rotaryrudy

iTrader: (2)

im hoping this is an easy fix. i picked up an 82 gs for free with a real nice body but not running. well i fixed the running issue but ive never had an automatic in my life so im kinda lost.

it idles fine and starts right up but as soon as you put it in any gear it just dies. any body got any suggestions?

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

What rpm does the engine idle at?

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

i have the same problem with my 84 GSL with an auto box. let the engine warm up fully. try feathering the gas to get the beast going. that what i have to do when mine is acting up. finally, if all is well engine wise (i.e. no vacuum leaks, properly adjusted carb, good fuel, spark and air delivery) you may have a bad torque converter. mine stalls when you put it in drive and try to take off. it only does this when the engine is cold. you have to feather the accelerator when she's not up to normal operating temp. i'm converting the car to a 5spd this weekend becaus ei cannot stand the automatic trans.

iMazdaMan

I had the same problem with my 82 GSL that had been sitting for 16 years. Mine had a small leak in the transmission and it was really low. When I put some fluid in it, it shifted just fine.

Biosci777

iTrader: (2)

My '84 automatic does almost the same thing, except that it will lurch forward then immediately die. I have to get assistance (a hill or a person pushing) to get some momentum before it will be able to move on its own. The car does have other problems too, but this is the most immediate. Can someone tell me, does this sound like the torque converter, and why would it lurch before dying?

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

Not that familiar with autos, only worked on one and never touched the tranny. Pull the tranny dipstick, check for color and smell, let us know the results.

FunK73

iTrader: (6)

Is it only when the motor is cold? If so, do you use the choke till its warm?

thunkrd

iTrader: (1)

your car is doing this because its angry, it wants a 5 speed.

sounds like its dying once it has a load.

FunK73

iTrader: (6)

What he said. Haha

blackdeath647

iTrader: (2)

definitely check your fluid, might get away by adding a quart of oil or something , but if everything's fine, yes your converter's on its way, might be a good time to change to a 5 speed

Biosci777

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the responses! There *is* no choke. The PO said it didn't work and he didn't need it anyway (this might be a telling statement!). Also, the engine doesn't idle; I have to keep revs over 1500 to keep it from dying. I'm pretty sure the carb needs to be rebuilt, and I know the trailing plugs aren't getting spark

I checked the dipstick; nice red color, no burnt odor I can detect. The engine does have some issues as I mentioned, but it runs well enough that it should be able to get the car moving.

And it doesn't matter if the engine is warmed up first. I actually looked into swapping to a manual, and I read Mazdaverx's thread on his swap <tip's hat to Mazdaverx>. Unfortunately, my budget is very limited, and I need to get the car on the road as soon as possible, since it's supposed to be my daily driver.

I saw a torque converter on Ebay for $65 delivered. If that is the problem, I will likely just replace the TQ for now, and swap later when I am able.

turbo2SE

iTrader: (1)

fluid level is a must in order for it to work correctly. rebuild the carb get it to have a steady idle at 900-1000 , once it drops into gear it tends to lower itself to 800 or so .

do you know how old the trans fluid is? if you dont it would be safer to leave it be.
if its never been changed, and you do go to change it .will lead to the TQ to slipping.

also check your tranny vac line from the carb make sure it isnt dry rotted/cracked.

mine runs pretty good but i had rust in my fuel tank so i have my issues to address.

GL

FunK73

iTrader: (6)

Mine stalls (rarely) when i put it in gear but only whens its dead cold. If I have the choke on it runs fine till it warms up and the choke shuts itself off. Mine idles a lot lower than what you guys have been saying though. Mine sits right around 400 in neutral and when i put it in gear it drops to about 300. All stock too. I like it, it sounds amazing lol

Biosci777

iTrader: (2)

When I got home today, I jacked up the rear axle enough that the tires did not touch the ground, then started the car and put it into gear. No problem forward or reverse as long as there was no load on the engine.

Okay, the next thing to do would be to drop the pan and take a look at the fluid settling at the bottom of the transmission. There was a couple millimeters of fine metallic "sludge" I suppose you could call it -- probably accumulated over the last 25 years. I dumped it out, cleaned the pan as best I could, then bolted it back on, careful not to torque it down too much.

Then I added 1 1/2 quarts of ATF and started it up again. Prayed. Put it into reverse. And it WENT BACKWARDS! Then I stopped and put it into drive, and -- you guessed it -- it went FORWARDS!

The torque converter is still slipping pretty badly, but going from *can't move* to *can move with effort* is a huge step. I will get a couple gallons of ATF tomorrow and flush the transmission; I think that will make a huge difference.

Wow, if I can get away without anything more than a fluid flush, I am doing great! Now, I just need to get the carb rebuilt, get spark to my trailing plugs, repair the rusty floor, paint the car, replace the interior plastic...........

blackdeath647

iTrader: (2)

definitely rebuild the carb, that way you can eliminate a thing from the idle problem. hopefully all the tranny needs is a fluid flush i believe you're doing pretty good, for a free car

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

keep us updated on the trans flush..bear in mind, the sludge in the trans *may* be all thats holdin the ol' girl together. a flush *could* destroy the trans. more than likely though it wil be fine and you have nothing to worry about. let us know the results!!

