DIY automatic tranny work

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Let me show this as an illustration why a tranny guy may give the wrong answer.

This recently happened at work, I thought I'd show how symptoms( no 2nd gear) can point one direction ( bad case lugs) and yet the problem is totallly different.... aka "customer induced"

Keep in mind the t-400  tranny comes to me in a cart , clean from the tear down guys. I must act like a  forensic tranny guy to find what the problem was... this one was easy.

Customer complains the t-400  tranny he built with all of Hughes Performance parts lost 2nd gear the 3-4th time it shifted.  He is angry and confused.

Photo 1 shows the bad area on the direct drum.  I saw this drum first.  This drum area gets damaged when the snap ring lugs in the t-400 case break. This will cause a loss of 2nd gear. The snap ring holds the pressure plate that applies 2nd gear.

The 2nd gear pressure plate moves forward into the drum and grinds against it.

I look in the case of the t-400.... the lugs are fine inside the case?

I then look for the snap ring that should hold the pressure plate in place against the the lugs.  I find a damaged snap ring... the problem?  IT is the snap ring for the center support behind the second gear plates and pressure plate.

The DIY customer installed the snap rings in the WRONG place and caused the damaged parts in the tranny.  HE swapped the center support and pressure plate snap rings. They are different designs and cannot be swapped without troubles.

[47wood]

Now you know the customer is not going to be happy to hear that.  I mean this is America and lawyers have taught us we don't have to be accountable for our own mistakes!  

[Glen]

So did you guys quote him tear down time?  Sounds like he has a bill coming.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

So did you guys quote him tear down time?  Sounds like he has a bill coming.

========== yes there was a bill.  Not our parts  fault that the fresh tranny failed.

I do not know how much of a $ bill,  that is something I do not deal with .  

I like the comments I hear from some folks when we show what they did wrong in their first rebuild attempt ;  " I have a book on transmissions" , " my friend that does brake jobs for a living helped"

[Leon]

Is that the ring with the bevel on it?

[Gilles]

This DIY could try to fix the problem himself! If he already has put his transmission in pieces for the first rebuilt, he could do it a second time to find what's wrong!

In my case it's what I was prepared to do in my mind, but surprisingly the TH700 worked fine for the first time!

Gilles