My 76 LT has a 350 with a 350TH Transmission. At a stop the transmission made a snapping sound, then there was no torque to the wheels in any gear. I thought the B&M Star Shifter Cable had snapped. Towed it home and just replaced the cable as per instructions. It shift into all gear from PARK to LOW as it should. The lever on the tranny clicks; but the car does not have that telltale bump as it usually does when it is placed into a driving gear.

* Checked the cable again
* Fluid is fresh and full- not overfilled.
* Good Vacuum to the modulator and it is new as well.


There is an intermittent tap or clank that sounds like it is coming from the driver-side bell housing when the car is started- no too loud; but detectable. I replaced the engine with a crate awhile back and only put about 500 miles on it before this happened. Did I miss something?

 

Doesn't sound good. Could be a broken shaft on the forward drum, or a broken planetary shaft, or a number of things. When they suddenly wont go into any gear and they make noises, it's never an easy fix.
I think I'd pull the pan, just to se what might be in the bottom, but it might be time to find a rebuilt trans on Craigslist. They're actually pretty cheap.

 

Pull the dip stick a give it the smell. If it smells like burn crap then the clutches are fried. I doubt that the problem, Vall has you on the right path. I'm just offering more advise.

 

Ya, it could be the retaining clip for the manual valve in the valve body, although I've never heard of one breaking as they are pretty sturdy unless something got jammed. But ya it could be a number of different things and like Vall said I would pull the pan first to get a better idea of what is going on!

 

Only reason I say that about the manual valve is because it is on the driver side and the linkage is close to the bellhousing.

 

Converter or pump broke?

 

OK, I'll jack it up and see what can be seen. Any tips on what to look for? The pump would have to be removed from the tranny while the transmission is completely removed right?

It does not sound like it could be the flexplate since I can start it up. How is the converter a possible culprit- what breaks?

I have only pulled the transmission before by pulling it out along with the engine during an engine swap. Can the transmission alone be removed in the driveway if the car is up on jackstands?

I was thinking that I could get a used transmission at the U PULL-IT for $160.. The camaro has a th350C now with the cable cut off- Should I replace it with another one or just get a regular TH350?

 

I'd look for pieces of anything in the fluid. Could be anything from pieces of clutch to pieces of metal, or even a sparkly metallic look to the fluid. If it has metal pieces, or a sparkly look, it's toast.
Yes you can pull the tranny with the car on jackstands, if the stands are tall enough and you've got a good tranny jack. Not sure about U pull it tranny, as I don't know how you decide if it's a good one or not. If you wait until the weekend of the 4th U pull it will have everything 1/2 price.