tgilligan

Full transparency, I know very little about transmissions but I've learned quite a bit from my 70 Cutlass Supreme and the TH350 it's mated to. Recently I found that the pump seal and converter area is leaking so that'll get dealt with at a shop as I just had the new converter delivered. While I found that leak, I also had the pan and gasket replaced as it was leaking as well (along with dipstick, kick down, speedo housing, tail shaft, shift shaft, etc). After putting the new pan on, the first couple of drives were normal but then when I found the pump seal to be leaking, I noticed that when I shift from park to reverse, it goes into reverse for a second or two and then acts like neutral. Same with dropping into drive but sporadically. I move it through the gears and seems fine but while driving, my shift points seem like they are at higher RPM's. When I came to a stop light, it was in drive but then felt like it bumped into neutral but then engaged back into drive again.

What could be causing these symptoms?

Fun71

Possibly low fluid level. Check that first.

tgilligan

Yeah that brings up another dilemma. I replaced my factory tube with a Lokar braided stainless. Unfortunately the thing is damn near impossible to read. Fluid on the end always looks like it’s full even if it’s not.

Fun71

Ouch. That seems like it will be a problem.

matt69olds

I despise those Lokar dipsticks. You need a tiny funnel to ad fluid, you certainly aren’t going to add fluid very fast, and most likely without making a mess.

I’d seriously consider replacing the dipstick with a stock style replacement style. They are available, easy to use, easy to read.

it sounds like it’s low on fluid. If your sure it’s reading full, add another couple quarts. Since it’s a aftermarket dipstick, it may be reading incorrectly. If adding fluid solves your problem, all the more reason to install a factory style dipstick.

If fluid doesn’t solve anything, drop the pan and make sure the filter isn’t loose or damaged. If the pan is dented up, the filter might also be dented and restricting fluid flow. Removing the pan will also give you a clue as to the transmission maintenance history and life left. If there is a bunch of debris in the pan with dark fluid, it’s probably been neglected and on borrowed time.

tgilligan

ill try and get some more accurate readings and I’ll also measure the length of the Lokar dipstick against the factory one. I’ll also add some fluid and see how that goes.
not too worry about fluid flow just yet. I replaced filter, pan and gasket and put fresh fluid. Soon I’ll have the converter and pump seal replaced so at least that part will get looked at too.
thanks for the tips, I’ll see what happens.