# transmission and engine help!



## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

I'm not a car jockey---but there are a few here-----I feel for you---let's see who chimes in----where are you heading?


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## thehvacguy (Oct 30, 2009)

Idaho falls. I'm about 1/3 of the way there and there is 2 more passes I have to go over


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

You have a 5.7L TBI setup....your transmission is most likely a 700R....(in 93 it became electronic and was called the 4L60E or 4L80E.

You have OBDI....so I would go to your local auto parts store and ask them to put the scanner on it...specifically, look at the engine temp. If the reading from your temp sending unit is low, it causes the engine to run rich.

Next....check compression.....If compression is good, basically rules out issues with the timing chain.

Transmission? Reving high? You may have lost the vac modulator....that tells it when to upshift based on manifold vacuum

You could have a real bad vacuum leak....


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## thehvacguy (Oct 30, 2009)

I am at aamco and they are sayin because I have obd1 the light has to be on for the scanner deal to work. It only comes on randomly when I'm driving then goes off randomly.

If there is a vaccume leak what kind of damage would I do to my vehicle by pulling a loaded trailer about 500miles more?


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## thehvacguy (Oct 30, 2009)

Also I have around 120 PSI on all cylinders. Is that an acceptable level?


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## Billy_Bob (Sep 11, 2008)

Take your VIN number (should be on vehicle registration) to a GM dealer parts department. Then ask for a printout of your option codes. This will say what factory options you have (including transmission).

This is also in factory service manual information books for your SPECIFIC vehicle/year, set of 4 books typically, and can be ordered from the dealer.

Don't use VIN decoders on any old internet web page because those may be for different years and might not be correct for your specific year/model. (Lots of misinformation on the internet, get it straight from the horse [dealer/factory].)

Oxygen sensors should be replaced every 30,000 miles. This will give you better gas mileage, so it pays for itself.


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## ddawg16 (Aug 15, 2011)

Sounds like AAMCO only has a code reader and not a real scanner.

A vacuum gauge will tell you if you have a vacuum leak.....you should be getting around 22" at idle....

Inspect all your vacuum lines.

120 PSI on the compression? If the engine is warm....that is a 'little' low....130 would be a bit better. 110 or less and you have issues. If all the cylinders are within 10% of each other....then I think your ok in that area.

How many miles on the engine?


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## Mo Guy (Oct 29, 2012)

3500 could have a 400th trans.


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## ukrkoz (Dec 31, 2010)

for the year, 120m is pretty good. it's 23 year old engine, folks...

1. sticky gas pedal. disconnect air intake duct from your throttle body, equip yourself with rag, toothbrush, and brake cleaner (cheap and works fine); manually pop pintle valve open and liberally spray everything inside with cleaner; wipe it all off clean. Reason you need toothbrush is because you need to clean upper part of throttle intake, and it is very hard to do by hand. Toothbrush will do the job
2. sticky pintle valve leads me to believe that your EGR valve is at least needing cleaning. EGR WILL give you your symptoms. Normally, it can be removed and cleaned - yes, with same brake cleaner; be prepared to not bust metal gasket, as they are very brittle, and burn tight to exhaust. You bust it, you will not find another one, as they are made out of metal. I'd say, for the age - simply replace it.
3. BUY YOURSELF REPAIR MANUAL.
4. You know, miser always pays twice. Fork for $70 or so, take truck to a pro shop (no need for dealer) and have them run full scan on it. THEN ask them to point at parts in question, take pictures, and DIY them. Regular parts stores will not run scan on OBDI engines. Not set.


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## oh'mike (Sep 18, 2009)

How are you doing?????


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## thehvacguy (Oct 30, 2009)

Well folks thanks for all the great advise. We made it to Idaho and the truck is doin ok for around town driving. Just got hired at an HVAC company and busting out major overtime plus remodeling on my dads apartment complex. I haven't had time to work on my truck but Sunday I'm gonna check the compression again and do a vacuum test. The regards at aamco were tryin to sell me a fuel pump. It's terrible I can't seem to find a mechanic that really knows what he is doing. I'm a mechanical guy and when someone is bs ING me its clear as day to me. I got a repair manual from autozone but I still got everything in boxes. I wanna clean that throttle body like one of you were saying but I need to take caution not to screw things up. For some reason the gas pedal hasn't been sticking since I been up here but its been idling real weird and I got a lot of white smoke comin out the exhaust. I don't know if its the altitude or the cold or what but I don't think I blew a head Gasket cause I been checking my oil and the temp on the dash looks normal. I just put a Craigslist ad out for an obd1 machine cause they are kinda expensive for me right now. This will be a long term project. Big bertha has over 300k miles on her but the engine was changed to a 350 out of a caprice and I can't for the life of me figure out the year of it. I got the numbers off the engine block and called everyone under the sun and nobody can cross them so its sort of a guessing game as far as that's concerned, but I do know its a late 80's model for sure. I'm real lucky we made it here alive. The trailer was way overloaded, the upper control ARM bushings on the driver side are gone, the runner is all coming out, and before we left I went to a reputable shop and had then check the front end and they wouldn't even talk about the bushings. They sold me a pitman ARM and it wasn't even that. The gearbox is messed up. The pitman ARM won't go all the way up to the gearbox there is like an inch gap there and the grooves on the gearbox are worn out from shaking around. I got my work cut out for me but for now she is getting me around town and I take it easy as I keep fixin her up. I will update Yall next week if I get some time to work on her.


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

I can't help with your problems since it sounds to me like there's several things going on there. But a little advice from someone who spent a winter in Idaho falls.... Get an engine heater or soon you won't have to worry about the truck running bad because it will be so cold it won't even start!


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## thehvacguy (Oct 30, 2009)

What's an engine heater? I never heard of that...


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## bbo (Feb 28, 2010)

thehvacguy said:


> What's an engine heater? I never heard of that...


 
simple magnetic heater would work for you.

stick to oil pan or engine block, plug in when you need to warm it up ( a timer set for a few hours before starting should work fine. )


there are many kinds you can get, but the magnetic one is simplest to put on, followed by the lower rad hose heater. you might want to consider that one if that hose is easily accessible.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/accessories/Performance/Engine-Heater/_/N-26lg

some examples.


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## cjm94 (Sep 25, 2011)

Blowing white smoke sounds like its burning coolant. Oil would be a blue color. As far as the trans not shifting into fifth or sixth gear it only has four.


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## raylo32 (Nov 25, 2006)

Right, 4-speed... but the 700R4 also has a locking torque converter... can feel like another gear but not really. Just takes the fluid coupling out of the picture. Perhaps that is what the OP means? Good chance that is not working properly.



cjm94 said:


> Blowing white smoke sounds like its burning coolant. Oil would be a blue color. As far as the trans not shifting into fifth or sixth gear it only has four.


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