700R4 reliability
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 1,307
Likes: 1
From: Milford Haven Pembrokeshire
700R4 reliability
Ok - now if I got it right - my new ( then ) 1988 Vette had the above with the 4+3 system.
Apart from the fact that it died at 15k miles, and was crap after a rebuild, I was not even happy when it was working properly ( in its early days ) because of the forever changing up and down and the lack of knowledge of which gear it would head for, under any given circumstances.
Seemed as if there were about 500 ratios in there to be selected at random, depending on the time of the month - if you get my drift.
So, is this the box people are thinging about putting into their older Vettes to replace the TH350 - or have I got the wrong box - or was mine the box made at 4-50pm on a Friday.???
Apart from the fact that it died at 15k miles, and was crap after a rebuild, I was not even happy when it was working properly ( in its early days ) because of the forever changing up and down and the lack of knowledge of which gear it would head for, under any given circumstances.
Seemed as if there were about 500 ratios in there to be selected at random, depending on the time of the month - if you get my drift.
So, is this the box people are thinging about putting into their older Vettes to replace the TH350 - or have I got the wrong box - or was mine the box made at 4-50pm on a Friday.???
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 65,492
Likes: 230
From: Orange Park Florida
It didn't matter, either one was a POS, with NO fixing it for very long.....
the auto 700r4 is terminal case, the list of mods to that unit in order to get it to 'live' with hi performance use is LONG and nasty....
the stick with the auto/derived overdrive package hanging on the *** end of it was no better, really worse in many respects....untill the ZF, and that now a daze is also suspect for very expensive repairs, there was NO decent tranny from GM to do the duties required of a vette....
GENE
the auto 700r4 is terminal case, the list of mods to that unit in order to get it to 'live' with hi performance use is LONG and nasty....
the stick with the auto/derived overdrive package hanging on the *** end of it was no better, really worse in many respects....untill the ZF, and that now a daze is also suspect for very expensive repairs, there was NO decent tranny from GM to do the duties required of a vette....
GENE
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 4,135
Likes: 1
i disagree. i have a 700r-4 in my 89 gmc safari and didnt have to rebuild it until over 250,000- im on the 2nd trans now with over 300.000 miles on the old van--- i do agree that you need upgrading on the unit if your putting a healthy engine in frt of it-the stock clutch plates cost$1 per plate while the upgraded ''blue'' plates i believe were $5 per plate and i remember there was a list of high predormance parts we ordered for ''corvette '' when my cousin built it- its been 2 yrs since the install in the vette with the 383 motor and she shifts great--i know that the componants inside are made from allum. while the 400 were made of steel making the 400 more ''bullitproof'' ...im over 400 h.p and rather have the 700 w/ the o.d. than the 400 w/373 gears just my.02-worth
