[rjaco]

I have a 1987 Buick Regal Turbo T. 200-4r trans. Third one I've owned. I bought this car 2 years ago. 42,000 "original" miles, all original, all stock (except for performance chip and larger injectors). Beautiful car. Lately though, the 1-2 shift has gone soft on it. Snappy at VERY low rpm, but really soft anything above that. The higher the rpm, the softer the shift. 2-3 and 3-4 still feel great- crisp and snappy. I've talked to trans shops and cannot come to anything remotely definitive as to what is happening. If anyone could help shed some light on this, I would really appreciate it.

 

[LATECH]

............

 

[ExcellenceAuto]

Sorry no help here, but that is one of my all time favorites. GNX was hot stuff, but the T type was everything a man could want in 87-88.
There are some really sharp guys on here, and will get you sorted out.
Worst case scenario = time for upgrade!

 

[64nailhead]

1st sign of needing a set clutches and steels. At least in mine. Do it now before it turns ugly.

My two cents.

You could verify correct TV and line pressure, but if it is shifting correctly everywhere else, then I'd guess that the line pressure is good. At what RPM does it WOT shift from 1st to 2nd? It should be somewhere between 4800-5300 IIRC.

 

[rjaco]

Not sure of the rpm at shift - I have a digital dash and the backlight has gone away on my scanmaster. Clutches and steels sounds like something beyond my capabilities. Sounds expensive, not to mention having to leave my car with someone. I appreciate your help and wish I could answer your question, but right now I can't even read rpm's. If it further tells you anything, it even shifts bad 1-2 manually shifting. I can tell you that at normal throttle it shifts at 13 mph. Seems a bit soon to me, but I could live with that if I could at least feel a little crispness.

 

[64nailhead]

It could e a number of things, but without some accurate info from what's actually happenning, then it's difficult to make anything more than a guess.

If you hold this WOT it should be running 40mph or so before it shifts from 1st assuming you 3.42 gears as most Turbo Regals came with. If it shifts into 2nd even earlier than 13 if you are really light on the throttle there is a chance that a governor spring has become dislodged (easy fix). Get us more info please

 

[rjaco]

yes, WOT shifts at 40 mph

 

[rjaco]

shifts fast, shifts good, just no bump to it. also downshifts feel ok

 

[64nailhead]

If you feel that something is wrong, then you need to find a trustworthy trans guy. I know that is tough request. It took me a while before I found one - I now refer to him as Dr (Trans Dr. or Mr. Smith lol.)

He's worth his weight in gold as far as I'm concerned. He's been through my son's 200 that puts over 700 to the wheels before we turn up the boost lol. A good trans uy will tell you if you have an issue and what caused the issue (it could be you that caused it, or it could just be worn out.) Honesty and trust are hard qualities to come by, but once you find that, then you'll be all set.

You need to find a guy like Mr. Smith. They are out there, you have to search. For starters, where are you located? That is the 1st piece that is needed to find someone.

 

[rjaco]

i agree with ya, thanks Nailhead

 

[rjaco]

I live in NW Illinois, halfway between Rockford and Quad Cities. This town has nothing as far as reputable trans shops.

 

[rjaco]

Nailhead, I talked with the guy I bought the car from in Detroit. He suggested to unplug the electrical connector on the drivers side and drive it. Feels like I knew it should now. He said I got a bad solenoid (or two) inside the trans. That sound right to you?

 

[chasracer]

It would be very helpful if you could find someone with a trans pressure gauge or purchase one yourself and check to see if your unit is within specifications. You could then go from there, until then everything is a guess.