So....the never ending saga of my transmission woes and 700R4 installaton has finally come to an end. Let me recount the history a little for you.
March of 2003...
Remove the Powershift to fix the flexplate and put in a "rebuilt" torque converter in the process. Put back the trans and lose the forward gears after it heats up. Take out the Powershift and buy a BW for a first gear start conversion. Change over all the pieces get a driveshaft put the BW up with the "rebuilt" torque converter and experience the same problem. Then I decide that I want a modern trans and begin the 700 R4 installation that many of you are all too familiar with.
The 700 R4 saga begins with linkage problems that take me weeks to resolve by making my own shifter mounts and center console plate. Then the endless adjustments of the TV Cable leading to an adapter that corrected the geometry that produced tolerable shifts. I then wire in an electric brake light switch and become convinced that I have no 4th gear lock-up. In the meantime the governor chews up its drive gear. I replace the governor but never get the shift points right.
I decide that I need to find out why I have no lock up and replace a defective solenoid in the trans that I'm convinced is the problem. It's not. I find out that there's an "O" ring on the input shaft that if missing or damaged will cause no lock up so I PULL THE TRANS, and destroy the new exhaust system in the process. I decide that I will not pull it again so just in case I buy a new torque converter. "O" ring is there put the trans back up and still have no lock up, and an EXXON Valdez size leak and bad shift points.
I finally decide that 8 Sundays on back ( just this Spring ) covered in trans fluid is quite enough and decide to take the car to a highly recommended trans shop in town. Skip to the end...the car drives and shifts BEAUTIFULLY.
I made a comment recently about questioning BowTie Overdrives as belonging on my recommended vendor list. The no lock up was caused by the WRONG VALVE BODY in the trans. The TV cable and shift point problems were caused by missing check balls and bad valve body mods. The stiffness of the shifter that caused me to make my own mountings etc. and not use the factory shifter with the nice adapter kit I bought... was caused by a bent linkage inside the trans. I made the mistake of assuming there was someone building my trans that actually took pride their work. Everyone makes mistakes but if you read the condescending "if you have a problem it's your fault' instructions they supply with their transmission it makes forgiveness a difficult thing. I will write them but don't expect much more than a "you should have sent the trans back to us" response.
The expense that I incurred trying to figure what I DID WRONG more than doubled the cost of the installation.
My rant is over.
Ernie Rizzolo