iroczrockz

I just installed a new heavy duty 700R4 in my car along with a new polyeurethane mount, and 2000 stall lock up conv. I also have a console mounted B&M mega shifter. My questions are:

1) Is it normal to have a whine with a new tranny?
2) I have a bit of a vibration now can that be the driveshaft 180* out?
3) Also, I have 3.42 gears, so according to the calculators I should be running around 2450 rpm's at 80mph. I am running around 3000 rpm around 55-60mph. What could that be? Could that be the conv not locking up?

The only thing I can think of on question #3 is I have a relay in the wiring on the shifter and I was thinking that could be the problem if it is bad. Any suggestions?

Apeiron

I've never noticed a whine in a 700R4, new or old.

Vibration could be from your driveshaft being the wrong way, but when I take the shaft out of my car I always just put it back any which way I want and I've never had a vibration. It should be easy enough to turn it over and see though.

For that much of a difference, it sounds more like you're not in 4th gear yet at 55-60 mph.

iroczrockz

I know what you mean on the 4th gear thing. It does seem that way but I can go through each gear, then go right into neutral. It also has that 200-300 rpm drop when it's in overdrive. I am kinda mind boggled about the whole thing. I may have to just break down and take it to a transmission shop. I really hate to do that though with my pride and all.

MikeH

iTrader: (10)

Who did you buy the tranny from?

iroczrockz

I bought it from Maddog transmissions out of Tampa Bay. I paid $750 for it. It has Kevlar bands, aftermarket valvebody, better pump, and better servos. There is a lot more stuff listed but I am not too good with trannies. Can't remember what all it has. It shifts pretty hard. I bought the torque convertor from Summit.

I contacted the guy about it and he said I should rotate the torque convertor and see if that helps the vibration. Then he said it "could" be a break in thing with the whine. He said if it is doing well, drive it for a while and see if the whine starts to decline.

MikeH

iTrader: (10)

My tranny from Maddogs lasted just long enough to get past the 3 month warranty. 3/4s are toast, I thought i had a 1 year warranty (what the auction said). Bought it on ebay, but funny on the invoice it said 3 months. Never even looked at it, I learned a good lesson on that deal. They are local to me nice guys to talk to. But ...Dont think i will be buying a second one from them.

Make sure you do something with it before the warranty runs out.

iroczrockz

Man, that's an eye opener. Thanks for the info. I couldn't help but wonder if knocking off the speedo gear they put on could of hurt it somehow. The guy told me to just hit it with a chisel and a hammer and it would come right off. I ask him if that would damage it somehow he said no. Still, I supported the shaft and banged on it and it came right off like he said. I guess we will see how it goes.

MikeH

iTrader: (10)

What bothers me the most is i sent others there. I just hope they dont have the same results as i did.

Almost sounds like you are not going into 3rd, or your slipping in 3rd/4th. If you step down on it a little and it flairs up in 3rd or 4th your 3/4s are going.

iroczrockz

Well, the only thing about this is that the problem did not change when I changed out the tranny. I had the exact same problem with the old tranny and old torque conv. There can only be so many things left. I was wondering if it is the relay switch that you have to install when you install the B&M shifter. Do you think that could be it? I am not 100% sure what that thing does in the first place.

Apeiron

The relay won't have anything to do with it.

iroczrockz

If that has nothing to do with it then there isn't much else left that could be the problem. I wonder if it has anything to do with the computer? Not much of anything has changed there though.

Apeiron

The computer doesn't have much to do with the transmission either, except for locking the TCC.

iroczrockz

Here's a stupid question: Could it be the tach? I know that isn't likely but could it? I even thought that maybe the guy that put in my 3.42 gears might of put in the wrong gears but the new speedometer gears for 3.42 seems to be reading right. The engine has been shifting around 6500 rpm and I have had no problems with that. What would offset my tach? Or, could it be the burned chip and my shift points?

Apeiron

There's nothing outside the transmission itself that can affect your shift points.

iroczrockz

Well, I may just take it to a transmission shop and ask them to look it over maybe let them test drive it. Which I really hate someone test driving my car, especially without me in it. I am starting to wonder if it could be a bad tachometer or something weird like that.

dimented24x7

iTrader: (2)

The whine part is a bit of a problem. When I first put the trans in that I rebuilt, I put my ear against the pan with my rear tires off the ground and with the engine/trans spinning at around 50 mph and there was no decernable sound.

