Experts!!! - Aaaarrrggghhh!!!

[kiwi vet]

I dont know about others out there, but Im getting pee....d off with the self professed EXPERTS out there who dont know sqwat!!!!

My L81 runs a 700R4 tranny, and I have only done about 10 - 20miles in it since I landed it (not registered yet). It had a dodgy torque convertor (just standard I think) which didnt work with the engine in its current configuration (Dont know what the previous owner was thinking, or maybe they just didnt). Therefore I pulled the engine & box out to tidy up, replaced all gaskets, repainted block, heads and headers and had the converter modified with a 2500rpm stall speed which now idles fine in drive etc etc and engine bay looks like a new one, abeit with more chrome and goodies.

The EXPERT who initially pulled and put back the motor and box back in gave it back saying that it was down on power for the engine specs based on the dyno run (about 180bhp, or 10hp less than std), but he didnt know why? I thought I would sort this later, so drove it home (illegally) and was dismayed at the lack of GO!! It makes all the right noises, in fact it sounds awesome, but could be dragged off by my wife's 1.6 litre Honda!!!.

Also all I could smell was hot tranny oil and white smoke was belching from under the car, then when I got home (only 10 mins - thank someone above) the tranny promptly dumped a lot of fluid all over the garage floor.
I rang the EXPERT who came around and commented that he may have overfilled the tranny, and it was letting fluid out of the breather hole??? He fiddle bummed around under the car, and drained out some fluid, then left saying it was all OK!!! The next time I drove it, same old same old. By this time I was really peee...d off, so......

Started some general information gathering, which I ended up on the Bowtie Overdrive Website, and after a while started reading about TV cables, (What??? What's a TV cable??? From the tranny to the Carb??? Mine doesnt even have one??? Only a throttle cable!!) only to find that its essential (read critical) to operate a 700R4 tranny with a TV cable!!!, and that previously mentioned breather hole??? was in fact the place the cable enters the tranny....DUH!!! It wasnt there when i got it, so I didnt now it was missing??

I would think that if one advertises as an EXPERT in building, maintenance and restoration of American cars, that one might notice such an omission!!!
Also it amazes me that the previous owner didnt realise something was a miss?? or maybe thats why he sold it!! after spending all the money, it wouldnt go!! May they have EXPERTS in Japan too!!!

Anyway the end result (now that there is a cable and its set up correctly - by yours truely) no thanks to the EXPERTS,
is nearly 400hp at the rear wheels, and change your shorts acceleration!!!
No I didnt use the EXPERTS Dyno, went elsewhere to a refferred Professional.

The icing on this Sh**t Cake, is the EXPERT had the balls to photograph my Vette and my engine (when on the stand) when it was there, and used it for a promotional advertorial piece in a National V8 magazine, without my permission, and definately with out my endorsement. He didnt even build the engine!!! Needless to say the next issue of this Mag, has a very choice readers letter, exposing this fraud!!!! (I mean EXPERT!!!)

Sorry for the long thread....but needed to vent!!!!

Morale of the story, (1) Use only tradesmen (and tradeswomen) who are refferred by people you can trust!!! and (2) Pass on your bad experiance's to the automotive family, so that EXPERTS as this go broke!!!


A now clam...... Kiwi Vette

 

[L48]

Sorry to hear about your problems. I hate being taken like that!

I had a lot of problems trying to find someone to rebuild one of those 700 transmissions. Finally I gave up and bought a B&M (this was for my Trans Am).

I hope you had not posted about this before because I missed it. I have had 700 transmissions in various cars since the late 80's. I have hooked that TV cable up to all kinds of carb setups, including an 8-pack.

I really like the 700 - hopefully you will like it better now that it is hooked up properly. I assume you know the trans has a lockup converter (or at least all stock 700R4 trannies had a lockup converter).

 

[kiwi vet]

Hey L48

Thanks for the sympathy.
Yes I also read about the lockup for the overdrive (which mine also doesnt have) but found the brake light switch option @ Bowtie Overdirves Website as well - which looks good. The only thing I dont understand is why cruise control prevents using it (if Im reading correctly) and if my cc isnt working, then can i use it?

 

[Twin_Turbo]

how did you set the TV cable? The stock operation is just a rough setting, don't do it like that...use a line pressure gauge.

