Hello all, and thanks in advance for anyone who can truly help me with this dreaded problem.

transmission was runing fine a week ago, then performance decreases over the weekend and I have to floor the petal to get any speed on the HWY. one day the truck starts overheating so i pull over thinking the clutch on the cooling fan is gone, its not, so i try to drive home after it cooled, and it overheated then check engine light comes on, i pull over and get it towed home. I change fluid and filter (fluid was maroon silverish sediment on magnet in pan, grayish sediment as well, like very fine silt) no luck wont go past 5mph, it will ROLL on its own power, when i try to give it some gas, it wants stall out.

I been reading it might be a solenoid, TCC, Torqconv? it might be the clutch packs, so can someone help? i have no code reader, can you also help me with the jumper positions to check the codes via SES light?

 

If it will no longer move on it's own, the transmission is dead. You described the 3-4 clutches going out and then all the clutch material and steel going through the system until it destroyed everything else.

There are no solonoids that control any shifting except to lock the torque converter in a 700r4.

 

Darn, I was hoping that the tranny wasnt completley dead..... when i checked the filter it wasnt terribly clogged and I was told the magnet in the pan was doing its job.

When i turn the truck on, it will let me go throught the gears and will move on its own (slow roll); I give it gas (in any gear, and in OD) and it feels like something locks up and the engine will sputter out. TCC PROBLEM? TORQUE CONVERTER?
it feels like a manual trans when you dont push in the clutch with the gas, how the car just chuggs to a halt. There was never any metallic noise or scraping noises when it was working up until it broke, even now when i try to drive it nothing is grinding or making any noises.

after i changed the fluid and filter I gave it some gas and it went for ten feet then something locked up. I wasnt leaking much fluid and i've always kept the fluid level full. Even before the problem it never leaked much, very very little not even to make a deal over. When the problem first came about it was a power loss issue, on the hwy i would have to gun it to keep it at 70mph, and when i wanted to pass it wouldnt kick down a gear it would just bog on the gear its in until i reach 70mph. From a dead stop it felt like the breaks where dragging in the rear. then out of no where, no smoke, no leakage, it just started overheating and the service engine light came on, I let it cool for about 30mins then it let me drive it another 2 miles then I had it towed home.

a few quick questions,
Can I rebuild it myself? or do I just need clutch packs?

how much will a shop usually cost (around where i live the papers say $400 total rebuild)

what is the cheapest route for getting my truck back on the road?

I have almost no budget going to school right now, and this truck is all i have to get me around.... i can spend maybe $300-400


thanks again... *sighs*

 

Have you checked the adjustment of the TV cable? The TCC shouldn't lock up until 45+MPH. So unless it's stuck on which would feel like a manual and not slip. Usually it just stalls the engine when stopping for a light, etc.

There are some sprags that can break and lock up I suppose. What state are you in?
A shop is going to be more than $400 for a rebuild. I put at least $200-$300 in parts alone in a rebuild but that includes some upgrades. Labor isn't bad but it can be time consuming. If it's your only vehicle I wouldn't suggest doing it yourself. If you are mechanicly enclined you can try it but just remember that if it doesn't work when your done, you've lost your paddle.

But if you want to try, I used a Haynes GM transmission book and it has setp-by-step and pictures. You will need to make tools or shell out some big money to buy the "correct" ones.

As an idea of how hard it is, I rebuilt a transmission before I put together an engine. It's not rocket science... just requires being clean, an eye for detail, and a good(strong) grasp of hydraulic and mechanical principles. Plan on a week if you give it a few hours every day. I've done 4 and it still takes me 8-10 hours start to finish.

 

I live in southern california, there are tons of transmission shops down here, i asked one shop that would charge me $600 total including labor, then another $150-300 for a new torque converter, the guy would charge me around $200 or i could find one cheaper somewhere else he said.

The reason im really bent on hoping that its not catastrophic failure is because my truck was running fine and then in a time period of about five or six days, driving freeway to school and back home, it just had symptoms then gave out... thats the reason why I was thinking it was some smaller fix on the tranny, and hoping I dont need a rebuild. I will look into the GM manual and some rebuild kits, ive done simple things like install new starter, tune-ups and fluid changes, brakes, manifold gaskets, all by the book.

my hanes manual is old and doesnt show illustrations for my year blazer, and the discription seems to be for the 2.8l v6 (mines the 4.3L) adjusting the TV cable, i looked under the hood at where it should be, but dont want to get the pliers onto anything, i THINK it is at the right adjustment, ive never messed with it and I think the trans has never been removed.

the engine stalls when I try to give the truck gas, otherwise it will start to roll under idling power about 2-4mph.

If it where just the torque converter what would the truck be acting like?

thanks much for help.

 

I think 4 things could happen to a converter.
1) Clutch can stop working. This will drive like normal only it will not lock up so your gas milage will suffer a little.
2) Clutch sticks and it will feel like a manual transmission and kill the engine when vehicle is stopped.
3)Converter will fail and turbines will not transfer fluid forces. This could just free-spin and you might get some movement through it.
4) Turbines break loose and jam things up inside the converter. This could feel like a manual transmission with a clutch you cannot relese.

Since you are able to start it and at least get it to move I would rule out 2+4. I would also rule out 3 if you can get it to stall, but it should be stalling around 2000 RPMs or so as just a guess.

 

Well i havent messed with it since, the auto zone and oreileys in my area dont loan out or let anyoen use the OBD testers, so I have to find someone with one or buy one, I dont have the cash. I want to just go to the pick-a-part and get another used 700r4/4l60 with TC included, just slap it in run seafoam and then put new filter/seal/fluid and hope that will get me back on the road, all I need now is a decent mechanic, and a little luck finding a working tranny at the salvage yard with reasonably low mileage.

what vehicles have the 700r4/4L60?

I was just thinking the 4.3LV6 astros, safari, or other s10 blazer of same year. can anyone help with what cars I can pull a compatible trans from.

 

85-92 gm trucks had em. just dont buy anything pre-88. they had alot of bad issues that they fixed after 87.