[lumberjacknooj]

Hey fellas-
I got a th350 that's acting strange. I bought it with a project, and was told it was "built". It has a manual valve body with a forward shift pattern.

First gear does fine, but when I shift to second I don't feel a shift. Then it seems like I have to rev the engine more than normal in order to get movement in second gear- more rpm's than what should be needed for that amount of movement. Third is the same way. Reverse is fine, and the fluid level is good.

I did one heavy throttle run in which 2nd and 3rd seemed to engage and pull like they're supposed to. But that was the only time. I'm not too trans savvy, so I don't know what to suspect. Could it be a valve body problem, or worn out clutch pack?
Any ideas or suggestions would be much appreciated!

Nooj

[briscoe]

How much stall speed are you running? I ask this because you said the trans felt ok when you did a "heavy throttle run".

First and reverse are geared low. You said first and reverse is fine but, how much stall can you get from the converter in 1st gear, before it starts to really pull?

If your answer is alot, then you must have a converter with a bunch of stall.

If your reply indicates this is not the situation [too much stall] well, something else is going on.

Have you ever driven a vehicle with a really high stall speed converter?

[lumberjacknooj]

I think the converter is just a stock stall speed. I basically have to keep one foot on the gas and one on the brake when I drop it into gear, to keep it from dieing. It lugs down a good bit, and starts to pull as soon as it's put in gear.

I haven't really driven a car with lots of stall... So I can't really compare it. I wish I could discribe the symptoms better than I did- but that's all I could think of.

Could the valve body cause this? Like, not allowing pressure where it's supposed to? Or could some clutches be worn out? Reverse and 1st seem to work fine, so I don't know...

Nooj

[lumberjacknooj]

Anybody know where I could find a th350 troubleshooting guide- or anyone have any good ideas for my problem??

Thanks-
Nooj

[Crosley]

Originally Posted by lumberjacknooj

Anybody know where I could find a th350 troubleshooting guide- or anyone have any good ideas for my problem??

Thanks-
Nooj

you have not provided enough info....

You post :

I did one heavy throttle run in which 2nd and 3rd seemed to engage and pull like they're supposed to. But that was the only time

or

First gear does fine, but when I shift to second I don't feel a shift. Then it seems like I have to rev the engine more than normal in order to get movement in second gear- more rpm's than what should be needed for that amount of movement. Third is the same way. Reverse is fine, and the fluid level is good.

========= does the trans operate poorly at all times now?

Did you check fluid level?

Is the dip stick and tube correct or seem to be correct?

Did you try to over fill 1 quart to see if that Helps? Maybe the dip stick & tube are wrong?

Do you have vacuum to the trans or not with this full manual v-body?

Is the shifter adjusted correctly or perhaps puts the trans in between detents on the v-body?

[lumberjacknooj]

Thanks for the feedback- I don't troubleshoot a lot of transmissions, so I didn't know if my discription was good enough or not.

Here's how it goes: I start in first- everything seems normal; I let my foot off the gas and make the manual shift to second- there's no rpm change, then reapply throttle and rpm's raise significantly but speed only slightly increases. The shift to third makes no change from the way it feels in second.

I checked the fluid, and it was at the top of the mark on the stick. The stick came with the trans- doesn't mean it's the right one though. I'll have to check on that...
I don't have any vacuum ran to the transmission. I believe all vacuum connections were blocked off.

I followed the directions when adjusting the shifter. I'll double check the setup. Seeing as how it shifted correctly when I was doing a hard run, maybe it is just putting it between detents when I was shifting normal/soft.

Thanks for the input, Crosley. I broke a bolt off in my carb, so it's out of commission for a short while- but once I get it back on the road I'll check some of those things you suggested.

Nooj

[Crosley]

ok..... if there is a problem in 3rd gear ( slippage) usually reverse does not function good IF at all.

2nd gear slippage can be a broken sprag - roller clutch race. There may be a band in this trans (if not removed) .... it provides some engine braking in manual 2nd gear on the shifter. It is not designed to hold power (band is not big enough)

If the fluid is low , it will cavitate and air in the system provides low pressure to clutch packs.

IF the trans is too full by a bunch ... the oil will cavitate and usually burp fluid out the breather tube and / or the filler tube.