what causes a governor to strip out?

i put a new governor in the 700r4 and it only lasted 100 miles before it completely stripped out.

Put the old one back but i'm wondering if i didn't seat the cover all the way causing some problem.

If the cover is not seated the gear runs too far out and will strip- same if it's too deep. A burr on the output shaft will eat the gear too. There's a square cut ring for a seal and the cover goes tight against the case with a thin coat of RTV. The gear is a replaceable part, so don't run out and get a whole new governor.

Looked like an applecore I bet.

i had to have the car flatbeded home 70 miles from the drive-in last night at 1:30am so it did suck.

here is the gov i bought http://www.transmissionpartsusa.com/700R4_transmission_governor_p/400-000035890.htm

it is hogged out in one spot exactly in the middle of the gear so the depth must have been right. There are no signs of the thing dragging or hitting anything. The old gov showed some wear in the middle of the gear but after all the tranny probably has about 200k miles

i moved the weights over to the old gov and reinstalled it. Used a couple of nails to reinstall the weights. Have a slight leak this time because i busted the gasket.

Make sure the governor spins free in the bore. Knock the gear off the old one and spin it to make sure it's free. There is a pin the gear rides on in the case- look down in there and make sure it hasn't walked out- you'll need to pop the tail housing off to see it. I know PITA, but it beats walking home or a $150 tow charge.

Try lubricating it with cat shit. Slicker than snot.:harhar:

Tim,

If i need to have it towed again that's not a big deal with AAA.

What really concerns me is if i'm doing 80 on the hwy and it strips out again. Will it instantly shift down to first? Since first tops out at about 15mph that would cause the back wheels to lock and put me into a spin.

I don't think so-- I'll look at the hydraulics and see for sure. I think if it makes it to 4th, then loses the governor, it'll stay until you stop and then it won't upshift anymore. I'll look at the hydraulics Monday and let you know.

thanks Tim,

This is a serious safety issue so i want to make sure i understand how the thing works.

upon closer inspection, it appears that the bearing surfaces of the governor are galled so the bearing tolerances of this governor must be off. I am confident the original governor will be reliable with the replacement weights from the new unit.

The box is labeled TRI component products corporation made in USA. They are based in New York.

http://www.tricomponent.com/about.htm

turtlevette said:

upon closer inspection, it appears that the bearing surfaces of the governor are galled so the bearing tolerances of this governor must be off. I am confident the original governor will be reliable with the replacement weights from the new unit.

The box is labeled TRI component products corporation made in USA. They are based in New York.

http://www.tricomponent.com/about.htm

Click to expand...

Look at the bore in the trans case- it may be that bore is chewed up and needs to be polished a little. I'm still looking for my 700R4 book.

TimAT said:

turtlevette said:

upon closer inspection, it appears that the bearing surfaces of the governor are galled so the bearing tolerances of this governor must be off. I am confident the original governor will be reliable with the replacement weights from the new unit.

The box is labeled TRI component products corporation made in USA. They are based in New York.

http://www.tricomponent.com/about.htm

Click to expand...

Look at the bore in the trans case- it may be that bore is chewed up and needs to be polished a little. I'm still looking for my 700R4 book.

Click to expand...

There's no way Tim. You barely have enough room to remove the gov much less look in there.

I have determined my converter lockup is governor controlled and comes in halfway between 3 and 4 gear so i'm almost sure if i install that stick shift kit that blocks the gov full open the thing will lockup and stall as soon as i put it in gear. I'd have to convert back to an electric solenoid operated lockup.

I hate putting too much effort into this old tranny as the long term plan is to put a 5 or 6 speed manual in.

Even the old "mirror-and-flashlight"? maybe able to see if there's any major damage..

You were looking at a full manual kit? I can't find my 700 books anywhere, so I guess I'm not going to be a much help- one last thing I'll do is look at the 93 service manual- it has a complete drawing, but it's all electro-mechanical valve body stuff.

TimAT said:

Even the old "mirror-and-flashlight"? maybe able to see if there's any major damage..

You were looking at a full manual kit? I can't find my 700 books anywhere, so I guess I'm not going to be a much help- one last thing I'll do is look at the 93 service manual- it has a complete drawing, but it's all electro-mechanical valve body stuff.

Click to expand...

I have been thinking about it for several days now and remembered that there was no engine braking when the lever was in drive when the gov was not turning so it won't lock the rear wheels and send me into a spin on the highway if it happens again.

Does that make sense?

I'll try and scan the full manual kit instructions and send them to you.

turtlevette said:

TimAT said:

Even the old "mirror-and-flashlight"? maybe able to see if there's any major damage..

You were looking at a full manual kit? I can't find my 700 books anywhere, so I guess I'm not going to be a much help- one last thing I'll do is look at the 93 service manual- it has a complete drawing, but it's all electro-mechanical valve body stuff.

Click to expand...

I have been thinking about it for several days now and remembered that there was no engine braking when the lever was in drive when the gov was not turning so it won't lock the rear wheels and send me into a spin on the highway if it happens again.

Does that make sense?

I'll try and scan the full manual kit instructions and send them to you.

Click to expand...

That makes sense- the overrun clutch in 4th gear just hanging out, doing it's job.