i believe (at least they are in the aod. )
valve body is a possiblity and the converter is possible, but if thats the case, i will be headed to vegas to kick someones ass who sold me this trans! the idiot never sent me the shifter as promised either.

thanks for the help.... anyone have any ideas where to start the testing procedures?? before i remove the trans....?

 

judging by what you said i would lean towards a bad converter..

but it is hard to try and diagnose things like this when you can't see or hear things firsthand

 

Do have the driveshaft installed?

Rob

 

driveshaft is installed. it runs and sounds fine. i hear nothing out of the trans at all. not grinding etc etc. nothing.

i cant run the car for a long time because the -8 oil drains aint working and if i run the car more than a minute, it looks as if the garage is on fire! lots of smoke and oil dripping out of the exhaust pipes. (filled the house with smoke too... the wife was not thrilled)

in park, the trans is locked, you cant move the car.

 

A PG most certainly has a band, but that is not the problem. Because the detents are still there, it sounds like the pin on the "rooster comb" is not properly engaged in the manual valve that slides in and out of the valve body to change gears. Take the pan off and see if the linkage is working properly.

 

wouldnt a bad converter make noise and try to engage? especially in reverse?

 

It could aslo be that the roll pin that holds the pressure relief valve in the pump broke, and is dumping all your line pressure. Either way, I would stop running the trans and at least pull the pan off to see what is going on.

 

it is very loose between 1st and 2nd at the shifter. the other gears have gates built into the shifter, but between 1 and 2 nothing and it takes littlew to nothing to mover between the 2 gears.

if the pin was not working, would it still be able to lock the trans in park, and then the car roll in any other gear??

thanks!

 

is there a good online source or book that is recommended to rebuild a powerglide? valvebody info out there?? i will search, but if someone knows of a highly recommeded source, i would appreciate it.

figures... i learn how to build t-5s and tremics and aods, and then i switch to a damn chevy glide! have to learn the powerglide now!

 

If it comes out of park, then the shifter mechanism in the trans is probably ok. It could still be the pressure relief valve though.

Have you tried taking the shifter cable off and manually engaging the gears?

You need to drop the pan and see what is going an. For all you know, the valve body is about to fall off, or the guy broke it on his last pass.

 

If it switches between park and any other gear, then the manual valve is working.

You can hook up a pressure gauge to the port of the side of the case closest to the bell and see what kind of line pressure you have. If it is too low, then the pressure relief valve could be hung open letting all the pressure get by without engaging teh clutch packs.

And the PG has a band.

 

i have not tried to shift it manually. i did inspect that it was moving the mechanism to the correct locations, but nothing was happening.

can the pressure relief valve be accessed/inspected from the pan side? when i pull the pan off, where do i look? i know sometimes there is a servo cover or something that has to be removed, a valve pulled and then you can see the shaft. is that the case here?? i appreciate your help. i am looking for a rebuild video/book right now.

thanks
Lee

 

disney-- is the port you speak of the line out to the trans cooler? i will see if i can get a pressure gauge on it.

 

this is the book i am ordering...

http://www.themotorbookstore.com/powerglide-transmission.html

 

i have the tremic and t-5 rebuild video and book if anyone needs em... let me know...LOL

 

You'll have to pull the pump out to see/fix it.

 

can the pump be removed without removing the trans? i doubt it...

 

Negative.

That book you plan on getting is VERY good. If you decide it needs to come apart, I would check everything as per the instructions in the book and you'll have a reliable trans.

. . .assuming it has the necessary parts inside.