[lin2198]

Hello all I am new to the site and in need of some forward guidance .My baby a1991 rs camaro with 5.0 and I have recently had a falling out I had back surgery and the fall in crawl out scenerio left her parked for a year seals dried out trany lost 6 qts fluid in the process of makin her whole again I filled fluid level (I thought) got back rev 1st and second but no drive I eased her down the road but when she shifted to d it was like neutral so went back to house checked fluid again that is when I discovered she was low I assume the converter refilled so I added 2.5 qts (1qt lucas trans 1.5 qts atf totaling 6 qts ) have let idle in gear for 30 min plus still no D or O/D any suggestions to this trans newbie would be much appreciated as she is now my daily driver to return to work and my wife is not happy about her and my son being stranded while im drivin her van again any help would be appreciated

[70455]

The trans hold some thing like 11-13 quarts. It could still be low. I would want to find out were you lost all the fluid at. To fix it. Plus after sitting a year I would have changed the filter also than added fluid.

[lin2198]

I replaced filter today and replaced the 5 qts fluid it lust when I droped the pan still just like neutral when it shifts from 2nd to drive no fillings or debris in pan fluid was dark but I think that may have been the lucas trans dope I put in as it still smelled sweet how can I check govenor and is there any other in car fixes I might try out thanks again the trans newbie

[lin2198]

sorry I discovered a leak in the pan gasket that allowed the fluid loss

[lin2198]

Sorry for all the screwy questions but will a 700 out of a 91 chevy van work in my 91 camaro as I have found a working trans for sale that is a fresh pull from a 91 astro van with 45k on it its running the 4.3 mine is a 5.0

[lightning 55]

Lin2198 - if I am reading your note correctly, you have reverse, 1st, and 2nd gear but no upshift to 3rd or OD. I assume your tranny worked fine when the car was parked (please verify these facts).

My service manual for 700R4 troubleshooting guide lists the following possible causes. I listed my comments in parenthases(), listed most likely to least likely/impossible assuming tranny shifted fine when the car was parked:

Condition - No 2-3 shift or 2-3 shift slipping, rough, or hunting:

Valve Body 2-3 valve train stuck or accumulator valve stuck (very likely)
Throttle valve stuck, TV limit valve stuck (possible or probable)
2nd apply servo piston seals missing, cut, or damaged. (possible)
3-4 piston checkvalve stuck damaged or not sealing (possible)
Cut or damaged piston easls (somewhat unlikely)
Spacer plate or gaskets incorrect or damaged (extremely unlikely)
Clutch plates worn , excessive plate travel (extremely unlikely)
Converter damage (extremely unlikely to be cased by sitting)
Oil Pump stator shaft sleeve (extremely unlikely to be caused by sitting)

I'm a bit of a newbie at 700R4 trannies myself (but have learned a lot going through one this year). These trannies work well and are very reliable if they are driven somewhat regularly, but they don't like to sit. My WAG (Wild Assed Guess) is that you have one or more stuck valves in the valve body cased by sitting, which would be much worse with the oil leaking out of the tranny.

One trick I have heard of (never tried) is to put the engine on fast idle (750 RPM), tranny in gear, brakes firmly held. From under the hood, pull the TV valve cable all the way out (as if going to full throttle, then let it snap back into place. Try this 3-4 times to help get the TV working smoothly and to cycle the internal pressures inside the tranny. This may encorage a stuck valve to start moving again. I have also been told by a tranny building friend that red lube guard is really good stuff to loosen and free up stuck pistons. Be advised that if the pistons are really stuck (corroded by sitting) the only fix is to remove and disassemble the valve body, which is half the way to a rebuild. If you have the skills and patience to do that yourself it can be done at home without special tools, but is a bit intimidating the first time. Good luck!

[lightning 55]

Originally Posted by lin2198

Sorry for all the screwy questions but will a 700 out of a 91 chevy van work in my 91 camaro as I have found a working trans for sale that is a fresh pull from a 91 astro van with 45k on it its running the 4.3 mine is a 5.0

Yes it will fit. The year is very important - 87-93 are the best years for the 700R4 (non-electronic). The tranny in your Camaro and the Astro are essentially the same tranny, although the V6 tranny "may" have less clutches in the 3-4 stack than the V8 tranny. I have been told yes this is true and no it is not, so it may be urban legend. When you rebuild them, especially with performance parts, the differences are irrelevant. The V6 governor may be weighted for higher shift points too. The speedometer drive may be different between an Astro and the Camaro - the Astro uses an electronic speedo so it has a reluctor wheel (star wheel) rather than a conventional gear. If your Camaro is electronic you are set otherwise you will have to take off the tail shaft housing and swap the speedo gear from yours to the new one. Easy work, although getting off the reluctor wheel can sometimes be tough. Its all do-able.

I just got a 700R4 from an Astro which I had my friend do a performance rebuild on. Its going into a '55 Bel Air, to replace a tired junkyard tranny the DPO (dreaded previous owner) installed and didn't properly adjust the TV cable on. It should be a good one!

[70455]

Yes you can use the 700r4 out of the van, but you will have to use your tall shaft out of the car on the other trans. That's because the tq bar bolts up to the trans in the Camaro tail shaft and runs to the rear end.

[lin2198]

Thank you lightning 55 and others by the way what is a good repair manual for the 700 as my current plan is to put a donor I found that is comming out of a freinds 92 as he is workin it into a drag car and seems obsesed with a power glide going in but it is a stock 110 k tranny so im gonna try my best to crack the case and get my tranny rebuild on with my original so any advise on which book and good parts sources will be appreciated ps I work this weekend so monday morning the valve body and I have a date and im already a step ahead as not I know how to dodge fluid when I pull the pan lol and again thanks

[lin2198]

also lightning when the car was parked the only issue was a strange almost flutter in the rpm while in O/D it would fluctuate about 100 150 rpm when you were in a non accel or decell speed but when parked she was good other than that started her corrected fluid drove down the road she was beatifull but battery wouldnt hold so she sat parked for 30 35 days then all this took place was extremly low filled drove no drive just like it goes to neatral drop back to second shes fine so im takin your advice im going to pull valve body ps is there a way to check solinoids w/o removal of trans

[SSedan64]

An ATSG Manual would be a good start.
There are very complete Build kits here >> http://www.700r4l60e.com/ also have the Manuals & Videos.
The Flutter may be the TCC/TorqueConverterClutch acting up. The RPM range from locked to unlocked is about 150-200rpm.

[lightning 55]

Originally Posted by SSedan64

An ATSG Manual would be a good start.
There are very complete Build kits here >> http://www.700r4l60e.com/ also have the Manuals & Videos.
The Flutter may be the TCC/TorqueConverterClutch acting up. The RPM range from locked to unlocked is about 150-200rpm.

I agree that the ATSG (Auto Tranny Service Group) is the best, and really only, manual you should use. I will warn you though, they are pricey. I think I spent about $25 for mine from Bowtie Overdrives. Great manual and in my opinion worth every penny. Good luck!