Ok, I've got a 200 4R transmission that wont go into gear. It was working when we pulled it out of the last car that it was in. I did all of the obvious stuff, the linkage is hook up properly, I pulled off the torque convertor and made sure it had fluid in it, checked the fluid level on the dip stick, shifted it through all of the gears and checked it again. When I shift it into gear (R/D/3/2/1) and nothing happens, not even a little jerk, no load on the engine, nothing. I am far from a transmission expert, so I did all of the obvious stuff that the average person would do with no results... Any ideas?
I think a 200r4 is like a 350 in that the converter has 2 square notches that engauge two tangs inside the front pump of the trans.. I busted these front pump tang things once..?? when installed you need to ensure that the converter goes in and engages two tangs correctly.. hopefully someone will chime in with the correct names for these parts of which I speak..
+is the shifter mechanism working properly? if its cable operated, is the end of the cable restricted?
I've got the TV cable hooked up, it moves freely. At wide open throttle it's pulled all the way out and has a little over an inch and a half of travel (from everything I've read about these, that's pretty much how they should be set up, I don't think that you really can really make too many other adjustments until you have the car moving and see how it shifts). I was pretty certain that the torque convertor went on the right way, the idea of pulling the transmission and double checking it, ughhh... I thought that maybe the filter could be clogged up (I'm gonna change it out tomorrow) but would it not go into gear at all with a dirty filter? Not even a little? I mean it really doesn't do a thing when I put it into gear.
I would start off by making sure the pump is moving the fluid. The easiest way to verify is to check the level with the engine shut OFF. Then check again with the engine running. The level should be lower. You did bolt the converter to the flexplate, right?...
the linkage inside that connects the rooster cone to the manual valve has come off. Drop the pan and put it back on, the rooster cone is likely loose the reason it came off. Its no big deal. you can fix it.
what converter...lol just kidding...what fluid...lol does it plug to engine that had 200r4 or did you put in a tci or other switch in side the pan..?
I mounted it up to a Pontiac motor and used a pressure switch to send power to lock up the converter. But it should still at least go into gear even without the lock up right? I'm under the impression that, that only matter when the transmission goes into overdrive.
I put a 200 r4 that I pulled out of a v-6 combo & put behind a 350 & spun that trans within 3days.......... if thats what you've pretty much done, i'd pull it & replace with a standard or a 350 or 400 auto. Carl Hagan
I pulled the transmission out of a running car, dropped it into this car and it wouldn't go into gear, never got the chance to take it out on the the street and burn it up the right way. I somehow missed your post the first time around, I'll drop the pan today and have a look inside. Thanks for the advice guys.
Yeah, I bolted it up to the fly wheel/ flexplate. I'll check the fluid levels as you suggested or should I just take off the cooling lines and see if it pumps fluid out?
If you get to the point that you think the convertor isn't in the pump rite,drop the driveshaft-leave it in the trans-take out the 2 lowest bellhousing bolts and replace them with 2 long GM starter bolts.Unbolt the conv.,take outtheother bell bolts,slide the trans back with a bar,now you can turn and slightly lift the conv. untill you are shure its in. camco
The torque converter "hub" engages the pump; those notches line up with the tangs on the internal gear of the pump. So, if it's pumping fluid, it's not the hub. I tend to go along with the "rooster COMB" theory, is'nt it just bolted together on the inside of the trans, and could have easily come off. Pull the pan. But before doing that, what does the fluid look/smell like? You do have enough fluid in it, right? Butch/56sedandelivery.
Ok, got the pan off and the linkage inside is hooked up and working properly. I'm going to change out the filter (the old filter looked pretty clean but I'm gonna keep my fingers crossed). I guess the only thing left at this point is the pump, any other suggestions before I pull the transmission out completely?
Cool just checking....Did you put fluid in the converter ? new converter or the old one..? My brothers a tanny rebuider I'll ask him if he'll answer his phone...I think he'll say it's the pump..you could pull a line off the cooler and check it there..?
Yeah, put fluid in the converter, then when it didn't go into gear I pulled the converter off to double check. I'm praying that I put the new filter in, start it up and it moves (even though I know that wont be the case, ha). I appreciate all of the help offered so far. Automatic transmissions are like a foregin language to me.
I also believe there is a 1/8" pipe fitting on the driver side of the case that you can use to measure pump pressure. I had problems with a 200-4R once and duct taped a gauge to the windshield and went for a ride. The pump delivers well over a 100 psi (not sure of the exact psi value...) so make sure you don't use just a regular oil pressure gauge. This will help determine if your pumps working or not. Tom
When installing the trans. after tightening the bell housing bolts you should have to pull the converter forward about a 1/4 inch to meet the flywheel, if the converter is tight against the flywheel you most likely have a problem. This is true on almost all automatics.
Ok, good news. I switched out the torque converter, filled it up and it went right into gear. Can a torque converter go bad?
Yeah they can but did you check you pump shaft ? It might be worn down some... Did you see any metal or dark material when you changed the trans fluid?
Going by what you said here, the turbine hub was broken loose from the turbine, where it failed to drive the input shaft. It's just a cast, broached, riveted in POS on a stock converter. Only question now is, how, when and why did it get broken?
I pulled the transmission a while back and while it was sitting around a friend needed a torque converter... So it turned into a "take this one and use it, just replace it before I put this transmission in something." I had another convertor (that I can't even remember where it came from) so I put it on for the "time being," seems that was my problem... I'm just glad to get it all sorted out. I almost never use automatics, so they are somewhat of a mystery to me.
Now this all makes sense . Probably what you put in was a 700R4 converter. Looks the same on the outside, same stack up height, but takes a (larger ) 30 spline input. Tough way to find that out.
I never install any unknown old converters. If they were in a trans that was having problems, they can be full of metal filings and pump that through the rest of the transmission. Not good!
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