I am have a turbo 400 in my 57 pickup and I just got it running and driving but when I am driving the truck it will only run in 1st or 2nd. I can't get it to run in Drive. When the truck is parked I push the button on top of the Lockar shifter and it goes into Reverse just fine. Then when I shift down into Neutral the button pops back up instead of popping up into Drive so I push the button down again and it shifts into gear which I thought was probably Drive but the button stays depressed and when I drive the engine revs too high and I'm only going about 20 mph. Then when I downshift again it feels like the shift lever is finding 3 gears but it only feels like 2 gears. When I shift all the way down it definitely goes into low 1st gear. So when I am driving in 1st gear and I shift up it feels like there are 3 gear locations but the trucks sounds and lurches like it is only finding 2nd. When I shift up until the button pops up again it is in Neutral. Any ideas on this? I'm not sure if this is a shift lever/knob adjustment or if my Turbo 400 is not finding Drive and it just needs adjusting. Anyone with experience with this would be much appreciated. Thanks alot
Bad modulator, or broken vacuum line to the modulator. When I got my 67 pickup running that is exactly what it would do, then I found the cracked vac line.
Sounds like you have 2 problems. 1 being the shifter adjustment. 2 I'd check the the modulator and vac line
You guys rock. I did a ton of research the other night and I was thinking I would check the modulator valve and the lines. I'll let you know what happens. Thanks again
Okay...A little hard to follow here. You move the shifter down one click from neutral. It goes in gear, doesn't slip, doesn't upshift,correct? Okay, as stated..change the modulator and hoses going to it. If it upshifts now,..forget about 2, 1 positions until fix or replace the shifter.
Ok I am still having issues. I replaced the modulator and hoses. I also checked the trans fluid. It's still doing the same thing. When I put the truck in Drive it takes off and runs fine but it revs way the hell up and is only going about 25 mph. When I floor it the engine just revs to high hell but the truck is only going 25 or 30 mph. I disconnected the shifter lever and manually put the truck in Drive…same thing. Any ideas?? Is the transmission slipping? or is it just not engaging? Is there a possibility the gearing is way off?
Okay...Take the 4 bolt cover off for the governor (LR) Slip the unit out. Look at the plastic driven gear. See if it's apple cored or broken .. You better hope so. You need a 400 governor to fix it. T350 looks the same but the gear teeth go the other way.
When the engine revs increase but the mph doesn't match it's best to stop driving it and find the problem, for sure quit reving it. Eliminate the simple and obvious because you will smoke it .
It's shifting so that eliminates the vacuum and/or modulator. The issue now is the slipping. If it's slipping, the clutch plates are either already burned up or will be soon. The cause of the slipping needs to be determined. First thing to check is fluid level when hot. While checking that take a good look at the fluid for color and smell. If it smells burnt or is dark red or brown.....might as well pull it out and rebuild it. If the fluid is pink and doesn't smell burnt, then tgere is still hope. That means there isn't enough fluid pressure to clamp the clutches tight enough To keep them from slipping. This can be caused by a clogged filter or the filter has fallen down. Pull the pan and take a look. If it's not that, then you probably have a pump issue or maybe a converter issue. T400s are pretty bullet proof unless someone has severely overheated it or run it low on fluid.
The o/p says when he puts it in gear, it takes off and runs fine but just turns a lot of revs. Sounds to me like it's not shifting out of low gear. But then he asks if it's slipping... Well, we don't know. The description and diagnosis is lacking..so we're all just guessing here.
It can still shift into 2nd with a bad modulator or no vacuum to because the governor pressure will overcome modulator pressure unless it has a shift kit in it that will let it hold in low gear tell you shift out of it.
I vote for the governor too. They deteriorate as they fail, so you lose things like the 2-3 upshift, then the 1-2 upshift until it doesn't move at all.
I vote for better use of more descriptive terms and there proper usage. "It makes really big vroom vroom noises and my head hits the back window after the button pops up" would be better diagnostic guide. It's stalls in drive? Vs won't move in drive ? Instead of it I can't get it to run in drive. I'm not in a guessing mood today I guess ( haha did you catch that ? )
Well first off, the button on the shifter popping up doesn't have a thing to do with internal issues with the trans if it indeed does have internal issues. That problem is either you do not have the shifter adjusted correctly or you don't have a clue as to how that particular shift handle functions. Meaning you may have to hold the button down to change gears or change out of neutral to either drive or reverse. Straight off the Locar instruction sheet: The shifter is designed to lock in Park and in Neutral. You must depress the release button in the top of the shifter knob in order to shift out of Park or Neutral. To shift from Park directly to Drive (or Overdrive), depress the release button and then hold it down while moving the shifter lever, and the shifter will automatically stop in the Drive (or Overdrive) position. Once you release the button, then the shifter will allow you to move the lever into the next lower gear. You must depress the button again to shift down again. That coming from here: http://www.lokar.com/downloads/pdf-instructions/INS0105-GM-CableOpShifter.pdf It sounds like the trans may have been sitting for a number of years and if that is the case it may be gummed up a bit. The fluid level could also be off if you don't have the correct dipstick. We are all assuming that you have the line to the modulator connected to a good manifold vacuum source on the engine and not one that pulls vacuum from above the throttle plate. Or possible connected to an odd ball fitting that has way too small of an orifice even though it fits the manifold and the hose slides tightly over it. I fought a deal where someone had used a brass fitting intended for use with natural gas on a line that needed full flow and that didn't work well and caused me a lot of grief. As the others already said, what does the fluid smell like? if you pulled the pan what kind of trash or residue was in the bottom of the pan besides the usual? Along with that did you ever run that trans before you put it in the 57 or is it one you bought off someone or that came with a non running donor rig? As others suggested pop the governor out and check it over, make sure the gear is good and make sure it is secure on the shaft. I had one break the gear in my ot truck on the way to work one morning. When you installed the trans did you have the converter slipped back in the pump and not have to fight with it to get things hooked up? I've seen a few broken pumps from guys crushing the dogs in pump with the converter snout when they bolted the trans to the engine.
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