Just bought this '91 on Friday and it was only driving in 1st gear, so I had it towed home. I sprayed off the bottom with water to clean it and tugged on the TV cable a few times (to move it in and out) and took it for a ride down the street and it was shifting. Drove it later that day and it wasn't. Today I reset the TV by unclipping it and opening the trottle to wide open (to set it) , and trans still stayed in 1st. I set it over again by pulling it out even farther, so that the end of the clip was even with the throttle lever pin just before it felt like it was moving something in the trans, and took it for a drive and it shifted fine. I let the car sit for 5 hours and took it around the block again and it wouldn't come out of 1st, just like before. I'm guessing someone changed the TV cable not long before I bought the car, because it looks newer than everything else around it. Other than that, the car appears to be very original under the hood and has 130K on the odometer. The trans fluid doesn't appear to have been changed for awhile, but is still reddish in color.
Anyone have any idea what could be causing this intermittent shift problem, or what to check? I'm assuming the governor gear isnt stripped, since it did shift through the gears a few times, but I haven't pulled it yet to see if the weights are sticking or a spring is gone. Thanks

 

Need more info - was it shifting normally during the test drive?
If you aren't familiar with the car - did you get it to a respected mechanic for a once over first?

Trans fluid - may have a reddish color - sniff the oil off the dipstick.
Did it smell like burnt coffeee? - would be a first clue of future decissions.

Personally - if its not in normal running/driving condition AND I don't know the existing repairable scenario... there's no way those car keys will end up in my pocket.

 

Your description of how you set the TV cable doesn't sound correct.

This picture is for the earlier version with the D-shaped button, but yours should have a rectangular button in the same relative position:



You don't disconnect anything. Push in on the button (right thumb in the picture). The spring is pretty strong, so it takes some effort. I use a large screwdriver. Push the cable housing to the rear (away from the throttle body -- left hand thumb and forefinger in the picture). It will click several times when you do this. Rotate the throttle to the maximum open position. The cable will click several times as it pulls out of the locking mechanism.

The TV cable should be tight and straight when it's adjusted correctly:

 

The TV cable from throttle body to the transmission is for regulating pressure it will not affect shift points just the feel, if it adjusted incorrectly will cause slipping and burn your clutches.
I have had the governor fail in my T700 that caused it to be stuck in first gear with no up shifting. The governor can be replaced without removing the transmission.

 

Thanks, the trans fluid smells like old trans fluid, not like burnt coffee. I bought this car knowing it may need trans work and paid appropriately. I did get it to shift and downshift normally on 2 separate occasions over the weekend, but after I let it sit, it goes back to staying in 1st.
As far as getting it to a mechanic, I don't really know of any "respected" Corvette mechanics in my area yet so I had it brought straight to my garage on a flat bed so I could spend some time on it myself first and do some research. I am "taking a shot" on this one. I'm guessing the average shop would have told me the trans is fried, and I expected that would be the worst case scenario when I bought it. And I could tell the car sat in a humid area for a few years by the way it looked and smelled, and by the nest under the intake (it was sitting in a barn). Of course, with any used car, there's always risk. At least this way I didn't pay top dollar for a car that had a trans go out a month after I bought it.

 

Thanks, I went back and properly "set" the cable again. I am guessing the next step will be taking a look at the governor? But I think I am trying to "root cause" an intermittent problem here. Wish I knew of someone honest in my area I could trust to look at the trans, but I don't, so I will try to do what I can myself first.
What was the nature of the governor failure on your T700? Was it a broken spring, stuck weights, bad gear, or what?

 

FYI the FSM says after you unlock the catch, to set this cable from INSIDE (use the gas pedal) the car. It says NOT to set it by hand on the throttle lever itself (under the hood).

I have done it both ways and you will get a different amount of "clicks" from each method. It says using the gas pedal is the correct method.

 

Thanks, I was wondering about that. I tried it both ways, but thought that if my carpet interferred with the adjustment, that wouldn't be very accurate. Also got the impression, from my Haynes manual, that by hand was ok. Sounds like I'll need to break down and get the FSM for this car. But I will still look to this forum for suggestions based on the experience of other people who have solved similar problems, this is an invaluable tool, also.

 

Would the governor failure you saw cause an intermittent issue? Was it a stripped gear?

 

Dropped the pan and didn't see large chunks, just some black "mud" stuck to the magnet and some swishing around in the oil. Cleaned it all out and popped the TV piston a few times and filled with Valvoline High Mileage ATF and a bottle of Lucas and took it for a ride. It shifted ok for about 3 minutes, rolling stopped thru a few stop signs (still shifting), then I came to a complete stop and when I took off again, same problem. It actually feels like it is in 1st until I manually downshift, then I can feel it drop into 1st, but I can't feel it come out when I go back to drive. Also notice that when I'm in that "other" gear, if I let off on the gas, the RPMs drop to idle until I hit the gas again, then it revs up to the speed the car is moving. Anyone experienced this? Any ideas what I can check next?

