hey...my 700r4 is dead in my 89 chevy. I can get a used one from a friend super cheap, but I've never removed/installed a ****** before. Is this something I should tackle myself or would I be better served taking it to a shop??? Any tips of removal would help, and what should I expect to pay for someone to just drop the old one, and put in the other one?? thanks
If you've never pulled a trans before, I suggest at least having someone there who has, to guide you through it. You will need a special jack or at least an adapter for a floor jack. Make sure it's chained down to the jack before unbolting it, because it can tip over easily and you could have 100lb trans land on your head or legs. If you get a used one, replace the front and rear seals and change the fluid and filter as a minimum. I also usually clean the trans cooler and lines with brake fluid then blow them dry with an air hose. If you get a new trans, I recommend replacing the cooler. The biggest problem for most people is making sure the converter has seated on the pump gear all the way. If not, the converter will bind and break the pump, and or converter, and or flexplate, and or trans case. Get a shop manual for your truck, a good one will walk you through the proceedure.
if you can get someone to R&R your ****** for $100 bucks or so it's worth it. you stay cleaner that way
I'll second that, the 700R4 is a heavy ******* (easily 300 lbs) especially if you're on your back under a truck trying to move it around with just your forearms and no leverage. You will probably have to drop the crossmember from the frame to get it out - which means you'd better take the distributor cap off first so it doesn't break when it hits the firewall. That and a long extension are the only way to get to the topmost bolts. I have this same job coming up on an '85 3/4 ton and I'm not looking forward to it. It's been a while since I was under the 88-96 style truck but I have to think they're not much different when it comes to the trans mount. I'm not sure, my donor truck I pulled the replacement from had two mounts on the trans case - one for the truck it was in, and another one further back on it. Since it's a diesel trans, maybe the other mount is for the newer trucks. But just to give an idea, I'm junking the truck the donor trans was in, so to save myself the h***le I just cut the whole thing in two at the firewall and pulled the front off it so I could get to the trans nice and easy. Even then it was a ***** moving the thing around. The 700R4 TV cable adjustment is extremely critical. Rent/borrow pressure gauges or have a shop set it up when it's back in. You can practice the TV cable adjustment on the one in your truck now before taking anything apart. The cable should come off with the trans, hopefully your new one has one on it.. if not, you'll have to change it over. Before you take anything apart make sure your trans is the same, that both are set up for the speedo in your truck, etc. - around '89 they switch to electronic driven speedometers. Sometimes super cheap is cheap for a reason - make sure the one you put in isn't an '82 (they're garbage) or one of the light-duty S10 versions from the mid-80s. The 87-up is the best factory version of that trans.
what rustynewyorker said about the tv cable is worth repeating. make sure you get that right on your new trans.
Its a pretty straightforward job, like they said make sure the converter is inserted all the way in. It goes in deeper than you think, below the surface of the bellhousing - you know, less than flush. And its heavy. Better to have a friend help muscle it around.
I replaced the one in my '91 with a GM Goodwrench ****** and converter (3yr/36K warranty). I did it all myself with no help and it went fine. Used a piece of plywood on the floor jack to lower it and to lift the new one into place. As rustynewyorker said, those top two bolts are a *****, but I blocked up the oil pan on the engine so that it wouldn't drop in the rear, and I was still able to get the bolts using several extensions and a couple of u-joints. It's really not all that bad of a job. I did the whole deal in a couple of nights after work. As RNY and Duration said, the TV cable is very critical, and as 3onthe tree said, a factory manual makes it a lot easier.
I ran a ****** R&R shop for about 4 yrs the big things to watch are, make sure you dont pinch any wires between the bell and the block. you need at least 1/8" between the flexplate and TC, make sure to pull the converter to the plate with your fingers, dont let the bolts do it, make sure you have 2 pins to align the unit to the block, start all 3 TC bolts before you tighten them down, one of the bolts "should" have a shoulderon it and it goes into the oval shaped hole in the flex plate, NOTE: Not all flex plates use this indexing set up so don't panic if yours does not have it, check the flex plate for cracks around the bolts that hold it to the crank, start the cooler lines before the unit is up on the block (you have a little more room to make sure they are tight) clean the hole in the crank where your TC pilot rides (add a very small amount of grease to lube it no is your only chance to do this) as for your TV adjustment Follow this link http://www.tvmadeez.com/tvcable_instructions/stockcable.php and last but not least is DO NOT LET YOUR BELLHOUSING BOLTS PULL THE UNIT UP TO THE ENGINE BLOCK . make sure you have the unit seated before you tighten these bolts down!!! you can and will break an ear off the case if the unit hangs up at all!!! I strongly recommend you use locktight on the following bolts, Starter, bell housings, TC bolts (use new as the old ones may have stretched and will bottom out on the Clutch face and destroy the new converter clutch) your transfer case studs and nuts (if it is a 4 wheel drive) also put a black RTV seal between the transfer case and ******)) and the u-joint strap hold down bolts. Any questions just ask and I'll do my best to answer them. Keith
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