transmission mishap
July 8th, 2008, 07:03 AM
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Birmingham, AL
Posts: 42
transmission mishap
Nope, not with my car
. A friend of mine just bought an '89 Custom Cruiser as a spare/work car. It's pretty nice - 71K miles. The reason I'm pitching is b/c I believe it has the same trans as my '85 88 (200R4?). We were taking it for a ride down the interstate last night right after the delivery truck dropped it off, and at about 70mph, he shifts from DRIVE to OVERDRIVE (why, I don't know). Then, we get off at the next exit to turn around, get back on the interstate, with the car climbing the on-ramp in what seemed like the wrong gear (engine pulling funny and valves rattling - seemed like it was starting in third gear). As the speed increased, the better things got. He called this morning, and said it was running fine again, shifting through the gears on time. What the heck happened?? I figured he'd screwed the trans up big time......
. A friend of mine just bought an '89 Custom Cruiser as a spare/work car. It's pretty nice - 71K miles. The reason I'm pitching is b/c I believe it has the same trans as my '85 88 (200R4?). We were taking it for a ride down the interstate last night right after the delivery truck dropped it off, and at about 70mph, he shifts from DRIVE to OVERDRIVE (why, I don't know). Then, we get off at the next exit to turn around, get back on the interstate, with the car climbing the on-ramp in what seemed like the wrong gear (engine pulling funny and valves rattling - seemed like it was starting in third gear). As the speed increased, the better things got. He called this morning, and said it was running fine again, shifting through the gears on time. What the heck happened?? I figured he'd screwed the trans up big time......
July 8th, 2008, 08:44 AM
#2
Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Plano, TX
Posts: 11,798
Same trannies, I am sure.
It is fine to shift from D to OD at any time. My mom used to do that, as OD is best for high speeds on the highway. The 307s lack of oomf make OD difficult in traffic.
Valves rattling?? Is it the engine knocking? That may happen if the engine has a problem and accellerating in OD, or sometimes in D.
That happened to my moms car once and it turned out the EGR valve was clogged.
Maybe he got some bad gas causing knock? When that happens, the car would seem to lack power and "lug". It would almost seem like the tranny was in the wrong gear.
If it is none of this, check the fluid level and color - should be bright red and not smell burned.
Next possibility is the torque converter clutch TCC not disengaging. This is a common 200R4 issue.
This is most evident when stopping, like stopping a manual trans car without pushing in the clutch. That would cause knocking even withthe engine in good health.
Since there would be no torque conversion withthe TCC engaged, the load on the engine would be very high causing knock and lack of accelleration.
One way to check is pull the electrical connector from the side of the tranny and drive it. If the problem does not come back, it may be the TCC. This is a relatively easy repair; the part is about 70 bucks from the dealer. It is installed by pulling the pan off and changing it.
But hopefully it is not the tranny...
BTW, my mom's car had 92K on it when she traded it
and she never serviced the tranny at all. She had no problems with it
It is fine to shift from D to OD at any time. My mom used to do that, as OD is best for high speeds on the highway. The 307s lack of oomf make OD difficult in traffic.
Valves rattling?? Is it the engine knocking? That may happen if the engine has a problem and accellerating in OD, or sometimes in D.
That happened to my moms car once and it turned out the EGR valve was clogged.
Maybe he got some bad gas causing knock? When that happens, the car would seem to lack power and "lug". It would almost seem like the tranny was in the wrong gear.
If it is none of this, check the fluid level and color - should be bright red and not smell burned.
Next possibility is the torque converter clutch TCC not disengaging. This is a common 200R4 issue.
This is most evident when stopping, like stopping a manual trans car without pushing in the clutch. That would cause knocking even withthe engine in good health.
Since there would be no torque conversion withthe TCC engaged, the load on the engine would be very high causing knock and lack of accelleration.
One way to check is pull the electrical connector from the side of the tranny and drive it. If the problem does not come back, it may be the TCC. This is a relatively easy repair; the part is about 70 bucks from the dealer. It is installed by pulling the pan off and changing it.
But hopefully it is not the tranny...
BTW, my mom's car had 92K on it when she traded it
and she never serviced the tranny at all. She had no problems with it
Last edited by Lady72nRob71; July 8th, 2008 at 08:51 AM.
July 8th, 2008, 08:46 AM
#3
Old(s) Fart
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Northern VA
Posts: 47,444
Yes, it is a 200-4R. Shifting from third to fourth while underway should have no ill effects, so any problem is due to something else. Check for proper trans fluid level. The inlet for the filter on the 200-4R is on TOP of the filter (yeah, brilliant design) and if the fluid level is at all low, the filter can start sucking air. For that matter, the 200-4R is very sensitive to trans heat, so you can't change the fluid and filter too often on these. In stock form the 200-4R is marginal at best in the 4,300 lb Custom Cruiser, even with the pavement-ripping VIN Y motor.
Why, yes, now that you ask, I HAVE broken a couple...
Why, yes, now that you ask, I HAVE broken a couple...
July 8th, 2008, 10:56 AM
#4
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Birmingham, AL
Posts: 42
Rob - What you said about the TCC seems to make the most sense - thinking back to the incident. I'll pass that along.
And Joe, as far as my '85 88 goes, I don't believe it has EVER had a trans flush/filter change. I have (as far as I know) all service papers and don't see where a full transmission service has ever been done. The car only has 42K miles on it. Would you recommend having one done or leaving it be?
Thanks
And Joe, as far as my '85 88 goes, I don't believe it has EVER had a trans flush/filter change. I have (as far as I know) all service papers and don't see where a full transmission service has ever been done. The car only has 42K miles on it. Would you recommend having one done or leaving it be?
Thanks
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
