Small things going wrong with car & tranny dip stick (85 olds delta 88) (gasket, brake)
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In the past few months my tranny dip stick broke, oil light burned out & now my tranny gear selection doesnt work (wont go past R) but the tranny works fine even though it leaks. They say bad things come in threes so im hoping for the best. Anyways....i cant find a good used tranny dipstick in a wrecking yard & i dont want to buy a new one with the holder at the parts store. Any suggestions on how to check my tranny fluid level ?
If your tranny is an overdrive, it's most likely a TH-200-4R. Check a tranny shop for a dipstick, or hit up eBay. Lots of cars used the TH-200-4R....GM B bodies ( full size Caprice, Delta, Bonneville, Electra, LeSabre, full size wagons) from 1982 thru 1990. Also GM G bodies (Cutlass, Regal, Monte Carlo, Grand Prix, Grand National, El Camino) from 1982-1987. I don't know if they had any different lengths from the G bodies from the B bodies though.
You probably won't find any used tranny dipsticks in your typical wrecking yards as all of the B body and G body cars have long since dried up from demo derbies, the crusher or people who donk them out....not like it was back in 1996 when I used to frequently browse the pick n pull yards and couldn't throw a rock w/o hitting 5 G bodies or 4 box style B bodies. In fact I actually did buy a used tranny dipstick once for my Delta 88 back in 1997 (I think) from a wrecked Delta 88 station wagon.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Your car is now 27 years old. Keep in mind that all of the metal and rubber parts are going to start failing, in fact you are lucky to have gone this long.
I had a 1972 El Camino and had to rebuild the TH350 not because of slippage due to wear, but because the second gear tang (metal fork) broke from metal fatigue. I probably spend $4,000 on things like suspension parts, gaskets hoses and belts and that was doing the work myself. i did pay for the trans rebuild but only $1,200, much less than the modern electronic versions.
For parts try Desert Valley, I used them for my front disc brake conversion and was very happy with them. Your car may be a little newer than normal for them but it's worth a try.
I just sent the DVAP a parts request. Hopefully its not more then $10.00 incl shipping but i doubt it. Ill post the cost after they contact me via email. Thanks for the info (both of you).
Change the pan gasket if it's leaking, it's not that difficult. Fill the transmission back up to spec (usually 4-5 qts). Transmissions don't use fluid, so if it's not leaking it should stay full. I would cover that dipstick tube with something though to keep debris from falling it it.
If it's leaking somewhere else, that another story. lol
Get a coathanger and stick in into the fill tube. Take it out and if you dont see fluid on it ADD some...
I still have 3/4 of the tranny dipstick. The coat hanger was a idea i did think about & ill give it a shot tomorrow. My carb needs to be adjusted cause its very hard to start when cold & the car is sucking up gas big time. If gas was cheap i wouldnt mind but at $3.60 a gal its hurting me.
I stuck the coat hanger into the dipstick holder & fluid was on it. Was i suppose to hit bottom or what (I did hit the bottom of the pan) ?
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