Some questions for a tranny expert

[WayneT]

1. I have a 904 with a serial number 3681063 4178 3765, Does that mean it's a '78 tranny?

2. I need to remove the valve body to replace the shift rod shaft seal. I read in the Chiltons manual that I have to pull out the park rod and may have to rotate the drive shaft to do this. What is the rod attached to and how diffucult is reassembly?

3. Last fall I drove the car only about 100 miles. I noticed it seems to shift very early. Could this be caused by an improperly adjusted throttle linkage? I set it at WOT and linkage all the way back.

[reygus]

Based on my experience, the once the valve body attachment bolts are removed, the valve body can be lowered without actually removing the park lock rod from the transmission housing. You will have to operate the gear selector shaft to give you the slack needed to lower the valve body. If you you need to remove the valve body completely, the rod has an attachment to the gear selector that is held in place by an E-clip. Remove the clip and free up the valve body for removal and replacement of the shaft seal.
The throttle rod is adjusted by making sure the throttle is fully closed. Find the adjuster on the throttle rod linkage and loosen it. Make sure the throttle lever on the transmission is fully forward against its internal stop. Remove any slack in the throttle linkage and tighten the adjuster. Making the rod length shorter lowers the shift points, longer raises the shift points (I believe).

[ben440brown]

The valve body does NOT have to be removed to replace the lever seal. There is a tool kit that includes a seal puller and seal driver available from KD tools, i think. Also, with skill, a small chisel can be used to peel the old seal out, and a 13/16 deep socket and a prybar against the floor can be used to install it over the tower. But, if you get in a bind, you can drop the valve body, but I would strongly recommend reinstalling the valve body before installing the new seal -- the tower aligns the seal as it is installed.


Good Luck !

Ben

[djswwg]

WayneT, you've adjusted the kickdown properly. If you adjust according to reygus instructions, the upshifts will be even sooner, and you may notice a serious lag between shifts. If your foot is into it at all, the rpms will flare between shifts, causing premature wear to the soft parts inside. If you are positive the linkage is adjusted right, you've got an internal tranny problem..............djs