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I have a 1982 Ninety Eight that was purchased a few months ago and has been running beautifully. 2 weeks ago I was stuck for over 2 hours on the highway in bumper to bumper traffic, moving only a few feet every 10 minutes or so. I would alternate between keeping holding the car with the brake, or put the car in park, then when things moved, back in drive and back in park. This happened over and over for the past two hours. Eventually I could smell oil burning, and the car wouldn't go into gear. I checked underneath to find a large pool of transmission fluid! The car was towed to my mechanic and the following day he topped up the fluid and checked for leaks. NO LEAK! NOT A DROP! I was told to drive it around for a couple of days and I did. Still no leak, it shifts just fine, and runs as if nothing happened! Can anyone tell me why it barfed up a pile of fluid, and now nothing? Should I keep driving it? Or should I get the tranny overhauled anyway? I did have all of the old fluid drained and replaced.
Hi folks, just curious. My 1982 Olds Ninety Eight seems to have a very sensitive torque converter. It seems to engage (at speeds over 40 mph) only when I'm pushing on the accellerator, and as soon as I ease off, it immediately disengages. Is this normal? It is very noticeable when I am using cruise control, with it coming on and off frequently enough to be annoying. Any way this can be adjusted? Or is this a warning sign of a bigger issue?
If this 82 has the vacuum controlled converter lock up solenoid check the electrical & vacuum connections to it.
Ditto Jesses response about fluid. When's the last time you serviced this trans, fluid & filter?
Yup, fluid was changed after the tranny burped up on the highway. So, is there a valve or something that allows it to dump fluid? I still can't understand why it left a large puddle, but now with fresh fluid there's no leak?
Also, the torque converter was doing as I described right from when I bought the car. Months before the incident on the highway.
There is no overflow valve. If the transmission puked ATF it came out the top of the dipstick tube or seeped out behind a seal.
There's probably a throttle valve adjustment you can do that will change the way the transmission shifts. I'm not sure about your specific car though. It would be covered in the Factory Service Manual.
There is no overflow valve. If the transmission puked ATF it came out the top of the dipstick tube or seeped out behind a seal.
There may also be a vent tube near the top of the transmission.
Anyway, I agree that overheating is the likely cause for puking fluid. It just got too hot and boiled out.
As for the torque converter "engaging" and "disengaging" that sounds like the lockup function in the torque converter. It is supposed to lock up at light throttle and unlock with heavier throttle or when the brakes are applied.
Add a cooler if you are worried. Most of these cars had the weaker TH250C, still plenty fine behind the Olds 307. My 81 Delta 88 had pretty seemless lock up with the vacuum set up. It could be getting sticky. Weren't US cars ECM controlled after 1980?
Thank for the info. So far there is still no sign of continued leaking, and the oil filler tube was dry at the time. I guess I need to find a transmission shop that is familiar with these models and see if they can do anything to improve the torque converter function. I should have mentioned that this is a Canadian model, therefore no ECM and a mechanical Rochester 4 Barrel carb.
Originally Posted by Fun71
There may also be a vent tube near the top of the transmission.
Anyway, I agree that overheating is the likely cause for puking fluid. It just got too hot and boiled out.
As for the torque converter "engaging" and "disengaging" that sounds like the lockup function in the torque converter. It is supposed to lock up at light throttle and unlock with heavier throttle or when the brakes are applied.
Last edited by Gerryeuph; June 7th, 2023 at 03:34 PM.
Reason: did not finish message.
Hard to interpret the trouble from your description.
Are you saying if you lift off the gas at say 45-55mph while its in 4th gear and then press back on the gas it feels like the trans was in neutral and then re-engages when depressing the accelerator?
Or does the trans never make it into 4th gear?
Both scenarios indicate a significant internal problem.
What does the fluid look like?
Does it smell burnt?
Get it into an ATRA-certified trans shop that knows older analog transmissions.
The first thing they should do is a road test, then verify TV cable adjustment,
Verify the lock-up solenoid as I mentioned earlier.
Next test is a pressure check while it's on the lift.
Then a pan drop to check for mud(clutch material).
1982 my mind went straight to an OD 4-speed trans with a lock-up style converter. Which should be what you have a TH200-R4, not a TH350. You should have 4 forward gears not 3.
Is it upshifting into all 4 gears?
At what speeds do each of the gears engage, in drive, with normal not heavy-footed throttle?
Last edited by droldsmorland; June 8th, 2023 at 07:15 PM.
Ugghh, you are correct, it is a 200, not a 350. Sorry guys. The tranny seems to shift fine through the 3 normal gears, only when I get up above 45 MPH does the OD engage. It comes on with light accellerator pressure, but as soon as I ease up on the pedal it disengages back to 3rd gear. Also, if I am wanting to pass, I have to push the pedal nearly to the floor to get it to release to a lower gear.
Fluid was changed shortly after the incident on the hwy where the tranny overflowed. Level is still full, and doesn't smell burnt. No visible leaks, no oil on the driveway.
Yes I agree with Jesse. Perform the static TV cable (TVc) adjustment procedure. Then road test and "tighten it up" a click at a time towards the tight direction to obtain firm, not aggressive up-shifts.
As mentioned look at the converter lock up solenoid, the brake switch and the cruise control switches/circuits.
Something is causing the lock up to disengage prematurely. My money is on a vacuum leak at the lock up solenoid AND or the TVc cable length is wrong.
Don't drive it until the static TVc adjustment is verified. An incorrectly adjusted TVc will take out a 200R4 in short order. Remember to take note of the original TV position if you need to get back to base.
Thanks for the clarification, many 81 and 82 Delta that I worked on were the TH250C. The TH2004R basically replaced them completely by 1983 in the full size cars. Is it shifting normal?
Yes, reverse, first, second, and third gears all seem to shift properly. It's only when the torque converter engages. It seems to like to stay in third gear at highway speed until you begin to push gently on the accelerator and then the torque converter comes on. As soon as you ease off on the accelerator the torque converter disengages and the car is back in third gear.
I have also discovered that this transmission does have a vent on the top of the unit, it's very likely that when I overheated the oil boiled out of the vent which will explain why I seem to have a pool under the tranny and then after everything was refilled and running normally there's no leaking. At least I hope that's the reason.
Pin F of the ALDL can be used to monitor torque converter clutch status. Put a test light on it, it should be on UNTIL the converter is engaged.
If the converter randomly locks or unlocks, or at speeds/throttle position other than expected, I’d be curious what the TPS is doing. The computer looks that engine temp, throttle position, map sensor, nd vehicle speed to determine what the converter clutch should be doing. Before digging into it or spending a bunch of money, give the engine a through inspection, especially vacuum lines. Then put s scanner on it and monitor tps and vehicle speed,
Matt, I worked on many of these 307 powered big cars, including owning a 81 for years, they rarely had issues, don't remember any. It looks like it is tied into the cruise vacuum switch, which makes sense. https://oldspower.com/threads/cruise...-25509432.573/
There is always an electrical switch for the converter clutch. Some interrupt power to the solenoid, sometimes they are an input to the ecm.
Id start by wiring a test light into the power wire to the transmission. If the light stays on while the transmission is acting funny, then you know it’s not a power issue. That leave things like pressure switches or solenoid problems.
June 7th, 2023, 08:43 AM
