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Transmission problems with new install

1870 Views 21 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  98eldo32v
I needed to replace the transmission on my '03 Deville. The new tranny is all bolted up and filled with fluid to the middle of the cold mark. But when I started the car and shifted through all the gears I'm still got getting anything out of the transmission. I pulled the cooler lines to see if any fluid was pumping, but I'm not getting anything comming out of the lines.

I'm about to pull all my hair out. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I could have done wrong or what to check next? And yes I did put the torque converter bolts in.
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Chris he doesn't have pump pressure, the car can't be driven. Guys if he took the cooler lines off and found no fluid flow the transmission will not function.

MN VETTE, the front pump drive shaft is a 8" long pen sized dumb-bell shaped shaft that slides into the input shaft mating into the front pump in the trans and mating into the torque convertor cover on the outer end. Without the torque converter on it can freely slide out, as in fall out in handling unnoticed. Did your input shaft have a small hex nipple sticking out about an inch on it's outer end before you slid the converter on? It would be easy to over look if it wasn't there. Without it your front pump, the main pump that is, isn't being driven at all. If it is there then either the front pump just doesn't work or you have a internal hydraulic leak so large that you can't even push fluid out of an open cooler pipe. I honestly don't know anyway to check for any of these with the transmission in the car once you know you don't have hydraulic pressure or flow. Damn the bad luck.

While looking for a picture of this part I found this you should also read and check:http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/2001-cadillac-deville-4t80e-problems-213327.html

EDIT I just got to my shop and looked over mine which is pulled right now and I can't firgure out which mount or bolt that guy in the hotrodders forum is talking about. Nothing looks to come near the shaft so IDK.

Best I could find:http://www.importperformancetrans.com/images/trans/gm/4t65-e.jpg

Vernon
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These cars do not facilitate the "Northstar novice" pro much less the average DIYer. MNVette you're not the only one who gets kicked in the teeth trying to repair one of these monstrosity's. After boogering up my torque converter bushing with a wayward seal spring I ended up spending $1,000 at the trans shop having my unit overhauled with a seal and clutch kit w/ converter. So after that last week I re-assembled the power-train on the sub-frame and got the chassis up on the lift. I had left my CV axles in the chassis (oh with a spare sub-frame and steering rack btw). So I start pulling my axles out of the hubs. Originally the LH side had pulled the internal axle from the trans out with it. This is a shaft that goes from the LH CV axle inner joint to the differential in the RH end of the tail shaft. Well I noticed the internal axle shaft has a loose and obviously spun bearing shell on the outer end of it. After some investigation I determine this is the famed LH axle support bushing that when failed causes incurable LH axle leak and requires partial trans dis-assembly to repair. Looking in the hole I can't see anything wrong so I had to stop my install this Sat., which is my only day off with access to the shop, just to wait until Mon. when I can ask the re-builder if he noticed the missing bushing and replaced it. This is not likely. I'm hoping it can be easily fixed, and at least without taking the whole thing back apart since it is out of the chassis right now. If anything it's set me back another week and untold dollars.

This is just my current crisis in the middle of re-sealing my bottom end and studding the block brought on by a lost head bolt tension. I've had a bunch of situations just like yours and mine while doing this job since last OCT. There are way too many ways to fail of both the Northstar power-train itself and the poor sap who chooses to repair one of them for me to stomach anymore. This is my first and will be my last personal Northstar vehicle and I pray that I get another 100K out of it or I'll junk it without a regret, at some point you have to cut your loses and walk away and this car has already used up my patience. If I had known I wouldn't have fixed it at all in reality. The thing is that for most people the repair costs will often be in excess of what it's worth. I doubt I'll be using all of these special tools I've accumulated to do this work now, maybe I'll rent them out to future DIYer's. My repair estimates will be too high to get most jobs, but at least nobody will be naive, me or a customer.

Good luck bro, we need it.
Vernon
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Hey thanks Jake, I hope so too. I found the bushing available separate from an aftermarket vendor (Omega Machine) and I believe I can seat it in my clean 3rd clutch housing from the axle seal opening. I'm going to try it at least. I'm very frustrated with the car right now and just want it running again. I'm very close. I'll be scared of it for months I'm sure.

Vernon
MN_Vette this thread was very helpful for me with the 3rd clutch housing bushing situation. There are some pics and if you follow the link to Omega Machine there's more pics where you can actually see the bushing and it's location so when you're looking into the axle hole with out an axle or possilby the seal removed you can determine better if you should fix yours now. I'll let you know how mine turns out.

http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/cadillac-seville-cadillac-eldorado-forum/250925-drivers-side-output-shaft-seal-leaking.html

Vernon
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