What's my problem? Trans or convertor?
 

Last week the car would not go into gear. Finally got it to go into gear and limped it home. Once I got home the car would not go into any of the gears to include reverse. I checked all the fluids and was good to go.

Today I drained the E85 and put in 5 gallons of 87 to run the engine and get any E85 out of the injectors, fuel lines, etc.. Before it sits for the winter. I started it up and let it run to operating temps. Just for shits and giggles I tried the gears. I went into all the gears, normally but it sounded like it was "clattering" then the clatter would go away. Finally, would not go into gear again.

First I was thinking it was the trans but now I am thinking maybe a broken flex plate or the convertor. I am not sure. Going to pull it but thought maybe someone new what it might be.

Its a power glide, a PTC 9.5" convertor. Flexplate is stock that I modified the holes for but have been running it like that for 2 years without issue. Lately it has felt as though it was dragging in gear. Especially reverse.

In the past we burned up a pump because I didn't space the convertor enough. This time I used two thin washers to space. Maybe it's too much of a gap now. I measured it to be a 1/4" gap which I thought was correct.

Let me know what you think.

I usually associate "would not go into gear" with a manual trans.
Is it slipping in all gears?
Does it just feel like neutral?
Is it physically not letting the shifter move?

confused :confused:

I can move the shifter freely and it is like it is in neutral. However, if I go out a day later and fire it up, I have all the gears for about a minute then you hear some rattling and no more going into gear. The shifter still shifts like it always does. When it did go into gear it would drag. It was worse in reverse. It felt like you was riding the brake.

Sometimes you can be in Park when it won't shift but the shifter is in park and if you rev it up it tries and moves the car just a little. Almost like your foot braking it but you aren't.

No ideas?

No one? I am thinking broken planteries would rattle.....

Very few people here are familiar with PowerGlides.

Since it sometimes works, it cannot be a broken part like planetaries.
Sounds like a pump/pressure problem.

It tries to pull forward because in a glide you are always turning the planetaries (friction). I would put a pressure gauge on the cooler line and the line pressure and see what your pressures are.

Well I know I am losing pressure because the fluid shows overfill with it running and in neutral. So the pump isn't sucking down any fluid.

That's odd. I don't know what the problem could be

When u say doesn't go into gear what do mean?

If you chip the planet set it is going to growl badly in neutral.

Low and reverse will bind and make noise

High should stay quiet for the most part