Z28 Transmission

I have a 94 Z28 Tune Port W/a 700R Transmission. The trans has 2000 miles on it and It will not go into 3rd gear or overdrive. first and second are still strong. I know when I take it back to the transmission shop they are probably not going to warranty it. They'll say I abused it or something to that affect. Though I do not drive like an old lady pr say, I do get on it some. I think there's no way it should have gone out after 2K even if I drove as crazy as possible. any comments. Is there some way or somethng I could say to get my warranty out of it?  

That's an electronic transmission, has the controller maybe gone bad? Could the solenoid have gone south on you? That's what I'd check first. Also, make sure all your plugs are hooked up to the controller.

Did 3rd and Overdrive work when you first installed the transmission, or have they always not worked?  

Guy, the transmission shop that did the rebuild installed the transmission. I dont know how to check the solenoid. is it fairly easy? I dropped the pan and changed the fluidbut it didn't do any good. I would say that there was about a teaspoon of sludge stuck to the magnet.  

BTW, Yes drive and overdrive worked fine when the transmission was rebuilt. 2000 miles ago  

How was the fluid when you dumped the pan? Did it still have some reddish color to it? did it have a burnt smell?

The only way I know to check the control solenoid is to replace the unit and see if that solves the problem. Because this is an electronic trans, diagnosing your problem gets a little complicated. If the fluid in the pan was normal, then it sounds like there's a control issue in the valvebody or electronic controls. If the clutches had gon bad in the transmission, when you dropped the pan it would've been full of metal shavings and the fluid would've been burned.

Like I said, check all the plugs going into the transmission. Also, disconnect the shifter from the trans, and manually move the gear selector and make sure you can select each gear. If you can't do this with the car not running, then there's gotta be something up in the valvebody.  

Guy,
    Yes the transmission fluid had a burnt smell to it. Let me tell you about a theory that I have and you tell me if I am right, if you would. I think there are good clutches (expensive) and there are bad cltches (inexpensive). the bad ones are cheap, thin and whear out fast. And these cheap ones are the ones that alot of these transmission shops use. It seems to me like the transmissions (all but 1) that I have had rebuilt dont last. I've got a 2000 F150 4X4 with 200K miles on it. Go 4 wheelin quite a bit and have never had any tranny problems. I just dont understand why most of the rebuilts dont last.  

Ok. If the fluid had a burnt smell, then odds are the clutches for those gears are toast. When you install new clutches in a transmission, you're supposed to soak them in ATF for a certain amount of time. If this isn't done, the clutches will wear out very quickly. This is what could've happened with your tranny.

All the transmissions you've had rebuilt, have they all been done by the same shop? something you can do in the future, buy high-quality, heavy duty clutches from a company like B&M or TCI, take them to the shop doing the work with the transmission and ask for them to use those clutches. If they won't, say thanks and go someplace else that will use the good parts in your transmission.

Where are you located at?  

Guy, So I guess what you are saying it that my theory about the clutches is true. I dont know if they soaked them or not. I can tell you that after the rebuild, I brught the car home and it basically sat in the driveway. I probably only drove it 20 times. The rebuilld was done in November. So if they didnt soak em they were pretty dried out. Matter fact I drove the car home and it sat for 2 weeks before it was moved. Anyway,I live in Dallas. If they won't help me out and fix it,I dont know what I'm gona do. I sure dont want to pay no 9 to 1400 bucks for another one. Is it possible to swap it out for another, stronger one and if so what kind. I wish I knew how to rebuild them. There is only 1 thing I cant do with a car and the tranny is it. Is there a better transmission? something undestructable like one of those old Chevy straight 6's were? Lol
gota go lunch time is over  

The later model 700R4 (like yours) is a pretty strong transmission. with some beefed up internals it can be even stronger.

So, you've got a couple of options here. You can get a used tranny from a salvage yard and put in the car to get it running, and get the blown tranny rebuilt, either by a shop or yourself. There are some good DIY performance transmission rebuild books out there to help, with lots of pictures and step-by-step instructions.

Or you could look at getting a performance unit from TCI, B&M, JW Transmissions, etc., to drop into the car.

Another option is to send your blown transmission to a company like JW, they'll rebuild it and send it back to you. I know the folks at JW, they do nothing but high quality stuff.