alfajeffrey

iTrader: (7)

I have an 82 First Gen. With 40k original miles. I believe it has the 3n71b. I got it with no reverse.

I just recently got the car, and it had several external leaks, which took some effort to correct. I believe the car had been driven with low transmission fluid.

I have sealed up all external leaks, and believe I have the right amount of fluid in there now.

I raised the car, removed the fill plug, leveled the car, and added until fluid came from the fill plug.

Then drove the car around the block, and revved it in reverse. Fluid started coming out of the vent pipe. I opened up the fill plug, and after leveling got another half quart out of it.

The tires will spin in reverse when lifted, but will barely budge the car when on the ground. I have tried revving up to about 5k without much change.

The Forward gears work properly, and shift smoothly.

The only drawback is the car idles at 2.7k when in park, dips a few hundred RPM when put in reverse, and then dips to 1.1k when put in to drive. It is real weak when coming to a stop after high speeds. It will sometimes stall or come close to it, unless I pull the choke out a 1/4 inch or so.

Currently I have the choke adjusted all the way out, and it wont run without it. I believe I sealed up the vac leaks, and I cleaned out the carb and replaced base gaskets. I put in new fuel pump and filter.

Is there anyone out there that can help me out with this?

xXGslseSleeperXx

sounds like your reverse clutch pack is slipping. Did you see any burnt fluid that looked more brownish/blackish than red when you replaced it? As for the idle, it definately sound like a vacuum leak. also are the brakes a little harder to press than normal. does it return to normal without the brakes applied at idle?check your brake booster. get a vacuum gauge hooked in line.

alfajeffrey

iTrader: (7)

When I bought the car a few months ago it had brand new fluid, and in about 700 miles it is dark red, but i don't see many metallic particles. So ya i guess it appears heated, but has no burnt order.

I have a 5 speed, but havent had luck finding the other parts yet. Sounds like my only option is to pull it, and rebuild or swap.

I replaced most of the Vac lines, and pulled and plugged the shutter valve very well. The base and base plate of the carb is sealed up real well.

I dont see any changes in idle when I push the brakes, but I will get a vac gauge and try it out.

The guy that i bought the car from mixed up all of the vac lines, and I did my best to get them sorted out. I will see if I can take some pictures, and see if I have any hooked up wrong.

What kind of readings should i be looking for?

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

if it comes down to you wanting anew trans, i have a nice 4spd JATCO unit from an 85 GSL. i'd make you a sweet deal on it!

KansasCityREPU

iTrader: (9)

If you need a factory 4 speed automatic from a 1985, I have one complete with torque convertor, starter, flex plate.

Did you replace the trans filter? It could be clogged.

cfamilyfix

iTrader: (15)

Was the four speed an option??? My 85 s auto only has 3 speeds I believe...unless its broken.

actually the o/d button does not work so that might be my 4th gear

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

o/d is your 4th gear. all 84-85's had the JATCO 4spd unit which replaced the earlier 3spd unit.

cfamilyfix

iTrader: (15)

thanks...guess I better get to troubleshooting.

xXGslseSleeperXx

if you have all the right tools a rebuild would be sweet. but if not, then a swap is even better. yeah that means your gear sets are still probably good but the actual paper clutches are burned out. some how there is more clearance in there than is allowed.

if you are positive that everything is sealed, then i would say it is the booster. it is rare but i have seen it where the control valve has a tear in it and doesn't seat allowing air to bypass. then, only then if you SLAM on the brakes, does the air valve open, allowing even more air to bypass through. you can plug the entire line after the check valve to see if the leak goes away. if you hook the gauge in-line to the booster, you will see your evident vacuum leak. When you slam the brakes, you will see the leak increase. Then when you release it should go back to the original leak level seen.

remember you have to (lack of a better word) Slam the brakes to open the air valve (thats why it is probably only doing this from high speeds) otherwise you will never see the leak.

alfajeffrey

iTrader: (7)

I took her out for a few blocks. Raised her up and pulled the fill plug. Only a few drops came out. I used a vac connected to a bottle and small hose. I used it to pull 1.5 qts through the dip stick hole. The fluid appeared dark, but had no metallic flakes. You say paper discs, well that does shed some light on the ordeal.

Then I started it up and did see fluid was dripping from the hole. I just wanted to confirm there was no blockage.

Once I put the plug back in it was able to engage in gear, and the reverse moved under no load like before.

If I were to drop the pan, and dump all that fluid. How much would I have to replace so it was at the right level.

The problem I have with the dipstick is that it is too smooth to hold the fluid from running to the end. I scored some lines in the stick, but still hard to get a good reading.

I see I have a few older hoses that fit losely over some of the fittings, I just pulled them off while idling. It caused the engine to surge. I was thinking that any small amount of air passing through the connection wouldnt effect the operation so much.

I will try and plug the brake booster, and see if it changes. It is pretty hard to get her to brake right, but I figured it might just be the high idle.

Let me know about the amount of fluid that would be needed if i drop the pan. I saw one thread that said 1.5 qts, but that just dosent seem right. I dont think the method of filling until it reaches the fill plugged worked for me last time.

alfajeffrey

iTrader: (7)

Just to update.

