Over the past month or so my car slowy started slipping when shifting from first to second gear. I had been checking the fluid in the tranny and it LOOKED like it was fine so I thought I had other problems. I couple of days ago it was slipping real bad so I checked the fluid level again, there was no fluid on the dip stick!!! I put an entire qt in the tranny and holy crap it made a world of difference. Before I could only get the tire to spin around a turn, now it will spin the tire a bit in a straight line. I still think the level is a little low but it is not slipping. I was able to find out why the level was low, the entire pan is wet around the perimeter with tranny fluid...I will say it needs a new gasket but I am going to get a 1982 5 speed insted as the leak is pretty slow, so it should last.

Is it safe to say that if the fluid is low in an automatic tranny that you may not be getting all the power to the wheel(s)? I know the converter works off a fluid coupling so if that fluid is not all there then it can slip...but will it also cause it to not to tranfer power like it should causing it to feel less like 145hp and more like 103hp? Trannys are not my forte'.

 

Well... when there's no (or not enough) fluid, it's deffinately not operating at the ideal condition. If anything, the tranny would get rippin hot & that's when you say ADIOS MI TRANSMISSION.

 

Make sure you check it regularly. It sucks to have the part you're planning to replace next month crap out on you next week...

 

Come to think of it, I have noticed more heat from the tranny tunnel near my right leg...is it bad to over fill it?

 

take the car for a drive to warm it up, going through all 3 gears. Pull over and let the car idle in park while you check the fluid level. That is the proper way to check fluid in an auto.
The auto I had did the same thing. It slipped when it was low on fluid. It was always slow though. 103hp is because 1st gear is so much higher than 1st gear in a 5-speed.... that and the auto itself takes more power to opperate so you get less power at the rear wheels. Its funny how some people think autos are better for drag racing.
well, they even think this about low horsepower 4 and 6 cyl engines.

 

I will check the fluid level as you suggested, thanks. The only reason an auto would be better for drag racing is because a manual will never shift as fast, other than that I am not a fan of the automatic.

 

dump in a bottle of that slick 50 auto tranny ****. kept my z31 auto on the road till i sold it, if only just barely. near the end, there was, for all intensive purpouses, no 2nd gear.

 

yeah. torque converters run on fluid. they have tranny fluid inside of them so when they start to spin the way they are formed on the inside sends the fluid all to one part makes it engage somehow (i forgot the mechanics exactly sorry for the general crap) and makes the wheels turn. also there are veins in the tranny the fluid runs through to make it shift tell it what gear is where when it should be hear w/e. so without the fluid, your tranny wont do crap and feel like its slipping. but in reality it just isnt engaging. also very bad for transmission. keep some tranny fluid bottles on you cuase you never know when it could strike again.

 

Also, look for tranny fluid on the drive way regularly.

There are a couple reasons automatics are better for drag racing.

As thxone said, they 'can be' WAY faster on shifts.

Another one is in bracket racing where CONSISTENCY is what wins, not the fastest car. Automatics can be setup to shift at EXACTLY the same time EVERY time.

And, you can also install a tranny brake that will keep the torque converter from locking up while you're staging until you hit the 'release'. You run the motor up to whatever rpm you can get the best launch from, hold it there and when the tree hits green, you press a button and launch like a freakin rocket.

Automatics dominate in drag racing classes where they're allowed.

Sequential transmissions dominate where auto's aren't allowed, but they are.

Last, in 'stock' classes where you have to use a 'normal' manual tranny, you shift like we do.

Regardless, I'd MUCH rather have my 5-speed than an auto or a sequential tranny. Real drivers use both feet!

 

i second that motion^

 

^ a resounding 3rd

 

Not even my wife will own a car that doesnt have a clutch pedal. Neither one of us has EVER owned an automatic. The only time she even considered getting a car with an automatic was when she went through her SUV phase. I might finally have to settle for an automatic though when I get a truck for this winter. I dont think the 260 is going to be a very good candidate for the winters out here

 

Yup, the only vehicle I have with an automatic is my Durango.

I don't think a manual is even an option on most SUV's.

 

my '85 s10 blazer had a manual. and i had a '87 toyota pickup with a manual.

 

^ Thats why I said "might". I'll just have to see what it comes down too. I kinda want to get something big though for future towing purposes. The larger trucks are harder to find in manual and towing isn't so great on the clutch I still want to get a couple more Z cars and being out in the middle of nowhere I'm going to need a means of towing them back up here. I got lucky with this last one and the guy is going to bring it to me for $500 (extra).

 

If you get a Diesel, you're more likely to get a manual...

 

But then I cant go through drive thru's without pissing people off

 

my blazer towed a boat with a big *** built 429 over the rockies a few times with no problems. sold that thing with mileage in the 400k+ range, still ran fine.