rebuilt my motor before that tranny was fine. after reassembly reverse started slipping more and more until completely gone. i still had all forward gears including od and torque lock up but were slipping on heavy throttle. checked fluid and had to add more than a quart. all forward gears were fine then no slipping but still no revers. i dropped the pan and had black fluid after only 30 or so miles. i was able to wright my name on the inside of the pan. clutch material? i am under the impression that rev works off of the low gear? i read of some type of ball causing rev problems. any help would be appreciated since im no tranny guy. i hope not to offend anyone with my 1997 4.3 4x4 s10 one chevy guy to the rest. the post from this site seamed to have more knowledgeable participants. thanks a lot greg cooper kentucky

 

Greg with a slipping condition in reverse you are in need of an overhaul. Especially with the amount of clutch that you seen in the pan. In order for reverse to work there are two clutches that have to be applied. One is the reverse input and the other is the low and reverse clutch.

It is not very common to see either of these clutches fail but if the unit was low on oil, I would say that probably caused it. The ball that you are questioning is located in the case just below the low and reverse piston. The only way to access it is to remove the valve body however as I already said it would be a waste of time. Welcome to the site. Vince B

 

thanks a lot Vince from all of the diagrams and manuals that ive downloaded what you say makes since. one more question if i may. i have the gm 4l6oe rebuild e book and another book although it looks quite complicated i am considering doing the rebuild myself. im a millwright by trade and have a great bit of mechanical aptitude but am wandering if this is something i should attempt. successful i could save a lot of money. should a backyard mechanic try this?

 

^^^ automatic transmissions are not the easiest things to rebuild, much more complicated then doing a t56 , i would give it to a good shop like FLT or performabuilt or at least practice on a couple of junk units before you start messing with yours.

 

In most cases I would not recommend it. However if you think you have what it takes then give it a shot. I have talked to some guys that I feel should not even own tools if you know what I am saying. However there are others that have been very successful. It all depends on the individual.

As far as the books you have. The two I recommend are the ATSG manual and also the hydramatic books. The ATSG is a great reference manual when building a transmission. The hydramatic book that I have is more about the theory of how the transmission works. It is great when you are at the level of building where you understand it. However I to sometimes have to reread it a few times to understand it when searching a specific issue.

If you decide to do it I would recommend taking your time. Whats the worse thing that could happen.....you have to ship to me to fix! Just kidding. Good luck in what ever direction you decide to take. Vince B