1993 5.7 BIG tranny problem

She's been well maintained but the tranny had never been majorly serviced, gone through, cleaned-out, etc, then Oh boy, on the last hour of my last trip from LA to SF moderately loaded, here's what happened to my 93@95K:

1. Easy crusin at 90+mph @ 2900 rpm half a tank, oil at 30, battery @ 13v, temp @ 160. But just as I got up to 3000 rpm the engine choked as if an rpm limiter kicked in. This has always happened since I bought it at 85K miles. She purrs at 90+ @ 2900 rmp and she's fine. Top speed I thought, damn, she has so much more to give. Oh well, safety first. She revs up to redline if I want her to with no problem. But cruisin at 90+ limits me to 2995 rmp. Back to the trip...

2. After more choking than usual (she seemed overly sensetive) her tach started bouncing between 2000 and 4000 rpm and she started choking back like she did when cruisin at 90+3000rmp. I'd slow down to 70 and it got better for a mile or two.

3. I thought, bad gas, fuel filter, but I just had express lube change the tranny fluid, oil, filter, pwr strng fluid, air filter, fuel filter, and rear diff oil. So it those should be fine. I checked everything except the tranny fluid level and all was well.

4. Now she was choking and losing power going up hwy 5 grades at 50 mph, then 45, then 35. It was raining real hard too and my wipers died too. Then I noticed the oil pressure would jump to 40 when she was choking up a grade. Temp, fuel, and battery were normal.

5. Then came the smell, a nasty one like buring plastic, wiring, relays, and anything else that smelled like it was going to burst into flames. It was making us feel sick so there we were driving in the pouring rain with all windows down going 35 on a 70mph freeway with my flashers on. Smell got worse when going uphill. Downgrades gave us a break and speeds up to 70+.

6. When we got to a safe place we stopped for a couple hours - still didn't think to check the tranny fluid cause the engine was choking and smelling right?

7. When everything cooled down we headed out and things were much better, actually normal again, for the first 10+ miles, then it all started up again: choking, jumping tach, high oil pressure, 35 up hills, 70+ downhills, and that nasty smell. However, the wipers were working again!

8. Mechanic showed me the analyzer that wasn't reading any errors but was stuck in an open loop mode. The engine temp was only touching 160. He replaced the thermostate and that made the analyzer happy and I was on a plane back to LA for work. Momma was gonna drive the burban home in a week.

9. Momma drove the burban all week and thought the power problem was better but not fixed and the smell returned sometimes. Momma didn't tell me or the mechanic anything about it until she broke down on 5 S two times at night on her way home. She called my customized burban was a piece of _ _ _ _. Why the nerve of some people...

10. When I got her home she was chokin white smoke out of the exhaust pipe and white smoke was pouring out of the engine/tranny area next to the firewall, even with the hood closed it poured out the sides. I got under her - she's lowered by a high dollar kit so I need a jack just to poke my head under her. I saw tranny fluid everywhere - dripping free in the breeze. The dipstick was bone dry and white smoke came pouring outa the dipstick tube. I saw that the new fuel filter I'd paid-for never replaced the old one, damn them Express Lube boys - too much express I guess.

11. I dumped a quart and a half of fluid into her and a bottle of stop leak and that took me about 1/4 mile to the repair shop at the corner.

12. The corner mechanic did somethin to it, I don't know what, since had to leave town again and momma picked her up when he said she was ready, again, nobody called me). Yesterday momma called and said she's still messed up and can't drive it anywhere.

13. Today, the mechanic told me the drive shaft is too short - he says the original shaft was replaced when they lowered her, and it's a little too short. Hmmm...imagine that, short shaft syndrome for trucks? Can't be right, my burban's a lady.

14. Don't make sense anyways cause that drive shaft has been on her since way before I bought her, so why's it causing trouble now.

There ya'll have it, my burban, her troubles, momma, her troubles, and I forgot to mention my two 90 lb. sheep dogs (who I haven't seen this month while workin in Tennessee). My dogs are the worst off since the burban's been down; they tell me that momma won't take them to the park in her 4 door acura.

