New Trans, lost reverse...

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Novacuda

Novacuda

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Hey guys! My brain is fried for the day and I'm sick of looking at the car so I thought I'd ask on here. Brand new PA Performance 904 trans and converter kit http://www.summitracing.com/parts/pma-pa12104/overview/make/plymouth . All I've done as far as driving the car has been in and out of the shop, and reverse has worked great. All of the sudden, the car lost reverse. With the car in reverse, reverse kind of comes and goes. It will go in reverse a couple of seconds and then do nothing, then work again for a couple seconds more at random intervals. Ive tried unhooking all of the trans linkage and shifting it by the shift arm on the trans and same deal, reverse comes and goes. Fluid is correct, and all forward gears, park, and neutral are ok. Any ideas? This has drove me whacky today. :banghead: ](*,):dontknow::cussing: Thanks in advance for the help! :prayer:
 
sounds like warranty work for summit. I would contact them. A couple of things can cause your problem and they are all internal. Sorry for your bad luck. don't run it any more. Figure out what summit will do to help. Sounds like the reverse servo or improper clearance in the build up of the planetary gears and clutch drums. Simple fixes but you can cause damage to the tranny if you continue to try running it. You don't want to do that if you get stuck with fixing it yourself.
 
I would personally call /email PA perf,and go over the basics with them first. Personally,I would log who you talked to,and what your communication's. (Just a track record,back up you're story). Let's dig a little deeper,into your install. Stock column shifter,aftermarket cable? Deep sump,or stock pan/ dipstick installed?.....
 
Thanks guys...Car was originally a 904 with factory floor shifter. Everything now is as it came from Summit in the kit. I wondered about the b&m shifter I'm now running, which worked great, so I disconnected the shifter cable, and same deal. :sad1:
 
S'why I roll my own. Sorry for your loss, hopefully they come through for ya.
 
If all the forward gears work...and you have no reverse...

look at the reverse servo...either popped the snap ring holding the servo...or the servo rolled in the bore...rear band lug broke....or rear band strut popped out...
 
I agree with 70aarcuda but I wouldn't open the tranny until I knew they wouldn't fix it. I've had what he describes and also had a missing thrush wash do the same. Pressure is applied and the clutch drum has too much clearance and slides forward causing it to loose hydraulic seal causing reverse to fail. Servo and reverse band most common though to cause what is described
 
Well, I just called summit to make sure I didn't need to go through them for the warranty. After that, I called PA Performance, and they gave me the return information and all that. PA Performance couldn't have been nicer so far and I'm sending the trans back to them to redo, I just have to pay the shipping back and forth but that's no problem. So far so good!
 
Novacuda said:
Well, I just called summit to make sure I didn't need to go through them for the warranty. After that, I called PA Performance, and they gave me the return information and all that. PA Performance couldn't have been nicer so far and I'm sending the trans back to them to redo, I just have to pay the shipping back and forth but that's no problem. So far so good!
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Well, that's cool they will fix it.

What I don't understand is, if it's determined that it was a mistake on their part, why they don't cover the shipping. At the very least one way of it!
 
Gotta agree that they should at the very least pay the return shipping. I'd be pretty darn torqued that I paid nearly $2000 for something then I had to go through the work to R&R it and pay several hundred dollars to ship it back for them, and pay return shipping for them to fix something they should have done right in the first place.
 
Yowsers, I crated it up then looked into shipping prices from here in Phoenix to Maryland, and after seeing what it costs to ship I may just buy another transmission locally here from Hughes Performance. Running a Hughes in my Chevy and am happy with it. :banghead:
 
I'd pound on PA Performance real hard to pay shipping.They sell you a defective product then want you to pay to send it and get it back !?. I know it's common practice for the buyer to ship on their own dime for defective items but I'd be on em pretty hard.Were not talking nickle's and dimes here.
 
