Hi Typhoon, thanks for the input, i read somewhere how to get all the fluid out of a trans, but I forgot how to and couldn't find the source anymore. I'll try that. As for the lockup, my TC only locks up in OD, and it does seem to do so, but as soon as I get onto the gas just a little harder it slips again and doesn't accelerate as fast as I think it should do... I know a TC has some slip, but maybe I'm also wishing for too much in a 5000 pound car My TC has a very low stall speed, around 1500.
By thrust washers I mean the washers inside the trans which go between things like input drum and 2-4 band drum etc. The ones where you get a little bag in any rebuild kit so you can make sure to get the correct ones. Now I rebuilt my trans with the clutches all well soaked in oil, actually dripping when I put them into their packs. So that would mean there were many oil films between the clutches when I installed the washers and set the clearance right. So when the trans started up first time it would probably press a lot of the fluid from between the clutches and thus make the clearance bigger (and possibly the first compression of a new clutch might squeeze it just a litttle bit, too). I just hope that's not true, I don't fancy taking out a $ 2000 trans and spend a whole weekend to change a $ 1 washer
It's my first trans rebuild and I have been using it for about 4k miles, the condition doesn't seem to get better or worse, and the fluid is still unburnt, so I don't think I'm breaking it, Maybe I should just pull it out and check clearances anyway... I'm not fussing about my shifts, they're definitely nice and firm, I can get them to really jerk the vehicle by shortening the TV cable a bit (just for tests ) But just after the shifts it feels sloppy again. So when I accelerate it jerks at shifts and then only accelerates slowly, but with high engine RPM. It's definitely not a weak engine
A friend of mine has a pickup (only a bit lighter than my van) with a 400hp SBC in it, also with a 700 trans and it pulls quite a bit better. Just makes me wonder...