I saw a picture of the transmission being filled through the fill hole with a small nozzle. I took a coned spout that screwed onto a transmission fluid bottle, and then hooked it up to a small hose. I was able to fill from underneath, and confirm the level was right. That dipstick is a pain in the *** to use. I think filling through its hole with the fill plug open wasn't accurate.

Concerning the vac leak. I used a hose pinch to plug the brake booster, and saw no change.

As sketchy as this sounds; I lifted the car securely and set the e-brake and put it in drive. Then I tried adjusting the mixture, idle, and choke. This proved to be a pain in the ***. I saw a few old hoses that I will try replacing before messing with it anymore.

After dropping it I was able to get a little bit of power in reverse. about the force of one person pushing it no matter how i push the gas.

Can i determine if the filter is working by testing the pressure at the cooler lines?

xXGslseSleeperXx

on the trans issue. you really have to measure what you dumped out, that is the most accurate method, or in some FSM it will tell you the pan capacity.

yes, for the vacuum leak if you blocked off the hose than the problem is not there. any small change in vacuum will affect the operation to a point. if you've gone over all the vacuum hoses and replaced them with tightly fitting lines than last resort i would suggest to you would be to break out the can of carb cleaner.(do this with a cold engine and be very careful as it is highly flammable, so make sure your ignition is sealed) a really good method to determine leaks is a smoke machine, but ive only seen those at a couple shops and dealerships. they are very good though if you can become friends with someone who has one.

yes, the hard braking can be atributted to the leak and not enough vacuum in the chamber(also verify your checkvalve works too, but this has nothing to do with your idle)

and yeah you really gotta have an eye in the right light to see the dipstick lol.

yes you can determine pressure from the oil cooler line

xXGslseSleeperXx

Also forgot to mention, make sure your timing is correct if you can get it to idle normally for a second

t_g_farrell

iTrader: (1)

Changing the fluid should always involve dropping the pan and changing the filter. There will also
always be fluid left in the torque converter unless you drain that as well. Not sure how to fill the
torque converter, so I wouldn't recommend draining it. So any fluid capacity mentioned in the
FSM should be treated as the maximum capacity. The right process would be:

1. Drop the pan, loosen one end first and dump most of the fluid out. It will be messy work.

2. Replace filter.

3. Clean pan and clean magnetic pickup or fill plug.

4. Put pan back on.

5. Fill the pan with the car level and on jackstands. Warm it up a bit and put it through all the
gears a few times. The fluid should just come to the edge if the fill hole.

Since old fluid will still be in the torque converter, you may have to do this a few times over
several weeks of driving to make sure all the fluid is fresh.

There is a risk that by replacing all the old fluid the tranny will cause a tranny failure. This is
because the old seals and other rubber parts may swell or shrink with the new fluid and
cause damaging high pressure in the tranny which may cause a failure down the road. This is
normal automatic tranny 101.

If changing out the fluid and filter doesn't fix the reverse then it will have to be rebuilt or
swapped.

KansasCityREPU

iTrader: (9)

To fill the torque convertor, the trans has to be removed. You fill it by poring fluid through the opening that that e-shart goes in.

xXGslseSleeperXx

^ correcto sir! TC must be removed to drain a fill, and also there are 2 capacities on the fsm, the lower one is just for the pan. and also correct that if you change out the fluid and it is bad(really black) it is going to need a rebuild. if you want to spend money(but probably wont help in this case) you can take it to any trans. shop and they hook a machine in line to the cooler which replaces ALL the fluid while running(just like the coolant machines now adays).

also just a thought, that vacuum leak wont let you adjust down the rpm with the carb obviously, but since you got the filter off, check that the throttle shaft is not worn.(doubt it, but always good to check)

alfajeffrey

iTrader: (7)

Today I replaced any hose that was loose fitting or worn looking. They are almost all new now except for some of the larger hoses, but they all appear to be in good shape.

I tried adjusting the mixture screw, and experience no change until it is screwed out too far. Right now it is screwed almost all the way in. I also attempted to rotate the distributor, but it had no effect until it would almost reach its extremes.

I sprayed carb cleaner around and got no changes.

I used the hose pinch to clamp the tranny vac line and also got no change. It is a new hose, and has a tight fit to the throtle body.

All the parts in the carb look new.

alfajeffrey

iTrader: (7)

I really appreciate the help so far, and I have isolated the problem. Now i just need to determine what to do to repair it.

This thread started out about the transmission, but you have helped me on my other issue and want to keep on it until its solved.

This is how it went down. I tapped on the #2 after-burn off valve, and the idle dropped down 1k but died out shortly after. This is definitively the source of the problem. So i sealed up all the hoses. The problem remained. Then i restarted and then tappped on the valve again, and the idle dropped immediately. The car would die back out. This can be repeated. I think the fact that it is not adjusted is keeping it from running.

I guess i need to take eliminate or repair that part, because I have no idea where to find another. Then I would have to spend alot of time tinkering with the adjustments, but how should i fix or eliminate that valve.

I dont want to go nuts adjusting in circles. What would be my best method of attack?

xXGslseSleeperXx

you can plug it till you find a replacement. it is fairly easy.(i had a 12a with a holley so correct me if im wrong) there is a hose running to the air cleaner from the #2 aav. Just cap that hose going to the aav and cap the air cleaner(so no dirt gets in)

alfajeffrey

iTrader: (7)

Ya that sounds right. I will be doing that after work. I appreciate the help.