TCI Trans? (Just Say No !)

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69superbee

69superbee

Pete E
Joined
Jan 31, 2006
Messages
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Location
N.E Florida
Ok... I should have know better but, at the time I didnt have a good case to have a trans done for my car. Took a chance against all advise given from A bodies and friends.

I spent 1000.00 (not including the converter ) on TCI's race trans. first of all the damn thing leaked like crazy from day one. Shift shaft seals,rear seal, front seal. no biggie got it all fixed up and it was high and dry. Shifted nice and hard with normal driving and just goofing off. Really hard hitting trans, I thought maybe a little too hard because it felt like it had some kind of overlap on the 2nd/3rd shift.

almost felt like it was trying to go in to reverse for a split second. 2nd to 3rd shift. I figured that TCI knew what they were doing and it was fine. Since They claimed to have dynoed the thing. " It is their all out comp trans " so my little 400 hp 360 cant hurt this thing?

It shifted nothing like my Turbo action VB that I have in my Dakota and drive every day. The TCI shifted violently. Should have been red flag.

Took it racing awhile back
Was the most expensive 4 runs I have ever paid for !
the car ran great shifted good all day. till the 4th pass.
I pulled second gear and the car laid down on me. I thought I might have just ran it out of fuel at first. Car just bogged really bad. Nope. totally lost second gear. No indication of any problems.

Thought the linkage came out of adjustment. Checked it and it is fine.

I just pulled the pan and noticed that the fluid smelled weird and at the bottom was a bunch of black slime. I didnt see any metal and the fluid didnt look brown just smelled cooked. It couldnt be any build up ( clutch dust and normal wear) since the fluid has been completely changed twice with less than 1000 miles on the box. due to leak repairs. I didnt notice any of the "black stuff in the pan on either of the changes so something more than likely broke.

Thought I would just give anyone considering anything from TCI to go into their pride and joy some advise, While this whole experience is still fresh in my mind.

DON'T DO IT ! Save your sanity, hard work, and cash !
Find someone that knows what he/she is doing and pay once for a GOOD transmission .

At this point I dont even know if I would trust the darn case it might explode if I have it rebuilt right. TCI in my opinion has a piss poor product and I will do everything I can for now on to spread the word !


(I dont feel any better because but, it is good to let some of the frustration out.)
Now I am off to pull the 727 out of my Dakota that a I had built here locally by a real Mopar trans person. for half the price.


Pete
 
I hear that over and over. I guess I'll take that advice and sorry you learned the hard way. A thousand big ones is hard to come by.
 
They claim to warranty their stuff but, as most of us gather parts over time to put our cars together the 30 day's tend to go by before you find out this kind of stuff.
 
69superbee,sorry to hear of your troubles i found out the hard way also years ago, when i bought a Totally Crap Industries tranny..yes find yourself a good tranny man best place to ask is at the track see who everyone else is using...
 
We have a few pretty good guys here in SE Mi area. I will be spending my loot locally on this kind of stuff for now on.

Wish I knew what I was doing with one I would rebuild it myself. trans work is about the only thing I cant do. :(
 
If you can do a set of drum brakes, you can rebuild a 727.

I'd buy an ASTG manual, Carl Munroe's 727 Book and maybe the Video with Paul Zank and learn to do them yourself. Cost about $200-250 in parts and reference/videos and you'll be good for the rest of the time you beat on mopars.
 
Good Advise Crackedback :)

I think I have a manual laying around here some place. it is going to be a long winter and It could be a good project for me .

I wonder if I should chance the TCI case or just get another? Who knows what they have done to this one. If I use the case the TCI VB is out of the question !

:) I would like to take this one apart just to find out what failed anyhow.
 
thats awfully cheap for a TCI race trans. sorry it didn't work out. Maybe a B&M or similar might be an option. Keep us posted on how things go
 
Go to your local track and ask around find a mopar only guy that does trans work you won't regret it. I did that and mine is a hard hitting 904 that is built to the hilt for what you paid for the TCI and I got a new convertor also. Made a good contact for parts also.
 