As for the high rpms, it may not be locking up. you can immediatly tell by pressing the gas pedal and seeing if the rpms come up. If they stay steady, then the TCC is locked up.

cormyr

I bought my 700r4 from maddog and unfortunately didnt install it for several months. first off, i ordered a 3-4 upshift valve that wasnt in there, shift kit sucked very sloppy shifts, the front seal leaked like crazy, then after just a week, the 3-4 clutch packs are fried. totally wasted a grand on a pile of junk. he said it was good for 700hp, but 450hp beat it to crap in a few days. i'm pissed. don't ever do business with this guy.

iroczrockz

dimented, I'll look for that lockup today and see what happens. You we're under the car with it doing 50 mph listening to the tranny?!? Man! You have some kahonas I would never trust my jackstands for that but I do have one of those stethoscope things with the long rod on it. I think I will try and find out where it is coming from. The whine is really bad in reverse.

Cormyr, you are the second guy that didn't have anything nice to say about this guy. Starting to look like a trend. Did you get yours off of ebay? If so I bet you left good feedback before your tranny broke. Cause this guy is pressuring me to leave feedback now and I'm not going to do it before I get something figured out.

cormyr

yup got it off ebay and its junk. i just wish i had installed it immediately but right after i bought it i ended up doing an engine rebuild from a broken piston skirt. now im screwed.

MikeH

iTrader: (10)

yep...if you read the feedback its all right after the tranny was received or installed. I just spoke with someone else here in fla. that bought one and wasnt happy with the out come.

MikeH

iTrader: (10)

I think they are taking a used tranny and throwing a 20.00 vette servo in it. Maybe a few off the wall changes to the valve body. To get a nice hard 1/2 shift, thats why the 3/4s are so bad. Just my opinion on that but thats what this tranny feels like to me.

Had a guy email me..he had his torn down for a local repair and it was all used parts.

iroczrockz

Man, I just got an email from him. He wants me to take it back out of the car drain it and ship it back to him and he said it wouldn't happen again. What a pain in the @ss. I drive this thing to work daily ya know.
I also talked to a transmission shop today about it and that guy said no 700R4 should make any noises in drive or reverse. I did a search on Maddog Transmissions with the Better Business Bureau and found nothing. I guess I don't have much else to loose by shipping it back to him, other than shipping.
I think if it comes back with problems this time I am going to not only leave bad feedback, but file a complaint with the BBB.

iroczrockz

Well, here's what I did today with it. I unbolted the torque converter and turned it one bolt. That actually fixed the vibration problem. Progress

I also added a quart of fluid. It still did not fix the whine problem. I bought one of those flexible filler hoses from Lokar and the only problem with those things is the dipstick is plastic and hard to read, but surely 12 qts of fluid is enough with a new converter and all. The instructions said it would take 10-14 qts of fluid depending on your pan.

What I am thinking now is, could the new polyeurethane mount be transmitting more sound than a rubber mount. This is the first time I have dealt with any polyeurethane anything. I really want to exhaust all possibilites before taking this thing back out and shipping it back to Maddog.

I am thinking about just driving it to see if it fails soon. I mean the warranty is 3000 miles or 3 months. My 3 months is up May 11th. I've got about 8 miles on it now.

cormyr

ok i'm man enough to admit it. i jumped the gun with this statement. it's just that my frustration level with trannies has worn me a bit thin. the tranny wasn't fried, nor was it leaking. the leaking was from a cracked cooling line and the slipping was due to it having blown out 2 or 3 quarts of fluid. so i guess i owe maddog an apology. the tranny is currently working fine. i do however have an issue with the fact that he said he would install a 3-4 upshift sleeve and it is not in there. he did however not charge me for that part so i guess i cant complain too loudly, i'll put it in myself. the shifts are not as firm as i would like but i will probably fix that when i open it up as well. otherwise, the tranny seems ok for now. apologies, once again.

iroczrockz

Hey, I completely understand the frustration level with trannies. You have made me feel a little better anyhow about Maddog but as far as my situation with him it is still to be determined. I sure hope this is something that will go away or I find the fix.

What is that 3-4 upshift sleeve you are talking about?

cormyr

its a modification that you can do so it will shift into 4th at wot. it originally came in the caprice police package and you can order it through a gm dealer for like $18.

kamu

I bought a tranny from maddog transmissions about 2 months ago. I have not tried it out yet. I should have the car running within the next 2 weeks I will post back on how the transmission works. After reading this thread I sure hope it works good.