Someone suggested I trade in momma for a lower maintenance model and everything and everybody will be just fine!

I'd think fixin the burban would be the less expensive proposition and I'd like to get ya'lls advice on how to go about doing that.

Thanks

Could you cut the words down to whats wrong and the folks here might help you. I read your problems but did not get to the bottom. Dave

Preciate the advice but all them words describe all the symptoms my burban is having. Somethin very strange is going on with her. Sorry you didn't get to the bottom. Grab yourself a cold one and give her another shot.

Could you cut the words down to whats wrong and the folks here might help you. I read your problems but did not get to the bottom. Dave

Well, it is not a problem with the drive shaft. Has nothing to do with it. As for the original problem, only reving about 3, check fuel pressure, should have 60 to 66 psi, autozone will loan you a gauge. If that is good, make sure your alternator is working all the time. Sounds like an electrical problem if nothing else, and look to see where the fluid is leaking from, pan, lines, front or rear seal? Also take a look at your crank position sensor. The tranny is not causing the motor to choke, this is either a fuel or electric problem. Also if the fuel pressure is low, check the regulator, on my 97 it would jump up to 65 then bleed down to like 55. These systems should hold pressure for atleast 15 minutes. With your smell though, something shorted out somewhere. Thats where your jumping tach and oil pressure thing comes from, now this is not something fusable, oviously, there are only 2 things not fused that could short like that, battery cable, or the battery wire coming off the alternator. Now since it was probably close enough to arc, it was doing that, and the alternatorwould be rasing the line voltage enough to overload the computer and the sensors. Check the computer, look at the wiring harness, and battery cables, esp. by the starter.

Thanks for all the great info 97Chevyman, I check all over with my eyes and nose under the hood and didn't see any burnt, hot, melted components everywhere. She's real clean, like she only has 10K mi under the hood (and everywhere else) so I can see everything real good.

I'm thinking the bad smell was from the tranny (and its smoke) burning up or something since it was running real dry on fluid. But I still don't understand why the motor starts choking unless the tranny problem is confusing the heck out of the computer and that's causing it to mess with the motor.

I wish cheverolet had an online help desk to help me diagnose these problems. Microsoft and Apple have them as do most other companies. I hate the fact that I can't get chevy's help with their product except from other owners. I think this has to change.
Thanks again.

Well, it is not a problem with the drive shaft. Has nothing to do with it. As for the original problem, only reving about 3, check fuel pressure, should have 60 to 66 psi, autozone will loan you a gauge. If that is good, make sure your alternator is working all the time. Sounds like an electrical problem if nothing else, and look to see where the fluid is leaking from, pan, lines, front or rear seal? Also take a look at your crank position sensor. The tranny is not causing the motor to choke, this is either a fuel or electric problem. Also if the fuel pressure is low, check the regulator, on my 97 it would jump up to 65 then bleed down to like 55. These systems should hold pressure for atleast 15 minutes. With your smell though, something shorted out somewhere. Thats where your jumping tach and oil pressure thing comes from, now this is not something fusable, oviously, there are only 2 things not fused that could short like that, battery cable, or the battery wire coming off the alternator. Now since it was probably close enough to arc, it was doing that, and the alternatorwould be rasing the line voltage enough to overload the computer and the sensors. Check the computer, look at the wiring harness, and battery cables, esp. by the starter.

It sounds more and more like engine trouble, and less like tranny. However dry dipsticks are no good either. :nono:

White smoke usually indicates water in the air/fuel mix.
I'd want to say a blown head gasket, cracked head, or cracked cyl.
However those wouldn't cause the tranny disptick tube to blow off white smoke too.

Don't go crazy looking for a cranshaft position sensor, 93's don't have them. That is not a DIS engine.

I had a similar problem recently with my '93, and the choking, and sputtering had to do with the distributor being worn. too much lateral play in the shaft. Once replaced, the engine was much happier. :iceslolan

I think you've got more than one problem here.
A good place to start is definately the electrical system.
Check your oil dipstick for water residue.

Good luck, and let us know what you find out.

Burning trany fluid will put out white smoke also.
Sounds like a bad front pump seal on the trans