As I said in another post, I have a ( Frank Lupo ) Dynamic 727 reverse manual valve body with a freewheeling 1st gear. Dynamic built the trans and gives a full 1 year unconditional guarantee, does anyone here know what unconditional means? Anyways in all the years I've had this in my car-s I have never had a problem except for owner error ( me )

Prices are reasonable and you'll never be dissatisfied if you know exactly what you need :)
 
...........It wasnt clearanced properly................the bands wernt adj rite also, they may have left out the restrictor plug..................kim.........
 
I wonder if TCI did anything weird to the case ?
If I can reuse it ? I would just buy a new VB and rebuild the trans. I am sure the converter is polluted also, Ill have to get another one of those too :(

I would hate to trash a case if I dont have to .


Thanks for all of the input folks.
 
Sorry to hear of the problem Bee but from everything I've heard from TCI it doesn't surprise me. I doubt they did anything to the case but if you get the book from carl Munroe that crackedback mentioned and read through it you'll see all the standard mods you do to torqueflites and you can look the case over and check for them.

BTW: That muddy stuff in the pan was friction material probably caused from it "overlapping" on shifts. Overlap is when it shifts into the next gear (3rd in your case) and it stays in 2nd for a second or two. That's what made it feel like it was trying to go into reverse. I had that happen on an older Dakota but it was on the 1-2 shift. I jacked the wheels up and started it and put it in manual low and ran the speed up to 25 mph and held it steady then shifted into 2nd without touching the gas and when it shifted the wheels nearly stopped turning before it went into 2nd gear. It had a lot of mud in the bottom of the pan too.
 
fishy68 said:
Sorry to hear of the problem Bee but from everything I've heard from TCI it doesn't surprise me. I doubt they did anything to the case but if you get the book from carl Munroe that crackedback mentioned and read through it you'll see all the standard mods you do to torqueflites and you can look the case over and check for them.

BTW: That muddy stuff in the pan was friction material probably caused from it "overlapping" on shifts. Overlap is when it shifts into the next gear (3rd in your case) and it stays in 2nd for a second or two. That's what made it feel like it was trying to go into reverse. I had that happen on an older Dakota but it was on the 1-2 shift. I jacked the wheels up and started it and put it in manual low and ran the speed up to 25 mph and held it steady then shifted into 2nd without touching the gas and when it shifted the wheels nearly stopped turning before it went into 2nd gear. It had a lot of mud in the bottom of the pan too.
Click to expand...

I will be looking the case over good before I go through it . was happy to see there was not any broken hard parts in it . but, ya never know until I get it all apart and inspect it beyond just removing the pan. if I can just go through it and put a different VB in it and throw away the TCI piece in it. it should be fine. I would know where to start looking for what they have done to the VB. but, I suspect that is where the trouble started. Is there a way to clean out the converter? I hate to trash it if there is a way to clean it out. any ideas ?
 
Ugh.... Is there a converter shop near you? They can cut it apart and weld it back together....... (rebuild)

If it is a TCI converter, here's a story.......

about 500 miles on my roller 318, 727 built by me, and a TCI converter. Nice hot day, new stickies, warmed them up, and took off, first gear, wooohah! Shifted at about 7200, 2nd gear, end of the tracks coming fast, third gear, Something let loose, motor revved to god knows what, belt came off.............. Fluid everywhere.... I thought the tranny had a hole in it.

A coasted to a stop, and the alternator was still spinning a gazillion RPMs.......

TCI converter, weld around the outside sheared, whole converter split in half, fins exploded, don't know what happened first....... But that was with a 318.....
 
That totally sucks !


Thank god it is not a TCI converter. IT is just a cheapo Mancini converter but it worked pretty good for what I have going on . Ill just have to get another.
 
CHEATHAM said:
Go with John Cope at CRT he will sell you and recomend you what you need.
Click to expand...
I believe he is also a longstanding member here. I saw him posting a little bit in the last couple of weeks.
"John at CRT" is his username.
 
Pat at SMR transmissions is also VERY good with Torqueflites. It's all he does.
 
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