 

Thanks for the help on this. You had it right, I hadn't checked the governor before because when I asked the guy I bot the car from if he had checked the governor, he told me he knew it wasn't the governor because a guy he knew, who rebuilds transmissions, told him it wasn't the governor and it needed a "total rebuild" (of course) , so another lesson learned....I pulled the governor out and the drive gear was "dished" on one side, as if the governor didn't turn with the output shaft one time. Has a kind of "(canned) pea green" color gear and outer weights with 1/2" dia holes, inner weights are pointed, and a "J" diagonally inside a square stamped on the frame. I assume this is stock. I keep hearing this is a typical issue these transmissions have, but would sure like to know the real root cause so I can correct it. Can jackrabbit starts or overrevving or overheating the trans and locking up the governor somehow cause this? Seems like that would be more likely to "apple core" it. What damage did your gear have? How long has it lasted since you changed it?

 

Ok, don't know if anyone is paying any attention to this "thread" any longer, since it is now over a week old, but just thought I would leave an update. I just received a new Sonnex "blue" gear (Ebay) to replace my green one, and I noticed the Sonnex gear has narrower teeth. I think it is probably a different kind of nylon, as they call it HD (heavy duty) and I was told it was "more durable" when I called the source to ask about it. Hopefully the narrower teeth won't be a problem, and maybe a little more "lash" will help? I'll leave another update after I install it. Wonder how long these things last, doesn't look like the first time this cover has been off.

 

Thanks, I got what I could afford.

 

chmchazz1
My 93 was doing the same thing. Stuck in 1st, I played with it till it would shift up, but when I let off the gas it would come down to idle. Just like yours. I to took my pan off to find sluge, I only have 65,000 miles on it. I cleaned the valve body, new fluid, and it shifts great now. I have made note of what you have done just in case I start haveing the same problem again. Thanks for your update on the governor drive gear. I may check it soon.
Kyle

 

Yeah you'll get that on here from time to time. Some guys act like there **** don't stink. Next youll find out only one company makes good heads.

 

I aLSO BOUGHT "what I could afford". Needs tlc and I am slowly fixing driving/safty issues..but I am happy with what I have. No ones smile is bigger than mine when I drive it, but then, I bet my grin isnt bigger than any others who simply love their vettes no matter what shape it is in. Congrads on the buy.

 

Thanks Ghoastrider, and thanks everyone for all the help and support, great forum, I could never get through some of these issues without it!!!!!!! And I also have the FSM.

 

Don't know if anyone is still reading this stuff, but I have received so much help from this forum, and I want to try to give something back as my contribution, so I will be posting answers to my own questions as I find them in the hope that I can help other people save time and money as they attempt to keep their Vettes maintained. And, in my opinion, the automatic transmissions can be one of the most expensive, mysterious, and frustrating components to service/repair properly (besides being a pain in the **** to get at if you need to pull it). I would guess everyone eventually has the same problems with them, since they are designed in. And, from what I have been reading, it's pretty hard to find an honest and reasonable place to have them repaired/rebuilt properly, and good local referrals have been non-existent for me, pretty surprising being I'm in the metro Detroit area.
So here's another update, I hope someone gets something out of it, for what it's worth (of course I welcome input from anyone who actually has real life experience with all this):
After reinstalling my governor with a new blue Sonnex gear, and using silicone sealer/adhesive to glue/seal the cap, I went ahead today (before even test driving it) and purchased a retaining wire for the cover and the correct o-ring. So I am going to pull the cover back off and use the correct o-ring, grease the inside of the gear hole, dip the gear in trans fluid, and re-install everything with the retaining wire (bale?). My thinking is that there is supposed to be a gap of (I think I read somewhere) about .045 between the end of the governor and the inside of the cover, and this square o-ring is probably designed to give you that gap by keeping the cover from going in too far (makes sense, but just guessing). I don't want this thing to get hot and bind up, which would give me that flat spot on the gear again. And the wire will ensure the re-used cap won't pop off ( I noticed it went back on pretty easy) and will give me easier access to get into it if I need to again. I even bought another gear kit (green, like the one I replaced, with thicker gear teeth than the blue one) to keep for back-up. Still don't know why it looks like it stopped moving (or slowed down) though and got gouged by the output shaft??

 

first off thank you so much for all your information
so I bought a 1984 Corvette for my girlfriend on Valentine's Day last year2013,at the time she didn't have a driver's license so I got to drive it..Needless to say my foot is heavy and I blew the rear and out,
I replaced it using parts from the auto wreckerput it all back together and guess what the transmission doesn't shift from 1st gearI think anyone reading this understands how hard it is to get underneath of these carsI would recommend using jack stands so the wheels are free thanks for the information on the governor I'm about to check it out now I will keep you informed

 

thanks for sharing your info