Sliding

I've just started the engine after rebuild and now the trans won't shift into gear. No reverse, no forward gears.
When i first started, trans was about 2 quarts low on fluid, but i added fluid with engine running, and it's now on normal level. I went through all gears, but nothing.
Trans was out of the car for 9 months, but it ran normally when i removed it.
Any idea what could be wrong?
Could routing of cooler lines be wrong and cause this? I don't think so.

Pete K

Torque converter
torque converter bolts left out
broken pump
linkage problem in the pan


Mark location of fluid on the dipstick with engine off.
Start engine, and recheck to see if fluid level dropped.

If it doesn't drop, pump is broken.

Sliding

Fluid level drops a few milimeters when the engine is started. The linkage is OK, I checked it because I installed new cable bracket.
My trans is converted to full manual operation with TransGo shift kit.
Converter is properly bolted.

How much should level drop?

Sliding

One more thing. When my engine broke, I had tu pull the car home.
I didn't tow it, since it was only a mile or mile and a hlaf from my home.
Could've that caused the problems?

Pete K

Normally more than that.
I would open the trans line that goes from the trans, and into the radiator cooler. Put a hose on it, and put it in a bucket. Start car and observe. The fluid should spray like heck into the bucket. If little or nothing came out, the pump rotor is likely broken.

Sliding

I also think that it was more! If I remember correctly, when engine was stopped, fluid level on the dipstick was very high, above the max. mark.
Now, It's maybe 2 milimeters (0.1") above max, and when the engine is started. it drops a few mm's below the max. mark.

Thanks Pete, I'll try that tomorrow!

Moon86

When you pulled the motor did you leave the converter in the tranny or bolted to the flex plate? Where was the converter when you reinstalled the motor?

Moon

87 vette 81 big girl

Might be a good idea to check the transmission filter by removing the trans pan, After trying what Pete has suggested in his posts to You.

Maybe the transmission filter is totally plugged up.

The plastic neck to the oil pump is cracked and sucking air instead of trans oil.

Or even possibly the filter fell out of front pump and is laying in the bottom of the transmission pan.

Sliding

Converter was inside the trans all the time.

I will pull the pan, but it's very unlikely. What I didn't write is that when I installed the engine/trans back into the car, I pulled the pan and replaced it with a new one, aluminum. I've also changed the filter when I did that.

toptechx6

So what did you mean in your first post when you said the trans was two quarts low after starting? If two quarts is all the oil you added after removing the pan you need a lot more oil!

Sliding

I forgot to write that I changed the pan in the first post. Sorry about that.
When I installed the new pan, I added the fluid to the max. mark before I first started the engine. Then, as the engine was running, I had to add approx. 2 quarts more to get it back to norm. level. Also, the lines that go to the cooler are heating up. So it looks like the pump is working, but I'm not sure if the pressure is high enough?!

toptechx6

How much oil have you added to the transmission in total since you removed the pan?

Sliding

5,5 quarts.

toptechx6

I would recheck the fluid level, after sitting for a long period of time much of the oil in the torque converter can drain back to the pan. Since you dropped the pan after sitting I would expect to add more oil than 5.5 qts. especially if the aluminum pan is a deep one.
Hopefully the birthday boy Pete will check back in to advise, good luck.

Sliding

Thanks for the input. The pan is stock depth/volume but I will recheck. I'm going to exhaust shop tomorrow and since it's Sunday, I won't do much today.

Sliding

I've just checked the fluid level, and now, after sitting over night, it was about 1" above the max. When I started the engine it dropped but still remained 1/4" - 1/3" above the max. I didn't add any fluid since yesterday and then it was half way between min and max.

Weav's Vet

It's been my experience when something isn't right after a mod to go back and check the things you did. Things just don't break sitting all by themselves. You put in a manual shift kit and new shifter cable bracket and a new filter are a few things you've mentioned.................? Each one of these can affect it to shift or not to shift. Good luck!

toptechx6

That has always been my approach as well, but guess I'm not sure when the shift kit was installed. Sliding indicates the transmission worked when he removed it and I thought the shift kit was already installed???

Sliding

Yes, the shift kit was allready in and the trans worked for more than a year.

Only thing changed is trans pan, filter, new fluid and new shifter cable bracket.

What I'm thinking about now, is that maybe when I blew my engine, also something happened to the trans. Or maybe even first the trans gave up.
Situation was like this: I started the car really hard in 1st gear with a lot of wheelspin and just before I wanted to shift to 2nd gear my engine overreved and blew up. It happened in a fragment of a second and I'm thinking that maybe engine overreved because clutch released so that engine revved like in the nbeutral!?

RichS

When you were bolting the converter to the flywheel did you have to pull the converter to the flywheel? Was it tight with no clearance? Is it the same flywheel? Same converter?

A long time ago I was doing a engine swap on my Camaro. My buddy was doing the diving and bolted up the converter. The converter must have been out of the pump whan he bolted it together because he fought with it trying to bolt it up.(told me this later) When I started the motor it blew up the pump. (another reason I don't trust anyone lol). Redo cost me $700 at the time.