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Sat Apr 06, 2013 12:58 pm

I just finished putting an ej22 into my 85 westy. While i had the auto tranny out, i did torque converter seals( doubled up), tranny to diff seals, added an external cooler, modded the governor, and switched to type f fluid. Now it wont shift out of first gear. It will shift after about the 2nd or 3rd trip around the neighborhood. Is the type f fluid too heavy for my tranny? Is it something else? Oh, and the fluid level is full( maybe a touch over the full line). Thanks

Sat Apr 06, 2013 6:14 pm

Update....today after the second trip out it shifted through the gears for quite awhile. But, after sitting for a bit it quit shifting completely. Now it wont shift no matter how many times I take it out. I also forgot to add that it shifted fine before the engine conversion.

Sat Apr 06, 2013 6:19 pm

Something is way wrong with whatever you did besides the Type F.

I'd back up and check out the governor first---

Sat Apr 06, 2013 6:20 pm

Did you carefully adjust the length of the throttle rod between the tranny and throttle body? Being a single mm off in length will totally mess up the shifting, so if you are 10mm off forget it working well at all.

Sat Apr 06, 2013 6:57 pm

I have also been thinking the governor. Maybe when I did the KEP mod I got a tiny piece of metal in there and that's causing the issue. I used the smallcar throttle kit which replaces the shift rod with the Subaru throttle cable. I will try and figure out how to check the adjustment on that. The throttle works fine if that means anything. I think the governor is my first step though. Thanks

Sat Apr 06, 2013 7:44 pm

The throttle rod--or cable adjustment is very important, because if it isn't in the correct postion it will hold the trans wherever it's set at.

It's a downshift cable, and if it's set too short from the throttle body, the trans will not upshift.

Lengthen it up and try that out--a hair at a time.

Sat Apr 06, 2013 10:04 pm

I will try that also. I also installed a new VW throttle cable from the pedal to tranny. Would that affect shifting at all? With the smallcar/Subaru cable setup I think I can adjust the tension at the throttle body a little bit at a time. Ill try in the morning. Thanks

Sat Apr 06, 2013 10:19 pm

Xs 2 this. my brother burned out the cluthes by not hooking up properly the downshift relay in his engine swap..
didn't think it was necessary during all his brilliance.. :roll:
even gems get polished by a dirty rag.
Terry Kay wrote: The throttle rod--or cable adjustment is very important, because if it isn't in the correct postion it will hold the trans wherever it's set at.

It's a downshift cable, and if it's set too short from the throttle body, the trans will not upshift.

Lengthen it up and try that out--a hair at a time.

Sun Apr 07, 2013 11:24 am

danfromsyr wrote: Xs 2 this. my brother burned out the cluthes by not hooking up properly the downshift relay in his engine swap..
didn't think it was necessary during all his brilliance.. :roll:
even gems get polished by a dirty rag.
Terry Kay wrote: The throttle rod--or cable adjustment is very important, because if it isn't in the correct postion it will hold the trans wherever it's set at.

It's a downshift cable, and if it's set too short from the throttle body, the trans will not upshift.

Lengthen it up and try that out--a hair at a time.

Hi guys, interesting reading because I broke down yesterday with a tranny problem. I, too had some shifting problems prior to the event. Would love to hear suggestions on my thread(don't mean to hijack but I'm broken down in Price, Ut)

Sun Apr 07, 2013 11:27 am

bustamoov wrote: danfromsyr wrote: Xs 2 this. my brother burned out the cluthes by not hooking up properly the downshift relay in his engine swap..
didn't think it was necessary during all his brilliance.. :roll:
even gems get polished by a dirty rag.
Terry Kay wrote: The throttle rod--or cable adjustment is very important, because if it isn't in the correct postion it will hold the trans wherever it's set at.

It's a downshift cable, and if it's set too short from the throttle body, the trans will not upshift.

Lengthen it up and try that out--a hair at a time.

Hi guys, interesting reading because I broke down yesterday with a tranny problem. I, too had some shifting problems prior to the event. Would love to hear suggestions on my thread(don't mean to hijack but I'm broken down in Price, Ut)

Bustamoov, I think you have a manual tranny, this thread is about an automatic.

Sun Apr 07, 2013 12:06 pm

What the hell--let him look & adjust his downshift rod if he wants to---

Sun Apr 07, 2013 12:18 pm

Terry Kay wrote: What the hell--let him look & adjust his downshift rod if he wants to---

Maybe you could sell him a new one from your stash. :wink:

Sun Apr 07, 2013 1:24 pm

Good idea--

Need a thottle kick down rod for your 4 speed?

Sun Apr 07, 2013 2:09 pm

It was the governor. There was a tiny piece of debris blocking a tiny port. Shifts through all the gears now. I had to drive a long way home in 1st yesterday at about 4500 rpm, would that have done any permanent damage to my tranny? Also, is there any harm in my fluid level being about1/4 inch above the full line on my dipstick? Thanks for all the advice. This site is a lifesaver.

Sun Apr 07, 2013 2:16 pm

If the oil is high because you added extra then all is probably fine. Check the level when the transmission temps are normal (they may have been quite high driving it around in first) and drain out any extra if necessary.

If at normal operating temperatures the level has gotten higher on it's own you may have a seal between the final drive and automatic section that is failing, so watch your levels carefully you don't want to put many miles on it this way.

Sun Apr 07, 2013 6:09 pm

This may be a case of not fully seating the torque converter.
I had this happen in a MB years ago. After a few short drives the
transmission was scrap.
Eric

Sun Apr 07, 2013 6:33 pm

Terry Kay wrote: Good idea--

Need a thottle kick down rod for your 4 speed?

Will it speed up my down shifts? :lol:

Mon Apr 22, 2013 5:51 pm

Well, i got the tranny shifting after I cleaned the governor. But, it only lasted a couple of short trips before it started slipping badly. The fluid does not look burnt, but it smells metallic and has a slight glitter to it in the sun. Looks like I am pulling the tranny for a rebuild. All i did during the engine conversion was tranny to diff seals, torque conv seals, drive flange seals, and external cooler. I dont know what caused the rapid deteriation, unless it was the long drive home in 1st gear. Do you think there would be any damage that a standard rebuild kit wouldnt take care of? Thanks, Josh