QUESTION 1

Mike,

My brother and I recently rebuilt a powerglide. My problem is now it downshifts very hard and the kick down doesn¹t work. All clutches and band are brand new and we installed a shift kit. I am running a 2800 stall with a small block around 400 hp.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Jared

Jared,

The powerglide in its stock set-up needs vacuum to the modulator to drop pressure at light throttle. So, if the modulator is unhooked, it will down shift hard of deceleration. Also, with the automatic valve body, we need to run the complete original throttle pressure. Linkage from carb to trans set correctly to get passing gear.

Jared, it some ways an automatic powerglide is more work than a race unit.

Mike Stewart

QUESTION 2

Mike,

I have a 1.76 powerglide with a standard transbrake. My problem is the transbrake will not engage. I had problems with the solenoid, but I have replaced that. The new solenoid works fine, but the transbrake will still not engage.I checked the plunger and it travels all the way and freely.

Could it be a fluid pressure problem? I run Type F fluid. I have flushed the cooler, lines, valve body with line flush, but that didn¹t help. I¹m putting a deep 2 extra quart pan on it, hoping that will increase pressure.

The tranny hardly has any time on it, although it has sat for a while. Sometimes the transbrake will engage, but not every time I hit the button. It used to work fine. Also, I had a lot of band material in the bottom of the pan.

Any help would be appreciated.

Jon

Jon,

Does your glide have reverse? This will tell us if the reverse circuit is okay, the reverse clutch pack, seats, etc. You may want to check the trans brake valve engagement into the valve body casting. Depending on the style and the manufacturer of the brake will dictate how it functions.

You may also want to put a pressure gauge on the reverse pressure port if your case has one. It¹s at the rear passenger side of case 1/8 pipe.

Chances are this is a valve body problem. It will just take some checking to track it down. If reverse works but the brake doesn¹t, then it¹s probably the valve body.

Mike Stewart

Mike Stewart is owner of Mike’s Transmission in Lancaster, California. He will answer your questions about automatic or powerglide transmissions. Email: Mike@racingnetsource.com

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