Novacuda said:
Yowsers, I crated it up then looked into shipping prices from here in Phoenix to Maryland, and after seeing what it costs to ship I may just buy another transmission locally here from Hughes Performance. Running a Hughes in my Chevy and am happy with it. :banghead:
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I guess you don't have the mechanical ability to drop the pan and check the rear servo and band like Tony recommended??? Seems to me I'd try something even if I didn't know anything about it before throwing $2000 into the junk:violent1:
 
fishy68 said:
I guess you don't have the mechanical ability to drop the pan and check the rear servo and band like Tony recommended??? Seems to me I'd try something even if I didn't know anything about it before throwing $2000 into the junk:violent1:
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That's what I'd do for sure.
They don't have a damn thing to loose over thier mistake if they don't pay the shipping.
It just costs you a crapload more than was agreed to.

I can fix it for you if it comes to it.
 
fishy68 said:
I guess you don't have the mechanical ability to drop the pan and check the rear servo and band like Tony recommended??? Seems to me I'd try something even if I didn't know anything about it before throwing $2000 into the junk:violent1:
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Oh brother...:smile: I really do appreciate everyone's thoughts and comments, fishy, be cool man...
 
Novacuda said:
Oh brother...:smile: I really do appreciate everyone's thoughts and comments, fishy, be cool man...
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Tracy currently does this for a living, and I used to.
904's are a breeze as far as transmissions go.
It was a serious question, and offer if you need it.
 
It is an easy fix drop the pan and check the servo and band adjustment.. it will cost you a fraction of what the shipping will be one way... It sounds like the snap ring popped out of the groove or reverse band is way out of adjustment... It will take you all of an hour to do...Bill
 
Back in Time said:
I'd pound on PA Performance real hard to pay shipping.They sell you a defective product then want you to pay to send it and get it back !?. I know it's common practice for the buyer to ship on their own dime for defective items but I'd be on em pretty hard.Were not talking nickle's and dimes here.
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You need to go back to Summit. If it was Jegs, all you would have to do, is pay the shipping back to Jegs, they will send you a another new trans.free freight back to you. I am sure Summit will do the same. They are stand up company too. If you buy a lot, they might even help with shipping back if you talk nice to them.
I sent back a Hughes converter to Jegs, all most a year later, because I didn't like the Stahl. They sent me a new one, and credited me the $100.00 diff.
I would never buy another mail order trans, no matter who it is. I don't want to bad mouth anybody here, so I won't say their name, but I bought a high dollar razzo Tbrake tranny from this big name company, and it lasted about 15 passes ( I also put a brand new Neal Chance converter in at the same time). I had my buddy go through it (I met him over this tranny) and he said it was all stock parts. Even the Tbrake sucked, so I bought a Grinner and started over.
A little tid bit. It wasn't a Hughes, I had good luck with their converters, and they are super nice on the phone.
I am just curious, please don't be offened, why didn't you get a Hughes to start with, seeing how you live close to them, rather then buying it mail order?Especially after you had good luck with their stuff.
 
Thanks guys! Good idea Dusterdragracer, maybe I'll contact summit again. I don't have a lack of ability, I'm a late model VW tech, and We've owned and operated our parts & repair business since 1962. I have a massive collection of tools, shop space, and ability. I am not however, an early model transmission tech, and I'm on a time crunch and thought that rather than horsing around it'd be easier\quicker just to put another trans in and either fix or have fixed the pa trans later and sell it or put it on the shelf. Trailbreze, I greatly appreciate your offer, I just think Fishy's comment was a low blow out of left field, as if he fixes his his dishwasher, fridge, plumbing, medical problems, any and every fixable problem he's ever come across. It just stunned me a bit since every other person I've seen on here has been overwhelmingly cool, not that he isn't, just an off response.
 
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFe7WOD3cSU"]Part 12 727 Rear Servo Assembly - YouTube[/ame]

this shows the 727 rear servo which is basically the same as the 904 rear servo......it shows the installation....for removal

remove snap ring and it will come out.....the servo moving up and down moves the band strut which engages the rear band which is where reverse is....

as i said...either the servo...band strut...or the band is not working...

you dont have time to drop pan and check servo...but you have time to remove and replace transmission...LOL
 
70aarcuda said:
you dont have time to drop pan and check servo...but you have time to remove and replace transmission...LOL
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Holy smokes...Honestly I do have time to go to engineering school and mine, smelt, and machine my way to an entirely new trans. ;) :prayer:
 
"I'm on a time crunch and thought that rather than horsing around it'd be easier\quicker just to put another trans in"

you said not me......
 
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