 

[kiwi vet]

Hey TT

Thanks for the feed back.
Yes I set the initial setting as per Bowtie Overdrive instructions, then they started talking about 0 - 300psi in line pressure gauges (of course every vette owner has one of these in the back cupboard) so i then transported the car to a recomended transmission shop who really does know thier sh**t as I was now in the "way out of my league" area, (but I completed the first set up honest! ).

They checked my initial setup (which I'm proud to say was correct - YES!!!) and then completed the final adjustments with a pressure gauge and some other thingy i never seen before, sort of like a TPS light gauge. They seemed to know exactly what to do (Holden here used the same trans, in comodores and club sports and there literally thousands of those here), and it's 1000%, no a million times better than it was, no slipping or smell or smoke. Always a bonus!!!.

It used to sound like it was reving nicely, but no real drive, sort of like a slipping clutch plate in a manual. Like the engine was leaving the tranny behind for a while.

But thanks for the info, you certainly know your sh**t, ever considered moving to the southern hemishpere, maybe as a vette specialist?

Grant

PS: Still trying to figure out the O/D brake switch thing with cruise control - if you happen to know. The transmission shop had never heard of this, as all the Holdens etc come with both, but obviously computer operated. As my computer is not used they couldnt plug in as such, therefore they were stumped, but at least they admitted it!!!

 

[L48]

The only thing I dont understand is why cruise control prevents using it (if Im reading correctly) and if my cc isnt working, then can i use it?

I had not heard of that problem. In fact a 91 Camaro I once owned had cruise and the 700R4 transmission.

My guess is that the cruise and the lockup converter are both disengaged by a switch under the dash that is activated by the brake pedal. On my setup I bought a Corvette brake switch (which has two connections, and I think it was from a C4), hooked the brake light to one of the connections and the transmission to the other. If you have cruise I am guessing that it goes on the second connection there. If you disable the cruise I can't see why you couldn't use that second connection for your lockup converter disengage.

 

[DRTH VTR]

My guess is that the cruise and the lockup converter are both disengaged by a switch under the dash that is activated by the brake pedal.

That is how my C5 works. I was having trouble with the torque converter not locking up, unlocking when I did not think it should, and the cruise control kicking off. It turned out that I discovered that when I lifted the brake pedal with my foot, the problem went away. I adjusted the brake pedal switch, and no more issues!

 

[oceangal]

Holy Cow Kiwi, what a nightmare! I am glad you were able to figure it out and with no damage to your car. Scary to think this person is an "expert"!!

 

[titan81]

700r4 tranny is a solid one if a little work is done.
Rebuild, over bore, and a nice hard shiftkit...
Sorry to hear the uh, quick fix, if you will
way they did it.

Best of luck.

 

[kiwi vet]

Thanks for the responses and support people,

I have to admit I was getting a little lost for a while, wondering if this Vette thing was just to hard, lack of local knowledge and everything has to be imported for it.

Yes it was a bit of a steep learning curve, but hey, in the end no real harm done, just frustration and time wasting.

Recent bonus, found a couple of local boys with a 77 vette and a 79 Trans Am (within 10 mins of my place), they have been amazing to talk to, just to know who a the right tradespeople to deal with (from thier experiance)and who not to deal with (more importantly).

You should have heard them go on, when I said where I taken it the car for the initial work, you know the "EXPERT!!!"...... I can't reproduce the exact vocabulary here (as Rob (Rare 81) would ban it all) but needless to say "If I'd know then, what I know now" the story would probably be much different.

Again thanks all for the support, TTFN

 

[IH2LOSE]

hello from the c2 section.

My name is Larry

I am running a 700r4 in a 62 vette I built and also so a steep learning curve with the tv cable.

Painless wiring has a torque converter lock up kit available for the trans that has new brake switch you install that has a normally open set of contacts for the brakes and a normally closed set of contacts for the lock up. it also has a simple vacum switch that you have to install (getting vacum from a ported / timed vacum sourse) Good luck with it


Do you guys have a link to bowties overdrives site I cant find it

 

[kiwi vet]

Hey IH2LOSE

Link below

http://www.700r4.com/sitemap.shtml

I was considering thier brake switch unit, as it looks very simple, but they have 2 or 3 different options.

Have emailed them as to why cruise control may affect this, as I cant get my head around that at present, but i'll pass on when they come back.