87 caprice classic transmission issues

[87BoxClassic]

well i was driving down I-95 when my car wouldn't accelerate, so i was giving it gas and something blew and i leaked about 1 qt of tranny fluid. i took it to my mechanic and he said it was a seal on the pressure pump for the tranny, and to buy some liquid sealer and that would fix it, i bought the sealer and i no longer leak tranny fluid. but now my problem is that that tranny doesn't want to shift gears it will stay in first gear till about 40 mph. i was wondering what could be the problem???.


my friend said it might be my torque converter but i cant tell if it's going bad as i have no experience with them. thanks for any info that will help

also i haven't changed the fluid yet because some people told me not to and some told to change it, which is better for the tranny the fluid isn't too bad still red

[silicon212]

Have you ensured that the trans fluid level is correct?

Something smells fishy.

[87BoxClassic]

i have the fluid at the right level i'm putting lucas transmission oil in it now a 24 oz bottle to see if that does anything

[silicon212]

I suppose I can have you check your TV cable adjustment to make sure. It can't hurt, although I really suspect your problem might be internal.

Is your transmission a TH2004R or a TH700R4? If you're not sure, you can look at the pan. The TH700R4 pan is rectangular, while the TH2004R pan is long and has a trapezoidal shape at the rear with a second sump in that area.

A failed torque converter will kill torque at low speeds (you will have next to no acceleration performance) although once at speed, it should run OK. It might also make a clicking sound during acceleration (failed sprag clutch on the stator), or a whirring/whining sound. It shouldn't affect shift points - which are controlled by both the governor and throttle valve cable adjustment.

A side note about the TH2004R is that if the governor drive gear broke for whatever reason, your speedo would also be out since it's driven by the governor on this transmission.

[87BoxClassic]

Here are pics of the pan so i'm guessing it's a TH2004R

Originally Posted by silicon212

A failed torque converter will kill torque at low speeds (you will have next to no acceleration performance) although once at speed, it should run OK. It might also make a clicking sound during acceleration (failed sprag clutch on the stator), or a whirring/whining sound. It shouldn't affect shift points - which are controlled by both the governor and throttle valve cable adjustment.

After this statement i can rule out the torque converter because i have no loss in torque, but sometimes i do get a clicking sound when it's floored, but this was before it wouldn't shift. Also my speedo is correct.

And the lucas tranny fluid i put in didn't make the problem worse or better

[silicon212]

OK, I have had a governor come apart on a TH2004R once - the governor is above a metal plate that is held on by 4 bolts, mounted to the case above the second sump in the pan. You can pull the pan off, then pull the 4 bolts out of the governor cover and drop it on out. Check to make sure the flyweights are intact and assembled and that all of the springs are in the correct positions.

[87BoxClassic]

i'll try that will take a day or two to get to a lift

[87BoxClassic]

i still haven't had a chance to check the governor but, it's not stuck in first because i manually put it in first and shifted through the gears it seems it's only got 1st 2nd and 3rd no 4th or overdrive. should i just take it to a transmission shop? or check the governor first?

[silicon212]

it probably is transmission time ... unfortunately.