how to tell if auto tranny is shot?

[mk3-4-me]

so i recently got my motor in my car, got it runnin good but then it wouldnt move. The tranny fluid wouldnt go anywhere, so i thought the output shaft was done... i pulled the motor yesterday and nothin seems to be broken. The small spline shaft moves when i switch the gear set. I was thinking the TC wasnt on all the way on, blocking the fluid somehow from gettin in the TC.

I also forgot to fill the TC with fluid before i put it in. So is there any way to tell if its shot? cause i found another auto for cheap, but idk if its worth it to drive out there and get it cause it might be an NA auto, the guy doesnt know.

The shaft spins fine, the splines arent damaged at all. the was a clunking noise for a bit by the bell housing when i had the car running. I thought it might just be the things inside the TC being dry and hittin the metal.

What do you guys think?

 

[1970hd]

Was the fluid clean when you drained it? smelt burnt? shiney metal particles? did the trans work before you pulled it? souds like you didn't get the converter in far enough to engage the pump. fill the converter, slide it in the trans, rotate it till you feel the 2 cut outs on the converter engage the pump, it should slide in pretty far, when you get it in the car you will have to slide it back out to bolt it to the flex plate. give that a try. also there is a function in the wiring of the tps to put the trans in limp home mode it should work but not shift right. hope it helps 8.0@89 in the 1/8 and 12.86@108 in the 1/4 on a auto with 141,000 one the car and motor

 

[mk3-4-me]

well i never actually drove my car yet... lol it had a BHG of course when i got it. I pulled it, rebuilt it and put it in. The fluid was really black when i first pulled it out, not shavings from what i saw. So it is possible to not put it on all the way and put it in without messing it up? i just dont wanna put it back in the have to pull it back out... again... lol

and lol thanks for your quarter mile times? lol nice shit with the 12.8 with auto.

 

[1970hd]

Yes you can put it together wrong without hurting anything, but the fluid should have been red, and I feel your pain on puting a trans in and out. I've done mine 3 times to get that 12.8 ( IPT trans, 3200 stall 61mm turbo@15psi, 141000 miles, stock head gasket and my friend wonders way I haven't spraied the track with antifreeze) but the looks I get when a grey beard gets out of a import is worth it.............. the black fluid worries me ask Toyota but unlike the 5 speed I think the autos where the same, turbo and N/A the other one might be worth a look if it is a known good one

 

[mk3-4-me]

the guy before me prolly never changed the tranny fluid, and the car was sitting for a coulpe years so idk. But i put new red stuff in and its still red when i took it out, so its the new fluid isnt turning black at all.

Ok so i was trying to test the tranny lol. So you know how there are 2 spline pieces where the TC connects to? only the smaller one spins, and i tried putting it in D and spinning the small spline to see if the output shaft that connects to the drive shaft spins and it doesnt. You know trying to simulate what would happen if it was all hooked up.

Do you know anythin as far as what is supposed to move the piece that connects to the drive shaft? The bigger spline piece on the TC side doesnt spin at all.

And when i look past the round gasket on the TC side, in the back it looks like a piece of a round metal C shape thing is hangin down one side touching the shaft. Idk if anyone is understanding this.. lol but thats about as good as i can explain... lol

thanks for the help though

 

[1970hd]

ok the bigger splined shaft is a support and it doesn't spin just the inner shaft, the inner connect is through fluid pressure and cluches so (not an expert) but I don't think you can spin the output shaft just by turning the input shaft. now is the c shaped thing in the tq converter? if it is thats what holds the rotor stator clutch pack in the converter together and unless you want to pay the money to raise the stall and have the tq converter repaired look for another one, the c clip in my converter broke ground into the support splines filling the trans with metal costing me a second overhaul, there should be no groove in the support splines. hope this helps and let me know about your progress

 

[Devin LeBlanc]

It wont go into gear and spin if there is no line pressure.. Only way to test it is with it hooked up..

 

[mk3-4-me]

so i took the pump off my trany, and found out that my drive gear was in 8 pieces. lol so im gettin a new one and throwing it back in. Thanks for the help.

 

[IJ.]

so i took the pump off my trany, and found out that my drive gear was in 8 pieces. lol so im gettin a new one and throwing it back in. Thanks for the help.

Only other thing I can think of is a broken pump in the front of the Trans, this happens when you don't align all 3 sets of splines before bolting the Trans to the Engine...

^ posted 23rd of last month

 

[mk3-4-me]

LOL i know, i know... Oh well at least i know now... lol thanks for the help. Hopefully ill be able to drive a/my supra for the first time 2morrow if i get it all in. But i always run into obsticles... lol but IM STILL PUMPED!! lol

and while i have your attention:

I want to shim my actualtors. I read the HOW TO MAKE A340E LAST post. I understand it and all except for what to use to shim the actuators. I know some ppl use washers, but what kind? i dont wanna mess anythin up again... lol And i dont know what the KICKDOWN part is either, if anyone can elaborate a lil on that, that would be cool.

 

[Moy]

install a tranny cooler. don't use the stock one. that'll do better than shimming the accumulators for life expectancy.

 

[1970hd]

I think he just used steel washers and the kickdown is the cable that runs up to your throttle linkage so when you step on it to pass the car will down shift to help you pass. If this is clear as mud I'll go back and read his article again and see if I can help. Van I think shimming the accumulators was to make it shift harded like as in a cheep shift kit but add a trans cooler is a very good idea, heat will kill an auto trans faster than anything

 

[Devin LeBlanc]

Its not a kick down cable its line pressure for firmer shifts at higher RPM's

 

[Moy]

actually it's to tell the transmission's throttle valve how much the engine's throttle is being opened so that it can adjust line pressure to each of the valves in the transmission to open and close a certain amount so that each shift can happen and so for shift strength to be modulated

but this is about "how to tell if the auto trans is broken" not "how stuff works"