Thread: My reason for demodding - Transmission

Some of you know that I went through a bunch of built up transmissions. Let me kick out some basic info first and bring you up to speed.

Bought a 97 Bonneville and was not going to mod it. My dickbag friend told me about an ebay auction for a pulley and puller, that was the end of stock.

Final build on the motor:
Stock bottom end
S1X camshaft
PRJ S3 heads (stock gaskets, arp stud kit)
130# springs (fresh valve seals)
Titanium retainers
HD locks
1.8 HS rockers (comp bolts)
Ported LIM with coolant mods (see prepping an LIM)
Meziere EWP
Bonneville PS relocation bracket (moves ps back 1-1.5 inches for better belt path with EWP)
8 Rib SC belt and pullies
WBS S3 IC
Gen V with 2.9" pulley
Northstar TB
4" FWI
SLP headers
Aluminum Bonneville oil pan, pickup tube and filter adapter (2000-2003)
42.5lb injectors
PRJ fuel rails
PRJ plug wires with labels and protective boots
Oversized El Dorado radiator
2000 Bonneville Alt bracket and alternator with voltage sense added
258mm flex plate drilled for 245mm.

Trans
Fully built each time.
Intense input shaft
3.29 gearset with 7/8 chain
hardened 4th hub shaft
Tightened up clutch packs
Upgraded/New valve body and channel plate
245mm torque converter

The problem
I ended up building two different transmissions for this car. The first one was out 6 or so times to be fixed. Each time the Input Shaft reluctor was ripped off the drive gear. This includes the recluctors that were screwed on by Intense, stockers and the tighter drilled one from TEP. In the three builds, the 7/8 chains were stretched. The last one being the lowest mileage (~2K miles total) and the worst of all.

Here's some pics.
One reluctor


The corresponding channel plate that it dug up


Next



The last trans I built


2K miles later



The chain where my finger is..should be at least 1/8" from the case. To reuse per the ATSG manual. It was easy to bottom it out.


It dargged


When I felt the noise after the upteenth rebulld I said I was demodding and done building a 3800 in one of my cars. I'm currently driving a mild Regal with a set of rockers and after it's first transmission (189K miles) I will put a Gen V on it. That's as far as it will ever go.

I am considering asking the machine shop if they can weld the reluctor onto the drive gear to keep this from ever happening again in my "mild" setup.

I think some of that happened because a Bonneville weighs about 4000 lbs vs a Regal (~3600 lbs) vs a 2 door GTP ~3300 lbs. I'm sure your foot didn't help either, lol, but I think it was the weight of the car. Surprised they didn't put the 4t85E or whatever's in a Cadillac Deville or STS. My friend keeps telling me I should get an adapter to put that transmission in instead.

*Final picture text says "It Dargged" <--- fix that

As to your tranny problem, I seem to recall a video that you described as a "Banshee under the hood" as you went under bridges in the SSEi Sure those highway pulls didn't help any

Weight of the car shouldn't have anything to do with the reluctor, which was the actual failure point. The chain, well.. likely it was a factor.

BTW your weight numbers are off by a bit. With me in the car a the track it was 3800lbs.

Originally Posted by matt5112

GTP is 3500

Coupe or Sedan?

I know there is only a couple hundred lbs difference between them, figured 3500 for Sedan and 3300 for Coupe was about right

It must depend on the sources. Those are the numbers I remember from cars.com a few years ago for 97-98 years, but they're not listed anymore for the older model cars now. The newer 99, 2000-2003 weighed a little more and then 2004 and newer was at least another 100 lbs for the 4 door compared to the 97-03. 1992-1999 Pontiac Bonneville: Full Review - Consumer Guide Automotive and 1997-2004 Buick Regal: Technical Specifications - Consumer Guide Automotive both list 3446 lbs for the Regal and Bonneville so I don't think that's right. Regal was about 3650 and a 4 door Grand Prix was about 3500 lbs. It seemed to go up in steps of 150 lbs cause the 2 door GTP was about 3350. I remember making a post here before with a list of weights or some measurement I compiled, I'll have to look.

Originally Posted by matt5112

check your doorstamps.

Might work using the GVW. I think it's 1,000 lbs capacity for most cars so minus that to get the curb weight. Bill, did you figure what your reluctor wheel was catching on. I need to get working on by trans build soon (already have the parts) and I'm trying to make any improvements where needed.