Biosci777

iTrader: (2)

hey guys, sorry to take so long with this update, but there's not much to report yet.

The good: I found a large vacuum tube going from a diaphragm on the carb down to somewhere underneath, except that it was disconnected. I reconnected it and now the car idles without having to keep my foot on the gas! Still pretty rough, but that's probably due to ongoing spark problems.

As for the transmission, I replaced more of the fluid with no improvement in slippage, and there was new metal shavings in the pan. So I decided to replace the torque converter. I found one on Ebay for $65 delivered, so I bought it. I have been working to remove the transmission, and I'm down to two bolts holding it to the transmission, both on top closest to the carb. They are stuck so bad they might as well be welded on; even a vice grip wrench tightened down to near the wrench's limits of strength (and beyond mine) only managed to strip the bloody #$%^ out of the head of one of the bolts. I'll probably have to drill that one out now.

Which means of course, that I might have to drop the engine to reach those bolts! Aaaaargh! Anyway, I'll keep y'all updated, and I welcome any opinions, advice, or general comments.

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

Those 2 top bolts are often a problem. Buy a can of PB Blaster, that will help. Also suggest a pint of TransX when you refill the tranny. Good catch on the vacuum line to the modulator valve. When that valve goes bad, the carb will suck fluid out of the tranny and the exhaust will smoke like the engine has blown the oil control o-rings.

Biosci777

iTrader: (2)

Thanks, Trochoid; actually, I have PB Blaster, and now I regret not listening to the little voice that kept saying, "use the PB Blaster on it!" I'm down to one bolt now, the really badly stripped one... Then suddenly I noticed the top plate that gives access to the flywheel -- I hadn't removed it yet, and it was also holding the trans to the engine. I had forgotten to unbolt the converter from the flywheel, so that last bolt was a good thing after all.

I pulled that plate off, and I could see the flywheel and converter. Hmm, that was no virgin transmission! It looks like this converter was replaced at least once before... the car does have 140k miles, so maybe that's to be expected. I'm spoiled by Toyotas I guess; 300k miles is no problem for those auto transmissions.

One thing that concerns me about the used converter I bought: it has a weld bead around the outer circumference, definitely not factory. I think I remember that to clean the TQ's out, you have to cut them in half and weld them back together? I hope it's not going to be unbalanced -- that could probably cause worse problems later.

btw Blackdeath, that was actually Rotaryrudy who got the free car; mine cost me $350 (initial investment!)

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

Iirc, the converter bolts to the flex plate, which then bolts to the e-shaft. You need to pull the tranny then unbolt the converter and finally the flex plate, if that even needs to come off at this time.

Biosci777

iTrader: (2)

I guess my cover is blown! No, it's true. I'm not the transmission guru I confessed to be.

I did ask Mr. Haynes how to remove the transmission, and he said it is too technical for me, so I have been working from whatever I can find on the Internet.

Biosci777

iTrader: (2)

hello all,
In case anyone is interested in my ongoing saga, it's had some interesting turns (sorry this is so long):

I finally got the transmission off the engine. After breaking the lip one bolt was screwed into on the engine, I decided I needed to be gentler, and that this just wasn't going to be the quick and easy job I anticipated. I ended up removing the carb and intake manifold to reach the final bolt to shear off its head, since I'd stripped it so bad. Then the tranny came right out of course. I pulled out the torque converter... and then the input shaft. (!!)

Hmm, that can't be good.

Oh it wasn't the whole shaft; there was a central shaft sleeved by another -- that outer shaft was broken, and had been long enough to spin for a while and wear at the break. I took it to the local rotary club get-together here in Raleigh, where it was a subject of some amusement. Mostly I think folks couldn't figure out how the car could drive and shift at all!

Well, that meant I couldn't get away with a new torque converter; the transmission would have to go. So I bought a 5-speed off Craigslist for $300, that happened to be attached to an S5 13B. The seller said it had been running rough and he had a good engine sitting around so he just swapped them. I'm betting that it wouldn't be a difficult/expensive fix.

Great, new 5-speed transmission! Except now I have this (possibly) very nice S5 also... a very nice drivetrain for a tired, worn out car that was only made for a 12a. Hmm.

So now I've gone out and bought a GLS-SE body to drop the S5 13B into. The body has 250k miles on it but is sound and looks well cared-for (unlike my poor old 84 GS); I don't know the mileage on the engine. I will probably part out the '84 (there seems to be a lot of that going around) to get my money back out of it. The 12a is still good, and I think the Nikki was rebuilt recently.

Please, I welcome any comments, opinions, and especially advice on putting the S5 into a GLS-SE!

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

i have a perfect 85 auto trans for sale if you decide to go that route.