1982 C3: Won't get into 3rd gear
Thread Starter
2nd Gear
Joined: May 2023
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
1982 C3: Won't get into 3rd gear
I recently purchased a c3 corvette from someone who had been restoring/modifying it. It's got just shy of a 100,000 miles on it and has had two owners before me the last of which claims to have only driven it around 300 miles over his 20 years of ownership. I drove it for around a month while it slowly got worse and worse at getting out of second before it totally stopped shifting into 3rd. It still tries to get into third, I.E. shifts out of second but it has no power, so as it stands it can only really be driven in manual 2nd. It's transmission is stock and so is the majority of the engine. I've tried looking through some older forums, but haven't really found anything conclusive as to what my plan of action should be. Is it possible it's something relatively simple like the governor or TV cable, or is it likely a new transmission or rebuild is in order? I would like to try everything I can to fix it myself if possible.
Thanks for any insight you may have.
Thanks for any insight you may have.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 6,748
Likes: 1,390
Joe Grocery
If I remember correctly that 82 comes with a 700-R4 and would have a TV Cable to the throttle bodie(s). You don't want to be driving that thing with a mis-adjusted tv cable....you can ruin the tranny pretty quick...... like in a couple of blocks if not a couple miles. Go look and see if your tv cable is even hooked up....and we'll start there.
The good news is that there's a ton of 700-R4s and they can get built up quite well. I learned a lot reading about them before I went to a 200-4R.
If I remember correctly that 82 comes with a 700-R4 and would have a TV Cable to the throttle bodie(s). You don't want to be driving that thing with a mis-adjusted tv cable....you can ruin the tranny pretty quick...... like in a couple of blocks if not a couple miles. Go look and see if your tv cable is even hooked up....and we'll start there.
The good news is that there's a ton of 700-R4s and they can get built up quite well. I learned a lot reading about them before I went to a 200-4R.
I recently purchased a c3 corvette from someone who had been restoring/modifying it. It's got just shy of a 100,000 miles on it and has had two owners before me the last of which claims to have only driven it around 300 miles over his 20 years of ownership. I drove it for around a month while it slowly got worse and worse at getting out of second before it totally stopped shifting into 3rd. It still tries to get into third, I.E. shifts out of second but it has no power, so as it stands it can only really be driven in manual 2nd. It's transmission is stock and so is the majority of the engine. I've tried looking through some older forums, but haven't really found anything conclusive as to what my plan of action should be. Is it possible it's something relatively simple like the governor or TV cable, or is it likely a new transmission or rebuild is in order? I would like to try everything I can to fix it myself if possible.
Thanks for any insight you may have.
Thanks for any insight you may have.
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 3,532
Likes: 1,185
From: Arizona - If you don’t know CFI, STOP proliferating the myths around it...
Like mentioned, if the TV cable is mis-adjusted, it WILL ruin a 700r very quickly. Once that happens, a rebuild is in your future. GL
Thread Starter
2nd Gear
Joined: May 2023
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Joe Grocery
If I remember correctly that 82 comes with a 700-R4 and would have a TV Cable to the throttle bodie(s). You don't want to be driving that thing with a mis-adjusted tv cable....you can ruin the tranny pretty quick...... like in a couple of blocks if not a couple miles. Go look and see if your tv cable is even hooked up....and we'll start there.
The good news is that there's a ton of 700-R4s and they can get built up quite well. I learned a lot reading about them before I went to a 200-4R.
If I remember correctly that 82 comes with a 700-R4 and would have a TV Cable to the throttle bodie(s). You don't want to be driving that thing with a mis-adjusted tv cable....you can ruin the tranny pretty quick...... like in a couple of blocks if not a couple miles. Go look and see if your tv cable is even hooked up....and we'll start there.
The good news is that there's a ton of 700-R4s and they can get built up quite well. I learned a lot reading about them before I went to a 200-4R.
The throttle valve cable seems to be connected I tried testing its adjustment by pulling it through its range of motion while idling and it seemed to consistently return to its resting position. Is there another way to test it or something I'm missing?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 3,416
Likes: 291
From: dayton oh
You need to press the "release" button back on the TV block to reset the cable range of motion. After pressing the black button on the black housing, pull the throttle wide open and the TV cable will self adjust to its new upper limit. you can do this without the motor running.
FYI - the damage may already be done............................rebuild or replacement is in the future
FAST
FYI - the damage may already be done............................rebuild or replacement is in the future
FAST
