Sounds like it is coming along nicely.

 

Well, I thought so too... Start the truck up and put it in gear with the truck up on jack stands. Reverse is good. 1st is good. 2nd - PIIINNNG! $*@!$E#@!#$% Pushed 2+ quarts of fresh Dexron VI out on the garage floor.

Evidently I didn't get the servo cover snap ring in all the way at the top and it decided to let go. So another 20 minutes of screwing around (damn heat shield - although it did keep the servo cover from coming all the way out and the snap ring from leaving) and it's back together. I have all gears on the jack stands, but the fluid level is barely registering.

Don't have enough fluid to make up for what was pissed away on the floor so I'll have to run to the store when they open later this morning. I am too tired to get the pictures off my camera tonight.


*LATER IN THE AM EDIT* Three quarts of Dexron VI later and it's working! PHEW! I can't really get on it at all because of the 3" of fresh, wet snow that is on all of the roads, but it is definitely shifting through the gears and what I could get it to do, everything is holding very well with quick, crisp, but not violent shifts!! I will update again later once I get a chance to give it a thrashing on good roads.

*PM EDIT* Well, that was short lived. There is either a problem with the 2-3 shift solenoid, the 2-3 shift valve, or the servo. No 3rd or 4th gears. I won't have a chance to work on it again until Tuesday at the earliest. I'll be dropping the pan then. I'm thinking that something must have gotten into the 2-3 shift valve and stuck it.

 

Well, here are some of the pictures I did take before putting everything back together. Unfortunate for me, it all has to come back apart. It no longer is shifting into 3rd, just free wheeling. I will be going back over all of the modifications tomorrow. I just haven't had the time this week to get back into it.

Parts tray with the 1-2 Accumulator housing, separator plate & gaskets, and the separator retaining plate (valve body hiding under a rag to the right):


Valve body, wide angle shot and closeup of the modification done per the Sonnax HD 2-3 shift valve instructions (attached):


Transmission case without the valve body installed, wide angle and close up of the boost valve location:


No real special tools were required.

• 13mm wrench for the pan bolts
• 10mm & 8mm wrench for the valve body bolts
• a small punch to push out the roll pins for the divider between the torque valve and low valve as well as the 1-2 accumulator bushing/valve
• A long nosed needle nose pliers for the snap ring on the boost valve
• patience

 

The valve body is back on the bench and everything looks good there. I will be pulling the separator plate out tonight hopefully and taking a look at the 1-2 & 2-3 accumulator pistons & springs. Hoping to find something amiss, but the solenoids all check out perfectly fine... It is starting to look like the 3-4 clutch pack was on its last legs and the shift kit pushed it over the edge. It was a suspicion that I had, but figured I would do what I could. I've been so busy with many other things that I haven't had time for my own vehicles. Now I have to scrape the $$ together for a rebuild.

I did weld in a pipe coupling into the pan since I had it off again. Fast changes from here on out! I'll snap a few pics of that tonight.

 

Thanks for the pics. I think that`s the only thing i wouldn`t do myself on my car, i`m just scared of all those little parts... Thumps up for that...

 

Back on the road! Now with carbon clutches, new steels, and 'the beast' sunshell. The 3-4 clutch pack was wasted! It shifts very nicely now! I'm just glad it happened now and not somewhere in the mountains on the way to/from a camping trip!

 

Watkins Glen trip? LOL

 

We'll be down there Memorial Day weekend, but we're going up into the Adirondacks the end of August. That'll be much more on the trans than going the 30 or so miles to Watkins Glen.

 

I just remember you taking the track like a Boss in your Rainier and figured with an upgraded trans like that in your Tahoe you'd be like, twice as deadly. Sucks that you had to dive into the trans so early but I'm sure you're glad it's out of the way and you don't have to second guess it.

 

I am glad to have it done. I'm not sure if the track will be open when we're down there in May, but we will be checking it out. I'll have to come up with a camera mount!