88Camaro350

I noticed some added vibration whenever I added a poly mount. But then again my 700r4 was a POS. I will be installing a TC street fighter th350 this week. Will have to see what happens then.

iroczrockz

Whatever you do don't leave him feedback if you bought it on ebay until you are satisfied with the tranny. My tranny was sent back Friday and I hope to be getting another one real soon. It's bumming me out not having my car. It cost me $100.01 to ship that thing back and he did not cover that.

kamu

Well I got my car running today. The Tranny works real good. Nice and firm upshifts everything is working great. I hope it will last. If it does not I will post back about it. Before I bought it I looked on this site and others for some feedback on Maddog transmissions and could not find any at the time. So I hope it keeps working fine.

cormyr

ok i felt the need to say that i have been pounding the ever loving s*** out of this tranny since i got it installed and setup correctly and i have had zero problems with it. id say it appears to be a solid unit. time will tell of course but i have a cooler installed and based on performance so far im not worried. i wont be babying it a bit.

iroczrockz

I just got my replacement unit from Maddog this week and now I am waiting on a new torque converter coming from B&M to get here for the install. It should be a quicker install this time due to all the practice I have had lately and because of the new flexible lines and dipstick I am putting in. I hope this unit is reliable. Once it is in I will basiclly have an all new drive train. I will probably sell the car after this install too due to me moving. Go figure, right?!

IceManRS305

iTrader: (-1)

hmmm, i just ordered a tranny from mad dog as well, hope my trans isnt a POS... i spent 1200 on it... his ebay feedback is very good so i figured he was a honest guy... but what can you do? seems like transmissions are a big scam everywhere, and ppl have problems with every place they deal with lol... i guess its time to learn how to build transmissions myself haha

iroczrockz

Well, I have to admit that Maddogs have worked with me to get this deal worked out right. I have the second tranny sitting by the car ready to go in now. Hopefully this one will work like I said before but as far as Maddog standing behind his stuff he seems to be at least trying. I still haven't given him feedback yet. I will when the tranny works fine .

88Camaro350

Hey Iroczrockz...

Where did you get the flexible transmission lines? I am in the market for a pair myself.

And a alluminum pan....this chrome TCI pan will not stop leaking.

Floor guy

You took the words right out of my mouth. I was tired of paying good money for trans rebuilds, only to be let down by the builder. Took a training course at the local college, bought some tools and started doing them in my home garage. Now if it fails, I can look in the mirror and pass blame.

iroczrockz

Well, I bought all the pieces from Summitracing. It took me a few paychecks to do it but I'm glad I did. You can get everything you need from them but some people like to shop around. Everything I used is -6AN. Let me know if you need part numbers and I'll look them up for ya. Do you have a tranny cooler too? I was thinking about an aluminum pan but I was going to get mine from EBAY. They go for about $30-$35 I think.

MikeH

iTrader: (10)

I wish i had the desire to do the same. Ive done just about everything, but rebuild a transmission.

I Just came in from the garage, im swaping out yet another tranny. This is my 4th tranny, what ive spent, i could have bought one from probuilt.

One of the 4 i had rebuilt... i made the mistake of letting a shop r/r the tranny. I Still remember the guy telling me how he had a hard time getting the tranny in and out. When i asked him why, He said "the motor mounts where very tight". I have a SuperRam intake on my car, and as some might know, the plenum is close to the wiper motor. When you drop the tranny you have to support the motor so i the plenum doesnt make contact with the wiper motor. I noticed the wiper motor was broken into peices. Lucky i had a spare on the shelf. Theres more but i wont bore every body with it. I swap my own trannys now.

Glad to hear that some of you are having better luck then me when it comes to transmissions.

Floor guy

Don't be scared. Jump in. You can do it. Understanding how they work is the tough part. Rebuilding the trans is tricky but doable.
Also, a standard refresh is less than $100 in parts.

fullthrottle

I dont know if this is worth posting but I have a 700R4 that was used and have been running it at the strip for two years. My nephew bought it two years prior to that and I have had zero problems with it. He drove on the street and strip and gave $1499 for it with the 2500 stall through jegs. It had all TCI interns and conv. ,hardened tail shaft etc...
May be worth the extra money.

som6969

Check thr tv cable system that is what controls a 700r4