Ok i have a 1966 chevy el camino but the tranny i think is a 1980 or so. its a chevy 350 turbo tranny with a shift kit. I just bought it and it was sitting for a year or so and it moves in reverse but not in any of the drives. whats the problem?

I just bought a 81 malibu wagon same problem so when u find out tell me please at bigd7315@yahoo.com

Ok i have a 1966 chevy el camino but the tranny i think is a 1980 or so. its a chevy 350 turbo tranny with a shift kit. I just bought it and it was sitting for a year or so and it moves in reverse but not in any of the drives. whats the problem?

Did you check the fluid level and condition? If you have a low fluid condition, this can drop pressure far enough to prevent forward motion. If the fluid level is fine, there will be internal damage. Dark or black fluid is indicative of fluid overheating, which can occur during clutch slippage. Metal in any quantity (aside from a metallic "sheen" in bright light, which is normal on an older transmission), is an indication of internal damage. What you want to see is a red, to orange-red color fluid that is clear and with no strong burned smell. Fluid that is red, but murky, indicates clutch slippage (the murkiness is actually micro-sized bits of clutch friction material). The presence of heavy varnish on the dipstick is another indication of serious slippage (the varnish is a dark grayish substance that coats internal transmission components, including the dipstick). A little varnish is normal on a high-mileage unit.

As for your symptoms, I'm going to make the dire prediction that you have damage. The lack of forward drive usually happens when the forward clutch fails due to improper apply pressure on the TH350. The forward clutch is engaged whenever the transmission selector is in a forward position (D, 2 or 1). If this clutch has failed, there can be no forward motion. Reverse, however, can work normally considering that it does not use the forward clutch.

Edit: Sorry, I just noticed the original post date on this thread. Please create a new thread and we will continue this there. Having 2 years passed since the original post, it is very likely the original poster has now moved on to greener pastures.

just found out my problem the tranny had blown the lip seal for the forward clutches went ahead and rebuilt the unit now it is great