corvetebob

I have a 1985 with its stock transmission in it, however it will not shift out of 1st gear. I have check the fluids and TV cable, but I'm thinking I have to rebuild the tranny. Thoughts.
Sorry if this is a repeat or may sound dumb, but I'm looking to get advice.

gerardvg

Hi

No need to rebuild, is just a governor fault.
This can be repaired with transmission in the car, just need to remove the exhaust. There is a plastic gear that can fail causing it not to shift out of first gear. See video of how its done below, you can get governors from ebay.

Cliff Harris

You can get the governor out without removing the exhaust. I have done it.

VikingTrad3r

yup, i did it as well on my 85. when you go to put it back in, grab a sheet of cork, and make yourself a gasket. using rtv is problematic when you are mucking around the exhaust. Here is a picture of what i did. you want the ring that has been cut out.





for your governor cap re-install. much much easier and cleaner than rtv.

confab

This is VERY likely. ^^^^^ Check it before you do anything else or spend any money, IMO.

VikingTrad3r

its possible that it has something stopping the wings from spinning out hey? maybe a bit of some debris?

op, google 700r4 governor on yoytube and you will get a few demonstrations of what it is and how it works.

confab

Possibly? But not likely. The governor gear is plastic and it breaks.

A roll pin holds it in. It's s simple fix.

WARNING: Be careful not to beat on the center of the cap when reinstalling it. That's actually an adjustment for governor travel.

Tap the outsides till it's back in place.

Cliff Harris

The early governor covers with the wire bail retainers use an O-ring to seal the cover. Later covers are press fit. I put Aviation Permatex on mine.

1993C4LT1

Hope it is the governor in your case. Had the same problem, not shifting out of first. My governor was sticking. Cleaned it, and it would work for a few miles. Trans re build fixed it. Good luck

confab

If you find this is the issue?

Pro Tip: Hold it with the gear facing up and work the weights, you should see the valve move freely.

If not? Wash it out completely with solvent and try it again.

If still not? Put it in the freezer overnight. (Yes, I'm serious) wash it with solvent the next morning and try it again.

1993C4LT1

Well, this was early spring. My fluid was pretty burnt. Trans needed a rebuild. Hey, at least your advice will help someone

confab

I was pointing it at the OP. Ya, if your trans is burned there's no freezer in the world that will fix that.

1993C4LT1

Cliff Harris

I had trouble with the trans hanging in first gear at WOT. I took the governor out and sanded the sharp edges on the valve. Fixed the problem.

Watch out that you don't crack the governor cover when removing it or you might see this:

knikula

let us know what you find when you check the governor.

I was hoping for that on mine ('84) as well, but that wasn't my problem.

corvetebob

No need to rebuild, is just a governor fault.
This can be repaired with transmission in the car, just need to remove the exhaust. There is a plastic gear that can fail causing it not to shift out of first gear. See video of how its done below, you can get governors from ebay.

I purchased a new governor & installed it, it was not that. AARRGG

VikingTrad3r

the gov cap is definately not pushed in in the centre of the cap? that stops the gov from spinning at the right speed.

but if it is acting exactly the same way then yah, prob not the gov.

did it used to shift fine? nothing happened it was fine one day then bad the next?

maybe its a line pressure thing in the valve body?

corvetebob

the gov cap is definately not pushed in in the centre of the cap? that stops the gov from spinning at the right speed.

but if it is acting exactly the same way then yah, prob not the gov.

did it used to shift fine? I have had the CORVETTE since 1999 and shifted no problem. I started as no 4th then no 3rd & then now no second.

nothing happened it was fine one day then bad the next? Pretty much

maybe its a line pressure thing in the valve body? No idea, have not checked that yet.

gerardvg

Hi

sorry to hear it did not work, in my case the governor gear was stripped. Time to bring it to a professional trans builder, for their opinion.?

knikula

Around $40 will get you a pressure gauge , I'd guess your control pressures aren't high enough to cause the transmission to shift. So it could be pump related, or some seal blown, tranny filter plugged, etc.

When I bought my pressure gauge, it said everything was OK, pressure wise. My trans had a broken 2-4 band. I get the feeling our tranny problems are completely different because of the way yours failed.

It's worth buying/borrowing somebody's pressure gauge, but it sounds like that tranny will be coming out for a rebuild.

The ATSG manual has a list of complaint/cause/ remedy
section, and would be a good place to start.

Have you dropped the pan yet to see what's in it?

This whole process depends how deep you want to get into it. If you are willing to try to rebuild the trans, it's a good learning experience.
Transmission bench and Hiram Gutieerz have some good rebuild videos on Youtube.

I'm happy with the results on my rebuild so far, I was planning on just buying another used trans if my rebuild didn't work. I have more time than money for this kind of stuff.

Some folks really don't want to break off all of their exhaust studs, get tranny fluid everywhere, rusty bits in your eyes, etc.

Good luck.

Ken