Got a T400 with a Kenne Bell S/P kit & converter rebuilt in 89 with a B&M trans kit by me. Worked fine for all these years, I think there is less that 5000 miles on it since the car sat in my garage for many years until I restored it. But I haven't touched the trans since. Problem is from a hard launch it seems to slip. RPM's go up but car lags. I can't smokem like I used to. Street driving seems to be fine. I changed out the filter & oil last summer & used the B&M trick shift stuff. Talked to a B&M tech rep, said it might be a pressure problem from sitting so long. He told me where to measure the pressure but I forgot to ask what it should be, anyone know. Also can I use a standard air compressor gauge to measure the oil pressure? One article I did find said to use a 300psi gauge but I can't find one to go that high. I'm thinking I just might go ahead & go through it & replace the clutches & gaskets. Any ideas? Thanks, Ken
If you're having a pressure problem, it may be related to a pump problem or a valve being stuck. If that's the case, the new clutches won't last either. According to the Ron Sessions book "How to Work with and Modify the Turbo Hydra-Matic 400 Transmission", you'll need a 0-300 psi gage with a 1/8 - 27 NPT male fitting, and a 10 foot hose if you're going to check pressure during the driving test. The test description is about 3-4 pages long...I highly recommend getting your hands on the book and going through the procedure in detail. Devon
Update... I checked the pressure outlined in the Sessions book & all seem within specs.. I thought about it for a week or two, & took the car out a few times & it still doesn't seem tight anymore. So last night I had some extra time in the garage... now the trans is apart on my bench. there is a rather large pile of goo in the pan also. I haven't got to the plates yet, maybe tonight, but so far the shaft end play tolerances are twice what they are suppose to be. Somewhere I have the original measurements when I built it, I'm still looking. Anyway, any recommendations on rebuild kits? I'll be purchasing one soon! I installed the B&M kit previously but I see Hughes & TCI have complete kits also. Is there that much of a difference between kits? I'm not looking for full out race, just a strong street (mostly) strip trans with good shifts. BTY... this started happening after I replaced the fluid with the B&M trick shift last summer!
Here is a picture of the stuff in the pan. Last year when I changed the filter the pan was relatively clean, that was the first time I had the pan off for several years. Think the clutches are gone? Is the Hughes kit with the "Kolene" clucthes any better that the other clutch plates out there? Also is there any diference betwn the B&M **** kit & the transgo kit. Searches show a preference towards the Transgo kit... Thanks, Ken
Is this something to be concerned about!? All steels are burned in the direct & intermediate clutches, friction plates are all ~ 0.070". Is this caused from slipping? <a href="http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=10&imgid=144554172" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic2.picturetrail.com/VOL1000/4124036/8600064/t-144554172.jpg" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.com" /></a> Click to Enlarge
The damage to that steel plate in the photo was definitely caused by excess slip/heat. How did the forward clutches and the reverse band look?
Thanks for the response Greg, Sorry to hear about your car, Stuff like that really sets me off. :af: The forward clutch plates all look fine, all are between .070 & .082" thick, last plate is .061: though. The rear band looks ok, there is some gouges on the rear carrier. (see pic) Also the front band & housing have burnt areas, second pic. <a href="http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=10&imgid=144630100" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic2.picturetrail.com/VOL1000/4124036/8600064/t-144630100.jpg" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.com" /></a> <a href="http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=10&imgid=144630090" target="_blank"><img src="http://pic2.picturetrail.com/VOL1000/4124036/8600064/t-144630090.jpg" border="0" alt="Free Image Hosting at www.picturetrail.com" /></a>
